This weekend I got treated to a little cinematic delight by the name of “The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnasuss”.
The film is just as quirky and whimsical as it’s title implies.
The story follows a traveling sideshow run by the 1000 year old Dr. Parnassus. Long ago, Dr. Parnassus made a deal with the devil and now to save his daughters soul from being taken by the devil, Dr. Parnassus must find a way to inspire imagination in 5 souls as opposed to having them be overcome by the temptation of the devil. The troupe is aided by a mysterious stranger named Tony, who falls for the doctor’s daughter and seeks to save her from the devil.
Directed by Terry Gilliam, the movie has an impressive cast including Christopher Plummer, Heath Ledger, Johnny Deep, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Lily Cole and Tom Waits. If you enjoyed other of Gilliam’s movies such as The Adventures of Baron Munchausen or The Brothers Grimm, then you are likely to enjoy this one too.
It is a true visual feast, brimming with beautiful and surreal imagery. For me it was very easy to like, being someone who is naturally draw to all things circus/carnival related, plus it was all about dreams and imagination. Imagine coming across a traveling circus whose sole goal was to inspire your dreams? Oh yes please! I loved the themes and the storyline of the doctor vs the devil. The idea of the struggle of trying to foster imagination in a world slipping away into vice is something near and dear to my heart, so it did have a certain resonance with me.
The only downside is that I felt the ending was a tad unfocused and felt slightly disjointed. It was a little clumsy, though that in no way took away from the beautiful tale as a whole and I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride. This was Heath Ledger’s last film and he sadly died during the production, which caused the script to be altered as a result. I suspect that the finished ending was not what was originally laid out, which thus lead to it coming off as a bit clumsy.
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is currently playing in select theaters. If it is playing in your area and you have the chance to see it, I would highly recommend this movie to my fellow dreamers.
Can you put a price on your dreams?
The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
January 19th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
How funny! My boyfriend took me out to a movie yesterday and this poster caught my eye. I thought “Hmm.. that looks really interesting. I wonder when it comes out.” I love movies that have the “vintage fariytale” style.
When did this come out?
January 19th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
According to imdb, it opened Jan. 8th.
Personally I never heard it before this weekend. My husband was talking about it and showed me the trailer. It didn’t get alot of attention or advertizing. But the instant after watching the online trailer, I looked at him and told him we had to see it over the weekend.
Definately has a “vintage fairytale” style. I hope you get the chance to see it. It’s a gem.