Lost in La Mancha details
| Format: | 15 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Terry Gilliam, Jean Rochefort, Jean Rochefort, Johnny Depp |
| Directors: | Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe |
| Genre: | Documentary - General |
| Studio: | ELEVATION |
| Collections: | Depp & Burton, Hidden Gems, Incredible Indies, Johnny Depp & Tim Burton, Must Watch Docs, Top 20 Documentaries |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Lost in La Mancha |
15 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 33 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 24 Feb 2003 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
Compelling, funny, sad...
By Dave from Ireland , 04 Apr 2005[Highly rated reviewer]
I've always been a fan of Cervantes' Don Quixote and when I heard that Terry Gilliam was adapting it for the screen, my eyes lit up. Sadly, Lost In La Mancha may be the closest we'll get to seeing the director's vision. Keith Fulton & Louis Pepe's fascinating documentary was originally intended to be a 'Making Of...' feature (think of The Hamster Factor on the Twelve Monkeys DVD) to accompany Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. It instead stands as a memorial to Murphy's Law. From the beginning, Gilliam seems subdued. He's complaining that the film's budget is half of what he needs. He's complaining that no one can track down co-star Vanessa Paradis. Then the filming starts.... We're treated to unrehearsed extras, prima donna horses, electrical storms, a flying visit from the Spanish Airforce and a guest appearance from poor Jean Rochefort's aforementioned prostate (which causes the actor understandable pain and to fly back to Paris for days on end for treatment). Lost In La Mancha unfolds like a horror film with a mounting sense of dread as each new catastrophe hits the production and to see Gilliam visibly wilting onscreen makes for uneasy viewing. Terry Gilliam has, of course, been through this all before with The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (1988) - an epic fable, beset by problems but differing from The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in that it actually limped over the finish line. To make matters worse, the filmed scenes we see look like classic Gilliam - big close-ups, fantastical design, slapstick etc. Rochefort (health permitting) was perfect as Don Quixote, Depp seemed kooky as ever and Vanessa Paradis was..well...stunning as ever. You've got to feel for the director, thwarted in making a movie that he'd spent years thinking about but it's compelling viewing. As the man himself said - 'I am getting tired of these fights [with backers.] Each time you get into a fight the world closes in a bit. You start losing an innocence, a belief that everything is possible. Terry Jones thinks I'm belligerent and egotistical, and that I've got to get into a fight to keep me going. It does keep me awake. But I limit it to the fights that are worth it nowadays.'- Was this review helpful to you?
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(46)An aficionado's treat perhaps
By a customer , 20 Apr 2011Somehow I just couldn't get excited about this: too much like a TV documentary, not engrossing enough, although this could be a Gilliam aficionado's feast- Was this review helpful to you?
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Preproduction et al ...
By xxstarburstxx (9 reviews) from East Coast , 01 May 2010Fascinating documentary that gives insights into Gilliam & film making in general. For the novice film buff there is a lot to learn. Preproduction in itself being long, arduous and consisting of the input of a large team sometimes working against all odds - finances, egos (not Gilliams or Depps ) over head jets and the weather being some of the problems besetting the film.
Admiration for Gilliam and his team trying to get his vision onto screen with a very low budget, abounds. Good to see Depp as the man at work rather than a character.- Was this review helpful to you?
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At last - a real disaster movie!
By MrTedMaul (5 reviews) from Stirlingshire , 07 Feb 2010THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS Show review anywayHide
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Unbelievable but True
By Bullybass (52 reviews) from Exeter , 15 Aug 2009This is both a fascinating and captivating insight into the world of movie production and how it seems, events beyond any human control can conspire to wreck the best laid plans. Gilliam is either insane or a genius, or both, depending on your perspective. Personally I think he has, along with David Lynch, made some of the most challenging cinema of the last thirty years and long may he continue to do so.
This is less a documentary than an historical record of the process and events that lead to the eventual abandonment of a typically over the top Gilliam production. If someone made a movie about an obsessive film maker heading towards a disastrous attempt to make a film it would have been slammed by critics for being ridiculously over the top and unrealistic.
I wont go into what actually happens to derail the movie that Gilliam is so passionate about making, but heartily recommend you see this film.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Salvage
By ksduhbviuhbsd (28 reviews) from Exeter , 14 Mar 2009An excellent peek behind the scenes of a massive flop! Really interesting to see how much is at stake and also Terry Gilliam's resilience. We get to see how crap organisation coupled with extremely bad luck leads to tons of money going down the pan - the encroaching sense of futility had me squirming in my seat, but it ended at just the right time. I'm glad they are gonna remake this- Was this review helpful to you?
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