The Imaginarium
of Dr Parnassus
“A
brilliantly creative fantasy film,
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus —
the brainchild of veteran visionary
Terry Gilliam —
is rich in acting
talent and the wildly imaginative
imagery will be right up your street
if you love extraordinary images
and dreamy sets...”
TERRY GILLIAM PERSONALLY INTRODUCES his very unusual film, The Imaginarium
of Dr Parnassus, describing it as very original; a compendium that is playful
and relaxed. Original it certainly is, very much in the vein of Monty Python
but something completely different!
Described as one of the most imaginative releases of recent years, The Imaginarium
of Dr Parnassus has been nominated for two Oscars and marks the last appearance
of respected actor Heath Ledger. Sumptuous and colourful, Gilliam's complex
movie has an A-list cast that gives the film both depth and appeal.
This "joyful adventure" begins in modern London with a strange wagon arriving
in the capital — a wagon that houses Dr Parnassus' home and his Imaginarium,
a pop-up travelling theatre with a hidden secret. A word of warning: Don't mess
with Dr Parnassus (Christopher Plummer).
The troupe is made up of Dr Parnassus, his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), Anton
(Andrew Garfield) and Percy (Verne Troyer), who take their audience into the
realms of fantasy and beyond, accessed through a two-way mirror.
Parnassus is said to be over a thousand years old, an immortal man who is able
to empower your mind and open up your imagination. But unknown to Valentina,
when her father fell in love with her mother he entered into a shocking bargain
with the devil, in order to possess the woman he desired.
Anton, who fronts the show, is in love with Valentina. But when he rescues the
mysterious amnesiac Tony Shepherd (Heath Ledger), whom he finds hanging from
a bridge after Parnassus draws The Hanged Man Tarot card, Valentina becomes
attracted to the newcomer. But is Tony all he is supposed to be — or will
he turn out to be the enemy within? And who is the sinister Mr Nick (Tom Waits),
who seems to appear from the shadows at every opportunity to strike fear into
Parnassus.
As the devil is expecting to collect Valentina's soul on her 16th birthday,
will Tony help Parnassus to strike a new deal with him to collect more souls
in place of his daughter. But will that be enough to appease the devil? The
Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus is a fantastical adventure liberally sprinkled
with tongue-in-cheek humour and a dark undercurrent. The Join-The-Fuzz sketch
is hilarious.
As Valentina dreams of normality and is drawn into Tony's world, she comes to
realise that things are not always as they seem — she must be particularly
confused as Tony undergoes various metamorphoses through Johnny Depp, Jude Law
and Colin Farrell! And how will she react when she discovers the truth?
The beautiful, wild and desolate land of the Imaginarium stretches your mind
delightfully. You decide what is reality and what is illusion. Treat yourself
to an enjoyable journey of discovery to The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
— just let your imagination take you into the realms of fantasy. The Blu-ray
version is superb. The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus is dedicated to Heath
Ledger and William Vince.
• The brilliantly creative fantasy film The
Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus comes to DVD, Blu-ray and download, courtesy
of Lionsgate Home entertainment, on 29 March 2010. RRP: DVD £19.99; Blu-ray
£24.99 | Running Time: 122 Minutes Approximately | Catalogue Numbers: DVD: LGD
94208; Blu-ray: LGB 94208.
"The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus is a fantastical adventure liberally
sprinkled with tongue-in-cheek humour and a dark undercurrent" — Maggie
Woods, MotorBar
"A wild and wonderful fantasy" — Alan Frank, Daily Star
**** — News Of The World
Special Features
Feature Introduction by Terry Gilliam | Heath Ledger & Friends | Heath Ledger
Interview | Heath Ledger Wardrobe Test with Optional Commentary by Terry Gilliam
| Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Terry Gilliam | Director's Commentary
| The Imaginarium of Terry Gilliam | Building the Monastery | Behind the Mirror
| UK Premiere Featurette | The Drunk, Multi-Angle Feature (Blu-ray Exclusive).
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus also features: Richard Riddell as Martin;
Katie Lyons as Martin's Girlfiend; Richard Shanks as Friend of Martin; Bruce
Crawford as Face-Changed Martin; Johnny Harris as Policeman; Lorraine Cheshire
as Mum; Mark Benton as Dad; Lewis Gott as Diego; Sian Scott as Linda; Vitaliv
Kravchenko as Piotr; Ben Cartwright as Policeman 1; and Ray Cooper as Vladimir.
Director of Photography is Nicola Pecorini; Original Design and Art Direction
by Dave Warren and Terry Gilliam; Music by Mycheal Danna and Jeff Danna; Costume
Designer is Monique Prudhomme; Directed by Terry Gilliam; Written by Terry Gilliam
and Charles McKeown; and Produced by William Vince, Amy Gilliam, Samuel Hadida
and Terry Gilliam.
