Les aventures extraordinaires de Cervantès

This epic adventure chronicles the early life of Miguel de Cervantes, Spain's great 16th-century novelist, playwright, poet, and the author of Don Quixote. It is highly fictionalized and based on the book Cervantes by Bruno Frank. Young Cervantes takes a prestigious job as secretary to a Cardinal. He later decides to join the army in the fight against the Turks and Islam and takes part in a dangerous sea battle. Cult star Soledad Miranda appears as Nessa, a kind woman who nurses him to health after he has been beaten and then falls in love with him. This movie was filmed in Spain and Italy.

a nice movie from a long series of popular historical European- and not only- films of the same decade. its virtue - the science to be, in same measure, a clever one. because it propose a colorful, seductive portrait of a character and not the image of Cervantes. but this portrait use biographic details mixed with fantastic adventures in a credible manner. it propose questions about religious differences, honor and morality, and, more important, a Don Quixote . the idealistic, generous, courageous, wise and vulnerable Cervantes is not really a hero. but a messenger of fundamental problems who challenge the honesty of viewer. sure, the most seductive performance remains the work of Jose Ferrer. the choice for the lead role could be not really comfortable but Horst Buchholz does a decent job and few sparkles of his acting are more than good moments. a film who has the gift to be more useful today. because the confrontation between Christianity and Islam has the same roots and the same force. only the clothes are different. Cervantes gives a kind of answer. and it is not a really unrealistic.

The writing, direction, and acting in "Cervantes" are no more than serviceable, making it yet another in that long line of "costumers" which came out of the European film industry in the '50s and '60s. However, "Cervantes" has the advantage of being set in the 16th-century, when Christian and Islamic forces fought for control of the Mediterranean, and it's this rich background -- not often explored by the movies -- which gives "Cervantes" its points of interest. The casting here is also a notch better than usual, with acting honors going to Jose Ferrer as a Turkish Bey. And those viewers who dislike leading man Horst Buchholz will be pleased to learn that he's both flogged and racked in this movie and, at one point, almost beheaded.

This enthralling saga of the early experiences of one of the world's greatest writers succeeds in generating and sustaining viewer interest for all of it's two hour length. It gives an excellent picture of how life must have been like in 16th century Mediterranean Europe. Although most of the characters speech and actions must necessarily be fictitious and some of the lesser plot devices are surely contrived just to carry forward the story, the main events are actually true and because of this they give some insight into possible sources for some aspects of the great author's works. Cervantes actually did fight at the battle of Lepanto, a critical confrontation with the Ottoman Turks who intended to continue their policy of overrunning Europe until this major defeat curbed them. Cervantes was captured and spent some years in captivity until finally ransomed. This film is fascinating in it's subtle foreshadowing of some of the immortal creations of literature (such as Sancho Panza and Dulcinea)whether they actually occurred in the fashion presented or no. Also the important central fact of the entire story is the gradual transition from zeal and idealism to disillusionment and resignation. The contrast of cultures,freedom and slavery, is sensitively portrayed. Usually, in an international epic with so many notable stars, there are some who just don't fit..but in this case they are all well-acted to the degree that they inhabit the story and the period just as do the lesser players, who are all very convincing. "Cervantes, the young rebel" will entertain as well as educate and provide much food for thought.