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Lost in La Mancha

This documentary follows Terry Gilliam’s failed attempt to make a film based on Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote (to be called “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”). The film follows the rising wave of disasters that culminate in the canceling of the film only 2 weeks into production.

I think this documentary should be watched by all aspiring filmmakers who can see how bad things can get on a film shoot. There was only one major problem with the film: lack of personal conflict. Everyone who has taken part in a bad shoot knows the amount of back-biting, cover-your-ass, and blame-assignment behavior that occurs. Except for a few brief scenes, we don’t really see any of this. Whether the cast and crew were on their best behavior while on camera or the documentary filmmakers decided to censor this in editing, these common scenes are noticeably absent.

One interesting opinion I reached while watching the film was that the 1st Assistant Director (1st AD) almost certainly should have been fired. For one, the location scouting was horrendous. Anyone who has ever done location scouting knows that for such a major exterior shot, daily noise pollution and environmental factors should have been checked first hand.

Additionally, when the extras didn’t attend their weekend rehearsal (making impossible a shot on the assigned day), the 1st AD had no idea of this problem. One of the reasons the 1st AD position is such a hard job is that they are required to make sure all the ducks are in a row. It strikes the viewer that Terry Gilliam likes the 1st AD and stood by him because the AD was as disorganized as the director. It made me think of the classic line in Spinal Tap: “It’s not your job to be as confused as Nigel, is it?”

The parts of the Don Quixote film we get to see do seem a bit derivative of Gilliam’s past work. The giants and the way he was blocking them recalls the giant in Time Bandits. The time travel idea mirrors Time Bandits as well. The battling windmill fantasy sequences strike the same chord as those in Brazil. The life size puppet stage looks much like Baron Munchausen’s stage. I hope that the director’s upcoming The Brothers Grimm includes more original ideas.

All in all, an excellent behind the scenes look at an attempt to make a film with a large scope.

Dan Rahmel
Author: "Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking"