Lost In La Mancha (2002)

Dreams washed away ...
Yes, Lost in La Mancha is the documentary that you've heard about and seen snippets of on TLC and IFC late at night. It's the film that chronicles the misadventure of Terry Gilliam and his crew trying to reclaim ground over one of the most seemingly cursed film projects in cinema history.

Lost in La Mancha was supposed to be the big budget film that was going to showcase Johnny Depp, who, during the documentary says that he supports his friend, but very wisely keeps the whole production at arms length. This was probably the vehicle Depp wanted to launch himself into blockbuster-dom, but would have to wait for [[ASIN:B00005JM5E Pirates]] a few years later. But, no worries, I'm sure Johnny will manage just fine without Terry Gilliam.

What the viewer does learn from all of this is that terry Gilliam isn't the flamboyant hack that everyone in the movie business tries to make him out to be, but a serious and dedicated filmmaker who has an incredible and very intense vision of the world in which he tries to bring to life through a community process called filmmaking. It does seems a bit strange regarding Gilliam's string of really bad luck that follows him from pillar to post, especially with the recent death of heart-throb [[ASIN:B000ALM4C6 Heath Ledger]].

While the documentary isn't that long at all and will end just as you're heavily intertwined within the story, you're left searching the DVD for extras and more information, which is probably how it should be.

The 'Burden' of Terry Gilliam's Quixotic Dreams.
This film reminds me of Les Blank's [[ASIN:B0007WFYB6 Burden of Dreams]], a documentary about the many hardships director Werner Herzog encountered in making [[ASIN:B00001ODHV Fitzcarraldo]]. Many directors have tried to adapt [[ASIN:0060934344 Don Quixote]] to film, and at least several (Orsen Welles, for example) have lost their shirts in the process. Lost in La Mancha is a documentary (narrated by Jeff Bridges) about Terry Gilliam's very own failed Quixotic quest in filming The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, a movie adaptation of the novel. As Gilliam (known for [[ASIN:B000G8NXZA Brazil]], [[ASIN:0767811089 The Fisher King]], [[ASIN:B0007PALZ2 12 Monkeys]]) soon discovered, the episodic adventures of Don Quixote and his dim-witted squire, Sancho Panza, do not translate easily into film. Gilliam's film was to be set in Spain, and French actor Jean Rochefort was to play Don Quixote, Johnny Depp was to play Toby Grisoni (a Hollywood marketing executive, whom Quixote mistakes for Panza), and Vanessa Paradis (Depp's real life partner) was to play Toby's love interest. On their first day of filming, Gilliam's crew discovered their outdoor location was beneath a NATO jet flight path and near a target range. On the second day of shooting, their set was destroyed by a flash flood and hail of almost Biblical proportions. Several days later, Rochefort suffered a herniated disc, leaving him unable to mount his horse. This plague of problems ended the production, resulting in a $15 million insurance claim. As a result, Gilliam's Quixotic vision as a filmmaker only became further overshadowed by his reputation for being a financially out-of-control director. Both Herzog and Gilliam are true film geniuses. Just as [[ASIN:B0007WFYB6 Burden of Dreams]] offers Herzog fans a fascinating window into his work as a director, Lost in La Mancha reveals the behind-the-scenes "Burden" of Terry Gilliam's own dreams as a Quixotic director.

G. Merritt

If anything could go wrong,IT DID!
LOST IN LA MANCHA is a rare look at the production team's struggles to bring Cervantes' THE MAN OF LA MANCHA starring Johnny Depp to the silver screen.EVERYTHING GOES WRONG! Knowing people in the film industry, I realize that this kind of scenario happens over and over;weather cancels days of shooting,sickness ensues,mechanical and technical devices malfunction,scripts need to be rewritten and plans need to be scrubbed and be taken back to the drawing board.This is is a very interesting,but quite specific documentary that may have very limited appeal.If you open your minds, though,it easily expresses the proverb:"Even the best laid plans can go array".Recommended as a curiosity viewing on the realistic workings of the film industry.