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Lost in La Mancha

Play trailer Poster for Lost in La Mancha R Released Jan 31, 2003 1h 32m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 103 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Visionary director Terry Gilliam has a dream. He wants to film the classic story of Don Quixote by recasting it as a trippy, time-traveling, mistaken-identity adventure with Johnny Depp as Quixote. After struggling for years to get financing, insurance and a cast in place, Gilliam travels to Spain and promptly watches his dream fall apart. From flash floods to cast no-shows to serious injuries, Gilliam and his crew suffer one setback after another.

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Lost in La Mancha

Lost in La Mancha

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Critics Consensus

A remarkable behind-the-scenes look at a movie that wasn't, Lost in La Mancha is an incisive, entertaining document of the difficulties inherent in the moviemaking process.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher Times (UK) Gilliam compels throughout... Rated: 5/5 Apr 15, 2022 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian A documentary that should be shown in all film schools. Rated: 5/5 Apr 13, 2022 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek Anyone who thinks making movies is easy needs to see this hilariously painful cautionary tale. It's a tribute to Gilliam that he never once took off his mike or asked the filmmakers to stop rolling. Mar 9, 2018 Full Review Allen Almachar The MacGuffin A gem ... for all those that love the movies, even the ones that don't get made. Aug 14, 2020 Full Review Joe Lozito Big Picture Big Sound A fascinating look at the tenuous nature of filmmaking and Mr. Gilliam's own quixotic obsession with the project. Rated: 3/4 Dec 27, 2007 Full Review Jason Gorber Film Scouts In the end, I'm left with an immeasurable appreciation for how bloody hard 1st A.D.'s work on set, and the crap they've got to deal with. Rated: A Jun 21, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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andres s Wow, I didn't know Terry was such a great illustrator and artist and that he did outline sketches for his movies. I love seeing how passionate he is about his work, it's almost like watching a kid sail a kite for the first time. It's funny to see how crazy these Europeans think Terry is with all his ideas. I mean can you blame the man for being super creative and inventive? I can tell already that the reason his Don Quixote project didn't take off was because of money issues and because he was working with production companies that weren't true believers of what he wanted to do with his project. It must be so frustrating having all these ideas in your head, wanting to put them on screen and then people find it hard to understand what you're trying to do artistically. It's actually quite inspiring seeing how ambitious and how much of a dreamer Terry is, a real visionary. Holy shit when the flood came out of nowhere and took all the gear away, I knew it was a sign almost from God. This movie wasn't meant to be finished. It was doomed from the beginning. I always love watching the behind the scenes or making of a movie. Seeing how everything gets produced and the amount of time, energy, and work that goes into making a movie seems so daunting. The problem here seems to be Hollywood. They don't back Terry's projects back because they think his ideas and dories are too eccentric. Well fuck Hollywood. Who needs them anyways. Throughout the whole time watching the documentary, I could just feel that the project wasn't going to be finished. It's kind of sad knowing that it was a failed production, even from the beginning. I thought this documentary was a very insightful look at all the trials and tribulations that goes into making a movie, especially a Gilliam movie. It highlights all the things that can go wrong. It captured the spirit of Terry Gilliam and what it takes to make a Gilliam movie. Even though I was kind of scarred and felt anxious watching the movie, I thought it was very enlightening and an essential watch and made me appreciate and admire one of my favorite directors even more. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Dysfunction + Bad Luck = Failure. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review Audience Member ***NOT-SO-FUNNY TEXTBOOK-DOC ABOUT A FILMMAKER'S/INVESTOR'S WORST NIGHTMARE*** Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member A great cautionary tale for what can go wrong on a film set, and all at once. Not a great documentary unfortunately, it lacks character and it lacks real insight into its main players. But, boy, what a string of bad luck. You definitely feel for Gilliam. They should update this, honestly, as this story has only gotten longer and longer... Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member Some negative reviews focus on the pain and frustration Mr. Gilliam experiences as the film falls apart; they somehow seem to miss the many moments of child-like glee he experiences during the process as well. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review Audience Member the windmills of reality fight back Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Lost in La Mancha

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Movie Info

Synopsis Visionary director Terry Gilliam has a dream. He wants to film the classic story of Don Quixote by recasting it as a trippy, time-traveling, mistaken-identity adventure with Johnny Depp as Quixote. After struggling for years to get financing, insurance and a cast in place, Gilliam travels to Spain and promptly watches his dream fall apart. From flash floods to cast no-shows to serious injuries, Gilliam and his crew suffer one setback after another.
Director
Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe
Producer
Lucy Darwin
Distributor
IFC Films
Rating
R (Language)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 31, 2003, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 4, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$731.6K
Runtime
1h 32m
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