MovieChat Forums > And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003) Discussion > What's the big fuss on reading Don Quixo...

What's the big fuss on reading Don Quixote?

posted 18 years ago by rodvince
5 replies | jump to latest

In a scene where Pancho Villa (Banderas)was talking to a Mexican landlord, Don Luis Terrazas (portrayed by Pedro Armendariz), who was about to be evicted by the bandits, Villa noticed the book Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. It seems like Villa was not totally fascinated with the novel when Don Luis Terrazas said "No man may call himself cultivated who has not read 'Don Quixote.'" What's the big fuss about reading Don Quixote? Is it a bragging right?

[–] WeWillSurvive 18 years ago

To the wealthy, Caucasian, Spaniard ruling elite of Mexico (as that "Mexican" landowner you cited was) it was a big deal. "Don Quixote" has always been considered a very important part of European culture and literature.

Villa also stated later on how a "Mestizo" like him would normally never even be let into a house like that, unless as a servant. It was a big experience for Villa to be literally redistributing the land to his people (the indigenous Amerindians and Mestizos) and to finally have the ability to take advantage of things that have been denied to him his whole life due to his class and race.

[–] rodvince 17 years ago

Thanks. That's because based on the conversation between Pancho Villa and the wealthy landlord, the latter gave the impression that the novel "Don Quixote" was only being read by a chosen few. Meaning, not all Mexicans can read that novel. Villa told the landlord that he had heard of the book but was not impressed by it.

[–] ciprianl 9 years ago

First of all, one has to know how to read in order to actually read a novel. Secondly, reading requires the existence of leisure time, something not readily available the extremely poor.
The peasants seemed to be extremely poor, to the measure that education and hence literacy was probably not widely spread through the peasantry.

[–] rodvince 8 years ago

Thank you for the insight. 😃

[–] RobbieCalifornia 7 years ago

When I was in school (here in the US) Don Quixote was required reading. It seems perfectly normal that any educated Spanish speaker would consider the book essential to read.

The man who wrote the screenplay for this movie did extensive research on the subject. The film is based on real events and I think they did a damn good job.