So I saw "Lost in La Mancha" last night which was good, not great. I don't think it should be tops on all these critic's lists like it has been lately, but it is very interesting and there are a lot of positive things going on in the movie. I think a lot of critics don't know what to do when they see a documentary movie like this. I thought that maybe this would be something better suited for an hour long special on IFC or TLC or something. I give it *** out of **** stars. "La Mancha" comes off looking like a television show some of the time. The footage that they do show you lets the viewer know that this movie was going to be a Gilliam classic. Johnny Depp arguing with a fish, the giants, and the actor who plays Don Quixote are all things that come to mind. So pretty much all the footage they had looked excellent. Not having certain actors under contract within 4 weeks of filming, using military training grounds, the rain washing out everything, airplanes flying overhead, an awful sound stage, and the French actor who plays Quixote coming down with a slew of medical problems are all things that hinder and eventually halt production on "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote". Watching it you get the feeling that this movie was going to be up there with "Brazil" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" in terms of Gilliam greatness. Watching Terry Gilliam's face as he realizes he has failed in making the movie is sad but it does end on a high point. Gilliam refuses to give up and vows much like Orson Welles did to finish his Quixote film. He plans to use revenue from this film to help get "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" back off the ground. Hopefully Gilliam will prove to be more successful than Welles was.
I recommend this film to anyone who is interested in how a movie is put together, the works of Gilliam, the works of Monty Python alums, and in Miguel De Cervantes book "Don Quixote". It is also interesting to see the many parallels between Quixote and Gilliam. This movie is his windmill that he still hasn't defeated, let's hope he does.
I recommend this film to anyone who is interested in how a movie is put together, the works of Gilliam, the works of Monty Python alums, and in Miguel De Cervantes book "Don Quixote". It is also interesting to see the many parallels between Quixote and Gilliam. This movie is his windmill that he still hasn't defeated, let's hope he does.