Lost in La Mancha (2002)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

Keith Fulton
Louis Pepe

Writers:

Release Date:

2 August 2002 (UK)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

They've got a story...but have lost the plot.

Plot:

Fulton and Pepe's 2000 documentary captures Terry Gilliam's attempt to get The Man Who Killed Don Quixote off the ground. Back injuries, freakish storms, and more zoom in to sabotage the project (which has never been resurrected).

Plot Keywords:

Don Quixote | Storm | Film Making | Flood | Airplane

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Tony Grisoni	...	Himself - Co-Writer
Philip A. Patterson	...	Himself - First Assistant Director (as Phil Patterson)
René Cleitman	...	Himself - Producer
Terry Gilliam	...	Himself - Writer & Director
Nicola Pecorini	...	Himself - Director of Photography
José Luis Escolar	...	Himself - Line Producer
Bárbara Pérez-Solero	...	Herself - Ass't. Set Decorator
Benjamín Fernández	...	Himself - Production Designer (as Benjamin Fernandez)
Andrea Calderwood	...	Herself - Former Head of Production, Pathé
Ray Cooper	...	Himself - Longtime Gilliam Colleague
Gabriella Pescucci	...	Herself - Costume Designer
Carlo Poggioli	...	Himself - Co-Costume Designer
Bernard Bouix	...	Himself - Executive Producer
Fred Millstein	...	Himself - Completion Guarantor
Jeff Bridges	...	Narrator (voice)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

93 min | Canada:89 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:89 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | Spanish | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Zurich) | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:R | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Czech Republic:12 | Canada:A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Bardenas Reales, Navarra, Spain

Company:

Quixote Films

Trivia:

Originally, this film was going to be a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the film to be included on the DVD. When the project was abandoned, the producers of this documentary decided to release it as a document of the production's failure.

Quotes:

[Upon watching a screen test of the giants]
Terry Gilliam: That's our trailer, right there!

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

This is one of the saddest, most painful films I've ever seen.

I thought I had it bad on the set of my little student film in college.

Whew!

Watching this documentary was very difficult and very interesting at the same time. I enjoyed it, despite the tragedy that played out on the screen.

What makes the film so heartbreaking is that you know that the film will inevitably fail. So the entire movie-watching experience is steeped in dramatic irony. We, the viewers, know the outcome of this ill-fated film project known as "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote." But the filmmakers themselves, at the time of the filming, obviously do not know that all their actions are essentially in vain.

A great film, and a powerful warning to those who thinking making movies is easy.