Review #480 - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
THE SCOOP
Director: Terry Gilliam
Cast: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole
Plot: A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting.
Genre: Adventure / Fantasy / Mystery
Awards: Nom. for 2 Oscars - Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design.
Runtime: 123min
Rating: NC16 for violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking.
IN RETROSPECT (Spoilers: NO)
Can an
old man whose curse is being immortal take you to faraway lands where
imagination meets surrealism, where the mere sight of otherworldly yet familiar
symbolic representations of reality is able to make a grown man squeal in
orgasmic delight? If your believe so, then take a peek into the looking glass
as created by one of the old masters of fantastical artisticism – Terry
Gilliam.
Gilliam,
whose film credits include masterpieces such as Monty Python and the HolyGrail (1975) and Twelve Monkeys (1995), is also capable of
unspeakable duds such as Tideland (2005), and The Brothers Grimm
(2005). His new film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, sees the
auteur back in fine “auteur” form. It is the kind of film which reminds us that
no matter how frustratingly bohemian some of his pictures are, the fierce
dedication to his unique filmic vision of the abovementioned fantastical
artisticism is often understated and not fully appreciated.
Heath
Ledger’s death made things difficult for Gilliam. However, he benefited from
the goodwill of Ledger’s friends – Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law –
who volunteered to take over the role of Tony in different parts of the film to
complete its production. Ledger’s acting is less showy here than in his Oscar-winning
turn as the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight (2007). This
allows Ledger’s acting substitutes to adequately portray Tony without the fear
of unevenness in performances.
The
screenplay is somewhat of an “organized mess”. It moves the narrative along,
but some parts are incomprehensible (not that I really bother). In one scene, a
black river turns into a huge serpent-like creature with the face of Mr. Nick
a.k.a the Devil (as played by Tom Waits). It surveys two characters in the
scene before morphing back as the black river again. Is there significance to
this action? Only Gilliam knows.
The core
story involves Doctor Parnassus’ (Christopher Plummer) dealings with Mr. Nick. A pact is made – if Parnassus manages to seduce five souls into their world of
fantasy before the latter does, then his daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), will
be freed. Tony’s involvement becomes a little more than a sideshow. His
friendship with Parnassus is questionable, and his motives are never always
revealed. Though his love for Valentina is obvious, the ambiguity of his
character makes things more complex than they appear to be.
Gilliam
has (old)-fashioned a tale consisting of oddball characters set in an urban
landscape. He does it to varying success. The narrative may be occasionally
weak, but the director’s one-of-a-kind filmic vision teleports us to his world
of beautiful and grotesque imagery with the level of skill associated with a
master craftsman. The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is a showpiece
reminding that the Gilliam of old could just be in line for a timely
resurrection.
GRADE: B (7.5/10 or 3.5 stars)
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