The Man Who Killed Don Quixote

Terry Gilliam, the director who gave us Brazil, Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys, and so many more, has finally finished the movie he’s been trying to make for 25 years.

The production did not go smoothly. Cinematographer Nicola Pecorini claims that “never in 22 years of being in this business have I seen such a sum of bad luck.” Jennifer Quellette, writing in Ars Technica, says:

Gilliam came up with the idea for his Don Quixote film back in 1989 when he read Cervantes’ novel, but he didn’t secure funding until 1998. Johnny Depp signed on to play the role of Toby Grisoni, while his then-partner Vanessa Paradis would be the female lead. Shooting commenced in 2000 in Navarre, Spain. But everything went almost comically wrong from the start. There were conflicts with the various actors’ schedules, making it difficult to get everyone on set at the same time. The production site was near a NATO military base, and F-16 fighter jets flew overhead the entire first day of shooting, making it necessary to dub those scenes in post-production. A flash flood ruined the second day of filming by damaging equipment that was not covered by the insurance policy. The flood also caused continuity problems, since the colors of the terrain had noticeably changed.

Finally, on the fifth day, the film’s star, the late Jean Rochefort, was clearly in pain during the scenes on horseback, despite being an experienced horseman. He turned out to have prostate problems and a double herniated disc, and while Gilliam tried to shoot around Rochefort’s scenes, it soon became clear the ailing actor could not return to the set. The production was officially cancelled in November 2000.

And so it goes. The film debuted at Cannes last year, but was unable to compete due to legal issues. Quellette continues:

The cast is fantastic, especially Pryce and Driver. The dialogue is sharp and witty, and Gilliam remains a master at skirting the fine line between comedy and tragedy—much like Cervantes himself. The first half of the film works really well, driving home the unintended consequences that a naive Toby’s student film wrought on the people of that small Spanish village.

Unfortunately, the plot, such as it is, unravels into delirious chaos during the second half. Toby [“Sancho Panza”] even breaks the fourth wall at one point to wonder aloud, “There’s a plot?” Certainly the sumptuous visuals and dazzling dream-like sequences, blurring the line between what’s really happening and what’s just in Toby’s head, reflect Gilliam’s unique sensibility.

Whatever the merits of this film, Gilliam will always be remembered for the giant foot that squashes things in Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and I personally will remember the insanity of all his brilliant films — and his turn as the Bridgekeeper and the Man in Scene 24 of Holy Grail.

The film hits US theaters this year. Here is the trailer: