144) The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus
Director: Terry Gilliam
Year: 2009
Plot Summary: In London, the sideshow troupe of Doctor Parnassus promises the audience a journey to the "Imaginarium", an imaginary world commanded by the mind of Doctor Parnassus, where dreams come true. In the stories that Doctor Parnassus tells to his daughter Valentina, the midget Percy, and his assistant Anton, he claims to have lived for more than one thousand years; However, when he fell in love with a mortal woman, he made a deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth. As part of the bargain, he promised his son or daughter to Mr. Nick on their sixteenth birthday. Valentina is now almost to the doomed age and Doctor Parnassus makes a new bet with Mr. Nick, whoever seduces five souls in the Imaginarium will have Valentina as a prize.
For a fantasy story to be successful, whether it's in film or literature, I believe that it must transport you out of the world you live in and take you on a journey to a wonderful place where rules don't exist. The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus does exactly that, throwing you right into the deep end of Terry Gilliam's unbelievable imagination full of vibrant colours, stunning imagery and totally off-the-wall zaniness.Sure, narratively speaking, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is nothing to write home about. While it is quirky and unique it does, at times, feel muddled as if even the filmmakers aren't quite sure where it's going or what it's trying to achieve. But the fact that it remains so gloriously entertaining in spite of these storytelling issues is a testament to just how brilliant Gilliam's vision is. Every vibrant colour, every contrast of worlds, every wonderful piece of imagery and every insane creation will be a feast for your eyes and restore your faith in the magic of cinema.
It's also a very funny movie which uses the aforementioned contrasts of worlds - it's set in present day England but the troupe has the essence of a travelling sideshow from centuries ago - to create some laugh out loud moments of humour. Moreover, Gilliam manages to bring in some of his traditional satire too if you are able to look closely enough at some of the background mise-en-scene. But most of all, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus never takes itself too seriously either and successfully keeps a smile on your face for the entire 2 hours of this marvellous fantasy story.
Of course, it's naturally going to feel a little disjointed because of the Heath Ledger's tragic death during the production and naturally one can only wonder just how good it would have been if he'd have still been with us today. However, in many ways, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus only confirms just how great a talent the man was as, even when Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp come in to take his place, not one of the actors is able to capture Tony quite as well as Ledger.
A visceral experience that will be difficult to forget, even if it isn't the most well told of stories, and one that displays, once again, the jaw-dropping imagination of one of British cinema's finest talents.
4/5
2 comments:
I haven't seen it since the Munich Film Festival, but I have the DVD and intend to soon. Wrote a little review straight afterwards though (so I could be the first one on IMDB, hehe):
I saw this at the Munich film festival where Terry Gilliam introduced the film, and boy was he nervous. However, the film is of marvelous spectacle yet unprofound simplicity but limitless. It's along the lines of his magnificent visual storytelling as in The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, leaving out the subtext like Brazil and Twelve Monkeys. Gilliam himself summed it up as simply a man looking for his daughter - and as he warned us to erase prior perception, it is not Ledger's film, it is about Dr. Parnassus (which is perhaps an incarnation of the director himself, regarding his lesser works this decade as the modern age has no interest in his classic stories - for that is reflected in the initial narrative of this film).
Of course, it is impossible to review this film trying to ignore what impact Heath Ledger's passing had. So I'll sum it up now - it's as if they wrote it that way. It's wonderously entertaining and a joy to watch even if it starts slow waiting for Ledger to appear and leaving us with the conundrum of not knowing which character to support (even Tom Waits' deliciously slick pencil-line mustachioed portrayal of the Devil). It usually made sure it treaded back to fill potential plot holes which initially baffled one, so it makes it a satisfying viewing. Now for the statistics that everyone would be most curious about; Ledger is a supporting actor. Christopher Plummer (Dr. Parnassus) is lead. He is only in the film's second act (and perhaps the end of the first). He does appear between Depp and Law's turn but Farrell takes Tony Shepard's demise. Their appearance is not contrived and within plot - they appear for a scene within the Imaginarium each (and acknowledge the change too) - a place beyond the magic mirror (literally two pieces of foil curtained together in true Gilliam style) where people see their imaginations in vivid form, like a personal bliss. It is a film dominated by these special effects and art direction which the score delightfully compliments forming half the cinematic experience (though finding shades of Joker in Ledger's later scenes provides endless joy even with his efficient English accent layered on top). Nevertheless, Gilliam keeps his promise of at least one brilliant film per decade.
I can't help but feel a sting of jealously in the fact that you got to see it on the big screen. However, the jealously of you seeing Mr. Gilliam in person feels like some stabbing me with a machete! That's so cool!
I wasn't expecting a lot from it and had no idea what the story was about and was very, very pleasantly surprised. Great fun but never at the expense of imagination or creativity.
Oh, and your review was a lovely read. :)
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