This tale from the mind of Terry Gilliam 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.
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The “Everyone’s A Critic” Review
Good old Terry Gilliam, you have to hand it to him – you know going in to any of his films that you are going to see something unlike anything you have ever seen. “The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus” is no different.
It is a bizarre tale. The immortal Doctor Parnassus made a deal with the Devil: in exchange for his youth (to share years with his true love), he must hand over any child from the relationship on the sixteenth birthday. Now, his daughter is reaching the age in question, the Doctor makes one last bet with the evil one in order to try and save her.
As the Doctor, his daughter and their travelling companions try to entice “customers” into the Imaginarium (a place where the visitor explores their imagination and have the opportunity to make a good or bad choice), they stumble upon a mysterious stranger (Heath Ledger), whom they welcome on their journey. It is the relationship between this stranger and the Doctor’s daughter that the film focusses on; is the stranger a friend or foe? Can he be used to try and save the girl from the Devil?
The story is a little jumbled, at times difficult to follow, but it is enjoyable; this is largely due to the performances (as always, the late Heath Ledger is fantastic) and the glorious spectacle of the Imaginarium scenes (the effects to bring this to life are amazing).
Overall, this is one of Gilliam’s more accessible films. If you are looking for something different (and homegrown we might add), you won’t find anything like this.