United States

Marne Maitland, Peter O'Toole, James Coco, Ian Richardson, Rosalie Crutchley

132 min

1972-12-20

The Spanish Inquisition jailed poet, playwright, and occasional actor Miguel de Cervantes in the sixteenth century, along with his manservant. The accusation against them is that they gave the Inquisition inappropriate entertainment. A sham trial is started against Cervantes and his manservant inside the enormous dungeon where they have been imprisoned by the other prisoners in an effort to steal or burn his valuables. Cervantes puts up an unorthodox defense—the tale of Don Quixote—with the help of the other inmates in order to try to safeguard a manuscript he is carrying with him.