The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

As promised, I am woefully behind the curve on this one. Since I rarely go to the movies in Chicago, I waited for this one to come out on DVD. I now regret that. The cinematography is gorgeous and each scene is a feast for the eyes. I can only imagine that it would have been that much more impressive on the silver screen.

For those of you who may be unaware, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a Terry Gilliam film, perhaps most famous for being Heath Ledger's final performance. The actor's death occurred in the middle of filming and three other actors stepped up to take his place in the unfilmed Imaginarium scenes. These actors were Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, all friends of Heath Ledger.

Terry Gilliam has a history of making box-office failures that turn into cult classics. He often goes way over budget (as with The Adventures of Baron Munchausen) or casts actors that, for one reason or another, are unable to be on set when needed (as documented inLost in LaMancha). I have seen, and enjoyed, many of his films including those listed above as well as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Brazil, Tideland, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I even liked the not-brilliant Brother's Grimm.

Imaginarium may be my favorite so far. I love the idea that stories are what makes the world real and that there is not just one story, but many. On top of that, there is the Faustian devil dealing and a fight for souls. What makes the struggle between "good", Parnassus, and "evil", Mr. Nick, so appealing is that those souls have a choice. They may take the more difficult but more rewarding path, or they may go with their baser instincts and suffer the consequences. Even "good" vs. "evil" is more than it appears.

I think my enjoyment of Gilliam films stems from the fact that his message is so consistent and his visuals are amazing. There is always this sense that stories and imagination and dreams are the reality. This seems to be the way Gilliam makes his films, as well. First he finds or dreams up his story then he makes it happen, never asking along the way "is this even possible?"