Focusing on the realities faced by Gilliam and his cast and crew, Lost in La Mancha gave viewers al look at the un-making of a movie. Directors Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton originally planned a documentary about the making of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, but when things turned ugly while struggling with torrential rains, airplane noise, and the illness of a key star, Gilliam realized the curse of Don Quixote had struck again. "This project has been so long in the making and so miserable that someone needs to get a film out of it," he said to them. "And it doesn’t look like it’s going to be me."
After viewing the documentary at its Telluride premier, I told Gilliam how sorry I was about all his troubles. He replied, "Don’t worry. We might regroup and try again." Still, with the devastating circumstances shown in Lost in La Mancha, I feared it would take a miracle to overcome such an "impossible dream," because in this case, the windmills of La Mancha fought back and defeated the good guys.
Fortunately, Gilliam did try again and the result? A special experience for move fans. Fantasy, memories, dreams, time-jumping, filmmaking, action, literature, comedy, drama, romance – all parade across the screen for our viewing pleasure.
Standout performances include Adam Driver as a disillusioned film director who gets mistaken for Sancho Panza; Jonathan Pryce as the errant knight Don Quixote; José Luis Ferrer as a delusional shoe-maker; and Joana Ribeiro as a young girl who later becomes a woman in the throes of an evil oligarch (Jordi Molla).
Erratic windmills, angry giants, fabulous costumes, and crazy little adventures hold our interest. If one scene gets a teeny bit boring, the next one makes up for it.
Is this film overly ambitious? Of course. But that’s showbiz.
Impossible dream now come true .
Terry Gilliam, good for you!
Your Don Quixote film is done.
My admiration you have won.
Twenty-five years in the making.
I consider that earthshaking.
The obstacles you faced? Immense.
So many things to make you tense.
Tilting at windmills, you achieved
a goal in which you long believed.
Some fans may balk at what they see.
But your sly film astounded me.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
ends up as a unique movie.
It’s not perfect, but what a sight!
Creativity at its height.
In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd. --- Miguel de Cervantes.
(Released by Screen Media Films; not rated by MPAA.)
Review also posted at ReelTalk Movie Reviews.
