' is a Spanish prime-time television series based on the 17th century novel '' Don Quixote'' by Miguel de Cervantes. Produced by Emiliano Piedra for

Televisión Española Televisión Española (acronym TVE, branded tve, "Spanish Television") is Spain's national state-owned public television broadcaster and the oldest regular television service in the country. It was also the first regular television service in ...

, it was directed by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, with screenplay by

Camilo José Cela Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literat ...

and starring

Fernando Rey Fernando Casado Arambillet (La Coruña (Spain), 20 September 1917 – Madrid (Spain), 9 March 1994), best known as Fernando Rey, was a Spanish film, theatre, and television actor, who worked in both Europe and the United States. A suave, i ...

as Don Quixote and Alfredo Landa as Sancho Panza. Its five episodes adapting the first part of the novel were broadcast on La Primera of Televisión Española in 1992.

Plot

Alonso Quixano, a nobleman from La Mancha of about fifty years of age and of medium economic position, is so enthused by the books of

chivalry Chivalry, or the chivalric code, is an informal and varying code of conduct developed in Europe between 1170 and 1220. It was associated with the medieval Christianity, Christian institution of knighthood; knights' and gentlemen's behaviours we ...

that he decides to become a knight-errant under the name of Don Quixote and to go out on adventures accompanied by his faithful squire Sancho. The special madness of Don Quixote and Sancho's fascination with the words of his lord are revealed little by little, in contrast to the brutality and ridicule that both well-intentioned characters are subjected to by those they try to help.

Production

The adaptation project of '' Don Quixote'' for television was born with

Pilar Miró Pilar Mercedes Miró Romero (20 April 1940 in Madrid – 19 October 1997 in Madrid) was a Spanish screenwriter and film director. She was the General Director of RTVE from 1986 to 1989. In the 1990s, she directed the television broadcasts of th ...

as General Director of RTVE. It was

's most ambitious production up to that date. The initial intention was to make a series with a first part of eight episodes adapting the first part of the novel, directed by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, and a second of ten episodes adapting the second part, directed by

Mario Camus Mario Camus García (20 April 1935 – 18 September 2021) was a Spanish film director and screenwriter. He won the Golden Bear at the 33rd Berlin International Film Festival with '' La colmena''. His 1987 film ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' wa ...

, but the economic situation of the network reduced the first part of the series to five episodes and the second to four episodes. Emiliano Piedra, the producer responsible for the adaptation, began the preparations for the first part in 1989 with a budget of 1.2 billion pesetas, with screenplay by

and with

as Don Quixote and Alfredo Landa as Sancho Panza. Cela wrote an initial script, but it was a literal transcription of the novel with no cinematographic meaning, so it had to be completely rewritten. Despite this, he was kept in the credits both for the prestige that his name gave to the project and for the outlay that his work had entailed.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

took from April to December 1990, with the interiors shot at TVE's Buñuel studios in Madrid and the exteriors on location in the Community of Madrid and La Mancha. The first five episodes premiered on La Primera of Televisión Española in January 1992. Gutiérrez Aragón prepared new scripts in the summer of 1992 for the second part, but the network's financial problems and the impossibility of bringing together the same team after the death of producer Emiliano Piedra made it impossible to film it. He eventually wrote and directed a feature film titled ''

Don Quixote, Knight Errant ''Don Quixote, Knight Errant'' ( es, El caballero Don Quijote, links=no) is a 2002 Spanish adventure film directed and written by Manuel Gutiérrez Aragón, consisting of an adaptation of the second part of Miguel de Cervantes' ''Don Quixote''. It ...

'' adapting the second part of the novel with

Juan Luis Galiardo Juan Luis Galiardo Comes (2 March 1940 – 22 June 2012) was a Spanish television, theater and film actor. Life The eldest of six children, Juan Luis Galiardo Comes was born in San Roque, Cádiz, but spent most of his childhood and youth in ...

as Don Quixote and

Carlos Iglesias Carlos Iglesias Serrano (born 15 July 1955) is a Spanish actor and filmmaker. From 1998 to 2001, he starred as Benito in the comedy television series ''Manos a la obra'', extremely popular for Spanish audiences throughout its broadcasting run. Bi ...

as Sancho Panza that was released in 2002.

Cast

as Alonso Quixano/Don Quixote * Alfredo Landa as Sancho Panza * Francisco Merino as priest *

Manuel Alexandre Manuel Alexandre Abarca OAXS MML (11 November 1917 – 12 October 2010) was a Spanish film and television actor. Career He was a popular supporting actor. He won an Honorary Goya Award in 2003 for his career achievements. Filmography in c ...

as barber *

Emma Penella Manuela Ruiz Penella (2 March 1931 – 27 August 2007), better known as Emma Penella, was a Spanish film and television actress. Biography Manuela Ruiz Penella was born on 2 March 1931 in Madrid, the child of far-right politician Ramón ...

as Teresa Panza * José Luis Pellicena as Miguel de Cervantes *

José Luis López Vázquez José Luis López Vázquez de la Torre MML (11 March 1922, in Madrid – 2 November 2009, in Madrid) was a Spanish actor. Career José Luis López Vázquez was born in Madrid, Spain, on 11 March 1922. He originally worked in theater as a costume ...

as innkeeper *

Terele Pávez Teresa Marta Ruiz Penella (29 July 1939 – 11 August 2017), better known as Terele Pávez, was a Spanish actress. She appeared in more than ninety films since 1954. She died on 11 August 2017 due to a stroke at the age of 78. Selected fil ...

as housekeeper *

Esperanza Roy Esperanza Fuentes Roy (born 22 November 1935) is a Spanish actress. Career Roy began acting with revue shows before she debuted in film in 1962. Prior to acting, Roy had trained professionals as a dancer. In the 1970s, Roy would appear in seve ...

as Maritornes *

Antonio Gamero Antonio Gamero Aguirre (2 March 1934 – 26 July 2010) was a Spanish actor. Primarily known by his supporting roles, he featured in over 200 titles. Biography Antonio Gamero Aguirre was born in Madrid on 2 March 1934. He studied law and also jo ...

* Rafael Alonso *

Aldo Sambrell Alfredo Sánchez Brell (23 February 1931 – 10 July 2010), known as Aldo Sambrell, was a Spanish actor, director, and producer who appeared in over 150 films between 1961 and 1996. Biography Sambrell was born in Vallecas, Madrid, on 23 Februa ...

* Aitana Sánchez-Gijón as Dorotea *

Héctor Alterio Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato (born 21 September 1929) is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain. Biography Alterio's theatre debut came in 1948 as the lead in ''Cómo suicidarse en prima ...

Máximo Valverde Máximo Valverde (born 16 November 1944) is a Spanish actor. He appeared in more than sixty films since 1968. Selected filmography * 1970: ''The Wind's Fierce'' * 1971: ''Una chica casi decente'' * 1971: '' The Rebellious Novice'' * 1971: ''Spani ...

* Alejandra Grepi as Luscinda

Episodes

The series premiered on 29 January 1992 in prime-time on La Primera of Televisión Española and its five episodes had an average of 4,583,000 viewers and 29.1% of share.

Accolades

FIPA d'or

Fotogramas de Plata

TP de Oro

Actors and Actresses Union Awards

Restoration

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, S.A. (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española or RTVE, is the state-owned public corporation that assumed in 2007 the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service know ...

carried out a digital 4K UHD scanning, remastering and restoration of the series, that was originally recorded on

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, and made it available online in

RTVE Play RTVE Play (often stylized as rtve play) is the over-the-top media service provided by the Spanish public broadcaster RTVE. It was launched in Spain on 22 June 2021, replacing the old catalogue 'RTVE a la carta', created in turn in 2008. History ...

and on its ''Botón Rojo'' app for 4K Smart TVs in 2020.

References

External links

Official page

''El Quijote de Miguel de Cervantes''
at

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Quijote de Miguel de Cervantes, El Television shows based on Spanish novels La 1 (Spanish TV channel) network series 1992 Spanish television series debuts 1992 Spanish television series endings 1990s Spanish drama television series Television series set in the 17th century Television shows set in Castilla–La Mancha Television shows based on Don Quixote