“Truly I was born to be an example of misfortune, and a target at which the arrows of adversity are aimed…” From the novel “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra Terry Gilliam is insane. He is a mad genius much like Don Quixote. His fantasies are colorful, imaginative, and overwhelmingly visual when they make it to the big screen. And in some cases, even when they don’t. Such is the reality in this highly entertaining documentary “Lost in La Mancha.” Gilliam’s films, whether or not they were commercially viable, have always been amongst my favorites. All of them have gained a certain level of notoriety, and though some critics may disagree, there’s not a bad one in the bunch. Films like “Time Bandits”, “Brazil”, “12 Monkeys”, “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”, and (my personal favorite) “The Fisher King” have all had one thing in common that kept them from being blockbusters. They required an audience to have the imagination to be taken fully into the fantasy, and the intelligence to understand it.

Considering that Gilliam’s first claim to fame was being the only American member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, it’s sometimes amazing to me that he ended up becoming one of the most artistically stylish and visually innovative directors working today. But looking back, I can see the creative genius lurking behind the hysterical animations he did for the series and subsequent movies, and how he simply moved on to translate that creativity into live action.

“Lost in La Mancha” chronicles the making of… well I guess I should say the unmaking of Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.” Making a movie about Don Quixote was a longtime dream for Gilliam, and after ten years of work he was finally getting the chance to realize that dream. Unfortunately, everything that could go wrong… did. Beset by budgetary constraints, actors falling ill and ‘wraith of God’ storms (just to name a few of the problems), the project eventually shut down.

Two filmmakers, Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe, had been given complete access to everything that went on during the weeks of pre-production work and the actual filming, based on the “12 Monkeys” documentary they had done for Gilliam previously. That access gave them an unflinching look at everything that went wrong and how everyone reacted to it. Gilliam gave them free reign to make the documentary as they saw fit, so you don’t always see everyone’s best side. The documentary also includes some of the footage of that survived the shoot, and as I might have expected, it made me desperately want to see the finished film. I really hope it happens one day.

Docurama’s DVD release of “Lost in La Mancha” is a real treat for Terry Gilliam fans. Beyond the initial documentary, there’s a second disc with over three hours of additional material. You get some of the story behind the story. There are five interviews that were filmed after the making of “Lost in La Mancha”, so everyone gets to comment on the experience. The longest of the bunch is with Johnny Depp (who was to play the ad executive transported into Quixote’s world only to be mistaken as Sancho). Coming in at about twenty-two minutes, he talks (and smokes) at length about working with Gilliam and how he enjoys the creative process they share. The other interviewees include Gilliam, directors Louis Pepe and Keith Fulton, and producer Lucy Darwin.

The best interview, of course, is with Gilliam himself. It runs just under ten minutes, and is off-putting at first as it is edited in such a way as to be a bit choppy. It was as if they were cutting out the questions. Aside from that, it ended up being a complete joy to watch. He’s so animated that when he speaks its like watching some of the characters he used to draw come to life. But what is great to see is that through it all he didn’t lose his humor and hasn’t totally given up on the prospect of making the movie.

The second disc also offers up nine deleted scenes, complete with explanations as to why the directors chose not to use them. I suggest watching them all; though pay special attention to the two alternate opening sequences. The first, especially so for the fact that it shows a little more of what would be the opening of the Quixote movie, and how it turned into a reflection of what really happened on the set.

The extras don’t stop there. Also included here is a fifty-four minute interview / conversation between Gilliam and author Salman Rushdie, whom you may remember as having had a bounty placed on his head by the Ayatollah Khomeni after writing “The Satanic Verses” a few years back. The conversation took place during the 29thTelluride Film Festival, where “Lost in La Mancha” was having its premiere. It was set up as an open forum with a very casual audience (what I wouldn’t give to have been there). They talk about some of Gilliam’s other films and experiences, as well as films in general, and turned out to be one of the main highlights of the disc.

The other highlight comes in the form of another interview. And let me tell you, I can’t get enough of Gilliam’s interviews. His views and the way he expresses himself make for an entertaining watch every time. This interview was conducted during a two-weekend retrospective of his work in Los Angeles, following a screening of “Lost in La Mancha.” It takes place in front of a packed house and had originally aired in an edited form on the Independent Film Channel. This disc, however serves up the complete, unedited interview.

But wait… there’s more. There are six ‘soundbites” which offers several more short mini-interviews by Gilliam and members of the crew, each focusing on specific areas of the project. Added to that are some of Gilliam’s storyboards, production designs by Benjamin Fernandez, and a few of Gabriella Pescucci’s costume designs. Finishing of the disc is the theatrical trailer for the documentary.

My first recommendation would be to tell everyone that they have to rush out and get “Lost in La Mancha.” My only hesitation is that documentaries, even ones this brilliant, don’t always appeal to everyone. But I honestly think anyone giving it a chance would be surprised as to how entertaining it is. Those to whom I would tell to buy it at any cost: film students, Monty Python fans, Terry Gilliam fans, film fans, and anyone out there reading this review right now.

Directed by: Keith Fulton & Louis Pepe
Starring: Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp, Jean Rochefort
Extras: Exclusive Interviews with Cast & Crew, Deleted Scenes, Video Soundbites, Costume Design, Storyboards and Production Stills from “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”, Salman Rushdie & Terry Gilliam: A Conversation From the 29th Telluride Film Festival, IFC Focus: Terry Gilliam, Theatrical Trailers
Specifications:
Studio: Docurama
Release Date: 6/24/2003
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (For Language)
Docurama Website
Lost In La Mancha Website

We'll give Lost In La Mancha an A.