man of la mancha

the year: 1972

the genre: musical


the cast: Peter O'Toole (Don Quixote de la Mancha / Miguel de Cervantes / Alonso Quijana); Sophia Loren (Dulcinea / Aldonza); James Coco (Sancho Panza / Cervante's manservant)


the plot: In the sixteenth century, Miguel de Cervantes, poet, playwright, and part-time actor, has been arrested, together with his manservant, by the Spanish Inquisition. They are accused of presenting an entertainment offensive to the Inquisition. Inside the huge dungeon into which they have been cast, the other prisoners gang up on Cervantes and his manservant, and begin a mock trial, with the intention of stealing or burning his possessions. Cervantes wishes to desperately save a manuscript he carries with him and stages, with costumes, makeup, and the participation of the other prisoners, an unusual defense--the story of Don Quixote.


don't miss: the great songs. Knight of the Woeful Countenance? A single tear.


listen for: "I can hear the cuckoo singing in the cuckooberry tree." "If he says that that's a helmet, I suggest that you agree."


did you know: Peter O'Toole recorded his vocal tracks for the film, but realized that his own singing voice was not good enough for the requirements of the music, so he assisted in the search for a voice double.



you can watch the movie in parts, starting here.

goodbye, mr. chips

the year: 1969

the genre: drama

the cast: Peter O’Toole (Arthur Chipping); Petula Clark (Katherine Bridges); Michael Redgrave (The Headmaster); Sian Phillips (Ursula Mossbank); Michael Bryant (Max Staefel)


the plot: Arthur Chipping is an academic teaching at Brookfield Boys School outside of London in the 1920's. Although he does what he considers best for his students, they don't much like him, nicknaming him "Ditchy, short for dull as ditch water". His life changes when he meets Katherine Bridges, a music hall actress who affectionately calls him Mr. Chips. Despite their differences, they fall in love and decide to get married. She forgoes her career to be Mrs. Chips, living on campus as the housewife of a teacher at a proper boy's school. It is a world in which she will have to learn the rules, or at least bend them to her sensibilities, although she vows never to embarrass him. Katherine's arrival at Brookfield may change Chips' standing at the school. Further changes ensue for the Chips' and Brookfield with the onset of World War II.



count: how many children Chips & Katie have. All boys.

check out: the music – it’s my favorite musical soundtrack. Ever.


don’t miss: Ursula. She's just...Ursula.


listen for: “Since you cannot conceivably know what my age is, your most flattering compliment must be based on a somewhat conjectural premise.”



also listen for: the campus roll call. Compare the names for each one.


hanky rating (out of 5): 4. But it's a GOOD cry.



p.s. This is a color movie - not sure why all the images I could track down were in B&W.

how to steal a million

the year: 1966

the genre: comedy

the cast:Audrey Hepburn (Nicole Bonnet); Peter O'Toole (Simon Dermott); Eli Wallach (Leland Davis); Hugh Griffith(Charles Bonnet)


the plot: Charles Bonnet, the latest in a long line of master art forgers, loans one of his best works, the Cellini Venus, to a Paris museum despite his daughter Nicole's objections. Nicole later surprises the tuxedo-clad Simon Dermott trying to steal a painting from the Bonnet house, but can't call the police because her father's hobby might be discovered. Instead she drives Simon back to his hotel and later asks him to steal the Venus before it is tested by the museum for insurance purposes – which will expose the statue as a fake. Simon - not really a burglar, intrigued by the challenge, and now smitten with Miss Bonnet - agrees to the proposal.






listen for: "Well, it was pitch dark and there he was. Tall, blue eyes, slim, quite good-looking... in a brutal, mean way, Papa. A terrible man!"



check out: Simon's instructions for driving a stolen car.




don’t miss: the normal human reactions.







did you know: Peter O'Toole and Audrey Hepburn kept getting the giggles while filming the closet scenes, which resulted in several retakes.






count: on chaos at midnight when the cleaning ladies show up.





listen for: "Miss Bonnet and I are old friends. We used to shoot together."