Don Quixote
The Trials of Muhammad Ali
Saturday, December 14 at 7pm MOTION PICTURES (Adaptation) Don Quixote
Tuesday, December 17 at 7pm SCRIBE PRODUCERS’ FORUM The Trials of Muhammad Ali
dir. Grigori Kozintsev, Soviet Union, 1957, 35mm, Russian with English subtitles, 106 min.
dir. Bill Siegel, US, 2013, digital, 86 min.
This is a most satisfying adaptation of Spanish novelist Cervantes’ landmark work. It is a successful rendering of the legendary Don Quixote largely because of the splendid performance by the great Russian actor, Nikolai Cherkassov, in the title role. He is the perfect likeness to the old Spaniard, who has read so much literature on the Age of Chivalry that he dons armor and sets forth with his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, to fight for the oppressed of the world. Unfortunately, for all the good he tries to do, the results are usually the reverse of his intentions. He saves a boy from a whipping, only to have the boy get a worse beating when Quixote leaves him to move on to other “do good” endeavors. However, as portrayed with such finesse and dignity by Cherkassov, he makes Cervantes’s protagonist’s idealism believable and his character lovable. Quixote rises above the people who make fun of him, particularly the Duke and Duchess’s cruel scheme to use Quixote as the butt of their jokes, and make them come off as fools for being so vacuous.
Producer Rachel Pikelny in person The Trials of Muhammad Ali explores Ali’s lifelong journey of spiritual transformation. From his Louisville roots, through his years in exile, to receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Trials traces Ali’s path from poet to pariah to global ambassador for peace. At each stage, the challenges Ali faces go far beyond the boxing ring and ultimately encompass the issues of power, race, faith, and identity that confront us all. Not a boxing film and not a highlight reel, The Trials of Muhammad Ali focuses on Ali’s toughest bouts: his decision to join a controversial religious group, his battle to overturn a five-year prison sentence for refusing US military service, sacrificing fame and fortune on faith and conscience, and his struggle with Parkinson’s disease. $5 Scribe & IHP members; $7 Students & Seniors; $10 General Admission
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