Lost in La Mancha (2002)

Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.

Directors:

Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe

Stars:

Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp, Jeff Bridges

2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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)

Storyline

Director Terry Gilliam is the latest filmmaker to try and bring Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra's "Don Quixote de la Mancha" to the big screen, the movie to be called The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Before filming even begins, Gilliam, who has moved from Hollywood studio to European financing, will have to scale back his vision as his budget has been slashed from $40 million to $32 million, still astronomical by European standards. But Gilliam is a dreamer, much like his title character, and his vision for the movie is uncompromising, meaning with the reduced budget that there is no margin for error and that some of his department heads may have to achieve miracles with their allotted moneys. During pre-production and actual filming, what Gilliam does not foresee is contractual and health issues with his actors, and the effects of Mother Nature. The question is does Gilliam have a Plan B if/when things go wrong.

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Plot Keywords:

low budget filmmaking | don quixote | filmmaker | actor | director | 

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Taglines:

They've got a story...but have lost the plot.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Official page

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Spanish French

Release Date:

2 August 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

Don Kihotis horis telos...

Filming Locations:

Monasterio de Piedra, Nuévalos, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£42,824 (United Kingdom), 4 August 2002, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$63,303, 2 February 2003, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$734,514, 22 June 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quixote Films, Low Key Productions, Eastcroft Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min 89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fulton and Pepe intended to make a television documentary about the development and pre-production of Terry Gilliam's long-awaited passion project. They had no idea that the story would develop into its own quixotic tragedy. After the project failed, Fulton and Pepe were wary of finishing their film until Gilliam said "someone has to get a film out of this. I guess it's going to be you."

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Quotes

[watching a screen test of the giants - three hefty topless Spanish men running in slow motion]
Terry Gilliam: [giggling] That's the trailer for the film, right there. "Coming soon"!

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Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits we see the footage of the giants running menacingly towards the screen (which Gilliam admitted would make a great trailer). Just before it fades to black, the words "COMING SOON" are emblazoned across the screen. At the fadeout, we hear Gilliam's distinctive laugh.

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Alternate Versions

Although the U.S. home video version has a listed running time of 93 minutes, the version on the tape runs only 89 minutes.

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Connections

References A Trip to the Moon (1902)

User Reviews

Quixotic to say the least

LOST IN LA MANCHA (2003) ***1/2 Uproariously funny and insightful documentary by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe who originally were shooting a making of docu for director Terry Gilliam's latest film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote which soon became a document of Murphy's Law: Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Gilliam's plagued production is a cautionary and comic parable for budding filmmakers as well as the struggles a true visionary has in Hollywood even when faced with foreign backers instead. Hopefully the aborted project will one day continue for the brilliantly subversive Gilliam; only time will tell in this timeless fable of folly. Features Johnny Depp, Jean Rochefort and narrated by Jeff Bridges.