The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Terry Gilliam
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Plot Summary
Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick, in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick. Valentina is now rapidly approaching this ‘coming of age’ milestone and Dr. Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr. Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls. Enlisting a series of wild, comical and compelling characters in his journey, Dr. Parnassus promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man that helps him win. In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr. Parnassus must fight to save his daughter in a never-ending landscape of surreal obstacles – and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all!
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Customer Reviews
The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
It had to be an odd one - a film directed by Terry Gilliam, starring the late Heath Ledger in an unfinished role completed by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell, about adventures in someone else's imagination. Well, odd it is. However it is also confused, features animation that wouldn't be out of place in a trippy music video, unsure of it's own motivation and it really does feel like a key character died half way through. Those are the weaknesses. On the other hand, it can be quite marvellous. Ledger himself seems quite restrained up until he gets involved in presenting the Imaginarium to passers by. All too quickly he is gone, and we are in Gilliam's imagination with one of three unexpected guest stars. Johnny Depp is the first, the quietest and in the most appealing animated backdrop. His story about icons that died before their time is obviously a reference to Ledger but feels a little too much like it was a last minute idea. Law is the second, in the most confusing incarnation with the oddest and least appealing surroundings. Farrel is the only one with a tangible character and seems most suited to the nightmarish situation he finds himself in. Some of the animated sequences are terrific, such as the flashback where Plummer and the Devil (played with slimeball charm by Tom Waits) first meet. But the magic only really happens once we're back in London, with Ledger, Plummer and the striking Lily Cole, in her first film role. It's an expectedly barmy effort from Gilliam, however saying the film has a garbled narrative is unfair given the unexpected circumstances, but the strain under which everyone making this film was thrust upon does show. The real treat is Ledger, gracing us with a last performance that is a much quieter creation than the anarchic Joker, but nonetheless is capitivating every second he is on screen.
woah!
such an amasingly good film, the imagination that has gone into this film is just wonderful, every moment of this film has had so much thought and imagination put into it. R.I.P Heath Ledger
Great Film x
This is the most amazing film ever... not so sure about the ending though but the effects are amazing and the actors are all really good. Definitely a must see film which you will watch again and again.
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- Genre: Action & Adventure
- Expected Release: 13 September 2012
- © 2009 Imaginarium Films, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
