Review of Lost in La Mancha (2002) by Vince T — 05 Jun 2004

No, that doesn't refer to the "shady" or "amoral" tendencies of certain movie persons. It refers to living in a director's nightmare. Filled with health problems, weather disasters, crew mishaps, financial crisis...and anything that can go wrong that surely will.

That is the theme behind Lost In La Mancha which is the first ever "un-making" documentary of a film. The film being attemtped is "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote", a delightfully twisted take on the classic Cervantes tale.

Following from six weeks before filming to 2 days after filming stops (they only managed 6 days of shooting respectively), we trail Terry Gilliam and his various cast, crew and financiers as he attempts to create a film that would be the most expensive one made on purely European funds (no American investors).

Gilliam has been desiring a film version of Don Quixote for more than ten years and after a couple failed attempts he finally gets started. The props are made, screen tests done and things shaping up.

We witness literally everything go wrong. Actors not arriving and becoming ill, contracts not being signed, a monsoon hitting the set and the insurance not covering the destroyed equipment, etc. etc.

The makers of this doc could have dwelled on interesting topics a little further (such as the curse of Quixote and Gilliam's history in film).

What really drives this doc is the sheer heartbreak of it. It is not a happy doc although you are thoroughly entertained by the antics and troubles of our charming characters. The enthusiasm of Gilliam seems almost enough to drive his attempted film...and it does stretch it as humanly possible but that only leads to how great a loss it is overall.

The glimmer of hope is that Gilliam has not deserted the film. He is currently negotiating with insurance companies who own the script currently. Johnny Depp (the initial star of the ill-fated film) is still supporting it and promises to return once filming re-commences.

If you want a unique glance into what it means to make a film, and don't mind a VERY unhappy ending then watch this film for all it's gloom and glee.

Now, Terry Gilliam. A living legend in unusual entertainment. Besides being the lone American "Python", he has masterminded many underground and critically acclaimed films such as 12 monkeys, brazil, fear and loathing in las vegas, time bandits and the fisher king.

He deserves many coudos for his frantic attempts and his reputation for being a gentleman, a rare visionary and a madman in the greatest sense.

He is a major factor in why this doc is so grand and his touch is slightly cursed in hollywood eyes but not far of from midas if only allowed enough room to spread his countless ideas.