The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a stylized fantasy film by Terry Gilliam and also happens to be Heath Ledger’s last film. The story centers around the 1000 year old immortal, Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) as it nears his daughter Valentina’s (Lily Cole) 16th birthday. Through a deal with the devil, Parnassus gained immortality but must also surrender his children to the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), upon their 16th birthday. A few days before Valentina’s birthday, Parnassus’s troupe (Verne Troyer, Andrew Garfield) come across a man (Heath Ledger) hanging under a bridge. They pull him up and he is presumed dead, but a member of the troupe, Anton, pounds on his chest and a small whistle flies out. The man awakens but smashes his head on the bottom of Parnassus’s wagon, knocking him out. They pack him up and move on. As Valentina’s 16th birthday approaches further, Parnassus is approached by Mr. Nick who offers him a chance to keep Valentina. They must race to have five people enter the Imaginarium (a mirror device within Parnassus’s wagon that allows people to enter their own imagination) and choose a path specific to either Parnassus or Mr. Nick. As the race begins, the mysterious outsider joins the troupe in an effort to help them.
One of the most miraculous details of the film is that Heath Ledger only finished about half of his parts. To remedy this, Gilliam did a ton of rewriting and recast parts of his role taking place within the Imaginarium to Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. As odd as it may sound, this approach actually feels right within the story and even sort of matches Ledger’s character’s personality. All three actors do an excellent job at playing Heath, but I must say, Depp does the best. One of my complaints about the film is that of Depp, Law, and Farrell, Farrell has the most screen time whereas Johnny Depp performs the best. It is a minor complaint, but I would have liked to have seen their three parts rearranged.
All of the acting is tremendous and Heath Ledger definitely delivers in his final role. Christopher Plummer is amazing as Doctor Parnassus and the model-turned-actress Lily Cole is great as Valentina. Obviously Depp, Law, and Farrell are amazing but the most unexpected performance came from Andrew Garfield. Garfield portrayed Anton, a young man in love with Valentina. I had never heard of him before but he was excellent. Although Ledger is nothing short of brilliant, my favorite performance may have been Tom Waits as the devil. His raspy voice and ridiculous mustache make for a unique yet near perfect personification of the devil.
The world of the Imaginarium was incredible. The stylized nature of the world itself as well the sheer scale of everything were breathtaking. Every time the setting shifted into the Imaginarium, it became apparent that this world was straight from the mind of Terry Gilliam. I don’t know how he comes up with the ideas that he does.
The plot itself is fairly standard yet fresh in its approach. I was very compelled by the subtleties of the story but within the last twenty minutes or so, I became so confused that I resigned myself to just sit and watch. Also, what happens after the credits doesn’t help to make things any less confusing. Most things become clear (if not slightly less opaque) by the end except Heath Ledger’s character. I am still utterly confused by his character and his fate.
One thing that kind of put me off was that a lot of the film takes place in modern day London. The trailer really led me to believe that even when the characters weren’t in the Imaginarium, the world itself would have some kind of whimsy or stylization to it. In a way, it’s almost brilliant that the story features such colorful and whimsical characters within a bland and plain world. However, seeing a regular London did put me off a bit.
Overall, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a good film and a must-see for any true Heath Ledger fan, however, I have never been so conflicted about how to rate a film. It was beautiful but ugly at the same time. I almost feel that this was Gilliam’s intention. This may be a bit biased since it is Ledger’s last film, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus gets an 8.5/10.
Waits as the devil? I am THERE.