Lost In La Mancha

   Only the prospect of someday seeing a final cut of director Terry Gilliam's dream project "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" is better than seeing "Lost in La Mancha," a documentary about how that $32 million production went disastrously wrong. Although it doesn't hit the emotional heights of "Hearts of Darkness," the gold standard of moviemaking documentaries, "Lost in La Mancha" remains a frank and fascinating spectacle, as one man's 10-year cinematic odyssey painfully disintegrates.

   Like 2001's "Startup.com," the filmmakers (in this case, Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe, whose "Hamster Factor" chronicled Gilliam's unraveling during the shooting of "12 Monkeys") begin with the hope of documenting a successful production only to witness its unexpected downfall. The film begins in earnest as Gilliam secures financing from within Europe, although the budget leaves zero margin for error. Pre-production is chronicled with the use of Gilliam's storyboards, which are animated to wonderful effect. With production looming, certain actors have yet to sign their contracts. The cast includes Johnny Depp, while Quixote is played by 70-year old Jean Rochefort, who refuses to board the plane to Spain because he believes he's developed a serious prostate problem. Later, while on location outside Madrid, a storm holds up shooting. When the crew returns, they discover the rain has changed the color of the surrounding rocks, rendering unusable all footage shot before the storm. The doc continues down this road until the film is officially scuttled.

   Unlike "Hearts of Darkness" or "The Hamster Factor," where the filmmakers become unglued before our eyes, "La Mancha" is about unforeseeable events that happen to a group of nice, professional filmmakers, which blunts its effectiveness. Still, the sequence where Gilliam's 1st AD quits and the film is officially shut down is heartbreaking. Fulton and Pepe's camera rolled for 80 hours and they caught dozens of priceless shots of exasperated crew members. The doc is replete with invaluable lessons about filmmaking and should be required viewing in every film school class. Starring Johnny Depp, Terry Gilliam and Jean Rochefort. Narrated by Jeff Bridges. Directed and written by Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe. Produced by Lucy Darwin. An IFC release. Documentary. Rated R for language. Running time: 92 min