Cervantes (1967)
Directed by Vincent Sherman

Film Review

Vincent Sherman was a curious choice to direct this flamboyant dramatised account of the early life of the Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes, esteemed author of Don Quixote.  Sherman was best known for directing melodramas such as Mr. Skeffington (1944) and The Damned Don't Cry (1950), and was presumably invited to helm this big budget Franco-Italian-Spanish co-production because he had directed Errol Flynn in the colourful Adventures of Don Juan (1949).  The film's failure to find an audience (it passed without notice under the title Young Rebel when released as a B-movie in America) provided the final nail in Sherman's cinema career.  Subsequently, he would work exclusively for television, directing TV movies and episodes of series such as The Waltons and Medical Center.

Cervantes (released in France as Aventures extraordinaires de Cervantes), may not be entirely accurate but it offers a plausible résumé of the important incidents in its subject's eventful youth and allows us to see how these would have influenced his subsequent career as a writer.  It is essentially the tale of an idealistic young man whose illusions are gradually whittled away as he becomes a party to political intrigue and the vagaries of warfare.  Horst Buchholz is an admirable choice for the Quixotic (for want of a better word) hero, there being a slightly warped nobility to his portrayal that tallies with the portrait of the author we can discern from reading his work.

The exemplary supporting cast includes some of the most prominent European actors of the day - José Ferrer, Louis Jourdan, Fernando Rey and Gina Lollobrigida - all turning in mesmerising performances.  The action scenes are less impressive than one might expect for a film of this era - Sherman delivers far better results with the quieter, character-driven scenes.  Although somewhat overlong and occasionally pondeous, the film is worth watching for the precious insights it sheds on one of the great masters of literature.  Knowing something about its author certainly makes reading Don Quixote a far less challenging proposition.

Film Synopsis

In the 16th century, the young Don Miguel de Cervantes is engaged as secretary to the Spanish cardinal Acquaviva and accompanies him to Rome to negotiate a peace treaty with the Turkish ambassador, General Hassan Bey.  Whilst in the city, Cervantes falls in love with a beautiful woman named Giulia, not knowing that she is a prominent courtesan who faces imminent expulsion.  As the Turks threaten all-out war against the Christian world, Cervantes enlists in the Spanish army but is soon injured in battle.  Taken prisoner by Hassan Bey, he attempts to provoke a slave uprising in Algiers.  When the attempt fails, he is sentenced to death...