Lost in La Mancha

Gilliam compels throughout...

A documentary that should be shown in all film schools.

Anyone who thinks making movies is easy needs to see this hilariously painful cautionary tale. It's a tribute to Gilliam that he never once took off his mike or asked the filmmakers to stop rolling.

A fascinating study in the cinematic arts, as we watch a talented director and a committed crew and cast thwarted by nature, human failings and just plain bad luck.

... The very fancifulness that makes Lost in La Mancha enjoyable also inadvertently slights Gilliam’s professional loss – a loss, he makes clear, that was quite personal, too.

A gem ... for all those that love the movies, even the ones that don't get made.

A fascinating look at the tenuous nature of filmmaking and Mr. Gilliam's own quixotic obsession with the project.

In the end, I'm left with an immeasurable appreciation for how bloody hard 1st A.D.'s work on set, and the crap they've got to deal with.

It's worth watching to catch glimpses of the Gilliam works, and to be strangely reassured that disasters and misfortune happen even to the best artists.