The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus

Review by Sean Lynch

What a truly inspiring and odd piece of work Terry Gilliam's infamous Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus is.

It is a film as confusing as it is beautiful, frustrating as it is illuminating and as morbid as it is celebratory...

Plus, The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus never really reveals or gives too many hints as to what it should have been (before the passing of Heath Ledger), only what it is - which makes it even more alluring.

Our story follows the mysterious Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) who has the extraordinary gift of inspiring the imaginations of others.

Helped by his ramshackle traveling theatre troupe, including his sarcastic and cynical sidekick Percy (Mini Me, Verne Troyer) and versatile young player Anton, Parnassus offers audience members the chance to transcend mundane reality by passing through a magical mirror into a fantastic universe of limitless imagination.

However, as is the case with all good tales, Dr. Parnassus' magic comes at a price.

For centuries he has been gambling with the Devil... literally, aka Mr. Nick (a perfectly cast Tom Waits), who is coming to collect his prize -- Parnassus' precious daughter, Valentina on her upcoming 16th birthday.

Oblivious to her rapidly approaching fate, Valentina falls for the equally mysterious and suss Tony (the late Heath Ledger), a charming outsider with motives of his own.

In order to save his daughter and redeem himself, Parnassus makes one final bet with Mr. Nick, which sends Tony and Valentina and the entire theatre troupe on a ride of twists and turns, in and out of London and the Imaginarium's spectacular landscape.

Quite clearly, this isn't a story as cut and dry as "GI JOE has to save the world : The End" - and thank Christ for that, because Gilliam has once again crafted something truly sublime with The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus.

The visuals are everything we could hope for (despite venturing inside the "Imaginarium" fewer times than you might wish) from the man whose visual style led the way for the Pythons.

The cast, too, is just wonderful with each player delivering something as richly layered and textured as the next.

Of course the main appeal, for most, will be checking out just exactly what Heath Ledger was up to before that fateful day where he popped a bunch of pills while on hiatus from filming. The question being : Is "Tony" as striking as "The Joker"...

The Answer : Of course not, nor should it have to be.

In fact, the use of  Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell in his stead is a truly wondrous thing to behold. To be honest, it's hard to even see how the film could have been made without them - like destiny had a hand in putting the finishing touches on Gilliam's best work in years.

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus is not for everyone. It's an odd beast at the best of times and never quite gives the definitive answers you may seek, which will leave even the most open minded of film-goers slightly befuddled.

However, give it a chance, because if you are one of the lucky ones who "gets it" (or, at the very least, most of it)... The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus will positively blow your mind.

4.5 out of 5

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
Australian release: 29th October, 2009
Official Site: The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
Cast: Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Christopher Plummer
Director: Terry Gilliam