Directed by:
Terry GilliamCinematography:
Nicola PecoriniCast:
Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer, Daniel Newman, Carrie Genzel (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is cursed with a dark secret. Thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reaches her 16th birthday, she will become the property of Mr. Nick. His daughter is now rapidly approaching the age milestone and Dr. Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. (Showtime)
(more)Reviews (13)
What does it matter that the visuals are so charming and interesting when, story-wise, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is an utterly weak spectacle that, after a promising first half hour, gradually lost my sympathy until it stopped at the freezing point? At least the stars are visibly enjoying their participation, although I would be a thousand times happier if none of them had to help Terry Gilliam and Heath Ledger was still among us. More or less only for him, for Johnny Depp and for Jude Law I give the two stars (I don't mention Farrell, because I couldn't watch that long)...
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Five stars, that’s all there is to it. It's rare to see something like this in my commentary, but: A person who was bored by The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, disappointed by it, or bored and disappointed together, simply has no imagination, can't think about the film and doesn't want to dream. There. Imaginarium is great - every second, every shot, it oozes typical Gilliam, whose magical world I could recognize even blindly. It's commonplace that this American Python doesn't miss the mark even when choosing actors - here he hit the mark again. Several times. Ledger, Depp, Law and Farrell were all great. A charming Lily Cole, and Christopher Plummer, who has no problem looking homeless in one shot and like a dignified magician in the next... And last but not least, Tom Waits, one of the best devils of the film world. I applaud you all. And I wish Terry Gilliam would never stop telling stories (we know how important that is for the world, don't we?).__P.S. The released DVD offers (by today's lousy standards) an unprecedented portion of interesting bonus features. But the radio interview with Heath Ledger ("I'm going to finish shooting the new Terry Gilliam movie in three weeks") made me feel pretty damn anxious.
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It's Gilliam's full-field fantasy that made a virtue out of a necessity (Depp, Law, Farrell), and while there’s really nothing to fault it for, it's not something absolutely worth loving. Rather, it’s "just" a marionette adorned with colorful ribbons in the hands of an aging yet solid puppeteer. 4 ½.
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What this film can't be denied is its utterly unrivalled originality. Some passages were so crazy and nonsensical at times that I believed them all the more. I have no words for the cast - they were a pleasure to watch. There were moments when I just marveled at the imagination of the creators. The film has great alternating scenes full of colour and bleakness and overall a steady balance. In short, it's basically a huge blizzard of imaginative figments of fantasy, full of "visual orgies" that cyclically builds and culminates in a rather surprising ending for me.
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Weird movie. Interesting choice of well-known actors in small roles, but that's probably all. For me rather long-winded, and not entertaining and engaging enough. The fantasy world behind the mirror didn't appeal to me visually, nor did I find the film special in terms of story. Probably nothing for me. 55%
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