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Lost in La Mancha is an interesting documentary that doesn�t seem to be fit for the big screen. It�s about former Monty Python guy and now director Terry Gilliam�s attempt to make a comedy about Don Quixote. It�s been in his mind for a decade, and now he�s deciding to do something about it.
Of course, nothing is that easy. First, he can�t get any financing in Hollywood, so he goes to Spain to shoot, and needs a budget of around $40 million. He gets $32 million. Despite all of those, there�s some that isn�t their fault. An airplane flies over a shoot that�s supposed to take place a long time ago. There�s a torrential rain storm, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
I don�t really know much about the story of Don Quixote, but I�m a huge Python fan, so I decided this was worth a look. I enjoyed it, but it isn�t the 4-star masterpiece that the papers make it to believe. Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia Inquirer calls it �sad, funny�. I didn�t really find it sad or heartbreaking, nor did I really crack up. Sure, I laughed when I saw the �giants�, but I wasn�t rolling on the floor laughing (which two of the three Monty Python movies made me do). I felt bad for Gilliam, but that was about it.
I�ve never been a huge documentary fan, but if used effectively, I can tolerate it. This blended the right amount of interviews and narration to make it work. I, however, think this would have been better as a one-hour IFC channel documentary or a special feature on the DVD on something. Ironically, Gilliam is using the money raked in from this movie to fund another attempt of Don Quixote. Maybe this�ll be a bonus feature on that DVD.
It didn�t look phony, thank goodness. Sometimes, you can tell when these are fake, but this was genuine. I was mad, however, that only the crew members were interviewed, and not actors supposed to be in the film, such as Johnny Depp (whom I was never a huge fan of, but it would have been interesting to see his take). It didn�t get off topic or anything, except I wish we could have seen a little more of the actual film.
There�s not really that much more to say about Lost in La Mancha. It�s worth a peek, but really nothing to get your hopes up about.
Rated R for language.
Review Date: March 2, 2003
