The drama surrounding Terry Gilliam’s “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” has been overshadowing the actual film for over two decades. From a troubled production that never finished to the legal issues that are tying the film up as we speak, ‘Don Quixote’ is a film that seems to be forever mired in some sort of drama. All that being said, Gilliam’s passion project is finished and scheduled for a world premiere at Cannes. And we have the second trailer to prove it.
It’s a shame that there are so many other stories surrounding the film because the actual footage we see in this new trailer for “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” looks great. The film tells the story of a delusional old man who, while playing Don Quixote in a production, actually believes he’s the real Quixote. From there, apparently, there’s time travel involved and a lot of humor. Against all odds, it looks like Gilliam’s film might live up to the hype.
“The Man Who Kills Don Quixote” stars Adam Driver, Jonathan Pryce, Stellan Skarsgård, and Olga Kurylenko. The film is written and directed by Gilliam, obviously based on the famous Spanish novel.
Even though it’s been announced to premiere at Cannes, ‘Don Quixote’ finds itself in one more legal battle to see if it will actually make that debut. We’re keeping our fingers crossed that Gilliam is finally able to unleash the film at Cannes, and we hope that 25 years’ worth of speculation and buzz about the film pays off.
Here’s the (long) synopsis for the film:
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.
