Gratuitous Llama Netflix Movie Reviews

Lost in La Mancha (2002)

A fascinating documentary about the attempt of ex-Python Terry Gilliam to film a movie about Don Quixote, an attempt that turned into a first class train wreck and ultimately failed.

I was a little leery going into this film. As much as I enjoy Gilliam's movies, at least the older ones, I've always been suspicious of the man's ego. Knowing the premise ahead of time, I was concerned that this might just turn out to be a 90 minute enfante terrible rant about how nobody understands him and everybody picks on him.

Well, luckily, there is not much of that kind of whining. And indeed, Gilliam was entitled to as much hair-pulling, swearing and kicking the cat as he might choose to do: the number of freak accidents, actor problems and production cock-ups Gilliam had to face on the project is rather staggering. The film gives a really good view of the incredible complexity of things that go on behind the camera even when things are going right. Given all this, it's a wonder any movie ever gets made.

My only real beef with the film is the constant comparison of the Quixote project with Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. The latter is held up as the yardstick of bad Gilliam film experiences - budget problems, constant strife with the producers and so on. That may be so, but Munchausen also happens to be one of my very favorite movies and it's too bad to see it slanged so much here.

All in all, if you like Gilliam movies, I think you'd like this documentary.