Cervantes (film)
Cervantes is a highly fictionalized 1967 film Franco-Spanish-Italian international co-production biography of the early life of Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616). Based on the 1937 novel A Man Called Cervantes by Bruno Frank, it was the first screen biography of the author. Directed by Vincent Sherman, and filmed in color, it stars Horst Buchholz as Cervantes; Gina Lollobrigida as a prostitute with whom he becomes involved; José Ferrer as Hassan Bey, the Turk who held Cervantes in captivity; Louis Jourdan as Cardinal Giulio Acquaviva; and Fernando Rey as King Philip II. Italian actor Tiziano Cortini who usually used the name "Lewis Jordan"" appeared under his own name to avoid confusion with Louis Jourdan. Enrique Alarcón did the production design.
| Cervantes | |
|---|---|
 US film poster | |
| Directed by | Vincent Sherman |
| Written by | Enrico Bomba (uncredited) Bruno Frank (novel) |
| Produced by | Alexander Salkind Pier Luigi Torri |
| Starring | Horst Buchholz Gina Lollobrigida José Ferrer Francisco Rabal Louis Jourdan Fernando Rey |
| Cinematography | Edmond Richard |
| Edited by | Margarita de Ochoa |
| Music by | Jean Ledrut Ángel Arteaga Les Baxter (US version) |
Release date | 1967 |
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Countries | Spain France Italy |
| Language | English |
Cast
- Horst Buchholz as Miguel de Cervantes
- Gina Lollobrigida as Giulia
- José Ferrer as Hassan Bey
- Louis Jourdan as Cardinal Acquaviva
- Francisco Rabal as Rodrigo Cervantes
- Antonio Casas as Favio
- Soledad Miranda as Nessa
- Ángel del Pozo as Don Juan de Austria
- Ricardo Palacios as Sancho
- Maurice de Canonge
- Tiziano Cortini
- José Nieto as Minister of Philip II of Spain
- Andrés Mejuto as Cervantes' Father
Production
Filming began in 1966, and the movie was released in several countries between 1967 and 1969.
Reception
Released in the U.S. as a B-movie, and retitled Young Rebel, the film went unnoticed at the box office and did not do well critically.