Lost in La Mancha
In the wake of our Demons and Wonders summer program, it seemed only natural to showcase a filmmaker like Terry Gilliam — a true alchemist of fantastic cinema, whether in an absurd, exhilarating or disturbing vein. From his first steps with the Monty Python to his long-standing quest to adapt Don Quixote, his fantastical odyssey has taken him through adventure films, black comedies, science fiction, and fairy tales. From one film to another, he never ceased to celebrate dreamy children and extravagant adults, opening magical portals between reality and imagination.
Terry Gilliam had wanted to adapt Don Quixote since the late 1980s. Lost in La Mancha is a documentary about the failure of his 2000 adaptation attempt, in which we closely follow the many mind-boggling setbacks of a cursed film shoot. It took Gilliam more than 15 years to realize his dream and release The Man Who Killed Don Quixote in 2018.
