Heath Ledger as Tony

“The film’s over, it’s as simple as that,” thought director and writer Terry Gilliam’s after receiving news that his lead actor for his new film, Heath Ledger, had died. Gilliam received this shocking news on January 22, 2008 and, within two days, the film’s production was indefinitely suspended. It seemed as if a 30 million dollar budget would be all but wasted. However, Gilliam was determined to finish the film as a tribute to Ledger and decided to find a way to complete it. He weighed several options including digitally inputting Ledger into the film. Luckily, the movie’s bizarre storyline seamlessly allowed for four different actors to contribute to a single character. Therefore, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, all friends of Gilliam and Ledger, took turns playing Ledger’s character Tony. The three actors agreed to give their earnings from the film to Ledger’s baby daughter, who was left out of an old version of his will. The pressure was on to make Ledger’s last on-screen performance a success. Gilliam did not disappoint with The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

The fantastical story picks up by introducing a traveling production company called “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”, that is headed by the doctor himself. Parnassus, his daughter Valentina, a young magician named Anton, and a dwarf named Percy comprise the company, but find themselves struggling to turn a profit. An on-stage mirror promising audience members the opportunity to live in the magical world of their imaginations is used to attract customers. Dr. Parnassus has the uncanny ability to guide these people’s imaginations in the mirror and is immortal due to a bet he won with the devil, Mr. Nick, 1000 years ago. However, after meeting the woman of his life, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil to surrender his first-born daughter on her 16^th birthday in exchange for youth. Before long, the troupe comes across a man appearing to be suffering from amnesia and is unable remember his name. Fortunately, Dr. Parnassus discovers his name is Tony, an eccentric, hyper man eager to join the troupe and help revamp the show to attract more customers. As the show becomes more successful, however, the story takes a turn as Valentina’s sweet-16 approaches, and Mr. Nick comes to collect his end of a millennium-old bargain.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus has an Alice and Wonderland feel to it at times, but is set in the present, and in the bustling city of London. The movie constantly flip-flops from real to surreal worlds, a juxtaposition that bolsters the film’s ability to be more than a simple Alice and Wonderland story. It questions morality by blending life and death scenes with playful humor and fun. A mix of adult themes with trippy, extraordinary, and sometimes unexplained occurrences produces a successful and original end result incomparable to just about anything ever projected onto the big screen. It is funny at times, tense at others, but always pleasantly unpredictable.

This movie is cinematographic gold from start to finish. Gorgeous CGI landscapes create the fantasy worlds of people’s imaginations. These worlds have no limits, and Gilliam is not afraid to stretch the boundaries of what can come to life in the colorful world of imagination. In a world where anything is possible, Tony and his customers explore their imaginations. It is here in which Gilliam integrates Depp, Law, and Farrel into the story. Luckily, Ledger filmed his scenes as Tony in the real world, leaving the CGI-heavy scenes in the surreal to be played by other actors. Tony takes three major trips into the surreal, and Depp, Law, and Farrel portray Tony in each trip respectively. Therefore, transitions from one Tony to the next are seamless, even with little script alteration. All three alternate Tonys pay an admirable and impressive tribute to Ledger. Depp in particular makes a brief, albeit sensational performance as the first Tony. Christopher Plummer delivers a delightful performance as the mysterious Doctor Parnassus while Tom Waits fills the shoes of the devil himself comfortably. Co-stars Verne Troyer, Lily Cole, and Andrew Garfield also serve as a strong supporting cast. Ledger has a strong follow-up performance to his indelible portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is an enjoyable film, and could work with four actors playing Tony regardless of necessity. Nevertheless, it serves as an appropriate tribute to Heath Ledger, whose final motion picture was salvaged thanks to Terry Gilliam and a little help from his friends.