Orson Welles & Don Quixote

Yesterday, in addition to the films I wrote about then, I also watched Orson Welles' Don Quixote. I think that I needed some time for my thoughts to percolate.

I never had read the book or seen any other adaptation prior to this, and while I feel I now have some idea of what it's about, I don't think that Welles gives a really pure and complete realization of the source material. This seems to have been one of the numerous films he made overseas under reduced circumstances. Early in his film career, Welles shined very brightly and burned bridges. Thusly, after Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, The Third Man, and Touch Of Evil, Welles found himself making The Trial in eastern Europe, and this film in Spain, along with others, never with the backing he once enjoyed.

This film was kind of interesting. Ultimately I had to come out against it, but appreciated the sensibility with which it operated. Though their dialogue was dubbed by other actors, the ones appearing on screen were enjoyable to watch. The interplay between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza was fairly good. It was peculiar that the modern world should intrude on the period in which the story is set. I wonder whether that was a deliberate choice, or whether limited means necessitated that.

As I said, I didn't really care for it, but will always watch the output of someone like Welles. As they say, even his failures are worth watching.