So I know it seemed like the path had been cleared for Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote to debut at Cannes, and finally get released into theaters, but…well, nah. Not so much. Nothing is ever going to be simple for this movie, apparently, and the same legal issues are still threatening to derail everything, and Cannes is forced to go by whatever the judge’s ruling will be in a few days. It’s a shame because the previous trailer, and this new one, show that Gilliam has done his best to ensure these years of struggle weren’t for nothing.
Jonathan Pryce and Adam Driver star in the story of a delusional old man who believes he’s the titular nobleman, and the jaded ex-film student who mistakenly becomes his Sancho Panza. The film co-stars Olga Kurylenko and Stellan Skarsgard. Here’s the rather lengthy synopsis:
Once upon a time, Toby was an idealistic young film student. His great achievement, a lyrical re-working of the Don Quixote story set in a quaint old Spanish village. But that was then; these days he is a jaded, arrogant and over-sexed commercials director. Money and glamour have derailed him, and now he juggles his boss’s wife Jacqui, a biblical storm and his own ego as he tries to complete a new commercial shoot in Spain. Until a mysterious Gypsy approaches him with an ancient copy of Toby’s student film: Toby is moved and sets off to find the little village where he made his primary opus all those years ago. To Toby’s horror, his little film has had a terrible effect on the sleepy village; Angelica, the young girl who was innocence personified, now works as a high class call-girl, and the old man who played Quixote has now gone completely mad, believing he really is the ‘Knight of the Mournful Countenance’. A series of accidents leads to a fire that threatens to destroy the village. The police come for Toby, but he is ‘rescued’ by the deluded old man, who, mistaking him for his loyal squire Sancho, leads Toby away into the countryside on the quest for his perfect lady, Dulcinea. On their quest, Toby comes face to face with demons, both real and imagined, modern and medieval. Damsels are rescued, jousts are fought, giants are slain and women have beards! Reality and fantasy blur on this bizarre road trip which leads to a phantasmagorical finale.
While I continue to think this movie won’t do much at the box office, at least not domestically, a good showing at Cannes would be a huge boost for its international prospects. If nothing else let’s hope this movie gets a chance to be shown and be a success on its merits. Watch the new trailer below:
