The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Terry Gilliam is still creating strange, magical, and crazy worlds. Sometimes the stories get lost in the texture and tricks but in his latest tale, the story is there if you care to find it. The hero's journey in this case takes the action behind the mirrored world of Dr. Parnassus (prolific Christopher Plummer who seems to be cast in every film these days needed an octo- or septuagenarian man).

It seems that Dr. Parnassus, a monk from unknown lands, has made a deal with the devil (Tom Waits) involving a bet regarding humankind's morality; he must save a few souls in particular to prevent the devil from taking his daughter (Persephone myth?) who will soon come of age. Obviously there is a great deal of Greek, Tibetan, Indian and other mythology in this tale (Mt. Parnassus was the place to seek art, literature, poetry and other lofty pleasures).

Dr. Parnassus has a traveling gypsy caravan roam which he puts on his 'shows' with the assitance of his daughter (Lily Cole), a dwarf (Verne Troyer), and a doting young boy (Andrew Garfield) in love with his daughter. They save a man (Heath Ledger) hanging from the underneath of a bridge in London. The hanged man is our hero, required to face his internal demons, false personas, represented quite literally with different faces/facades in the form of some very pleasing actors - Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell.

The imagery is simply breathtaking. I love the textures, colors, dimension, and creativity in all the worlds and landscapes thrown at us. It still is very Gilliam with giant heads and English print influences that hark back to his Monty Python work. I also found the pace to be very action-forward but pulled down by an uncertainty as to if it was all going anywhere. This created a pensive unease as I wasn't sure when the rollercoaster ride was going to end. But it did. And the ride was fun, if a little long. The people met and places visited during the experience were fun but too numerous to leave a few indelible moments to last in the mind beyond the few hours of viewing. I was left with more of a feeling of tapestry, textures, colors, and filmy feeling (mostly from Tom Waits). It's like looking at a really busy collage or oriental rug then asking yourself days later, "What did that look like?" You'd have to go back and look again, as the details are fleeting, but the feeling still lingers.