Wednesday February 10, 2010 12:49 AM AEST

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus

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The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
 
70
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Verdict:
Another glorious almost success from Terry Gilliam.
By David Hollingworth
Oct 21, 2009 | 13 Comments
Tags: The | Imaginarium | of | Dr | Parnassus | movie | review

A failure of the imagination, or a triumph of it? Kinda both...

There are failures, and then there are Terry Gilliam failures. No one quite fails to make a movie like he does, whether it be epic flops like Baron Munchausen, or complete failures to even get made, like his on again off again Don Quixote project. And yes, he has made some wonderful films, but is The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus one of them?

It's really hard to judge, actually.

In terms of plot, it's almost autobiographical in a whimsical way. Dr Parnassus is a travelling performer doomed to eternal life after a series of wagers with the devil, artfully played by Tom Waits. His horse-drawn stage show is a decrepit front for the ongoing feud between the two figures, and Parnassus' desire to open minds and perhaps save a few souls never quite seems to get off the ground. Christopher Plummer, as Parnassus, delivers a wonderfully broken down performance, and one can only imagine how Gilliam set about directing such a glum figure.

One of the last wagers between the two concerns Parnassus lovely young daughter, Valentina, who is doomed to belong to the devil - or Mr Nick, as the film styles him - when she turns sixteen: which is about three days away as the film opens. She's unaware of this, though she slowly learns the tale from her father, which unfolds as a series of fabulous flashbacks.

Despairing of losing his daughter, Parnassus finds himself in yet one last wager. Mr Nick, it seems, is nothing if not generous, and he offers a last bet - first to save or condemn five souls (souls are the coin of the realm, for these two) keeps the girl. Which is complicated - of course - by the seemingly random (or is it) discovery of a man (Heath Ledger in this last role) hanging beneath a London bridge, near death, and saved by the kindness of Valentina.

It's difficult to tell what the main thrust of Imaginarium is, and it comes with a lot of big ideas. Is it a coming-of-age film, a romance, or a redemption tale? If it is a redemption tale, who are wanting to see redeemed? The old, wise and yet somewhat bumbling Parnassus, or the confident young trickster, Ledger? Or is it a grander piece, an allegory about choice, about life and the compromises we must make to get through it?

It's a bit of all of that, really, and Imaginarium suffers for it. There's lots to love about it, of course; Waits is delightfully wicked and oily as the devil, Lily Cole is nothing short of stunningly beautiful and alluring as Valentina, and even Verne Troyer is a laugh as Parnassus' ancient assistant (and part time accordion monkey - yeah, Gilliam went there). The costumes are stunning, the model work and CGI backdrops of Parnassus' mystical imagination (the 'imaginarium' of the title are wonderfully executed, and even the trick of replacing Ledger (who died during filming) with three different actors for various portions of the films works very well.

It is, however, most definitely a film to see on the big screen - it's bursting with detail and energy, even if not all of it's serving the film's plot.

Certainly, Ledger's death caused problems with the production, and years passed during breaks in filming. It must be hard to even get a project like this going after such setbacks, so perhaps we should be lauding Gilliam's stubbornness more than lamenting that he failed to deliver.

But, in the end, we should at least be thankful that someone is still trying to make movies like this, even if they don't always measure up. Perhaps that's the tale that Imaginarium really wants to teach us - we can only ever do our best, and we should never, ever give up trying.

 
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Director: Terry Gillim Starring: Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Heath Ledger, Lily Cole.
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13 Comments
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
ColonelSanders
Oct 21, 2009 3:15 PM
It looks like one to be enjoyed after some substances have been consumed...from the footage I saw on the Today show, pretty trippy.

David, did you get to see a preview of it?

I don't mind Gilliam films and you have to expect them to be pretty "out there". I bet it will get plenty of people to check it out because of the Heath Ledger death...
luijustin
Oct 21, 2009 3:23 PM
damn, the staticice price check didnt work
Hawkeye
Oct 21, 2009 3:24 PM
Yeah, media preview this morning - I wouldn't be reviewing it if I hadn't seen it :)

And yeah, must admit, I thought much the same!
hectorbustnuts
Oct 21, 2009 3:43 PM

I'll be seeing this, just because it's a Gilliam film.

I loved both "Brother's Grimm" and "Tideland", both of which received far from stellar reviews.

Gilliam's one of those artists who you really have to watch and decide upon yourself...he makes the kind of movies that speak differently to different people.
hectorbustnuts
Oct 21, 2009 3:43 PM

I'll be seeing this, just because it's a Gilliam film.

I loved both "Brothers Grimm" and "Tideland", both of which received far from stellar reviews.

Gilliam's one of those artists who you really have to watch and decide upon yourself...he makes the kind of movies that speak differently to different people.
Hawkeye
Oct 21, 2009 3:55 PM
Yeah, I loved Brothers Grimm :)
Mademan
Oct 21, 2009 4:36 PM
I've only seen 'Fear and Loathing', but it was a wonderful adaptation of the book, so I'd definitely give this a look.
Ravennoir
Oct 21, 2009 5:25 PM
I liked Baron Munchausen, its meant to be weird and crazy
hectorbustnuts
Oct 22, 2009 9:31 AM

"Baron Munchausen" kicked all kinds of arse.

I watched it religiously as a younger lad. Crazy, crazy, brilliant and beautiful film. And a terribly young Uma as Venus doesn't harm it either.

And let's not forget the brain-bending, time-travel awesome that is "12 Monkeys"...Pitt and Willis at their finest.

The more I think about it, the more I realise just how much I love Gilliam's films.

"Brazil", "Time Bandits", "Fear and Loathing", "The Fisher King"...the car-crash-in-slow-motion "Lost in La Mancha" doco...

The man has made some defining films of this generation and I for one salute this artist.
ColonelSanders
Oct 22, 2009 9:53 AM
Also don't forget where it all started...Monty Python with all the cool animations (which style has been copied and put into pop culture history).
hectorbustnuts
Oct 22, 2009 10:02 AM

Yeah, I avoided mentioning Python as it was more a collaborative/group thing...but it was obvious even then that Gilliam had his own ideas about things.

Big shit-fights occurred between Gilliam and Jones on the set of "Holy Grail" because the two could never decide how to shoot various scenes.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780752864259/The-Pythons-Autobiography-By-The-Pythons

A bloody good read that one.
fliptopia
Oct 23, 2009 11:46 PM
I found tideland hard to watch. It wasn't great. like brothers grimm though. I saw the shorts for this and I'm pretty keen to see it.
fliptopia
Oct 24, 2009 12:01 AM
Would it make a good game? (ala american mcgees alice)
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