Thursday 19 November 2009

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

As soon as I laid my eyes on the trailer for this colorful, fresh film, the first thing I thought was how this is going to be the last time I ever see Heath Ledger on the big screen. That fact alone pulled me in to see it but this film was actually so much more than I believed it would be. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus tells the tale of a touring theatre show which is financially out of pocket. On their travels they pick up Tony (Heath Ledger) who causes the first mystery in this story. At each stop they ask the general public to enter the mind of the spectacular and graceful Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) by stepping through a custom made mirror. The twist is that Doctor Parnassus is seeking five souls to obtain as after many pacts with the devil (played by Tom Waits) he has to either give his daughter away or get the souls before he does.


Five minutes in and I was completely absorbed. After the tragedy of Heath Ledger who died before the completion of this project, we see other tremendous actors play Tony to help make this the masterpiece it was always going to be. Johnny Depp who is a perfect candidate for this type of cinema is also joined by Collin Farewell and Jude Law who both outdo themselves.

Director Terry Gilliam, who I should remind you brought us classics like Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas, Brazil and the Monty Python series, has brushed away the dust from his director’s chair after four long years to take on the challenge again. His presence is most defiantly noticed with a strong balance between comedy and some delightful scripting. All these factors piled on top of each other and the absolutely outstanding special effects make this a ride you just don’t want to miss.

www.watershed.co.uk

Andrew Dex

Can be found at the following link: http://www.suityourselfmagazine.co.uk/cinema-review-the-imaginarium-of-doctor-parnassus/

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