Review The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018)

[Doctor Omega]

Gilliam Wraps Filming On “Don Quixote”





It has taken 17 years for filmmaker Terry Gilliam to get to this moment. Finally, FINALLY, principal photography has wrapped on the director’s long embattled “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”.

Gillian first began working on the project in 1989 and originally began shooting the film in 2000. Then a series of catastrophes hit the production which saw it shut down.

Over the years, filming came close several times to restarting with new actors in the leads, but it wasn’t until March this year that shooting finally got underway in Spain and Portugal, and now it is over. Gilliam posted the following statement on Facebook:

“Don Quixote is a dreamer, an idealist, and a romantic, determined not to accept the limitations of reality, marching on regardless of setbacks, as we have done. We’ve been at it so long that the idea of actually finishing shooting this ‘clandestine’ film, is pretty surreal. Any sensible person would have given up years ago but sometimes pig-headed dreamers win in the end, so thank you to all of the ill-paid fantasists and believers who have joined to make this longstanding dream a reality!”

Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgard, and Olga Kurylenko star in the film which is inspired by Miguel De Cervantes literary classic. In Gilliam’s take, Pryce plays a deluded old man who is convinced he is Don Quixote, and who mistakes Toby (Driver), an advertising executive, for his trusty squire, Sancho Panza.

The pair embarks on a bizarre journey, jumping back and forth in time between the 21st and 17th century. Gradually, Toby becomes consumed by the illusory world and unable to determine his dreams from reality.

Amazon Studios is slated to distribute the film in the U.S. and U.K. but hasn’t set any date as yet.

 

[Carol]

Magnificent news! Bring it on.

 

[Amyghost]

Good for Terry! I hope he makes a well-deserved comeback with this film; his unique contributions to cinema have been pretty shamefully neglected of late, in the wake of negative reviews (some of them really unjust) of a number of his latter-day works.

 

[Carol]

his unique contributions to cinema

Too true, but from Jabberwocky and Time Bandits to Tideland and Dr Parnassus he's got my vote - what are your favourites, if I might ask?

 

[Amyghost]

Too true, but from Jabberwocky and Time Bandits to Tideland and Dr Parnassus he's got my vote - what are your favourites, if I might ask?

I actually love 'em all, but my three major faves are Brazil, Time Bandits and, maybe just because it's been so maligned, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen--a film that's got its share of flaws, but I still find seriously fun (also, I love me some Jonathan Pryce, so that's another major attraction, and also a big one for DQ). He's been such a major influence in visual stylistics for so many years, from Monty Python onwards, and even though he's celebrated I still tend to feel he's never fully gotten his just dues in that regard.

 

[Carol]

Jonathan Pryce,

Mmm - such happy memories of taking a very early train to London with college friends, to sit on the steps of the Royal Court all one very long sunny day, to get day tickets for his Hamlet. DAMN! Might be fair to say I've never recovered, but everything he does, from that, and Comedians right through to Wolf Hall, he's never been less than marvellous.

 

[Amyghost]

Mmm - such happy memories of taking a very early train to London with college friends, to sit on the steps of the Royal Court all one very long sunny day, to get day tickets for his Hamlet. DAMN! Might be fair to say I've never recovered, but everything he does, from that, and Comedians right through to Wolf Hall, he's never been less than marvellous.

Arrgghhh, another one of those theatrical events I need a time machine to go back for. I was lucky enough to see him on Broadway in Miss Saigon, and jeez but he was tremendous. I've literally never seen him in anything that I wasn't floored by his performance, and he's one of only a very small group of actors I can honestly say this about.

 

[Carol]

Miss Saigon

Shame we can't do a trade-off - that's one I managed to miss.

 

[Amyghost]

Shame we can't do a trade-off - that's one I managed to miss.

That one was really special. Not much of a fan of the musical genre myself, but I could have seen that show, with Pryce, a couple of dozen times. And I have a small laundry list of Broadway and London productions I'm getting tickets for, just as soon as I get that time machine up and running, lol. His Hamlet is close to the top of the list.

Ever see Pryce in the made for HBO film Barbarians at the Gate? It was a satirical film version of the non-fiction book of one of the biggest leveraged buyouts in US business history, and he was awesomely funny as the LBO genius Henry Kravitz. Very good film, probably out there on youtube or streaming. He was also first rate as Mr. Dark in Something Wicked This Way Comes, an adaptation of the Ray Bradbury novel. He was pretty new to American audiences at the time of that film, I doubt if more than one in a hundred (or more) had ever heard of him in this country when that was released.

 

[Carol]

Ever see Pryce in the made for HBO film Barbarians at the Gate?

NO, but you've given me a quest to track it down - thanks for the recommendation.

 

[Amyghost]

NO, but you've given me a quest to track it down - thanks for the recommendation.

I'm betting you'll like it. James Garner is also very funny as Pryce's business adversary in the deal. The book itself is a fascinating glimpse at the shark pit of American business practice.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Gilliam’s “Don Quixote” Is Almost Done





It may have taken him a good portion of his life, but Terry Gilliam’s dream-turned-nightmare and back to dream again project “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” is almost finished.

Jonathan Pryce, Adam Driver, Olga Kurylenko, Joana Ribeiro, and Stellan Skarsgard star in the film about an arrogant publicist returning to the village where he shot his student film adaptation of ‘Don Quixote’. He discovers the terrible effect his project had on the town, leading to an unlikely adventure.

Speaking with The New York Times, Gilliam confirms the film is still in post-production, but he’s already been screening a rough cut and so far response has been good:

“We’ve almost finished the cut. We’re just fiddling now, figuring out a few things here and there so it’s pretty much what it is. We’ve got still months of work to do on visual effects, sound, music. But as far as the tale, it’s pretty tight now and it’s surprisingly wonderful.

I always hesitate to get too optimistic or too excited about the work I’m doing. I’d rather try to stay cynical and slightly distant from it. When you fall in love with something, it’s painful when it doesn’t work for everybody else. But all the people who’ve seen it so far – they used the words, ‘We’re in love with this.’ So let’s see if they’re right.”

There’s no word as yet on a release date or potential premiere – but a Cannes Festival 2018 premiere seems a likely possibility. Amazon Studios will release the film in U.S., Canada and the UK hopefully late next year.

 

[Doctor Omega]

First Photo: Terry Gilliam’s “Don Quixote”





After decades of trying, Terry Gilliam managed to complete shooting on his passion project “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” last year. With the film on the tail end of post-production, with VFX and score mostly left to do, the first official still from the project has now been released at the European Film Market with a snap of it appearing on social media.

Jonathan Pryce, Adam Driver, Olga Kurylenko, Joana Ribeiro, and Stellan Skarsgard star in the film about an arrogant publicist returning to the village where he shot his student film adaptation of ‘Don Quixote’. He discovers the terrible effect his project had on the town, leading to an unlikely adventure.

The film has already had a few early screenings with early word being very good. Amazon will release the film in the United States, but no release date is yet set. A Cannes Film Festival premiere though is the most likely place for it to be unveiled to the public.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Gilliam’s “Don Quixote” In Peril Yet Again





It seemed that filmmaker Terry Gilliam’s cursed dream project “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” was finally in the clear. The long in-development film, which was partly shot then abandoned then slowly resurrected over nearly twenty years, was finally shot last year with Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce starring.

At last report people have seen a rough version of the film to a very good response and there were hopes the film would premiere at Cannes next month. Now though, the film’s future is in jeopardy according to a recent report by French media outlet France Inter (via The Playlist).

In 2016, Gilliam and producer Paulo Branco reached an agreement in which Branco would provide the necessary funding for the project and Gilliam would have full creative freedom, in exchange for the rights to the film to go to Branco.

When Branco reportedly provided none of the promised funding, Gilliam moved on and found another producer who funded it and finally got it going. Now Branco has popped up again, with a claim that the film is not to be released until he gives permission since he claims he owns the rights to the project based on that 2016 contract.

Gilliam feels that the contract was rendered void due to Branco not holding up his end of it. It’s now in court with Gilliam suing Branco over the rights, but a judgment won’t be handed down until June 15th which means a Cannes premiere is out either way. If Gilliam loses in court, the film may never see the light of day.

 

[Doctor Omega]

Gilliam’s “Don Quixote” Has Another Setback






Following its premiere at Cannes last month and in Sydney the other week, and a theatrical release in France, Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” may have hit another stumbling block.

The other day, the Paris Court of Appeal ruled that ex-producer Paulo Branco is the owner of the film’s rights, and Terry Gilliam’s creation belongs to him.

Gilliam has spent over two decades trying to make the film, and he has finally succeeded, but the decision has seen him face another blow as Branco is expected to exert serious control as to whether it gets a release.

In fact, Branco is now expected to seek damages from Gilliam, Kinology, Ocean Films, sand Cannes. The film has been reportedly seeking US and international distribution.

Source:

 

[Doctor Omega]

Trailer and poster......

 

[Doctor Omega]

Terry Gilliam on the film......

 

[Doctor Omega]

And Mark Kermode's review of it.....