In the present day, immortal 1,000-year-old Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) leads a travelling theatre troupe that offers audience members a chance to go beyond reality through a magical mirror in his possession. Members of the troupe include a sleight of hand expert, Anton (Andrew Garfield); and a dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer). Parnassus had been able to guide the imagination of others through a deal with the Devil, who now comes to collect on the arrangement, targeting the doctor's daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole). The troupe, who is joined by a mysterious outsider named Tony (Heath Ledger), embark through parallel worlds to rescue the girl.
Special Agent Matti
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus is another film from the fecund imagination of Terry Gilliam. It's not up to the heights of Brazil, but what is? It's also limited by the fact that one of the main actors managed to die half-way through filming (that's Heath Ledger for anyone who's been living in a cave). Fortunately for Terry, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell volunteered their services and finished the film. That's why God invented re-writes. (NB This is not the first film crisis for Terry Gilliam - see Lost in La Mancha.) There's a classic bit of Python when the all-singing, all-dancing, semi-transvestite policemen do a number, which is heart-warming for those of us who grew up with lumberjack fish-slapping from the ministry of Silly Walks. The production values are rich, the characters are surreal and the plot is bizarre but The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus never quite takes flight, and for a flight of fancy, that's a not-good thing. You might well watch this movie for the historic value (Heathcliff's last role) or the irony (his character keeps getting killed) but you won't put it on your list of top movies to watch before you die.
The fantasy, supernatural movie The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus is directed by Terry Gilliam and stars Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole.
PG (Menacing themes, violence and coarse language)
122 minutes (2:02 hours)
Film: 29 October 2009
