The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Sorry about the long layoff there guys. I'm gonna try to get back on it and post at least once a week here. Here is an interesting one to start us off again.

Terry Gilliam has always been an inventive director. One of the members of the famed British comedy troupe Monty Python, Gilliam brings a zaniness to his films that few can match. His latest effort, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, is no exception. With a story that ranges from bizarre to totally nonsensical, Gilliam and his cast and crew construct a film around it that actually succeeds as entertainment, if not as a philosophical discussion.

Unfortunately, this film's legacy will not be tied to anything other than Heath Ledger, making his last appearance ever here, as he tragically died halfway through filming. Instead of halting production or re-filming Ledger's scenes with another actor, Gilliam made the decision to continue with three other actors taking on Ledger's role at various points in the film. Thanks to an ingenious plot device, this endeavor works pretty well, and gives us one last chance to watch Ledger at work.

To give you a brief summary of the incredibly complicated plot; it revolves around the extremely ancient Dr. Parnassus, who claims to be immortal, and his ragtag group of traveling thespians, as they attempt to battle the Devil, also known as Mr. Nick, for souls within Parnassus' Imaginarium. Parnassus and the Devil are also locked in a wager where the winner gets Parnassus' beautiful daughter Valentina as soon as she turns 16. When all is seemingly lost, in steps the mysterious Tony (Ledger), who offers a chance to best the Devil, but has hidden motivations of his own.

The overly convoluted story line and nearly indecipherable figurative and philosophic meanderings of the movie make it a tricky one to follow. But that is not where this film gets its juice from. Gilliam's wild imagination is always fun to watch when he unleashes its full force, combined with a cast that embraces the weirdness of it all, it provides a very watchable film. Ledger is solid as Tony. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell play the various other incarnations of Tony, with Depp standing out. Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits steal the show as the continuously gambling Parnassus and Mr. Nick respectively. Lily Cole makes an impressive film debut as Valentina.

Overall it is a flawed film. Gilliam let the plot get away from him, Verne Troyer has way too much dialogue as Parnassus' sidekick, and Ledger's character probably would have benefitted from only having one actor. In the end though, it will always be remembered as Ledger's fairwell role, and as that, it works reasonably well.

22/30