Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.Terry Gilliam's doomed attempt to get his film, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018), off the ground.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 2 wins & 11 nominations total
Jeff Bridges
- Narrator
- (voice)
Philip A. Patterson
- Self - First Assistant Director
- (as Phil Patterson)
Benjamín Fernández
- Self - Production Designer
- (as Benjamin Fernandez)
Vanessa Paradis
- Self
- (archive footage)
Orson Welles
- Self
- (archive footage)
- Directors
- Writers
- Keith Fulton(uncredited)
- Louis Pepe(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFulton 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."
- Quotes
Terry Gilliam: I want to know when we're fucked in advance, not in the middle of a shoot.
- Crazy creditsAt 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.
- Alternate versionsAlthough the U.S. home video version has a listed running time of 93 minutes, the version on the tape runs only 89 minutes.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Zomergasten: Episode #18.2 (2005)
Featured review
Brilliant Documentary Of A Director's Worst Nightmare
Filmmaker & Monty Python alumni Terry Gilliam has dreamed for years of making a movie about Don Quixote. He finally got the chance to make his dream movie, "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote," in 2000, starring Johnny Depp and, in the title role of Don Quixote, French actor Jean Rochefort. But due to budget problems, shooting schedule problems, horrible weather problems, and the unfortunate ill health of actor Rochefort, the production was a disaster from the word go. After only 6 days of troubled shooting, "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" was completely abandoned.
Fortunately, out of the wreckage of Terry Gilliam's never-finished film comes "Lost In La Mancha," a brilliant documentary that captures everything that went wrong with the movie, from the first eight weeks of pre-production (which wasn't smooth sailing either) to the disastrous six-day shoot that followed. We see both sides to Gilliam throughout the movie---one minute he's giddy with delight at making his dream movie, the next minute he's blowing his obscenity-laden top over his project collapsing all around him. And it's not just Gilliam who suffers, as *everyone* involved with the movie, both in front of & behind the camera, gets dragged down right along with him as all hell breaks loose on the doomed production.
Watching "Lost In La Mancha" is not only fascinating, but it's also very educational, giving the viewer a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes of mounting a movie, including all of the business aspects involved such as financing & other professional agreements that have to be made before a single frame is shot. It's also a sad documentary to watch, too. Looking at all the terrific hardware, costumes and set pieces that were created for the movie (including marvelous life-size marionette puppets that can march in perfect synchronicity), plus the widescreen footage of the scant few scenes Gilliam shot before the production was shut down, the viewer is given a genuine glimpse of the movie that *might* have been, and is all the more saddened---and sympathetic with Gilliam & his team---because of it.
Happily, though, all is not lost for "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" just yet. Terry Gilliam is reportedly preparing for a second attempt at shooting the movie, and, having seen the movie's potential in this excellent documentary, I wish Gilliam all the best in the world in finally bringing his Don Quixote movie to the big screen. Judging by the glimpses of it in "Lost In La Mancha," I definitely believe it will be a truly great movie. :-)
Fortunately, out of the wreckage of Terry Gilliam's never-finished film comes "Lost In La Mancha," a brilliant documentary that captures everything that went wrong with the movie, from the first eight weeks of pre-production (which wasn't smooth sailing either) to the disastrous six-day shoot that followed. We see both sides to Gilliam throughout the movie---one minute he's giddy with delight at making his dream movie, the next minute he's blowing his obscenity-laden top over his project collapsing all around him. And it's not just Gilliam who suffers, as *everyone* involved with the movie, both in front of & behind the camera, gets dragged down right along with him as all hell breaks loose on the doomed production.
Watching "Lost In La Mancha" is not only fascinating, but it's also very educational, giving the viewer a first-hand look at what goes on behind the scenes of mounting a movie, including all of the business aspects involved such as financing & other professional agreements that have to be made before a single frame is shot. It's also a sad documentary to watch, too. Looking at all the terrific hardware, costumes and set pieces that were created for the movie (including marvelous life-size marionette puppets that can march in perfect synchronicity), plus the widescreen footage of the scant few scenes Gilliam shot before the production was shut down, the viewer is given a genuine glimpse of the movie that *might* have been, and is all the more saddened---and sympathetic with Gilliam & his team---because of it.
Happily, though, all is not lost for "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" just yet. Terry Gilliam is reportedly preparing for a second attempt at shooting the movie, and, having seen the movie's potential in this excellent documentary, I wish Gilliam all the best in the world in finally bringing his Don Quixote movie to the big screen. Judging by the glimpses of it in "Lost In La Mancha," I definitely believe it will be a truly great movie. :-)
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- Gazzer-2
- Feb 5, 2003
- How long is Lost in La Mancha?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- 救命吶!唐吉訶德
- Filming locations
- Bardenas Reales, Navarra, Spain(shooting in the desert)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $732,393
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $63,303
- Feb 2, 2003
- Gross worldwide
- $1,407,019
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