The Pain In Spain

Former 'dvd extras' stars Louis Fulton and Keith Pepe, makers of the superlative Twelve Monkeys bonus doc The Hamster Factor, took centre stage with surprise-hit feature documentary Lost In La Mancha. Detailing seven months of financially shaky pre-production, six self-defeating days of shooting and the eventual collapse of Gilliam's beloved Don Quixote adaptation, Fulton and Pepe capture the wildcard insanity of Gilliam's film-making process without ever sneering at his overreaching enthusiasm. Instead, whether he's giggling excitedly with lead star Johnny Depp or raging at his production designer over the non-soundproof soundstage, or facing stoically an onslaught of calamities that include flash floods, noise interference from NATO bombers, no signed contracts, no props, no horses, and no cash, Gilliam is always the wide-eyed fantasist whose dreams have thankfully remained as large as ever.

Rating: 5 / 10

Retail dvd & video (optimum releasing, full screen)