Quixote, in his folly, may have tilted futilely at windmills, but what to make of the great film directors -- Orson Welles, Terry Gilliam -- that have nearly gone batty trying to capture on film that crazy man from La Mancha?
"Lost in La Mancha," a 90-minute documentary written and directed by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe, attempts to work it all out by following Gilliam's attempt to make "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" in 2000. It's a sort of the "un-making of a movie" movie.
Gilliam, a notorious dreamer and creator of such remarkable and ambitious pictures as "Time Bandits," "Brazil," "The Fisher King" and "Twelve Monkeys," (he was also involved in the best Monty Python films) is also known around Hollywood for the debacle that was "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen," which cost tons of dough and earned back little of it. That disaster has trailed Gilliam ever since and its looming shadow casts some darkness over "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote."
Gilliam is trying to make a $60 million picture with half that amount and clearly is taxing his crew to do so. He's also managed to convince some top-name actors like Johnny Depp, Jean Rochefort and Vanessa Paradis to get on board for considerably less than their normal fees. But this means they're not always available when Gilliam needs them.
Nevertheless, he steams into pre-production in Spain, scouting locations, making models, constructing sets, assembling costumes and hiring his hulking giants. He's been working the film out in his mind for nearly a decade, so he knows what he wants.
However, it never gets off the ground before the troubles start. First, he can't round up his cast. NATO fighter planes interfere with his shooting. Then the weather makes moot the few scenes he's got on film. Next, health problems attack a key player in the cast.
One crew member keenly points out that Gilliam's attempt to create a majestic film on a shoestring budget can be compared to Quixote's own misguided attempts at valor.
The lively film has a good flow and is dotted with extremely enjoyable, Python-esque animations.
What's most disheartening is to watch how Gilliam's dream collapses around him and how he struggles to keep it all together. At the same time, we know that back in Hollywood, studios are churning out crappy action flicks with no shortage of funds.
But, it seems, as long as Gilliam is alive, so too will live his dream of making this picture. Until it hits the screens, check out "Lost in La Mancha" and see a fine director at work and get a look at some of the behind the scenes work that goes into making a motion picture.
"Lost in La Mancha" opens Fri., Feb. 28 at Landmark's Downer Theatre.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
