Act 1 Don Quixote

Polytechnic University of the Philippines
College of Communication
Department of Journalism
Sta Mesa, Manila
Name: Lacambra, Heidi B. Course: World Literature
Section: BAJ 3-1D
Review Essay:
MAN OF LA MANCHA
Directed by Arthur Hiller, 1972
What is reality? Is there such thing as an ‘absolute’ applicable for everyone? This is the question
that I am contemplating about, until now, as I am writing this paper. The film Man of La Mancha,
produced and directed by Arthur Hiller, released in 1972, has left me wondering, deeply contemplating,
feeling provoked and amazed on the complexities of the human nature, and so much more. In short, it was
one hell of a ride!
To give a summary of the film, based on how I understood it, it is a musical film about an
imaginative poet, Miguel de Cervantes, who got imprisoned during the Spanish Inquisition because of a
not-so-clear crime that he allegedly committed. As a storyteller himself, he wanted to defend himself to
his fellow prisoners through a play using the story flow he has written on his manuscript. The story tells
about Alonso Quijano, the protagonist of the story, who then believed that he is a brave knight who should
venture in accordance with “higher calling” and in pursuit of justice, together with his loyal squire,
Sancho Panza.
In reviewing the film, I’d like to start from the obvious and underlying messages that really hit
me while watching. I have listened to the song “The Impossible Dream” for several times already even
before watching the film, through Filipino radio programs. When I first heard of it, I thought that the
message of the song was trying and giving out one’s best to be able to achieve that “impossible dream”.
However, when Don Quixote started singing it, I felt like it’s meaning was way more than my realization.
It’s to continue to dream and thrive despite knowing how “impossible” and unattainable that dream is,
like what Don Quixote did in envisioning a world of nobility and chivalry despite the harsh truths of life.
Next, the iconic line of Don Quixote on one of his dialogues with his Dulcinea, which says “Be just to all
men, courteous to all women. Live in the vision of the one for whom great deeds are done.” Don Quixote
has seen how noble, pure, and worthy of a woman Aldonza is, which then transformed her to discovering
herself through the process and eventually becoming the Dulcinea he envisioned. Lastly, despite everyone
laughing at Alonso and calling him a “madman” for his views of things around him, he managed to hold
on to what he believes in and eventually created its way through people’s heart, the same way Cervantes
also left a dazzle of hope to the prisoners.
As I go along with watching the film, I cannot help but notice the exceptional strengths it has
shown. Despite it being centuries-old film, it still depicted relevant issues in our society nowadays such as
social injustice, oppression, and abuse of power which really provoked me into looking at the bigger
picture of these issues and realized that some societal problems just never get old. The choice of English
words for the dialogues of the characters conveys complexity but adds depth to the story. It was hard to
understand at first, but with the dialogues and singing performance combined, there shall be no difficulty
in trying to understand the significance of each line. The setting and transition of the film was impressive
as they were able to work around with a limited location setup. The narration, musical score, metaphors,
and portrayal of characters all contributed to the superb markup of the film. However, on the other hand, I
also noticed some weaknesses on the movie, such as the shaking of camera shots to some scenes, and the
use of foul and unpleasant words to some of the emotionally striking lines of Aldonza’s character to the
group of men who abused and harassed her. This film should be watched by kids with proper parental
guidance. Overall, this is a visionary and compelling film to watch.
What is reality? Is there such thing as an ‘absolute’ applicable for everyone? Don Quixote's view
of ordinary people as knights and windmills as giants demonstrates the subjective nature of reality and
raises uncertainty on the idea of a single, unchanging truth. I guess I must wonder more.
Source:
Concord Theatricals. Man of La Mancha. https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/92096/man-of-la-mancha

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Polytechnic University of the Philippines

Directed by Arthur Hiller, 1972

Concord Theatricals. Man of La Mancha. https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/92096/man-of-la-mancha

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