"Auteur" is a big word that gets thrown around a lot and is quickly turning cliché. But the word literally means "author" and is meant to categorize certain filmmakers whose style is so manifested on screen that it points as much to the director as it does to the story that's being told. Terry Gilliam can easily be called an auteur, and the signature, fantastical Gilliam point of view is as evident in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus as ever.
More after the jump...
More after the jump...
Set in modern-day London filtered with Victorian cyberpunk, the film centers on a 19th century traveling sideshow run by Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), the oldest man in the world. In exchange for immortality, Dr. Parnassus makes a deal with the devil, played ever-so-hiply by Tom Waits, that upon her 16th birthday Dr. Parnassus' daughter will be given over to him. As the fateful birthday approaches, an out is offered: the daughter can stay if Dr. Parnassus can deliver five souls.
The fact that Heath Ledger passed away in the midst of shooting this film is an unavoidable weight that has to be acknowledged and accepted. It is impossible to watch Ledger's first few scenes and not be affected and saddened. The brilliance is after the shock and remembrance, however, as Gilliam begins to craft a fantastic and engaging story that accepts Ledger's performance, as well as his absence, and turns what could have been a wake into a celebration of life.
The alternate world of imagination in which Dr. Parnassus is to deliver the souls is entered via a prop mirror in the theater wagon. The obvious looking glass device gives way to one jaw-dropping world of fantasy and dreams after the other. Each crafted specifically to the soul it is trying to woo, and each filled with images that will stick with you like a good meal long after you leave. It is in this world that Gilliam employs his Heath Ledger surrogates. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell all take turns acting as Ledger's character in these alternate realities. Once seen, the device seems so brilliant and obvious it is almost seamless. Each actor spins the role but leaves the essence of the character; so much so that you are suddenly given permission to leave your grief for Ledger's passing and embrace the gift he left. After Heath Ledger died and Gilliam finished cutting the film together, he said in retrospect he couldn't imagine making the film any other way. After seeing the film. that makes perfect sense.
Dr. Parnassus isn't a perfect film. Gilliam's films are full of unfocused flights of imagination and can be difficult for people unfamiliar with his work. The entire cast does a commendable job standing up against gargantuan images while still trying to bring some emotion out of the story. But there is no question, the star of this movie is Terry Gilliam's wondrous imagination and visual style. But even with that, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is Gilliam's most beautiful and approachable film.
--Greg Wilson
The fact that Heath Ledger passed away in the midst of shooting this film is an unavoidable weight that has to be acknowledged and accepted. It is impossible to watch Ledger's first few scenes and not be affected and saddened. The brilliance is after the shock and remembrance, however, as Gilliam begins to craft a fantastic and engaging story that accepts Ledger's performance, as well as his absence, and turns what could have been a wake into a celebration of life.
The alternate world of imagination in which Dr. Parnassus is to deliver the souls is entered via a prop mirror in the theater wagon. The obvious looking glass device gives way to one jaw-dropping world of fantasy and dreams after the other. Each crafted specifically to the soul it is trying to woo, and each filled with images that will stick with you like a good meal long after you leave. It is in this world that Gilliam employs his Heath Ledger surrogates. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell all take turns acting as Ledger's character in these alternate realities. Once seen, the device seems so brilliant and obvious it is almost seamless. Each actor spins the role but leaves the essence of the character; so much so that you are suddenly given permission to leave your grief for Ledger's passing and embrace the gift he left. After Heath Ledger died and Gilliam finished cutting the film together, he said in retrospect he couldn't imagine making the film any other way. After seeing the film. that makes perfect sense.
Dr. Parnassus isn't a perfect film. Gilliam's films are full of unfocused flights of imagination and can be difficult for people unfamiliar with his work. The entire cast does a commendable job standing up against gargantuan images while still trying to bring some emotion out of the story. But there is no question, the star of this movie is Terry Gilliam's wondrous imagination and visual style. But even with that, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is Gilliam's most beautiful and approachable film.
--Greg Wilson
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