Cheap Man of La Mancha (Video) (Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco) (Arthur Hiller) Price

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Customer Reviews of Man of La Mancha

Capturing Quixote
Let me say first that I fly in the face of almost all the reviews I have read. I love this film-the cast, the singing, the sets, in fact every aspect is a near-perfect rendering of the vision I have of Don Quixote. I have read the book but have not seen the musical. I have the feeling that many people will never read the book-it's almost 2000 pages long and rather intimidating to people who are not readers. Many people may also never have the opportunity to see the musical, and perhaps the art snots are right and the musical is far superior to the movie. However, the movie does something that the musical and the book don't do-it makes Don Quixote accessible to everyone. Watching Peter O'Toole is to understand how a man can go out and fight windmills. Seeing James Coco at his side is to glimpse the true nature of friendship, for both as Sancho and the stage manager, Coco displays true affection and loyalty to a man whose idealism gets his friends in tight spots. Perhaps the most compelling evidence I can offer as to the value of the film is this-I have a son who is dyslexic and although I have read many books to him (The Lord of the Rings, Huckleberry Finn, Watership Down, to name a few) I never read him Don Quixote. He didn't want to try reading such a big book, but I told him about Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and we talked about the importance of following your dreams and not letting the world dictate to you. Anyway, he was deployed recently and the night before he left we watched Man of La Mancha. After it was over, he said thank you to me for sharing it with him. I'm glad that he has a better understanding now of the word quixotism, because he has always been a person of high ideals with his own mind and I hope he always will be. I will be getting the DVD the day it comes out, and I will keep it next to my copy of Don Quixote, so that I always have them both together. Walter Starkie, who translated Don Quixote, writes that Don Quixote was "created out of a life of disillusion, privation, and poverty by a maimed ex-soldier...whose noble nature and gentle sense of humerous tolerance taught him that life is an unending dialogue between a knight of the spirit who is ever striving to soar aloft, and a squire who clings to his master and strives with might and main to keep his feet firmly planted on the ground." Peter O'Toole, James Coco, Sophia Loren, and the rest of the cast bring this dialogue to life. I invite you to see this film.

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An excellent film...one that should get more recognition!
This film is very beautiful, and has imporessed me with the song "Impossible dream". The film is well written, and I enjoyed Sophia Loren in it. It has very good restoration on the dvd. Thank you!

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Full of Meaning
The acting and singing is not always that great in this film (though the songs are fun), but I love this musical. The whole plot and point of the movie is inspiring to me. To me the movie expresses that: We should see the world as it should be - filled with honesty, loyalty to doing right, care for others, and honor to God - and then to make it our quest in life to seek these things and make the world a better place. I know that others may not see the movie the same as I - but I recommend this movie, it is an inspiration to me.