Sin #64: The Giants on the Windmills

“Don Quixote de la Mancha”, written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, remains one of the most influential books ever written (it is considered the first modern European novel). For decades it has been the ambition of filmmakers to adapt its story to the screen but there seems to be a curse attached to the legend of Quixote; Orson Welles spend his entire career filming pieces but died before he could finish the movie and in 2000 Terry Gilliam failed spectacularly to shoot his own surrealistic take.

There’s something endearing in Quixote and his madness; after all, he represents the dreamer and idealist, slaying dragons and seeing giants instead of windmills and pursuing the love of the lovely Dulcinea (a sweet maiden in his heart but really just a hardworking maid). The story of Quixote seems to be a perfect match for the imagination of director Terry Gilliam (one of the most uneven but creative forces working today) but the production was a catastrophe waiting to happen. “Lost in La Mancha” documents the making of “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” (the title of Gilliam’s film) starring Jean Rochefort as Quixote and Johnny Depp as his loyal partner Sancho Panza. The story is about an advertising agent who travels through time to 17^th century Spain and meets Quixote who mistakes him for Panza.

Gilliam is no stranger to chaotic productions; he went way over budget on his ambitious “The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen” and had to fight with the studio for his cut on “Brazil”, but nothing could prepare him for the disaster of Quixote. First of all, the funding for the film was significantly less than he anticipated (even though it was a small budget for his vision, it was a considerable budget for European standards), then came the terrible floods that destroyed several sets and changed the terrain that was already shot. If that wasn’t enough, his actor Jean Rochefort had to be hospitalized and no longer could ride a horse (there are some scenes shot where they show him in great pain). At this point every element whether natural or man-made was against the filmmakers.

After firing a producer and with the impatience of dozens of investors, the production was finally shut down to the grief of everyone involved. Gilliam moved on (his next two movies, “The Brothers Grimm” and “Tideland” were atrocious but he bounced back with the quirky and inventive “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus”, Heath Ledger’s final film). After the release of “Lost in La Mancha” Gilliam was bombarded with questions about the film and the hope about it ever getting made; he seemed defeated and pessimistic about its chances of reaching the screen. After finishing “Parnassus” however, Gilliam admitted that he had the rights for “Quixote” back and was definitely moving forward with the production (it’s now confirmed that Ewan McGregor will substitute Depp, who can’t commit to the project because of his hectic schedule, and that Robert Duvall will play Quixote. Filming starts in September). It now seems that in 2011 we will finally get to see “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”, 10 years after its disastrous first attempt. Hopefully it will be worth it.