Lost in La Mancha

Lost in La Mancha

3.90 3.9 (read 12 reviews)

Directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe, LOST IN LA MANCHA documents Terry Gilliam's disaster-prone attempt to make THE MAN WHO KILLED DON QUIXOTE, a film largely based on the classic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. The movie first encounters difficulties in its preproduction stage, starting with an uncomfortably small European-funded budget. Then Gilliam must wait for the lead actors, Johnny Depp and French actor Jean Rochefort, to show up on location in Spain. When Depp and Rochefort finally arrive, shooting commences, but within the first few days a torrential rainstorm hits the set, washing away much of the equipment and significantly altering the dry desert landscape. And to make matters much worse, Rochefort, who plays the central role of Don Quixote, falls ill and returns to Paris for medical treatment. As the days of the Quixote-less production go by, tensions among the crew members increase and Gilliam faces the frustratingly real prospect of scrapping the film. LOST IN LA MANCHA provid...

Product Feature Chart

Key Information

Keith Fulton
Education/General Interest
Film About Film
R (MPAA)
DVD
767685560730
2003
1hr 33min

Languages

English

Professional Reviews

(02/20/2003, p.69, Peter Travers): "...Fulton and Pepe have created an extraordinary document..."

Product Reviews

They Sure Tried to Kill Don Quixote, Anyway Dec 5, 2008
4.00 4/5.0
Pros:
Fascinating to watch, very interesting glimpse at how movies are made
Cons:
Is not the smoothest made documentary; would've benefited from retrospection

Review: Lost in La Mancha is an excellent record of movie making gone horribly wrong.  Worth watching for film buffs, Gilliam fans, and Quixote-philes.

The Curse Of Don Quixote Jul 10, 2008
4.00 4/5.0
Pros:
Non documentary structure gives it a raw/all access feel.
Cons:
A bit sad to watch Terry Gilliam's dream project collapse

Review: An unfiltered, spin free look at Terry Gilliam's production of "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote."

DVD Extras Nudge An Otherwise Floundering Documentary Up: "Lost In La Mancha" Sep 21, 2007
3.00 3/5.0
Pros:
Interesting story, Decent amount of DVD extras, Good idea
Cons:
Even the DVD extras become repetitive, Documentary style is executed in a mediocre fashion

Review: A thin documentary stretches the collapse of a film into 90 minutes and is bailed out on DVD by the bonus disc.

The Events Which Killed Don Quixote Oct 2, 2005
4.00 4/5.0
Pros:
Gilliam's enthusiasm, the madness, an insight into the problems of filmmaking
Cons:
Fails to feel like more than a expanded DVD extra.

Review: An oft-fascinating and revealing insight into the infirmity of film production and the scandalous mismanagement of manpower, time, finances and resources

The Making or "Unmaking" of "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" Feb 3, 2004
4.00 4/5.0
Pros:
An Excellent Documentary on Terry Gilliam's Attempt to Make "Don Quixote" Come to Life.
Cons:
A Bit Depressing at Times and It's Kind of Slow.

Review: "Lost in La Mancha" is an excellent documentary on Terry Gilliam's failed attempt to make "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" as his dreams comes crashing down.

Lost in La Mancha
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