The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
With Christmas having just ended, a film about a fantasy adventure allows us to continue in the world of dreams. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus tells the story of one man who has the extraordinary gift of inspiring the imagination of others, where people get an opportunity to go into new territory.
Directed by Terry Gilliam, the film starts with some teenagers laughing at a freak show run by Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his assistant Percy (played by Verne Troyer, known as Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series). When one guy harasses a girl he falls thru some mirror doors on the stage into an imaginary world, and is not found by the police. Doctor Parnassus has a secret though – for centuries he has been gambling with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) who is coming to collect his prize – Parnassus’ daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole) on her upcoming 16th birthday. When Valentina falls for an outsider with his own motives Parnassus makes one final bet with Mr. Nick.
We first meet Valentina when she is by a bridge with a friend and she sees a man (Heath Ledger) hanging from it. They find out that he has no memory of who he is and decide to name him Tony. When Tony joins the act he soon attracts crowds who want to experience going thru the magical mirror doors. One of the first changes occurs when Tony pushes a lady thru the mirror doors and Heath Ledger becomes Johnny Depp. As Heath Ledger died before this film had been completed Johnny Depp is the perfect actor for this character, what with him known for playing weird and wonderful parts. Colin Farrell also makes a brief appearance as Tony, where he is having a charity event to help children. The guests are soon shocked that he is not really trying to help others, and we are taken back to Heath Ledger’s version of the character.
The graphics of the imaginary world are some of the most vibrant that I have ever seen. When Tony runs away from some crooks in the fantasy world and climbs up an enormous ladder into the sky, it seems like a childhood dream. I am reminded of some of the very first Disney films with the lush colors, and made a nice change from the graphics typical of contemporary films.
In his last film I thought that Heath Ledger had chosen a perfect role, having previously played the Joker in the Batman series. It allowed the audience to see just what potential he had for playing strange and compelling characters. Overall, I thought that this film was a great opportunity to escape, which couldn’t be more appropriate for viewers than at this present time.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus • Dolby® Digital surround sound in select theatres • Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 • Running Time: 122 minutes • MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking. • Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics