Lost In La Mancha
Movie · Documentary

Lost In La Mancha may be the first "un-making of" documentary. In a genre that exists to hype films before their release, Lost in La Mancha presents an unexpected twist: it is the story of a film that does not exist. Following Terry Gilliam's attempt to bring Don Quixote to the big screen, Lost in La Mancha offers a unique, in-depth look at the harsher realities of filmmaking. With drama that ranges from personal conflicts to epic storms, this is a record of a film disintegrating. In the best tradition of documentary filmmaking, Lost in La Mancha captures all the drama of this story through "fly-on-the-wall" verite footage and on-the-spot interviews. Gilliam's plans for the non-existent film come alive in animations of his storyboards, narrated and voiced by co-writer Tony Grisoni and Gilliam himself. And with the camera tests of the leading actors and the rushes from the only six days of photography, Lost in La Mancha offers a tantalizing glimpse of the cinematic spectacle that might have been. Lost in La Mancha is less a process piece about filmmakers at work and more a powerful drama about the inherent fragility of the creative process -- a compelling study of how, even with an abundance of the best will and passion, the artistic endeavor can remain an impossible dream.

2003 · 1h 32m
  • 94%
Starring Terry Gilliam, Terry Gilliam, Johnny Depp
Director Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe

Trailers

  • Lost In La Mancha
    Lost In La Mancha
    Documentary

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Cast & Crew

  • Terry Gilliam
    Self
  • Terry Gilliam
    Self
  • Johnny Depp
    Self
  • Jeff Bridges
    Self
  • Jean Rochefort
    Self
  • K‌F
    Keith Fulton
    Director
  • L‌P
    Louis Pepe
    Director
  • L‌D
    Lucy Darwin
    Producer
  • K‌F
    Keith Fulton
    Writer
  • L‌P
    Louis Pepe
    Writer
  • M‌C
    Miriam Cutler
    Music

About

Lost In La Mancha

Documentary

Lost In La Mancha may be the first "un-making of" documentary. In a genre that exists to hype films before their release, Lost in La Mancha presents an unexpected twist: it is the story of a film that does not exist. Following Terry Gilliam's attempt to bring Don Quixote to the big screen, Lost in La Mancha offers a unique, in-depth look at the harsher realities of filmmaking. With drama that ranges from personal conflicts to epic storms, this is a record of a film disintegrating. In the best tradition of documentary filmmaking, Lost in La Mancha captures all the drama of this story through "fly-on-the-wall" verite footage and on-the-spot interviews. Gilliam's plans for the non-existent film come alive in animations of his storyboards, narrated and voiced by co-writer Tony Grisoni and Gilliam himself. And with the camera tests of the leading actors and the rushes from the only six days of photography, Lost in La Mancha offers a tantalizing glimpse of the cinematic spectacle that might have been. Lost in La Mancha is less a process piece about filmmakers at work and more a powerful drama about the inherent fragility of the creative process -- a compelling study of how, even with an abundance of the best will and passion, the artistic endeavor can remain an impossible dream.

94%

TOMATOMETER
Average 7.7
Reviews 103
Fresh 97
Rotten 6

Information

Studio
Quixote Films Limited
Released
2003
Run Time
1 hr 32 min
Rated
R For language.
Regions of Origin
United States, United Kingdom
© 2001 QUIXOTE FILMS LIMITED ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Languages

Original Audio
English, English (United Kingdom)
Audio

English (AAC)

Subtitles

English (CC)

Accessibility

Closed captions (CC) refer to subtitles in the available language with the addition of relevant non-dialogue information.
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Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

  • Armenia
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  • Bahrain
  • Botswana
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Cape Verde
  • Egypt
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  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • India
  • Israel
  • Jordan
  • Lebanon
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  • Mozambique
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