- biggest_loser
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In modern day London, a travelling circus called The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus invites people to enter a mirror whereby they are transported into their inner dream lives. The Imaginarium is made up of the guru Parnassus himself (Christopher Plummer), his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) and a young man named Anton (Andrew Garfield). Parnassus is regularly taunted by a Lucifer-like character who calls himself Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) and it is revealed that Parnassus has made a wager with him. As the company is struggling to find an audience, they discover a man named Tony (Heath Ledger) who is being hanged under a bridge. They rescue him and for saving his life Tony helps the company find an audience.
The last film of Heath Ledger's career is dedicated to him as a film made by his friends. Yet as with a number of Terry Gilliam's films, this is a visually extravagant title, undermined with a poorly told narrative and illogical plotting. On the whole, it is more likely to be remembered for its daring casting approach of using three other actors – Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp – to play Tony, given that Ledger died before the film could be completed. Certainly, the film opens promisingly enough. The contrast of the Victorian-like architecture and the Imaginarian wagon is juxatoposed against the thumping bass sounds of a London nightclub, allowing for a clever hook. The audience is forced to think twice about where this film is actually set and thus the Imaginarium is viewed as an anachronism. Unfortunately, for much of its duration the film doesn't seem to have an idea of where it is heading, leaving us to wonder just what is going on. A flashback to when Parnassus met Mr Nick results in a truly bizarre conversation about the way storytelling makes the world continue, while the eventual revelation about the wager that Pernassus has made with him, never has a sense of emotion or urgency. Similarly, Anton and Valentina's relationship – one of the more recognisable elements of the film, is never really developed despite the obvious implications that he likes her and becomes jealous when she is around other men. There are a lot of ideas in this film, but it feels extremely unclear and incoherent about what Gilliam is trying to say.
Though thematically it is a failure, the film is still an exciting visual experience due to some really magical sets, costumes and art direction. The imagined world behind the mirror is a real sight to behold on the big screen. A moment where a giant head of a bobby officer bursts from the ground echoes the Trojan from Monty Python, while the emergence of a massive snake from a river with the face of Mr. Nick is strange but also extremely amazing to watch. Though as beautiful as these moments are, it is somewhat difficult to visualise a number of these scenes as an insight into a person's own mind or their desires though, if this is what was intended. Again, it is just not quite clear what was meant to be happening in the film.
Those that were amazed by Ledger's iconic performance in The Dark Knight and are expecting something of the same magnitude are likely to be disappointed as the script has not characterised Ledger's role as thoroughly as it could have. Tony never comes across as someone particularly interesting or as someone we really come to know. Out of the other three actors playing Tony, Depp has the briefest part, so short it almost borders on being a cameo. Regardless, it must be questioned whether someone like Depp, with such natural charisma, could have brought something more magical to this strange role if he had been the star of the film himself. Colin Farrell has perhaps the edgiest transformation of Tony but this only occurs right at the very end of the film. Tom Waits is a real surprise however, excellent as Mr. Nick with an extremely fitting raspy voice for his character, while Lily Cole is mesmerizingly beautiful as Valentina.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is certainly not as awful as Gilliam's Tideland. It is quite an ambitious film, which outside of its own narrative, holds a sentimental value for the memory of Ledger. While you can certainly appreciate the efforts of his colleagues to complete this film for him, the rest of the film is still undermined by lousy storytelling and too many unanswered questions. The visuals and sets are elaborate but it's not quite enough to recommend a rather intriguing but wholly unremarkable film.
- Posted Nov 12, 2009 2:26 am PT
- Category: Movies
- 14 Comments
14 Comments