“A man who is true to his ideals will never be a fool.” Twenty-two-year-old Cervantes arrives in Rome. He is poor, talented, impetuous and purposeful. On the first day he gets into a duel. Immediately arranged secretary of the papal legate Cardinal Aquaviva. In between, the famous courtesan Julia turns her head. Fulfills the order of the Pope - delays the meeting of the envoy of Sultan Selim with King Philip II in time to prepare the crusade. The Turks slaughter 2,000 Christians in Cyprus as Cervantes seeks a meeting with Philip and demands a declaration of war. He becomes a hero of the Battle of Lepanto, is wounded and captured. In captivity, he enjoys unprecedented honor and respect, he is friends with the ruler of Algeria bey Hassan. Raises a slave revolt. Sentenced to death, but at the last moment escapes from the clutches of death, redeemed by the slaves of Algeria. And under fanfare sails to Spain, where one day he will write Don Quixote.
That’s a joke, in the worst traditions of Hollywood film Director Sherman. The picture failed miserably and was scolded by the press. Sherman was permanently excommunicated from the big movie, later interrupted by TV series. I was thinking about that epic! King Vidor took up the first film adaptation of the biography of Cervantes based on the novel by Bruno Frank. After doing all the preliminary work, he walked away from the project, so much so that he took his name off the credits.
Needless to say, to the true biography of Cervantes, all this adventure musketeering has a distant relation. Creators are not friends not only with history, but also with common sense. The final episode with the ransom of slaves is just nonsense. In the image of the future writer crammed and D'Artagnan, and Ben Hur, and Captain Blood. Rome of the Holy Alliance is not plausible. Ferrer is not believable as an Ottoman bey. Which cardinal is Jourdan? The only indisputable moment in the picture is the dazzling beauty of Lollobrigida. I would only recommend the film to her fans.
PS. The royal forty-year-old diva Lollobrigida is engaged in a small role as a courtesan. Spanish star Soledad Miranda had an incomparably large and important role as Cervantes' first love. But the beautiful Gina pressed the producers and, in the end, all the material with the Spaniard flew into the basket. There's a couple of incomprehensible flashes left. The lead actor Horst Buchholz had a lot of trials - he was really flogged on the set, he broke limbs and ribs, and, as they say, was almost beheaded.
4 out of 10