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Special Features
Commentary with Director Terry Gilliam
Introduction by Terry Gilliam
Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Terry Gilliam
Behind the Mirror
Building the Monastery
“The Drunk” Multi-Angle Progression Sequence
Heath Ledger and Friends
The Imaginarium of Terry Gilliam
Heath Ledger Wardrobe Test with Optional Commentary by Terry Gilliam
Interview with Heath Ledger
Doctor Parnassus Around the World
Cast & Crew Presentation on Stage
The Artwork of Doctor Parnassus
movieIQ™+sync and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
Introduction by Terry Gilliam
Deleted Scene with Optional Commentary by Terry Gilliam
Behind the Mirror
Building the Monastery
“The Drunk” Multi-Angle Progression Sequence
Heath Ledger and Friends
The Imaginarium of Terry Gilliam
Heath Ledger Wardrobe Test with Optional Commentary by Terry Gilliam
Interview with Heath Ledger
Doctor Parnassus Around the World
Cast & Crew Presentation on Stage
The Artwork of Doctor Parnassus
movieIQ™+sync and BD-Live connect you to real-time information on the cast, music, trivia and more while watching the movie!
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Terry Gilliam has long admired Marcel Carné's beautiful and tragic Children of Paradise (he even contributes an introduction to the Criterion Collection edition). In The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, among his more phantasmagorical features, Gilliam conjures up his own unique theatrical troupe. Led by the immortal Parnassus (Christopher Plummer, whose daughter, Amanda, appeared in The Fisher King), Anton (Boy A's Andrew Garfield), Percy (Verne Troyer), and the doctor's doll-faced daughter, Valentina (model Lily Cole), travel through 21st-century London in their stagecoach set. Times are tight and the quartet is starting to unravel when they rescue Tony, a philanthropist (Heath Ledger, reuniting with Gilliam for the last time), from the Russian mob. Though Anton pines for Valentina, she falls for the new fellow, who charms female viewers into opening up their wallets. Little do the ladies realize they risk their souls when they pass through the Imaginarium, a Mylar mirror that leads to alternate realities (where Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell play Tony's doppelgängers). As it transpires, Parnassus made a Faustian bargain with Mr. Nick (Tom Waits, whom Gilliam considers "America's greatest musical poet") centuries before and must supply Satan with five souls by Valentina's 16th birthday or Nick will take her away from him--permanently. One of the movie's more haunting lines, "Nothing is forever, not even death," could serve as an epitaph for Ledger, who died from an accidental overdose during filming, but lives again in the erratic, yet imaginative Gilliam's most purely enjoyable film since Time Bandits. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Stills from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Click for larger image)
Stills from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Click for larger image)
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Product Description
Blessed with the extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others, Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick. Valentina (Lily Cole) is now rapidly approaching this ‘coming of age’ milestone and Dr. Parnassus is desperate to protect her from her impending fate. Mr. Nick arrives to collect but, always keen to make a bet, renegotiates the wager. Now the winner of Valentina will be determined by whoever seduces the first five souls. Enlisting a series of wild, comical and compelling characters in his journey, Dr. Parnassus promises his daughter’s hand in marriage to the man that helps him win. In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr. Parnassus must fight to save his daughter in a never-ending landscape of surreal obstacles – and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all! Also starring Heath Ledger, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
69 of 77 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is immortal. He made a deal with Mr. Nick, aka the devil (Tom Waits), that has kept him alive for over 1000 years, but at a price. Now Dr. Parnassus travels England with his daughter Valentina (Lilly Cole), Percy (Verne Troyer), and Anton (Andrew Garfield) inviting people into his Imaginarium, a place where you can peak into Dr. Parnassus's imagination where you are given a choice between light and darkness. When Mr. Nick shows up with a new challenge to collect five souls first by Valentina's birthday, Dr. Parnassus jumps at the chance. But when they save the allegedly amnesiac Tony (Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell), Dr. Parnassus wonders if Tony's been sent by the devil or his chance to right a wrong he made when he gained immortality.
Terry Gilliam is one of the most visually unique directors of all time. From classic movies like Brazil to cult classics like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the only American from the Monty Python troupe has generally bucked conventions working outside the studio system to create uniquely original works of art. As a result Gilliam is no stranger to controversy and issues with filming. Gilliam's take on Don Quixote was derailed from spectacular budget overruns, back injuries, freakish storms, and more; with the result being so catastrophic it became the subject of the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha. But even as devastating as that was, it could never have prepared Gilliam for what befell his 2009 movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Filming had to be shut down when Heath Ledger died mid-production. Fortunately, Gilliam and co-writer Charles McKeown were able to rewrite partsof the film, and Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell stepped in to finish Ledger's role so the world is able to see his last performance.
The reslut is nothing short of amazing. Imaginarium represents a marked return to Gilliam's former visual style. Being the first movie that Gilliam storyboarded since 1988's The Adventures of Baron Munchasen, you can see the return of certain visuals that remind you of his directorial work with Monty Python as well as his great films like Time Bandits and Brazil. Visually this is one of Gilliam's most over the top films to date, but in the scheme of the Imaginarium it also represents his most successfully use of his visual style in years. The writing also represents one of his most original works in years, while also being one of his deeper works with more fully realized characters than has been present in his movies as of late. Also, the way they handled the passing of one of their main characters was also brilliant and possibly even serves the movie much better than expected and in the end just felt right.
The acting is naturally superb as you'd expect when you view the talent in this movie. Christopher Plummer is a veteran actor (The Philadelphia Story, Hamlet as well as newer movies such as 12 Monkeys, and voice parts in 9 and Up) you'd expect nothing less than a stellar, even Oscar worthy performance from on the screen. And, naturally, Heath Ledger was coming off an Oscar winning performance for his work as Joker in The Dark Knight and was formerly nominated for his role in Brokeback Mountain. While honoring the late Heath Ledger for this posthumously released role would seem the natural thing to do, I'd have to say that the best performances are delivered by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. It's hard enough to play a real person, but to step into a role taking over for an actor that passed away, who still remains in the final film is beyond daunting. These three actors take his place in the film admirably, carrying on the spirit of Ledger to the fullest. Even among these Colin Farrell rises to the top in my mind as he ends Ledger's role, having to give the toughest performance of the character.
The only problem I can say that I have with this movie is that at times the plot can be impenetrable and even incoherent at times. For all of Gilliam's strengths, he has a tendency at times to be too in the moment without looking at the full picture, and particularly early on in the movie this can be slightly problematic. At first the movie seems like a series of vignettes rather than part of the whole. You'll also be lucky if, at the end of the movie, you can fully understand what the movie is all about. I'm one of those viewers that loves a movie with replayability, but as is the case with any viewer, it can be frustrating to watch a movie and wonder if it's just your ignorance or the fault of the filmmaker that I didn't completely understand what went on. While I think I have the movie pinned after hours of contemplation, I can't honestly say that I do until I rewatch it, which will be when it comes out on DVD.
Overall, though, I would have to highly recommend this movie. Yeah, it's a mindscrew (I would use other wording, but this is a family friendly publication), but it's a fun mindscrew. Visually stunning, superbly acted, and refreshingly original this is by far Terry Gilliam's best movie in years, and if you like any of his other movies (or Monty Python) you're most likely going to love this movie.
4.5/5
Terry Gilliam is one of the most visually unique directors of all time. From classic movies like Brazil to cult classics like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, the only American from the Monty Python troupe has generally bucked conventions working outside the studio system to create uniquely original works of art. As a result Gilliam is no stranger to controversy and issues with filming. Gilliam's take on Don Quixote was derailed from spectacular budget overruns, back injuries, freakish storms, and more; with the result being so catastrophic it became the subject of the 2002 documentary Lost in La Mancha. But even as devastating as that was, it could never have prepared Gilliam for what befell his 2009 movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Filming had to be shut down when Heath Ledger died mid-production. Fortunately, Gilliam and co-writer Charles McKeown were able to rewrite partsof the film, and Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell stepped in to finish Ledger's role so the world is able to see his last performance.
The reslut is nothing short of amazing. Imaginarium represents a marked return to Gilliam's former visual style. Being the first movie that Gilliam storyboarded since 1988's The Adventures of Baron Munchasen, you can see the return of certain visuals that remind you of his directorial work with Monty Python as well as his great films like Time Bandits and Brazil. Visually this is one of Gilliam's most over the top films to date, but in the scheme of the Imaginarium it also represents his most successfully use of his visual style in years. The writing also represents one of his most original works in years, while also being one of his deeper works with more fully realized characters than has been present in his movies as of late. Also, the way they handled the passing of one of their main characters was also brilliant and possibly even serves the movie much better than expected and in the end just felt right.
The acting is naturally superb as you'd expect when you view the talent in this movie. Christopher Plummer is a veteran actor (The Philadelphia Story, Hamlet as well as newer movies such as 12 Monkeys, and voice parts in 9 and Up) you'd expect nothing less than a stellar, even Oscar worthy performance from on the screen. And, naturally, Heath Ledger was coming off an Oscar winning performance for his work as Joker in The Dark Knight and was formerly nominated for his role in Brokeback Mountain. While honoring the late Heath Ledger for this posthumously released role would seem the natural thing to do, I'd have to say that the best performances are delivered by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. It's hard enough to play a real person, but to step into a role taking over for an actor that passed away, who still remains in the final film is beyond daunting. These three actors take his place in the film admirably, carrying on the spirit of Ledger to the fullest. Even among these Colin Farrell rises to the top in my mind as he ends Ledger's role, having to give the toughest performance of the character.
The only problem I can say that I have with this movie is that at times the plot can be impenetrable and even incoherent at times. For all of Gilliam's strengths, he has a tendency at times to be too in the moment without looking at the full picture, and particularly early on in the movie this can be slightly problematic. At first the movie seems like a series of vignettes rather than part of the whole. You'll also be lucky if, at the end of the movie, you can fully understand what the movie is all about. I'm one of those viewers that loves a movie with replayability, but as is the case with any viewer, it can be frustrating to watch a movie and wonder if it's just your ignorance or the fault of the filmmaker that I didn't completely understand what went on. While I think I have the movie pinned after hours of contemplation, I can't honestly say that I do until I rewatch it, which will be when it comes out on DVD.
Overall, though, I would have to highly recommend this movie. Yeah, it's a mindscrew (I would use other wording, but this is a family friendly publication), but it's a fun mindscrew. Visually stunning, superbly acted, and refreshingly original this is by far Terry Gilliam's best movie in years, and if you like any of his other movies (or Monty Python) you're most likely going to love this movie.
4.5/5
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By ozone702
Format:Blu-ray
I'm writing this as a tear rolls down my cheek and the credits roll across the screen after having just viewed this film. Before seeing it, I read most the reviews out here and I'm glad I did. Any review of this film giving praise are the only reviews, in my opinion, which are worthy of note. Anyone who gives a negative review has no appreciation for art, very little imagination, nor much respect for the film crew. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for everyone to continue work on this after having lost a dear friend and inspiration...
So, the reason I cried at the end of this film is not because it is so sad, but because we have tragically lost, very likely, the most talented actor in our lifetime. Having said that, I would like to segue this review into talking about Terry Gillian. I cannot think of a film Terry has done that I do not like. I'm a huge fan. In the first scene where the camera steps into the Imaginarium, I am reminded how Terry would have made a great choice for doing a J.R.R. Tolkien story. The landscapes, the sounds, the story lines, and the characters Terry puts together are so fantastical and rich in art that we are very lucky to have Mr. Gilliam entertain us.
Without going into any details regarding the story line, I will say this... it strikes chords within us that stretch themes and characters from ancient time into modern struggles and scenery. The whole crew was amazing. The acting was amazing, the wardrobe was amazing, the stages were amazing, the makeup was amazing, the sounds were amazing, and the graphic art was amazing. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a film this good. I hope you enjoy it too. This is a no brainer 5 star film for me, and a wonderful tribute to the late great Heath Ledger. I will undoubtedly watch this film several more times!
So, the reason I cried at the end of this film is not because it is so sad, but because we have tragically lost, very likely, the most talented actor in our lifetime. Having said that, I would like to segue this review into talking about Terry Gillian. I cannot think of a film Terry has done that I do not like. I'm a huge fan. In the first scene where the camera steps into the Imaginarium, I am reminded how Terry would have made a great choice for doing a J.R.R. Tolkien story. The landscapes, the sounds, the story lines, and the characters Terry puts together are so fantastical and rich in art that we are very lucky to have Mr. Gilliam entertain us.
Without going into any details regarding the story line, I will say this... it strikes chords within us that stretch themes and characters from ancient time into modern struggles and scenery. The whole crew was amazing. The acting was amazing, the wardrobe was amazing, the stages were amazing, the makeup was amazing, the sounds were amazing, and the graphic art was amazing. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a film this good. I hope you enjoy it too. This is a no brainer 5 star film for me, and a wonderful tribute to the late great Heath Ledger. I will undoubtedly watch this film several more times!
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Coming to see this with low expectations - while I admire his inventiveness, I have never been much of a Terry Gilliam fan myself, and the word from the critics was not that good - I was very pleasantly surprised with this film. This entertaining and very imaginative fantasy starts with a traveling sideshow driving in a horse-drawn wagon through the seedier parts of a contemporary (if not very realistic) London. Heading the show is a very old wizard/psychic named Dr. Parnassus (veteran Christopher Plummer in a great performance) who promises the few members of the audience interested in them that if they cross a magic mirror, they will travel to a parallel world where their deepest fantasies rule (the "imaginarium" of the title), and where they will have to make a fateful choice about whether they want to follow good or evil. The show has little success (their forays into the magic portal tends to end badly for the audience), but in time the somewhat pathetic troupe (who also includes the beautiful teenage daughter of the wizard, a midget who is the sidekick of Dr. Parnassus, and a young assistant who is madly in love with the daughter) will see a change of fortune when they find and rescue a man hanging in a London bridge (Heath Ledger in his final performance before his untimely death). The man joins the troupe and claims to be an amnesiac, but eventually it will be found that he is a crook running from Russian gangsters from whom he took money. With time, we will also learn more of the back story of Dr. Parnassus: he was a monk who made a deal with the devil (impersonated wittily by Tom Waits) centuries ago: he gets to be immortal, but in exchange, he was to give her daughter to the devil when she turns 16. So you get the idea of the sort of convoluted plot here, but let me assure you that when you see it, you will find it very entertaining and less confusing than it sounds. An intelligent and unusual film, full of intriguing ideas, and helped by the fine performances, including that of Ledger: he died before shooting ended, so in his forays into the imaginary portal he is replaced by three different actors: Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I adore this move AND cast.
It can be a bit confusing at times, but to me that's all part of the charm and probably in accordance with the storyline itself. Read more
Published 4 days ago by Crystal Belote
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your money
One of the strangest, weirdest movies I've ever seen. How did the very fine actor Heath Ledger come to lend himself to this??? What a disappointment.
Published 5 days ago by Nancy Bussewitz
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is not the movie
I was actually looking for the movie, not some PBS special on the artwork. Luckily this was free with my Prime account.
Published 12 days ago by S. Moran
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dreamy!
Such an added plus to find Tom Waits in a major role in this movie! He's an amazing character whether on stage or on film, and almost steals the show. Read more
Published 17 days ago by J. Nunn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good movie
My wife loves this movie so it was a gift for her. It was his last movie too so it's a great addition to our collection.
Published 22 days ago by Frank Owen II
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great movie
This is a great movie. The twenty-something age group really loves it. It could be a collectible over time. Awesome.
Published 1 month ago by june wolter
4.0 out of 5 stars
Weird yet enjoyable
It is a typical "Terry Gillian" movie. What else can I say? Go into it with your mind wide open and get ready for anything.
Published 1 month ago by Eldwin Gajate
4.0 out of 5 stars
A little out there.
They of course did an interesting job of improvising without heath ledger to finish shooting the rest of the scenes.
Published 1 month ago by SCOTT J WEIRUM
5.0 out of 5 stars
Super bizarre
I went into this movie knowing what I was in for. I'm a fan of Terry Gilliam, even... nay, especially... his films that boggle other people's minds. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mikal C. Johnson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pretty Cool
Pretty cool look at Dr. parnassus. I'm dying to see the film again, but this was free, so figured I would take a look. It was worth it. :)
Published 1 month ago by Justin
