The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Heath Ledger’s Final Curtain
Heath Ledger’s final performance and the creative mind of Terry Gilliam **** 4 Stars
By Jennifer Huber
Heath Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 1/2/2010 – “This is a different film than the one we began,” says Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus director and writer Terry Gilliam. “It’s strange, but the forced solutions may have focussed us into creating a better film. The constant pressure on all of us was to end up with a film that was worthy of Heath’s last performance.”
The tragic death of Heath Ledger in January of 2008 nearly prevented The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus from being made. Luckily the combined efforts of many were able to overcome the obstacles and make this imaginative story come to life. The story follows the Dr. Parnassus and his traveling show, “Imaginarium”. The show offers its audience the chance to go beyond a magical mirror and discover what lies at their spiritual core. The world beyond the mirror offers a choice between light and joy or darkness and gloom.
At the center of this film is Dr. Parnassus who is in a nasty betting game with the devil, known as Mr. Nick. One of these bets concerns his daughter, Valentina. In order to save Valentina from a life with Mr. Nick, Dr. Parnassus engages in another bet to be the first to seduce five souls. “We break the rules really” says Gilliam. “You are supposed to focus on a central character. But this is a group piece and although it’s called Doctor Parnassus, and he’s very much the centre of it, and everything goes on around him, nevertheless, you are caught up in everybody else’s story as well.”
A very big part of this film centers around Tony played by Heath Ledger. “I have allowed more ad-libbing on this film than on anything I have ever done and it started because of Heath. He was just so full of ideas and fresh dialogue and so unbelievably fast and inventive,” says Gilliam. “He was still, in some sense, speeding from playing The Joker, which had liberated him in a way that he had never experienced before. He was always telling me, ‘I am doing things in scenes that I didn’t know was inside of me. I cannot believe it.’”
After Ledger’s passing, the film had some very big shoes to fill. “And so the three heroes, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law came to Vancouver to play these various aspects of Tony, the character which Heath Ledger began,” says Gilliam. “Their willingness to help rescue the film and Heath’s last performance was an incredible act of generosity and love. A beautiful and rare moment in our industry and, as a result of their involvement, the film is even more specia. Iit’s more surprising. Itt’s become funnier.”
The result of having these three actors reveal a different side to the character of Tony after he crosses through into the other side of the mirror is quite magical. It creates a unique feel to the world of the mirror that may not have been portrayed if the character was solely played by Ledger. All four actors give fine performances as Tony.
Not to be overlooked are the incredible acting talents of Christopher Plummer (Doctor Parnassus), Andrew Garfield (Anton), Verne Troyer (Percy) and Lily Cole (Valentina). Each individually bring their characters to life and are well suited for their roles. Each were a joy to watch on screen.
“It’s a tragical/magical idea, a group of extraordinary people in an amazing theatre, traveling round London, but nobody’s paying attention to them,” says Gilliam. “I am convinced that in the modern world people don’t see what is really important any more. Everybody’s trapped in their iPods or their video games or playing the stock market, all interesting and time-consuming, but there are really extraordinary and important things happening out there and nobody is paying attention.”
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fun journey into the imaginary. Terry Gillium is a master at transporting the viewer into these unique and stunning worlds. This journey is worth the ride carried by strong performances across the board.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was filmed in England and Canada.
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
- Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
- Running time: 122 Minutes
- Release Date: December 25, 2009
- MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for violent images, some sensuality, language and smoking