MovieChat Forums > Lost in La Mancha (2002) Discussion > Why do movies like this don't get made

Why do movies like this don't get made

posted 21 years ago by jean_k50
19 replies | jump to latest

Hollywood is not what is use to be. Yeah, you've hear that a thousand times, BUT IT IS TRUE! In the golden era of hollywood epic movies, like this one was going to be, were made at least one or two every year, but like everything else it became a business, and I'm aware of that is has to be, but they sacrifice the art. I love epic films like BEN-HUR, LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DR. ZHIVAGO, SPARTACUS, to mention some titles. The link between these films is that they are based on great novels, and so The Man who kill Don Quixote was going to be.

I really like the relation between Cinema a Literature, and I think that Don Quixote deserves to become a film (of three hours at least). It has the perfect "world" to navegate and explore trough the characters, but I realize it is dificult to translate that "world" to film. Dificult but not impossible. I read that Orson Welles was going to do a film in his time, but he didn't get the support to do it. There's a curse with this movie!

I hope that I can see an adaptation of Don Quixote before dying, and I'm young. But in the mean time I will keep waiting watching the epics that hollywood bring us every now and then, GANGS OF NEW YORK, LORD OF THE RINGS(more from New Zealand), Gladiator, Braveheart, and others.

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[–] Subcide 21 years ago

Steven Spielberg isn't ruining movies. And his last effort was 'Catch me if you can' which was an amazing piece of filmmaking. He's just an easy target cause he makes big budget movies which become popular.

[–] sham138 21 years ago

Spielberg invented the "Summer Blockbuster(insert spine tingling, money making music *here*)" Point.

[–] Subcide 21 years ago

Yes, David Lean is a true visionary of Epic filmmaking. Films will never be made like he made them ever again.

[–] sedatemeplease 21 years ago

Yea, Gladiator and Lord of the the Rings are great "epics" from hollywood. More like pulp crap with absolutly no heart in the story. Just more and more cliches. It's all for money, and that's so sad.

Broken dreams.

[–] Stavroginandtonic 21 years ago

I hope they remake it. That shot of Depp alone (with the fish) is worth the price of a ticket!

I have enjoyed all of Gilliam's films and actually most people do if they have the chance to see them. Keeping fingers crossed on DQ.

If I had a nickel for every cigarette your mom smoked, I'd be dead.-Donna Hayward

[–] wutscher0815 20 years ago

I saw the movie by accident on some paytv- channel and didn't know anything about the Gilliam Film before and I was just amazed that finally a new picturre by him is coming out, some Time later I thought that it was really a pity, that it wasn't finnished.. that scene with johnny depp looked really excellent.

We'd gone in search for the American Dream....
It'd been a lame f*ckaround

[–] gattamelata 19 years ago

Depp, the fish, and those shirtless men advancing towards the camera. Those two senes alone are priceless.

[–] natkat 20 years ago

Gilliam's still TRYING to make The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. Like Lost in La Mancha pointed out at the end, Gilliam's trying to buy back his script with the support of new backers.

I really hope he succeeds.

"Nobody ever suspects the butterfly..."

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[–] part_time_energumen 20 years ago

jean k50 says that the Hollywood epics of late sacrifice the art, and that its become a business. But frankly, it's always been a business, and films like Ben Hur, or Lawrence Of Arabia were all about the money.

And yes, they were based on novels, as was this film. The reason for this being that a percentage of the audience is already aware and interested in the novel, and actually, it's lot easier to adapt a novel than write something fresh and risk losing a ton of money.

The golden era was called as such not because of the "Art" that was being produced, but because of the oligopoly, the 'understanding' between the majors and the complete control of the studios.

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[–] hapalife52 11 years ago

I like your post and yes Hollywood use to make these really epic period films but if you do the research they are not cheap and are very risky to make. Just look at Cutthroat Island when it was made in 1995. Well known Hollywod names like Geena Davis and Matthew Modine, check. Action director Renny Harlin, check. Big budget, $100 million dollars check. It had everything going for it and it TANKED. The film changed casts and leads, budget got out of control, Studio went bankrupt everything went wrong. BUT they pushed forward and finishd the film. I think Cutthroat Island and this Don Quixote film kinda killed the enthusiasm of making period films. There have been successes like Gladiator and Troy and POTC but then again look at Alexander by Olover Stone. So alot can go wrong.
Don Quixote is a book that deserves a proper Holywood adaptation.

[–] SofaOnWheels 8 years ago

Budget. No one can be guaranteed it'll make money so no one gives it the money.

Glenn
http://sweb1.dmit.nait.ca/~gatyeo1/Low-Budget-Filmmaking/