Lost in La Mancha

Aroview: A cautionary fable of filmmaking in the mould of HEARTS OF DARKNESS, concerning director Terry Gilliam’s (BRAZIL) attempt to film a version of ‘Don Quixote’ in Spain in 2001.

As Gilliam’s promising project proceeds, sets are constructed and actors (Johnny Depp, Jean Rochefort and Vanessa Paradis) gather, but there is a slight air of desperation as producers grapple with a ‘shoestring’ budget of US$30 million, and the shadows of Gilliam’s previous financial catastrophe, BARON MUNCHAUSEN, loom large. When shooting begins, a series of unlikely, slightly bizarre and yet utterly devastating incidents snowball, putting the entire production at risk… Not quite as mad or gripping as BURDEN OF DREAMS for example, but provides plenty of voyeuristic thrills and a poignant finale.

NZ International Film Festival 2003

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