Terry Gilliam is a mad, mad genius. Like all geniuses, in his pursuit for greatness he rides the line between wonder and train wreck. You go to a Gilliam movie not knowing if it will be Brazil or if it will be Tideland. It could be 12 monkeys or it could be Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Most of you will know the story of “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”. It is the last movie Heath Ledger made before his death. In fact of course, he left this world with the role unfinished. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Ferrell all stepped in to get Heath’s character over the finish line.
The story of “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” in synopsis:
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…
Does it surprise you that it’s a huge synopsis? It shouldn’t. Trailer is below. It’s hard to tell if a Gilliam movie will be good by looking at the trailer. His films always look so beautiful and unusual. I am optimistic about this one though. I imagine Terry spent a little extra time in post production making sure Heath’s last effort properly fit together. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus opens this Oct.
