THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
***
Director: Terry Gilliam
Screenwriter: Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown
Principal cast:
Christopher Plummer
Lily Cole
Verne Troyer
Heath Ledger
Johnny Depp
Jude Law
Colin Farrell
Country: UK/France/Canada
Classification: PG
Runtime: 123 mins.
Australian release date: 29 October 2009
There is something spooky about films featuring recently dead people. They can guarantee a director a captive audience, but perhaps there is also a sense of obligation to honour the dead. One wonders if Terry Gilliam intentionally credited, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, as a film made by Heath Ledger and his friends, to cover his nether regions if his audience and critics hated it.
But I digress. The story is another of Gilliams’ wildly imaginative yarns and this time we are taken on a morality journey with a modern-day travelling circus. At one point I wondered what the Dickens was going on? This was reinforced by the Dickensian-looking imaginarium which resembled a Victorian toy theatre. It was driven by Percy (Verne Troyer) who, considering his minuscule stature, was faced with an almost impossible task having to manoeuvre such a mammoth machine through the streets of London. The fact that only a few middle-aged ladies-who-lunch and the occasional yobo even noticed the spectacle, was Gilliam’s response to his theory that people are obsessed with their i-pods, which cut them off from the real world. It is only when a few were encouraged to enter through the magic mirror into an imaginary world of fantasy and adventure - and there are plenty of both on show - that he is able to grab their attention.
Dr Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) made a deal with the Devil (Tom Waits) that he would relinquish ownership of his daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), on her imminent 16th birthday, because of an outstanding gambling debt. Parnassus is influenced by Tony (Heath Ledger), who has his eye on Valentina. Tony convinces the doctor that all will be sorted if Parnassus allows him to ‘update’ the imaginary experience. The film features the last performance by Ledger and it is a sad fact that it is not his best. Tony arrives on screen troubled and his situation leaves both him and the audience hanging (pardon the pun!) because you don’t know if he is attempting suicide, or his predicament is the result of foul play. His changing accent also adds to the confusion.
When Ledger’s character starts to morph it is done quite seamlessly. Johnny Depp is the first off the block and he manages to look uncannily like Ledger, but you do feel as if you are experiencing another wild moment at the chocolate factory. Jude Law does his bit, but the real performance comes from Colin Farrell who manages to bring some coherent malevolence to his character. The story is all about imagination and how you use it to live and think and Gilliam ’fessed up to the fact that he originally thought it resembled his autobiography. However, he now feels that it is about the struggle faced by artistic beings who are constantly trying to inspire and wake up others who are less creative.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus comes across more as the battle between good and evil. It is quite a fun ride if you are prepared to sit back and enjoy it and let your imagination run wild.
Screenwriter: Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown
Principal cast:
Christopher Plummer
Lily Cole
Verne Troyer
Heath Ledger
Johnny Depp
Jude Law
Colin Farrell
Country: UK/France/Canada
Classification: PG
Runtime: 123 mins.
Australian release date: 29 October 2009
There is something spooky about films featuring recently dead people. They can guarantee a director a captive audience, but perhaps there is also a sense of obligation to honour the dead. One wonders if Terry Gilliam intentionally credited, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, as a film made by Heath Ledger and his friends, to cover his nether regions if his audience and critics hated it.
But I digress. The story is another of Gilliams’ wildly imaginative yarns and this time we are taken on a morality journey with a modern-day travelling circus. At one point I wondered what the Dickens was going on? This was reinforced by the Dickensian-looking imaginarium which resembled a Victorian toy theatre. It was driven by Percy (Verne Troyer) who, considering his minuscule stature, was faced with an almost impossible task having to manoeuvre such a mammoth machine through the streets of London. The fact that only a few middle-aged ladies-who-lunch and the occasional yobo even noticed the spectacle, was Gilliam’s response to his theory that people are obsessed with their i-pods, which cut them off from the real world. It is only when a few were encouraged to enter through the magic mirror into an imaginary world of fantasy and adventure - and there are plenty of both on show - that he is able to grab their attention.
Dr Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) made a deal with the Devil (Tom Waits) that he would relinquish ownership of his daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), on her imminent 16th birthday, because of an outstanding gambling debt. Parnassus is influenced by Tony (Heath Ledger), who has his eye on Valentina. Tony convinces the doctor that all will be sorted if Parnassus allows him to ‘update’ the imaginary experience. The film features the last performance by Ledger and it is a sad fact that it is not his best. Tony arrives on screen troubled and his situation leaves both him and the audience hanging (pardon the pun!) because you don’t know if he is attempting suicide, or his predicament is the result of foul play. His changing accent also adds to the confusion.
When Ledger’s character starts to morph it is done quite seamlessly. Johnny Depp is the first off the block and he manages to look uncannily like Ledger, but you do feel as if you are experiencing another wild moment at the chocolate factory. Jude Law does his bit, but the real performance comes from Colin Farrell who manages to bring some coherent malevolence to his character. The story is all about imagination and how you use it to live and think and Gilliam ’fessed up to the fact that he originally thought it resembled his autobiography. However, he now feels that it is about the struggle faced by artistic beings who are constantly trying to inspire and wake up others who are less creative.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus comes across more as the battle between good and evil. It is quite a fun ride if you are prepared to sit back and enjoy it and let your imagination run wild.