It takes a Don Quixote to create a film about Don
Quixote. But what does it take to make a film about a
film about Don Quixote? Answer: A behind the scenes
crew with the discipline to keep the tape rolling
without reaction, the taste and artistic/human
appreciation for the subject to paint a picture in
the colors even he would have chosen and lastly --the
invisibility of a fly on the wall.
But what sparks this solid work into full ironic
splendor is the calamity of fiction striking like
lightening all over real life.
"Lost in La Mancha" captures with real surreality
director Terry Gilliam -- probably best known by the
masses as illustrator/animator for the old British
comedy series "Monty Python's Flying Circus," but
best appreciated by film lovers for his tremendous
contributions to cinema: "Brazil" being his
masterpiece. But he'd also directed such wonderful
pictures as "Time Bandits," "Fisher King," "Holy Grail" and
"Baron Munchausen." The later of which, so riddled
with problems and over-budget drafts that Terry was
left with a reputation as a director out of
control.
Dead set on making "The Man Who Killed Don
Quixote" anyway, Terry takes the production of his
"Quixote" to Spain where the crew attempt to "make a
Hollywood film without Hollywood." With half the
necessary budget, they launch with no room for error.
Errors become the least of their problems as a steady
stream of unforeseeable tragic travesty plague the
cast and crew, squeezing Gilliam to cry out -- "And
the windmills fight back!"
I'm a big Gilliam fan -- love his finesse with the
surreal, his sense of fun and humor against the dark
edge of reality. I'd even sent him my manuscript
"Rodney Appleseed" to produce back before it hit
print. So, I admit bias. Nonetheless, my guest also
loved this film (which by the way, is not a Gilliam
production). Kudos! Well done! Thank you to Pepe
& Fulton for finally giving us Quixote.
This "behind the scenes" tape is artistic,
caringly objective, yet sensitive and better than
many full feature productions. Pepe & Fulton
started the project at Gilliam's request. Gilliam
agreed to wear a microphone and never once turned it
off. In fact, as his production started unraveling,
P&F began feeling queasy about continuing their
little documentary. (In "The Hamster Factor," an
early Gilliam "12 Monkeys" behind the scenes tape
also by P&F, when things heated up between
Gilliam and his producers, P&F cut the sound and
turned their camera on a bowl of fruit salad.) But
Gilliam was adamant about Quixote, flat out telling
them, "This project has been so long in the making
and so miserable that someone needs to get a film out
of it -- and it doesn't look like it's going to be
me."
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