 Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), 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 (Lily Cole) 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! Also starring Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law. Storyline: In London, the sideshow troupe of Doctor Parnassus promises the audience a journey to the "Imaginarium", an imaginary world commanded by the mind of Doctor Parnassus, where dreams come true. In the stories that Doctor Parnassus tells to his daughter Valentina, the midget Percy, and his assistant Anton, he claims to have lived for more than one thousand years; However, when he fell in love with a mortal woman, he made a deal with the devil (Mr. Nick), trading his immortality for youth. As part of the bargain, he promised his son or daughter to Mr. Nick on their sixteenth birthday. Valentina is now almost to the doomed age and Doctor Parnassus makes a new bet with Mr. Nick, whoever seduces five souls in the Imaginarium will have Valentina as a prize. Meanwhile the troupe rescues Tony, a young man that was hanged on a bridge by the Russians. Tony was chased until he finds and joins the group. Tony and Valentina fall in love with each other and the jealous Anton discovers that his ... Written by RubyRed, Seattle, Washington USA Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, April 6, 2010 -- You can't stop stories form being told. Famed Director Terry Gilliam, known for his oddball pictures that prove visually alluring and structurally well beyond what audiences have come to accept as the "norm" in mainstream Hollywood fare, once again delivers a topsy-turvy picture of high artistic value in The Imagunarium of Doctor Parnassus. A film that's intricately-woven, stylistically ablaze in cockeyed visuals, and packed with eye candy backdrops that all create a most unique world where anything can happen, Gilliam delivers an intricately-detailed fantasyland adventure that's reminiscent of The Adventures of Baron Munchausen but aided by far more advanced visuals than was available to the director some 20 years ago. Parnassus is a picture that won't appeal to all audiences; it's fairly complex in theme, and the story is often overshadowed by the grand-scale special effects and otherworldly visuals that often dominate the screen, but the picture is also oddly enthralling as spectacle if nothing else, and while it might might leave some audiences in a daze, there's no escaping the film's worth as one of the most uniquely enchanting movies in recent memory. A traveling troupe of performers wanders through the streets of modern-day London, setting up shop where they may and barely pulling in enough revenue to keep them going from one location to the next. As the story comes into focus, it is revealed that the troupe's patriarch -- Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) -- had previously won a wager with the devil, called here "Mr. Nick" (Tom Waits, The Book of Eli), that gave him immortality, but not freedom from the aging process. Parnassus in turn made a second deal, which allowed him a youthful appearance so he might fall in love, but at the cost of any of hi future childrens' souls when they turned 16 years of age. His daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) -- days away from her 16th birthday -- is part of the troupe, along with Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Percy (Verne Troyer). The gang rescues a mysterious man named Tony (Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight) who joins the troupe and convinces them to breathe new life into the look and allure of their wares while better exploiting the magical world that exists within and adding his own unique flair to the experience that's sure to separate customers from the contents of their pocketbooks. Nevertheless, the imminent loss of Valentina looms large, but Tony just might have a solution in mind for that pesky little problem, too. For those that know Terry Gilliam through what is arguably his most popular work of the past two decades -- Twelve Monkeys -- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus might come as a bit of a surprise and even a shock, but his unique sense of directorial style carries over, even if Parnassus proves a far more colorfully vibrant picture than does the grimy and bleak Monkeys. Parnassus is littered with plenty of cockeyed and otherwise untraditional camera angles, often giving it a more personal feel while at the same time reinforcing the dreamlike feel and fantastical story lines that accompany the movie. In a movie such as Parnassus, however, the "hows" seem a bit more important to the experience than the "whys," which is exactly how Gilliam juggles the film's structure and gets away with constructing a picture that's anything but straightforward, whether in terms of his camera work, thematic and dramatic structure, or psychedelic visuals in the form of computer-generated special effects. No doubt its marvelously distinctive visuals, costuming, and makeup dominate each and every frame, sometimes even to the detriment of the flow, cohesion, and even absolute comprehension of the story. No worries, though, because The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a film that's meant to be "experienced" rather than merely "seen" and even "understood." Still, Gilliam manages to allow themes that touch on subjects such as redemption, love, and friendship to shine through even the glossiest and most colorful of visuals. Matching the picture's pastel-dominant fantasy landscapes are equally colorful characters that ignite the screen and often give to the movie the feel of a stage production, particularly aided by their heavy make-up, the rickety set piece that is the imaginarium's traveling wagon, and various costume choices that lend yet another touch of surrealism to the experience. Indeed, even many of the special effects -- particularly backgrounds -- within the imaginarium appear two-dimmensional as if made of paper or some form of flimsy cloth, and there's only sometimes a real sense of real space to them. It all lends to the feel that the movie is somehow never quite what it seems, a theme Gilliam seems to have injected into every aspect of the film, whether the effects, costumes, or even the backbone of the story itself. All in all, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus proves highly enchanting and alluring, even if none of its elements make much sense beyond a very base level. It's neither the most exciting nor emotionally satisfying picture out there -- in fact, as to the latter, it's only really satisfying from a purely visual perspective -- but it's well worth a watch for its wondrous and grand feel, not to mention as a glimpse into the creative mind of a director who is today arguably Hollywood's most unique. Even through its somewhat cryptic story and majestic visual flair, the shadow of the late Heath Ledger looms largest over The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Ledger certainly turns in a very good performance in what would be his last role that he sadly left incomplete, his untimely death threatening to not only halt the production but scrap the film altogether. Fortunately, Gilliam -- who ends the picture with the words "A film from Heath Ledger and friends" -- chose to continue on with the project and ultimately cast several replacements to film Ledger's unfinished scenes. As fate would have it, Ledger's final picture allows for his character to be easily and, insofar as the story goes, even understandably, replaced. Also chalk up to serendipity the fact that Ledger had completed his scenes within "the real world" before his passing, allowing for the change in actors within the imaginarium to make sense within the confines of the story, seeing as that it's a fantasy land where anything seems possible. Gilliam carefully screened candidates to replace Ledger and settled on a new face for every major sequence within the imaginarium, casting Johnny Depp (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), Jude Law (Sherlock Holmes) and Colin Ferrell (Minority Report). Each manages to add their own unique flair while also maintaining not only Ledger's look but the spirit of his performance and the nuances of his character. The remainder of the cast is also strong, with longtime veteran Christopher Plummer impressing in his take on the aged, frazzled, and emotionally lost title character. The true strength of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus lies in its visuals and the performances of its cast. Its not often that a movie works when its dominant force is its fantastical special effects that often overwhelm the thematic elements, but Terry Gilliam once again proves a master of this rare art form and delivers in Parnassus a film that's more about what it looks like than what it has to say. Nevertheless, the film will be remembered first as Actor Heath Ledger's final performance before his untimely death; Ledger does his part proud, and Gilliam manages to keep Ledger and his character in the film by casting several of the effects-laden imaginarium scenes with a trio of different actors who both pay homage to Ledger and his character while also adding an interesting new dimension to the picture. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus isn't a film that's going to appeal to all audiences, but those that choose to watch and become lost in the unique world of Terry Gilliam's latest work of visceral art should get enough out of it to enjoy the experience. Sony's Blu-ray release of The Iaginarium of Doctor Parnassus doesn't disappoint. Boasting striking visuals, a top-notch soundtrack, and a fine assortment of extras, fans can purchase with confidence, but newcomers might want to give the movie a rent first. Cast Notes: Johnny Depp (Imaginarium Tony #1), Heath Ledger (Tony), Jude Law (Imaginarium Tony #2), Lily Cole (Valentina), Christopher Plummer (Doctor Parnassus), Colin Farrell (Imaginarium Tony #3), Peter Stormare (The President), Andrew Garfield (Anton), Tom Waits (Mr. Nick), Verne Troyer (Percy), Paloma Faith (Sally), Quinn Lord (Young Boy), Daniel Newman (Gavin), Cassandra Sawtell (Olga), Carrie Genzel (Female Journalist), Montserrat Lombard (Sally's Friend), Michael Eklund (Tony's Assistant), Amanda Walker (Shopper), Kis Yurij (Second Monk), Charles McKeown (Fairground Inspector), Johnny Harris (Policeman), Lucy Russell (Classy Shopper #3), Fraser Aitcheson (Dancing Policeman), Maggie Steed (LV Woman), Carolyn Pickles (Shopper), Ryan Grantham (Little Anton), Katie Lyons (Martin's Girlfriend), Michael Bean (Dancing Policeman), Moya Brady (Aunty Flo), Mark Benton (Dad), Mark Oliver (Male Journalist), Richard Riddell (Martin), Scott A. McGillivray (Dancing Policeman [as Scott McGillivray]), Simon Day (Uncle Bob [as Simon Daye]), Sian Scott (Linda), Jason Griffith (Dancing Policeman [as Jase-Anthony Griffith]), Peter New (Paramedic #1), Bobby Bysouth (LV Woman's Reflection), Emil Hostina (Serge), Wendy Carson (Nun #1), Michael Jonsson (Paramedic #2), Vitaly Kravchenko (Piotr), Ray Cooper (Vladimir), Ian A. Wallace (Third Monk [as Ian Wallace]), Emma Karwandy (Valentina's Daughter), Amy Marston (Classy Shopper #1), Raahul Singh (Security Guard), John Stewart (Dancing Policeman), Gavin Rolph (Policeman #2), Bart Anderson (Young Boy's Father), Joann Condon (Shopper), Craig Fraser (Debonaire Gent), Bruce Crawford (Face Changed Martin), Gwendoline Christie (Classy Shopper #2), D. Harlan Cutshall (Charity Guest #1), Georgina Hegedos (Baboushka), Sarah Groundwater (Sales Girl), Lorraine Cheshire (Mum), Ben Cartwright (Policeman #1), Christine McMahon (Nun #2), Dean Moen (Smiling Policeman), Chris Cochrane (Dancing Policeman), Deni DeLory (Charity Guest #2), Lisa Bunting (Charity Guest #3), Pearce Visser (Dancing Policeman), Erika Conway (Young Boy's Mother), Patrick Bahrich (Dancing Policeman), Igor Ingelsman (Gregor), Donna Lysell (President's Wife), Richard Shanks (Friend of Martin), Lewis Gott (Diego). IMDb Rating (03/20/10): 6.8/10 from 7,292 users
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