Lost in La Mancha (2002)

Directors:

Keith Fulton
Louis Pepe

Writers:

(more)

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 | Director | Cervantes | Actor

Awards:

2 wins & 9 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)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Orson Welles	...	Himself (archive footage)
Bernard Chaumeil	...	Himself (uncredited)
Johnny Depp	...	Himself (uncredited)
Christopher Eccleston	...	Himself (uncredited)
Joan Font	...	Himself (uncredited)
Pierre Gamet	...	Himself (uncredited)
Vanessa Paradis	...	Herself (uncredited)
Bill Paterson	...	Himself (uncredited)
Francisco Reiguera	...	Don Quixote (archive footage) (uncredited)
Miranda Richardson	...	Herself (uncredited)
Jean Rochefort	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Keith Fulton
Louis Pepe

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Keith Fulton		uncredited
Louis Pepe		uncredited

Produced by
Rosa Bosch	....	associate producer: Vice Versa
Andrew J. Curtis	....	associate producer (as Andrew Curtis)
Lucy Darwin	....	producer

Original Music by
Miriam Cutler

Film Editing by
Jacob Bricca

Production Design by
Benjamín Fernández		(uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jaime Sicilia	....	assistant director: Spain (as Jaime Sicilia Nistal)

Art Department
Gustave Doré	....	etchings: "The Story of Don Quixote"
Benjamín Fernández	....	artwork: production design (as Benjamin Fernandez)
Terry Gilliam	....	storyboard illustrator
Gabriella Pescucci	....	artwork: costume design

Sound Department
Michael Kowalski	....	sound editor: The Fourth Factory
Michael Kowalski	....	sound mixer: The Fourth Factory

Stunts
Gonzalo Hernandez	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Louis Pepe	....	camera operator
François Duhamel	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Fernando Vázquez Gondar	....	electrician (uncredited)

Animation Department
Stefan Avalos	....	animator: The Story of 'Don Quixote'
Chaim Bianco	....	animator: "Terry Gilliam's Picture Show" and Terry Gilliam's storyboard illustrations

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Massimo Cantini Parrini	....	assistant costume designer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Renee Edwards	....	editorial consultant
Keith Fulton	....	additional editor
Derek Herr	....	on-line editor
Lisa Leeman	....	editorial consultant
Randy Magalski	....	on-line editor
Louis Pepe	....	additional editor
Zac Stanford	....	colorist

Other crew
Richard Brenin	....	transcriptions
Martin Briseño	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Marsha Brown	....	production coordinator: London
Sam Buckland	....	production assistant: London
Audrey Capotosta	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
David DeBlas	....	production assistant: Spain
Bill Eckroat	....	production assistant: Los Angeles
Harold Manning	....	translator: French
Richard Mills	....	production facilities: Molinare Studio, London
Marc Munden	....	additional production staff: London
Sachi Oda	....	travel services: Silverlake Travel
Alexa Portillo	....	production coordinator: Spain (as Alexa Portillo Capelli)
Snarby Richard	....	archival researcher
Lisa Marie Russo	....	additional production staff: London (as Lisa-Marie Russo)
Karl Watkins	....	additional production staff: London
Patricia Nieto	....	production coordinator (uncredited)
Alberto Poveda	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Thanks
Warren Bass	....	thanks
Jean-Pierre Bedoyan	....	thanks
Bernard Bouix	....	special thanks
Peter Boyle	....	thanks
Betty Burkhart	....	thanks
Matthew Buzzell	....	thanks
Jenne Casarotto	....	thanks
Nicolas Chartier	....	thanks
Helen Chough	....	thanks (as Helen Chouh)
René Cleitman	....	special thanks
Manuel Salas Coll	....	thanks
Marianne Connor	....	thanks
Amanda Crane	....	thanks
Gerald Curtis	....	special thanks (as Gerald)
Jacqueline Curtis	....	special thanks
Warren Curtis	....	thanks
Andrew Darwin	....	special thanks
Frances Darwin	....	thanks
Oscar Darwin	....	thanks (as Oscar)
Nick Davis	....	thanks: Memery Crystal
Johnny Depp	....	special thanks
Delphine DeWitte	....	thanks
José Luis Escolar	....	special thanks
Sean Farnel	....	thanks
Dominique Fouassier	....	acknowledgment: additional storm footage courtesy of
Jeff Fox	....	thanks
Beverly Fulton	....	thanks
Robert Fulton	....	thanks (as Robert)
Valerie Fulton	....	thanks
Dean Galanis	....	thanks
Elizabeth Gaskell	....	thanks (as Mrs Gaskell)
Sonya Geis	....	thanks
Victor Gill	....	thanks: Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport
Terry Gilliam	....	special thanks
Tony Grisoni	....	special thanks
Guzmán	....	thanks
David Hansel	....	thanks: Memery Crystal
Ian Kelly	....	special thanks
Susan Kelly	....	thanks
Veronica Killseek	....	thanks
David Klagsbrun	....	thanks
Oja Kodar	....	acknowledgment: "Don Quijote de Orson Welles" courtesy of, El Silencio Producciones
Valerie Koscelnik	....	thanks
Irene Lamb	....	thanks
Bob Lane	....	thanks
Francisco Lujan	....	thanks
Ray Magill	....	thanks
Nick Manzi	....	thanks
Patrick McGuinn	....	thanks
Sean McPharlin	....	thanks
Kevin McTurk	....	thanks
Corinne Michel	....	thanks
Lisa Molomot	....	thanks
Michael Mulcahy	....	thanks
Philip A. Patterson	....	special thanks (as Phil Patterson)
Nicola Pecorini	....	special thanks
Joseph C. Pepe	....	thanks (as Joseph Pepe)
Mary Lou Pepe	....	thanks
Peter Pepe	....	thanks (as Peter)
Berenice Reynaud	....	thanks
Jean Rochefort	....	special thanks
Sebastian Rotstein	....	thanks (as Sebastien Rottstein)
Julia Short	....	thanks
Helga Stephenson	....	thanks
George Stoll	....	thanks
Ted Sullivan	....	thanks
Ann Tegnell	....	thanks
Agnes Van	....	thanks
Ella Von Schreitter	....	special thanks
Maggie Weston	....	thanks (as Maggie Gilliam)

Production Companies

• Quixote Films
• Low Key Productions (as Low Key Pictures)
• Eastcroft Productions (in association with)

Distributors

• Optimum Releasing (2002) (UK) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2003) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2003) (USA) (theatrical)
• Mikado (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• A&E Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Alliance Atlantis Home Video (2003) (Canada) (DVD)
• Cine Qua Non Films
• CinemArt (Czech Republic)
• Films Transit International
• Haut et Court (2003) (France)
• Krause & Schneider Multimedia (KSM) (2010) (Germany) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2004) (Switzerland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Barclays Bank PLC  banking services (as Barclays Bank, Soho Square)
• Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport  thanks
• Colour Film Services  tape to film transfer: Superscan (as Colour Film Services - London)
• Drew & Co.  legal services
• El Silencio Producciones  "Don Quojote de Orson Welles" footage courtesy of
• Fourth Factory, The  sound editing and mixing
• Hachette Première  courtesy of ("The Man Who Killed Don Quixote") (as Hachette Première & Cie)
• Hachette Première  special thanks (as Hachette Première & Cie)
• Jeremy Barnes & Company  accounting
• Kodak  special thanks
• Memery Crystal  thanks
• Molinare Studio  production facilities: London
• Post Group, The  on-line facilities
• Silverlake Travel  travel services
• The English Speaking Union  thanks

Also Known As:

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:

Fulton and Pepe embarked on their second feature about director Terry Gilliam intending to make a television documentary about the development and pre-production of Gilliam's long-awaited passion project. Having intimate knowledge of Gilliam's chaotic working methods, they knew they were in for something dramatic. But they had no idea that the story would develop into its own quixotic tragedy. After the failure of Gilliam's production, Fulton and Pepe were wary of finishing their film. Gilliam assured them that "someone has to get a film out of this. I guess it's going to be you."

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ser o estar (2008)

This Film Is No More! This is an Ex-Film!

"Lost in LaMancha" is a fascinatingly brilliant documentary about the aborted film project "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" and the problems faced by its writer/director Terry Gilliam. The two documentarians who followed Gilliam's "Twelve Monkeys" to produce "The Hamster Factor And Other Tales Of Twelve Monkeys" have done the same again here only this time there is no film to complement the documentary.

Gilliam is no stranger to controversy. Books, made for dvd documentaries and now this feature have been produced about his troubles in the tv and film industry. He has been labeled as a director who goes over budget though in this case the weather, the noise of overhead fighter planes and an ailing lead actor all come together to halt filming.

Gilliam's "The Fisher King" co-star Jeff Bridges narrates the doco which details pre-production through to its troubled shoot. "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" was to be the most expensive independently produced film in Europe with an international cast including Johnny Depp. Filming only lasted about a week before the insurance company closed down production. The insurance company now own Gilliam and Tony Grisoni's screenplay plus the surviving footage from the shoot.

People believe that the story of "The Man Of LaMancha" is cursed and the documentary mentions in minor detail another troubled genius, Orson Welles, and his unfinished Don Quixote project.

There has been other documentaries of this type such as "Hearts Of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse" about the lengthy production of Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" but in the case of this film there is no happy ending. No cultural masterpiece that rises from a problematic shoot. This film is the cinematic equivalent of a train wreak. You know things are going to get ugly but you can't take your eyes off it. You have to admire Gilliam for signing off on this doco. It's a constant reminder of a time in his life wasted with nothing to show for it. It's terribly depressing but the crew's sense of humor and commitment to the project shine through.

If you're a fan of Gilliam's or interested in film production then this entertaining documentary is for you.