Film Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Terry Gilliam's Film Stars Heath Ledger and Friends

Oct 23, 2009

Terry Gilliam's latest film stars Heath Ledger in his last role and is also visually brilliant but flawed in its storytelling.

Poor Terry Gilliam. Much has been made about his tempestuous history of trying to complete features but failing due to altercations with studio bosses (see Brazil) or miscellaneous production problems that mean projects fail (The Watchmen and The Man Who Killed Don Quixote; the latter now being revisited).

So when news of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, his first big screen outing since the complex Tideland and the awful Brothers Grimm (blame the tyrannical Weinsteins for that), starring the charismatic Heath Ledger it sounded like he could be hitting winning form again. That was until his star’s untimely death mid-way through the production almost saw an end to his creation and another chapter to the misfortunes of Terry Gilliam.

But in order to salvage Ledger’s final work Gilliam rewrote the script and sought out a troupe of actors, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell, to play different physical versions of the Tony character when he passes through Doctor Parnassus’s (Christopher Plummer) mirror of dreams. The result is a remarkable blend of sublime imagery and cryptic storytelling that sadly doesn’t live up to expectations.

Yes, you say, we know all this having read this story repeatedly in every film mag, website and blog so please get to the point and say if it’s any good. Well unlike Brazil, Time Bandits or The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, which this could be viewed as a companion piece to, Parnassus is a fairytale lacking a genuine message.

Firstly the plot, or more accurately the set-up, is about an eternal deal/bet between the wise Parnassus and the devil – or Mr Nick as he is known, played by Tom Waits – to collect souls, the former offering people the chance to explore the depths of their imagination by stepping into his enchanted mirror with the help of his helpers/theatre group Anton (Andrew Garfield), Percy (Verne Troyer) and daughter Valentina (Lily Cole).

During their travels across modern Britain – where their act is largely ignored by a distracted or inebriated public – they stumble upon Tony, a mysterious man found hanging from a bridge who claims to have lost his memory. He joins the gang and although he’s an appealing chap and brings in the punters there’s something about him that feels not quite right. True most of that makes little sense but it's something Gilliam fans should find intriguing.

Tom Waits Impresses as the Devil

Parnassus is chock full of CGI effects and scenery the whole thing has a very Gilliam look to it. The Imagainarium worlds have an odd sheen to them and are visually comparable to the bizarre animated sketches he used to create during his days in Monty Python. The director even finds time to inject flashes of humour. Yes, even in Gilliam’s darkest works he manages to inject a handful of laugh-out-loud moments and Parnassus has its fair share, usually Ledger’s ad-libs or Troyer’s frank outbursts.

Although most, if not all, of the attention is on this being the final film to feature Heath Ledger it’s gravel voiced Waits who really stands out, delivering a cackling, over-the-top performance that could only come from the man who wrote ‘What's He Building?’ Cole too is surprisingly impressive as the troubled teenager who wants to escape to a “normal” life.

This film is good but far from perfect and it’s hard to say just where the problems lie. The acting is great, it’s beautifully shot and the editing is seamless to the point that the alternaTonys could almost have been in the original script yet it doesn’t feel like a finished film and is far too long for what it is. Given the circumstances however the lack of cohesion can be forgiven but with Gilliam you want deep storytelling to pair with the visuals.

And the conclusion? Well don’t expect a happy ending. It is a Terry Gilliam film after all and anyone familiar with his work (and the rest you, where have you been?) knows that he’s not one for rounding things off nicely. It’s fair to say The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a flawed piece that loses momentum in the dénouement but Gilliam on an off-day is still superior to the majority of directors in full stride.

The copyright of the article Film Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in Fantasy Films is owned by Steven Cookson. Permission to republish Film Review: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.