Lost in La Mancha Review
by Tim Wick
Frequently the most pointless extra on a DVD is the "making of" documentary. These documentaries are often little more than HBO reels that show the director and actors talking about how excited they are to be a part of this production. Rarely is any insight provided into why the film was being made or what was going through the heads of those making the film.
It is somewhat ironic that one of the best "Making of" documentaries is about a film that was never finished.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote has been Terry Gilliam's obsession for at least ten years. In looking at Gilliam's other films, it seems natural that he would be drawn to the story of an aging dreamer. Watching Lost in La Mancha, the "making of" documentary about The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, is a frustrating exercise in what might have been.
Directors Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe had amazing access to every part of the production process. They were able to interview Terry Gilliam, his producers, assistants and actors as the film moved from pre-production to production and finally to disaster. In many ways, the success of Lost in La Mancha is much like the success of Startup.com because it was the right people in the right place at the right time.
Despite the fact that we know that The Man Who Killed Don Quixote was never finished, the filmmakers don't show their hand. Lost in La Mancha is not a post mortem - it is a documentary. We experience the ups and downs of the production as they happen rather than spending the entire film looking back at what might have been It would be quite easy for to dwell on the failed production rather than document how the production failed. The latter makes for a more effective narrative.
Because the La Mancha is about a man with a remarkably twisted sense of humor, it tries to play off that sense of humor. In what may be the only shortcoming of the film, they use Gilliam style animation to set the stage at certain points. While not horrible, these animations are clearly aspiring to the animation style Gilliam used on "Monty Python's Flying Circus" but they just aren't the same.
When the film focuses on the various phases of production, it is not only interesting but educational. We learn the roles various individuals play in a production and begin to understand the signs of a production that is clearly in danger. Such signs are not obvious but Fulton and Pepe do their best to let us figure it out for ourselves.
To watch Gilliam, who begins the film with giddy energy, slowly realize that his dream will never become a reality is a real human tragedy. We can see him grow older as the film progresses out of stress and frustration. He begins to lash out on the set because he can feel the whole thing slipping away.
I'm not only impressed with the overall structure of the film but with the fact it was made at all. How often are we allowed to gain insight into a grand failure? Hundreds of documentaries exist on the making of movies. Few actually give the insight into the process of making a movie. Instead, the viewer learns how a couple stunts and explosions were accomplished.
Here we have a film that shows us the ugly side of the movie industry. The side where producers react to missed deadlines by trying to figure out who they should fire. The side where a shot can be ruined by being too close to an airfield. We know these things are part of filmmaking but no DVD is ever going to have the courage to tell us that because they want us to believe that every film was easy to make and a dream project for everyone involved.
Most "Making of" Documentaries are made during production of a film far before anyone knows how the film will be received. At that point, everyone thinks they are making the next Citizen Kane. Even if they didn't, they would hardly want to bad mouth the project they are working on prior to it's release, would they?
Now if you get the director and writer of Glitter into a private room, would they really say they were excited to be part of the project?
Lost in La Mancha is one of the best educations the movie industry has ever made public. The film is an exposure of the dark side of filmmaking where not everything goes as planned. It is well worth the time.
|
