The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

Wow. I LOVED this movie. I have a feeling I will love this movie and notice new things each time I watch it. Yes, this will be a purchase for me. This movie isn't for everyone and I wasn't surprised that a few people walked out within the first 20 minutes. Apparently, it was too much for them, or probably they had no idea what they were getting into. That's fine, to each his own. Case in point: some people love Romantic Comedies, I'm not a fan and rarely enjoy them. But anywho, where was I in my story? Ah Yesssss...

Plot "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present day. It tells the story of Dr Parnassus and his extraordinary 'Imaginarium', a travelling show where members of the audience get an irresistible opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Dr Parnassus is cursed with a dark secret. Long ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr Nick, in which he won immortality. Many 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 first-born reached its 16th birthday he or 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..." This synopsis is taken from imdb.com

Set in present day, the traveling show looks more in the style of an old time traveling freakshow/circus circa 1800's. The costumes are colorful and rich in contrast the modern everyday apparel of present day people around them. The interactions with present day folks further examines how society has lost it's imagination and creativity in part because of all of the electronics and our selfishness. (Whiny, selfish children, materialistic, impatient adults, and kids engrosed in video games instead of the world around them etc)



As you may know, Heath Ledger died before the completion of this movie. He plays the Mysterious man who joins the treveling troupe. I was amazed at the preservation of continuity and great acting that continued in the capable hands of Johnny Depp, Jude Law and even Colin Farrell. Heath Ledger was engaging as usual, Johnny Depp seemed to seemlessly become him and Jude and Colin were worthy contributors. It worked, it flowed well and it was amazing to see these men come together to help make Heath's last film a reality.

Right to Left: Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell

Christopher Plummer was wonderful as Dr. P, Lily Cole was perfectly alluring as his beautiful daughter Valentina, Tom Waits was a snidley Mr Nick (The Devil), Andrew Garfield was delightful as Anton and Verne Troyer was great as Dr. P's sidekick Percy. The chracters were well written and acted, and the story was interesting, thought provoking and smart. So many issues were touched upon like family, relationships, Love, hate, greed...I could go on. I was completely sucked into this amazing world.

ABOVE: Christopher Plummer and Tom Waits
BELOW: Heath Ledger, Lily Cole and Andrew Garfield

The special effects were tremendous and brought Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown's visions of the Imaginarium to life. I hate the word "Whimsical" so I will describe them as breathtaking and fantastical. The music was non-intrusive and complimentary and a few original songs were hysterical in the vein of Monty Python. A nice balance was struck between the light and the dark in many aspects of this film.


This movie is not for everyone. Most times I found that I was the only one laughing out loud...I guess they didn't get it. If you are not familiar with Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame) and tend to get bogged down or distracted by the wonderous feel and look of the film, you will miss the messages and wonderful acting etc. Some may say it was an acid trip. Perhaps they lost their imagination somewhere along the road of "growing up". Perhaps they never had an imagination in the first place. How sad. I would love to discuss this movie at length since there are many things one can take away from it.


I was so happy that I was able to see this film in the theater since it was only a limited release. It comes out on DVD in less than 3 months, so if anyone would like to see it, I would be happy to host a screening... All you need to bring is an open mind, and your imagination!