Don Quixote (1973 film)
Don Quixote is a 1973 Australian ballet film directed by and starring Rudolf Nureyev and Robert Helpmann.[3] The film is adapted from Marius Petipa's ballet of the same name, itself based on Miguel de Cervantes' novel El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha.
| Don Quixote | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | |
| Written by | Rudolf Nureyev |
| Based on | the ballet Don Quixote by Marius Petipa |
| Produced by | John Hargreaves |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Edited by | Anthony Buckley |
| Music by | Ludwig Minkus |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | The Walter Reade Organisation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 111 minutes[1] |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $750,000[2] |
Cast
- Robert Helpmann as Don Quixote
- Ray Powell as Sancho Panza
- Rudolf Nureyev as Basilio
- Francis Croese as Lorenzo
- Lucette Aldous as Kitri/Dulcinea
- Colin Peasley as Gamache
- Marilyn Rowe as street dancer/queen of the Dryads
- Kelvin Coe as Espada
- Gailene Stock
- Carolyn Rappel
- Ronald Bekker
- John Meehan
- Rex McNeill
- Rodney Smith
- Joseph Janusaitis
- Frederic Werner
- Alan Alder
- Paul Saliba
- Ronald Bekker as gypsy king
- Susan Dains as gypsy queen
- Julie da Costa as gypsy girls
- Leigh Rowley as gypsy girls
- Patricia Cox as Cupid
- Janet Vernon
- Gary Norman
Production
The ballet had been added to the repertoire of the Australian Ballet in 1970 and was one of Nureyev's most popular parts.[4] Finance to film it was raised mostly in the US with most of the crew coming from Australia but a British cinematographer was used. It was shot over four weeks starting 13 November 1972 in a converted airport hangar in Essendon. They used a soundtrack which had been pre-recorded a month earlier.[2]
Release
The film was screened around the world and was well received.[2] However it dropped out of circulation for 25 years and has only recently been revived.[5]
References
- "Don Quixote (U)". British Board of Film Classification. 20 December 1973. Retrieved 1 August 2023.
- Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film Production, Melbourne: Oxford University Press, 1998 p271
- Vagg, Stephen (23 December 2019). "Australian Film Musicals You Probably Didn't Realise Existed". Filmink.
- 'Don Quoxote' at Nureyev Foundation accessed 27 Sept 2012
- 'Don Quixote' at ABC