SusannahTHE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
November 15th 2009 10:14
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Starring: Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Tom Waits, Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell.
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
This is perhaps one of Terry Gilliam’s most enjoyable films: it is simultaneously completely over-the-top, while also being one of his most straightforward and accessible films.
It opens with a cart being pulled by horses, and just when you think this is a period film, a bunch of drunken people pour out of a nightclub only to be confronted by a rickety looking theatre set and the promise of an amazing experience at the hands of Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer).
One of the drunken louts starts abusing Anton (Andrew Garfield), one of the performers, and is told to leave by Valentina (Lily Cole), one of the other performers. The lout starts to maul her, and to escape she runs into a mirror at the back of the stage. He follows her in, only to discover that the world on the other side of the mirror is a lot bigger than what the travelling theatre can possibly hold. He has gone inside Doctor Parnassus’ imagination; the Imaginarium of the title. What happens inside is whatever he imagines. He falls into the mud, and when he looks up again his face has changed. He gets flown through the air by a disembodied hand, before being dropped in a desert where he is given two options: the hard road, to climb an extremely high staircase with very large steps; or the easy road, to drink at a bar. He chooses the easy road and enters the bar, which subsequently explodes. We hear Doctor Parnassus cry out: “Oh, no, I’ve lost another one.” Confusing, perhaps, but it all becomes clear over the course of the film. This opening sequence is the plot of the film in a nutshell.
It is gradually revealed that Doctor Parnassus is thousands of years old. The key to the existence of the universe is in the telling of stories, which is what Parnassus was first doing when he met Mr. Nick, or the devil (Tom Waits), whom he embarks upon a series of wagers with. It turns out that his daughter Valentina is promised to Mr. Nick when she turns sixteen. However, Mr. Nick is so fond of wagers that he starts a new one with Parnassus: whoever reaches five souls first (through the choice in the imaginarium) wins the wager. Only problem is, no one wants to enter Parnassus’ carnival show anymore.
Enter Tony (Heath Ledger), a man the troupe discovers hanging underneath the bridge which they are crossing in their cart. He has no memory of who he is, and regurgitates a pipe when they resuscitate him. Valentina is charmed by the newcomer, but Anton, who loves her, is jealous. Is Tony really there to help?
Terry Gilliam is known for his quirky filmic style, all extremely high and low camera angles, but in The Imaginairum of Doctor Parnassus he deliberately downplays the real settings, saving the quirkiness for the imaginarium itself. The real locations are fairly gritty, and the camerawork has an almost documentary feel at times, whereas the imaginarium is all bright colours and slightly unreal graphics.
All the actors are on form. Model-turned-actress Lily Cole brings a believable and ethereal quality to Valentina’s girl who just wants to live a normal life. Andrew Garfield is suitably charming as Anton. Heath Ledger is fine in what is his last performance. Tom Waits is delightful as a playful, trickster Mr.Nick, who genuinely enjoys the challenges of his wagers against Parnassus. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell are all well cast in their different incarnations of Heath Ledger’s Tony inside the imaginarium. Tony’s character gaining different faces works surprisingly well within the narrative of the story, given the many facets of his character.
Altogether this film is one of Gilliam’s most satisfying and complete narratives for a while. Enjoyable and engrossing while indulging the stretches of the imagination.
Starring: Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Tom Waits, Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell.
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
This is perhaps one of Terry Gilliam’s most enjoyable films: it is simultaneously completely over-the-top, while also being one of his most straightforward and accessible films.
It opens with a cart being pulled by horses, and just when you think this is a period film, a bunch of drunken people pour out of a nightclub only to be confronted by a rickety looking theatre set and the promise of an amazing experience at the hands of Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer).
One of the drunken louts starts abusing Anton (Andrew Garfield), one of the performers, and is told to leave by Valentina (Lily Cole), one of the other performers. The lout starts to maul her, and to escape she runs into a mirror at the back of the stage. He follows her in, only to discover that the world on the other side of the mirror is a lot bigger than what the travelling theatre can possibly hold. He has gone inside Doctor Parnassus’ imagination; the Imaginarium of the title. What happens inside is whatever he imagines. He falls into the mud, and when he looks up again his face has changed. He gets flown through the air by a disembodied hand, before being dropped in a desert where he is given two options: the hard road, to climb an extremely high staircase with very large steps; or the easy road, to drink at a bar. He chooses the easy road and enters the bar, which subsequently explodes. We hear Doctor Parnassus cry out: “Oh, no, I’ve lost another one.” Confusing, perhaps, but it all becomes clear over the course of the film. This opening sequence is the plot of the film in a nutshell.
It is gradually revealed that Doctor Parnassus is thousands of years old. The key to the existence of the universe is in the telling of stories, which is what Parnassus was first doing when he met Mr. Nick, or the devil (Tom Waits), whom he embarks upon a series of wagers with. It turns out that his daughter Valentina is promised to Mr. Nick when she turns sixteen. However, Mr. Nick is so fond of wagers that he starts a new one with Parnassus: whoever reaches five souls first (through the choice in the imaginarium) wins the wager. Only problem is, no one wants to enter Parnassus’ carnival show anymore.
Enter Tony (Heath Ledger), a man the troupe discovers hanging underneath the bridge which they are crossing in their cart. He has no memory of who he is, and regurgitates a pipe when they resuscitate him. Valentina is charmed by the newcomer, but Anton, who loves her, is jealous. Is Tony really there to help?
Terry Gilliam is known for his quirky filmic style, all extremely high and low camera angles, but in The Imaginairum of Doctor Parnassus he deliberately downplays the real settings, saving the quirkiness for the imaginarium itself. The real locations are fairly gritty, and the camerawork has an almost documentary feel at times, whereas the imaginarium is all bright colours and slightly unreal graphics.
All the actors are on form. Model-turned-actress Lily Cole brings a believable and ethereal quality to Valentina’s girl who just wants to live a normal life. Andrew Garfield is suitably charming as Anton. Heath Ledger is fine in what is his last performance. Tom Waits is delightful as a playful, trickster Mr.Nick, who genuinely enjoys the challenges of his wagers against Parnassus. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell are all well cast in their different incarnations of Heath Ledger’s Tony inside the imaginarium. Tony’s character gaining different faces works surprisingly well within the narrative of the story, given the many facets of his character.
Altogether this film is one of Gilliam’s most satisfying and complete narratives for a while. Enjoyable and engrossing while indulging the stretches of the imagination.
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