The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

“Open up your mind”

Imagination can be defined as ‘The formation of a mental image of something that is neither perceived as real nor present to the senses.’

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a sporadic drama about good and evil. The enchanting scenes open up our mind to possibilities.

The film is rather bizarre but this is no surprise considering it is directed by Terry Gilliam who has produced such films as Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Dr Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) the God-like protagonist makes a deal with the devil (Tom Waits) which guarantees him mortality and later eternal life in exchange for his adolescent offspring. He thoughtlessly agrees but regrets this later when his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) is born. He realises that Valentina will soon be taken by the devil, Parnassus pleads for him to reconsider so the devil agrees on a new gamble. Whoever collects 5 souls first keeps Valentina. Parnassus and the entourage guide people to positive, uplifting thoughts whilst the devil tempts his victims into selling their souls for evil. Tony (Heath Ledger) tries strenuously to help Parnassus by attracting people into a mirror which leads to a world of imagination, every time he leads them through the world his face changes, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell convey this superbly. Each face represents an aspect of Tony’s imagination. Heath Ledger, who plays Tony, died half way through the shooting of the film forcing Terry Gilliam to improvise this alternate ending. The film is unique, there is a contrast between contemporary culture and olden day circus themes, this is portrayed throughout the movie by presenting small, plain black and white settings and colourful panorama. The best part of this film was the concept which in essence described that we all have a choice to do wrong or right, good or evil and that our actions have consequences. I went into the cinema expecting a structured, heart warming movie; instead I came out feeling violated by the erratic story line. However shortly after I felt enlightened by the spontaneous flash backs of mysterious locations and imaginative costumes. On the whole the movie was different; the highlight for me was watching the strong performance of Heath Ledger and Tom Waits.

Rated PG