Man of La Mancha

Once this emotion began to take hold, and it was clear that "The Impossible Dream" meant purity in the carnal sense, the movie became more compelling. This happens mostly because Sophia Loren.

Here's a musical that's supposed to be some kind of affirmation of human hope, and all it really does is encourage whistling in the dark. What's worse, it does so with words and ideas that would embarrass a Dale Carnegie instructor.

Peter O'Toole, as Don Quixote-Cervantes, gives a performance of such sincerity, stylized with such a fine line, that he carries the movie right along with him, past the bad songs and clumsy action scenes and Wasserman's often squishy dialogue.

An ugly and unseemly adaptation.