It’s possible that Terry Gilliam’s The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is the most cursed movie of all time. I don’t mean the Poltergeist kind of curse (which seems to have transmogrified from killing people to churning out a lazy remake), but cursed because the film has never been completed. Since 1998, Gilliam has tried to make this film and one such endeavor can be witnessed in the must-see documentary Lost in La Mancha. If you ever wanted to witness the insanity that is moviemaking, hunt that documentary down.
Today brings news that proves that The Man Who Killed Don Quixote refuses to die. Amazon has announced that they will fund Gilliam’s doomed cinematic endeavor. This is one of many high profile gets for the company, as they’ve already nabbed Spike Lee, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Jim Jarmusch, and Woody Allen for other projects. Looks like Amazon is really going for the film aficionado crowd. It’s obvious that they’re looking for a breakout product along the lines of Netflix’s House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, and with their original series Transparent turning a lot of heads earlier this year, they could be on the verge of something big.
If this actually happens, it will be a miracle. Gilliam is a notoriously difficult persona, but with television and film rapidly changing due to streaming content, it’s possible Gilliam will be afforded the wide berth of creative freedom he needs. I don’t know if that will lead to such a legendary film living up to its reputation, but if George Miller can do it with Mad Max: Fury Road, I’m more than willing to give someone as unique as Gilliam a fair shake.
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