Don Quichotte

This is a handsome retelling of the odd tale about a man who wishes to be a knight in a time that has no use for knights. It is a fable about the desire to dream and use the imagination -- the desire to go beyond the bounds set by society.

The cast is very good. Lithgow plays the sometimes-mad and sometimes-sane title character as a cross between a tragic figure and an over-the-top 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN zany. Hoskins, despite his accent which seems totally out of place, is very amusing as the faithful sidekick Sancho.

We all have giants, wizards, and windmills in our lives. Don Quixote is just able to see them better than most of us.

Dulcinea played by a black actress(nothing against Vanessa L Williams) The Duchess playing a foreign game(nothing against croquet) Costumes from the 19th century(nothing against a limited production design) Foreign accents(well, i don't care about accents, but that's another point to add) Etc. That sort of things proves the grade of fidelity of this project and make the spanish audience extremely esceptical about the result: There's absolutely no heart in it. I waited two hours to see the great Isabella Rossellini, but she is wasted with such a tiny role, although she solves it as a good professional. Finally I have to say Peter Yates' direction is stylish and elegant at times, good acting and an excellent score by Richard Hartly( I bought the CD!)

This is a visually sumptuous film which treats its central characters with a gentle quirky humour that never completely destroys their dignity and humanity.It is an almost impossible task to reduce Cervantes classic novel to film, but I doubt if there will be a better attempt. The success is primarily due to the outstanding performances of John Lithgow as the Don and Bob Hoskins as Pancho Sanza and John Mortimer's script. Lithgow's Don has a dignified strength which balances his over active imagination while Hoskins tongue in cheek interpretation owes much to the human weaknesses that so many of us share.It took a little while for the film to gain pace but as compensation this adult production had an imaginative energy that brought to mind Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and a Midsummer Night's Dream-it was indeed a good "Knight's" entertainment!Not for the action film addict but willingly suspend your disbelief and connive with its reality as the Duke eventually did and you will certainly enjoy.

Don Quixote has notoriously defied attempts to film it. This is a solid little TV version. There's a decent script by John Mortimer - though he does make it a bit too much about old age - and good performances by Bob Hoskins as Sancho and, particularly, John Lithgow as Don Quixote. Lithgow is credited as producer; this was clearly a labour of love for him and he gives his all in portraying a complex and difficult character. But the film needs something else - either more of the book's broad comedy, or more magic. It's just a little too wistful and bland - it captures Don Quixote's sadness but not his force. Makes you regret that Terry Gilliam failed to complete his version, it should have been just his bag.

Robert Halmi has made his living since the mid-1990s by making big-budget miniseries based on classic stories that focus on lavish, spectacular special effects. Most of the ones I have seen ("Merlin," "Alice in Wonderland," "A Christmas Carol") were good, though one ("Animal Farm") was pretty bad. Halmi's latest project, "Don Quixote," does not have especially great special effects, but that in no way detracts from the film's enjoyment. Both hilarious and even somewhat touching, this adaptation of Cervantes' famous tale of the madman who fancies himself a knight errant is highly entertaining and fun to watch. John Lithgow is fine as the Man of La Mancha himself, and most of his encounters with supposed giants and other enemies are very funny. Bob Hoskins, as his sidekick Sancho Panza, is hilarious. And plus, we have the beautiful Vanessa Williams to perk things up every now and then as Quixote's fantasy lady, Dulcinea. Yes, most of the Spanish characters speak in British or American accents, but does it really matter? Nothing, not even the lack of brilliant effects, make this film any less entertaning or enjoyable.