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Lost in La Mancha
(Reviewed January 23, 2003)
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When director Terry Gilliam set out in 2000 to film his take on Don Quixote, nearly everything that could go wrong did. This would be a lot more tragic if not for the fact that the project seemed doomed from the outset, thanks to insufficient planning, prep time and (according to Gilliam) funding. Apparently, $32.1 million doesn't go very far these days...even in Spain.
"Lost in La Mancha" chronicles the lows and, well, deeper lows that befell Gilliam and company on location. While it gives an interesting behind-the-scenes look at moviemaking, a longer running time (it's only 89 minutes) could have included scenes that are very noticeable by their absence. Would-be star Johnny Depp never is interviewed, nor is would-be Quixote Jean Rochefort. We see absolutely nothing of would-be costar Vanessa Paradis except some silent costume-test footage. As Gilliam grows increasingly (and justifiably) frustrated, we see nothing about how events are affecting his personal life. Indeed, although it appears that Gilliam et al spent continuous weeks if not months in Spain, we never know if they flew back and forth to family and friends, or had any kind of social life. Finally, we never find out if the investors got stuck with what must have been a pretty large bill, because it never is resolved onscreen whether the insurance company covered the losses when production was shut down.
Still, it is perversely fascinating to see a documentary that shows the flip side of "seat of the pants" filmmaking--namely, that sometimes obstacles really are too big to overcome, and that freewheeling irresponsibility sometimes results in complete disaster. Gilliam comes off as a likable dreamer, even when he realizes that he has gotten himself into an even bigger debacle than his financially disastrous "Baron Munchausen" (which at least managed to get finished and released). The guy often makes brilliant movies ("Time Bandits," "Brazil," "12 Monkeys"...and yes, I am purposely ignoring the unspeakably awful "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"). But he clearly needs a strong producer at the helm to take care of all the nuts-and-bolts work that enables Gilliam's genius to make it to the screen.
Also, be sure to stay until the end of the credits, when a short tag provides the perfect ending to this sad tale of a genuine missed opportunity.
Back Row Grade: B-
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