The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (D: Terry Gilliam) S: Pryce, Driver, Kurylenko
#1
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The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (D: Terry Gilliam) S: Pryce, Driver, Kurylenko
Johnny Depp and Terry Gilliam tilt again at Don Quixote
The filming of Don Quixote has been a saga every bit as epic as the 15th-century literary classic on which it is based.
By Chris Hastings and Stephanie Plentl
Last Updated: 12:23PM BST 27 Jul 2008
But now, seven years after the film was aborted on one of the most disaster-prone shoots in cinema history, Terry Gilliam's dream of making a big screen version has been revived.
Gilliam, the former Monty Python star and director of Brazil, Twelve Monkeys and The Fisher King, is to reunite with Johnny Depp for a second attempt to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
The development is the latest twist in what is one of the most remarkable stories in cinema history. The original shoot, which suffered a series of setbacks, was captured on film by documentary makers and Lost In La Mancha became a hit in its own right.
One source close to the revived project, who asked not to be named, said: "They are having another crack at it after putting a deal together. Johnny is a bigger star now than he was then, thanks to the Pirates of the Caribbean, and there is every confidence they can pull it off."
The first attempt to make the film in 2001 ended in disaster after just five days of shooting, at a location near Madrid.
On the first day of the £16 million shoot, actor Jean Rochefort, 70, suffered a double hernia. The next day the set was washed away by a flash flood.
When Depp, who plays a 21st century marketing executive transported back in time, declared he could not wait for Rochefort to recover because of other commitments, the film's financiers pulled the plug. The insurers reportedly paid out $15 million (£7.5 million) and took control of the script.
Ownership of the script has now returned to Gilliam.
Shortly after the collapse of the project, Gilliam said he had come to sympathise with Quixote, who in one episode in Cervantes's novel "tilts at", or attacks, windmills that he mistakes for giants, an image that has come to stand for the pursuit of impossible dreams.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...n-Quixote.html
The filming of Don Quixote has been a saga every bit as epic as the 15th-century literary classic on which it is based.
By Chris Hastings and Stephanie Plentl
Last Updated: 12:23PM BST 27 Jul 2008
But now, seven years after the film was aborted on one of the most disaster-prone shoots in cinema history, Terry Gilliam's dream of making a big screen version has been revived.
Gilliam, the former Monty Python star and director of Brazil, Twelve Monkeys and The Fisher King, is to reunite with Johnny Depp for a second attempt to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
The development is the latest twist in what is one of the most remarkable stories in cinema history. The original shoot, which suffered a series of setbacks, was captured on film by documentary makers and Lost In La Mancha became a hit in its own right.
One source close to the revived project, who asked not to be named, said: "They are having another crack at it after putting a deal together. Johnny is a bigger star now than he was then, thanks to the Pirates of the Caribbean, and there is every confidence they can pull it off."
The first attempt to make the film in 2001 ended in disaster after just five days of shooting, at a location near Madrid.
On the first day of the £16 million shoot, actor Jean Rochefort, 70, suffered a double hernia. The next day the set was washed away by a flash flood.
When Depp, who plays a 21st century marketing executive transported back in time, declared he could not wait for Rochefort to recover because of other commitments, the film's financiers pulled the plug. The insurers reportedly paid out $15 million (£7.5 million) and took control of the script.
Ownership of the script has now returned to Gilliam.
Shortly after the collapse of the project, Gilliam said he had come to sympathise with Quixote, who in one episode in Cervantes's novel "tilts at", or attacks, windmills that he mistakes for giants, an image that has come to stand for the pursuit of impossible dreams.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/news...n-Quixote.html
Lost In La Mancha always sounded pretty interesting to me, but I never checked out for some reason. I'll have to see if my library has it.
#4
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Originally Posted by pinata242
So Depp being a bigger star will ward off double hernias and other natural disasters? Wow, the power of fame truly is an amazing thing.
I would personally rather see Gilliam's proposed adaptation of Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman's Good Omens with Depp.
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Very cool news. Hopefully the guys who made Lost in La Mancha (Keith Fulton an Louis Pepe I wanna say their names are) will do a sequel to their documentary. Found in La Mancha?
#7
Originally Posted by modfather
And Lost in La Mancha is my favorite documentary. For those who haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
#10
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Originally Posted by TomOpus
For whatever reason, God didn't want this movie made. They should just let it go...
#12
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Originally Posted by RichC2
I thought that said Gob .
Anyhow, I'm excited by this news. Unfortunately, I haven't really liked the last couple of Gilliam movies too much so I'm hoping this'll bring back what I like about Gilliam.
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How the heck have I never heard of Lost in La Mancha? Gilliam is my favorite director, and I've even bought all of his movies (directing wise).
I will definitely be checking it out soon.
Also, I just found 6 minutes of the original movie (for those who haven't)
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6SkSdjDmouo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6SkSdjDmouo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
I will definitely be checking it out soon.
Also, I just found 6 minutes of the original movie (for those who haven't)
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6SkSdjDmouo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6SkSdjDmouo&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Last edited by project86; 07-29-08 at 03:16 PM.
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by pinata242
So Depp being a bigger star will ward off double hernias and other natural disasters? Wow, the power of fame truly is an amazing thing.
Originally Posted by RichC2
Ain't it? Depps involvement will ensure no sets get washed away, no actors will herniate their backs, and the star won't pass away unexpectedly.
But the point of the comment about Depp is that, in the wake of the problems the movie had the insurance company got skittish and shut the production down to protect investors from losing any more money. In order to start up the production again, someone would have to buy the rights back from the insurance company, as well as come up with the money to make the movie.
Depp's increased fame and international box office clout would have a major impact on being able to get the financing to do all that. He's more bankable now, a better investment.
Last edited by Mr. Salty; 07-29-08 at 04:52 PM.
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I also enjoyed Lost In La Mancha. It isn't anywhere close to being my favorite doc, but I really did enjoy seeing all the effort that went in pre-production. A lot of the costumes and puppetry/set design was amazing. I wonder if they've been kept in storage all these years.
I think my favorite part was when a trusted lieutenant of Gilliam wanted to shut down production and Gilliam wanted to push on. Gilliam was basically in denial, but his loyal friend knew that the movie would not have matched Gilliam's vision.
I think my favorite part was when a trusted lieutenant of Gilliam wanted to shut down production and Gilliam wanted to push on. Gilliam was basically in denial, but his loyal friend knew that the movie would not have matched Gilliam's vision.
#16
Originally Posted by pinata242
So Depp being a bigger star will ward off double hernias and other natural disasters? Wow, the power of fame truly is an amazing thing.
And Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will be coming out at some point.
http://www.doctorparnassus.com/
For those unaware, Heath Ledger's final film.
Last edited by CRM114; 07-30-08 at 08:55 AM.
#17
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by CRM114
He's a big enough star that the financiers won't pull out so quickly.
#18
Originally Posted by pinata242
You don't say... Do you think that he being a bigger star now might have a negative side-effect should a delay on this (or any other production) occur, that he would be even more likely to have "other commitments"?
#19
DVD Talk Legend
From here:
Director Terry Gilliam disclosed Thursday that he plans to restart production of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote next year after securing rights from the insurance company that paid out $15 million when the movie's sets were destroyed by a flash flood in 2000 and one of the stars of the movie pulled out following a serious injury. Speaking at a tribute to him Thursday night by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in London, Gilliam ... said that he now believes that God stepped in to "save his ass" on Don Quixote when the storm occurred. "I was in some way relieved that it did fall apart," he said. "Because I didn't have the money to finish it. It's a good thing it went down when it did because I would have got the blame for going over budget. I think this time we will make a better film."
#21
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Meh...
It didn't look like a movie I'd be interested in any way, so I don't care if they just leave it alone at this point. And, like someone else said, I haven't been too impressed with Gilliam's output lately, so the enthusiasm just isn't there.
It didn't look like a movie I'd be interested in any way, so I don't care if they just leave it alone at this point. And, like someone else said, I haven't been too impressed with Gilliam's output lately, so the enthusiasm just isn't there.
#25
DVD Talk Legend
And Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus will be coming out at some point.
http://www.doctorparnassus.com/
For those unaware, Heath Ledger's final film.
http://www.doctorparnassus.com/
For those unaware, Heath Ledger's final film.