VIFF 2009 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus at Schema : more than ethnic

VIFF 2009 | The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Canada/UK, 2009, 122min
DIR Terry Gilliam

Massive lines spanned the streets of downtown Vancouver as eager viewers waited in anticipation for Terry Gilliam's newest film. Those who follow Gilliam's work know that he is a master of fantasy and visual spectacle and, judging by the previews, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was not going to be the exception.

The fantastical film follows the 1000-year-old Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) and his troupe of bohemian showmen making their cut-and-run livings off a travelling carnivalesque sideshow on the streets of London. The performance involves participants entering Dr. Parnassus' mind through a magical mirror into the realm of their imagination. While there, they are faced with a choice between good and evil.

The company includes dwarf Percy (Verne Troyer), who plays Dr. Parnassus' confidante and voice of reason throughout the film, and the general technician and romantic underdog, Anton (Andrew Garfield), whose interest in the Parnassus' daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) goes unrequited - especially when the mysterious and smooth-talking Tony (Heath Ledger) joins the troupe.

Once flourishing with the thriving imaginations of the world, Dr. Parnassus, like his theatre show, is now deteriorating in modern day. Timing couldn't be worse either as Valentina's sixteenth birthday approaches. Centuries prior, Dr. Parnassus made a deal with the Devil, known as Mr. Nick (wickedly played by the ridiculously fantastic Tom Waits). In exchange for the youthfulness needed to woo his true love, Dr. Parnassus agreed to forfeit his daughter to Mr. Nick upon her sixteenth birthday. Lucky for him, the Devil never passes up an opportunity to make things more interesting. Offering him one final chance to save his daughter, Mr. Nick challenges Dr. Parnassus to a race. The first to collect five souls wins, and time is not on Dr. Parnassus' side.

It is difficult to say whether the film's appeal comes from the surrealist feast for the senses expected of Gilliam films or its association to Heath Ledger (in his final performance) and the trio of stars that replaced him (Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell). Perhaps the simple novelty of recognizing the iconic Vancouver sites in the film justified waiting hours in the rain for tickets.

Falling apart in places and carrying more weight than it can handle, Dr. Parnassus' makeshift mobile theatre can be seen as an unfortunate metaphor for the film itself. Lacking the intellectual complexity of Brazil, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is perhaps more on par withThe Brother's Grimm. Nonetheless, Gilliam's signature astounding visual stylistics and whimsical nature remain in the film and are to be praised, particularly given the regrettable circumstances under which the film was made.

Schema Magazine's coverage of VIFF 2009 is sponsored by the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival