Don Quixote

Save only the denouement--an allegory added by director Pabst and the French adaptors--this is a fairly faithful rendition of the 300-year-old tale of "The Knight of the Mournful Countenance." Chaliapin, as famed for his striking acting as for his operatic basso, plays Don Quixote, the man immersed for years in the library of chivalric romances for which he has mortgaged his estates. Venturing forth on his bony nag Rocinante, the quiet country gentleman elects to redress the wrongs of the world. He enlists the aid of Sancho Panza (Robey) as his squire, promising him great future rewards in return for faithful service. He pronounces Dulcinea (Valliers), a slatternly...