Reserve your tickets now for Docutah’s screening of ‘Lost in La Mancha’; a cautionary tale about filmmaking

Photo still from the documentary film "Lost in La Mancha" which will screen at the Electric Theater, location and date not specified | Image courtesy of the DSU Docutah International Documentary Film Festival, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The Dixie State University Docutah International Documentary Film Festival is excited to present a screening of the film “Lost in La Mancha,” a film about the making of Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.”

“Lost in La Mancha” will be screened June 29 at 7 p.m. in the Electric Theater.

This photo still from the feature film “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” and the documentary film “Lost in La Mancha” features actor Johnny Depp and director Terry Gilliam, location and date not specified | Image courtesy of Docutah International Documentary Film Festival, St. George News

It took Gilliam – best known for his work with the Monty Python comedy group – about 18 years to get “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” in the can, and no one is sure how it will do at the box office. It made it to Cannes, but the reviews were mixed.

The saga of the movie’s production, told in the documentary “Lost in La Mancha,” however, makes for a cautionary tale of development hell and a great documentary.

The Guardian summed it up well when writing about “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.” It said:

Still, even if the finished product isn’t any cop, we have still got a great work out of this long-running saga. ‘Lost in La Mancha,’ the documentary about the troubled production, is one of the finest films about film-making, a testament to the passion, and folly, of Gilliam’s grand undertaking. If nothing else, we can thank him for that.

Visionary director Terry Gilliam had a dream. He wanted to film the classic story of Don Quixote by recasting it as a trippy, time-traveling, mistaken-identity adventure with Johnny Depp as Quixote. After struggling for years to get financing, insurance and a cast in place, Gilliam traveled to Spain and promptly watched his dream fall apart.

At times hilarious, this intimate film features Johnny Depp and is a unique, in-depth look at the harsher realities of filmmaking. From flash floods and cast no-shows to serious injuries and NATO flyovers, Gilliam and his crew suffered one setback after another.

“Lost in La Mancha” co-stars Johnny Depp, Jean Rochefort and Vanessa Paradis, all supposed to star in the film they tried to make. It is narrated by Jeff Bridges.

According to a press release for the screening, if you still think the movie-making business is glamorous after watching “Lost in La Mancha,” you are the ultimate optimist.

The film will be screened June 29 at 7 p.m. at the Electric Theater, located at 68 E. Tabernacle in St. George.

Advance ticket reservations are required and can be made online. Ticket purchases are $10 cash at the door.

Event details

  • What: DSU Docutah screening of “Lost in La Mancha.”
  • When: Friday, June 29, 7 p.m.
  • Where: Electric Theater, 68 E. Tabernacle, St. George.
  • Cost: $10 cash at the door.
  • Reserve tickets: Advance ticket reservations are required and can be made online.

• S P O N S O R E D   C O N T E N T  •

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Twitter: @STGnews

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