The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Terry Gilliam

Writers:

Terry Gilliam (written by)
Charles McKeown (written by)

Release Date:

16 October 2009 (Bulgaria)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery

Plot:

A traveling theater company gives its audience much more than they were expecting. |

Plot Keywords:

Parallel World | Death Of Cast Member | Old Man | Magical | Cult Favorite

Cast

Johnny Depp	...	Tony (1st transformation)
Heath Ledger	...	Tony
Colin Farrell	...	Tony (3rd transformation)
Jude Law	...	Tony (2nd transformation)
Christopher Plummer	...	Dr. Parnassus
Lily Cole	...	Valentina
Tom Waits	...	Mr. Nick
Andrew Garfield	...	Anton
Verne Troyer	...	Percy
Quinn Lord	...	9 Year Old Son
Paloma Faith	...	Sally
Cassandra Sawtell	...	Olga (unconfirmed)
Carrie Genzel	...	Journalist
Michael Eklund	...	Tony's Aid
Brad Dryborough	...	Repulsed Diner
Ryan Grantham	...	Little Anton
Johnny Harris	...	Policeman
Mark Benton	...	Dad
Simon Day	...	Inspector
Mackenzie Gray	...	Substitute Monk
Michael Jonsson	...	Paramedic #2
Fraser Aitcheson	...	Dancing Policeman
Ian A. Wallace	...	Fourth Monk
Richard Riddell	...	Martin
Peter New	...	Paramedic #1
Joseph Cintron	...	Monk
Vitaly Kravchenko	...	Piotr
John Snowden	...	Chauffer
Erika Conway	...	Mother at Puppet Show
Igor Ingelsman	...	Gregor
Richard Shanks	...	Martin's Friend
David Smallbone	...	Sally's friend #2

Also Known As:

L'Imaginarium du Docteur Parnassus (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

France | Canada | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Norway:11 | UK:12A | Ireland:12A | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Battersea Power Station, Battersea, London, England, UK

Company:

Davis-Films

Trivia:

The first film that Terry Gilliam storyboarded himself since The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).

Quotes:

Tony: Don't believe everything you read. Especially The Mirror.

Movie Connections:

Edited into "Friday Night with Jonathan Ross: (#17.4)" (2009)

Good film but not for everyone

I saw this film on the way home after a trip to Sydney. I was run-down, slightly feverish and head-achy, but none of that interfered with my enjoyment of the film.

I'd actually forgotten that the film'd been released but when I saw the choices available it was the logical choice. I missed 1 minute of the opening credits but for once that wasn't a crucial thing. This being a Terry Gilliam film, you know it's going to be a) fantastic in a classic sense, b) complicated with many red herrings and original characters, and c) something you can watch more than once.

I was not disappointed. It took a while before I followed what was happening and that's part of the charm of this film. The story (really a parable or allegory) is built up in layers and seemed to me perfectly cast (even allowing for Ledger's "ring-ins" after his untimely death). I particularly like the play between Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and Mr Nick (Tom Waits). I found it interesting to see the visual influences in this film as well. The fantasy segments all have the mark of the director's animation days with Monty Python. There's also a Harry Potter influence in that Parnassus's wagon/theater looks like something from one of those films, and Parnassus himself reminded me strongly of a drunk Dumbledore.

But this is NOT a film for everyone. The ending is NOT a Hollywood style "happy ending" by any means, but one that reflects on the nature of life. Anyone expecting this film to be a bit of "holiday entertainment" will be sorely disappointed, as the plot is not as predictable and the clichés used in the film aren't the sort you usually see.

A top film that makes one think.