The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
UK theatrical release poster
Directed byTerry Gilliam
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNicola Pecorini
Edited byMick Audsley
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 22 May 2009 (2009-05-22) (Cannes)
  • 16 October 2009 (2009-10-16) (United Kingdom)
  • 11 November 2009 (2009-11-11) (France)
  • 25 December 2009 (2009-12-25) (Canada)
Running time
123 minutes[2]
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • Canada
  • France
Language
  • English
Budget$30 million[3]
Box office$64.4 million[4]

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a 2009 fantasy film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown. The film follows a travelling theatre troupe whose leader, having made a bet with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations and present them with a choice between self-fulfilling enlightenment or gratifying ignorance.

The film stars Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Verne Troyer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, Tom Waits, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law, though Ledger's death one-third of the way through filming caused production to be temporarily suspended.[5] Ledger completed most of the movie's runtime, and then his role was recast with Depp, Law, and Farrell portraying transformations of his character as he travels through a dream world. This is Ledger's final film performance and was dedicated to him and co-producer William Vince.

Its world premiere was during the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, out of competition.[6] The film, which cost $30 million to make, grossed more than $60 million in its worldwide theatrical release.

It was nominated for two Academy Awards. The first was Best Art Direction with art directed by Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, and set decorated by Caroline Smith; and it lost to Avatar. The second was Best Costume Design with costumes designed by Monique Prudhomme; and it lost to The Young Victoria.[7]

Plot[edit]

Outside a London pub, an elderly bearded sage named Doctor Parnassus runs a nearly bankrupt travelling theatre troupe, which includes his teenage daughter Valentina, a sleight-of-hand expert and barker Anton, and a dwarf assistant Percy. The troupe's main attraction is a portal to a magical "Imaginarium", a surreal dream world that transforms according to its participants' own desires and offers them a choice between difficult self-fulfillment or easy ignorance. After a surly drunkard is swayed to the latter, Parnassus says he has lost "another one" to Mr. Nick, a suave personification of the Devil, who often appears without warning to taunt Parnassus and gloat over Parnassus's failures. He reminds Parnassus that in three days Valentina turns 16, and her soul will belong to Mr. Nick. Hundreds of years ago, Mr. Nick tricked Parnassus into accepting immortality, after making a wager similar to his current predicament.

As the troupe crosses a bridge, Anton notices someone hanging beneath it. After they rescue the man and revive him, he spits out a golden pipe that allowed him to continue breathing while being hanged; unwilling to explain his past, the man convinces his rescuers that he has amnesia. Parnassus sadly contemplates the impending loss of his daughter, and Mr. Nick visits him, revealing the identity of the rescued man: a disgraced philanthropist named Tony Shepard, who was being hanged by Russian gangsters for owing them money. Mr. Nick also offers Parnassus a new wager: Valentina can stay with Parnassus past the age of 16 if Parnassus can win five souls to the path of self-fulfillment before Mr. Nick can win five souls to the path of ignorance, all within the universe of the Imaginarium.

The newcomer Tony soon joins the troupe as a barker even more charismatic than Anton, who is becoming suspicious. Tony persuades the troupe to remodel the show into a more modern act. While performing, Tony lures a posh, affluent woman into the Imaginarium and follows her, where they enter a pastel-coloured dream-world representing the woman's imagination. The woman's imagination also changes Tony's face to one of her liking; Tony dances elegantly with her, and they notice a motel run by Mr. Nick, but Tony persuades the woman instead to take a gondola ride that wins the first soul for Parnassus. Tony falls back out of the Imaginarium, returning his face to normal. The woman exits shortly after and gives the troupe a vast sum of money as thanks for her marvellous experience. When three other women enter, each re-emerges elated; and thus, Parnassus has won a total of four souls. However, Mr. Nick easily takes the souls of four Russian gangsters looking to hunt Tony down for his debts. They chase Tony into the Imaginarium and quickly fall into a trap laid by Mr. Nick. Thus, the score is tied: four to four.

With the bet nearing its end, Parnassus reluctantly reveals to Valentina her secret origins: after aging from immortality, Parnassus made a new pact with Mr. Nick to be youthful again, in order to win the heart of a woman he loved. In exchange, any child he fathered would become Mr. Nick's property at the age of 16. Valentina is horrified at her father's revelation. Meanwhile, having discovered that Tony is a fraudulent charity scammer who stole organs from orphans in developing countries and sold them to wealthy westerners, Anton confronts Tony, but Tony fights him off, pushes Valentina into the Imaginarium, and joins her. Influenced by Valentina's romantic desires, Tony's face changes to that of her dream lover, and they float along a beautiful river in a gondola, fulfilling their shared sexual feelings. A child in rags disrupts their serene boat trip, transitioning the scene to one of Tony as a philanthropist, speaking at a fundraiser for impoverished children. Anton, following the pair into the Imaginarium, appears in the form of an outspoken child and exposes Tony as a fraud. A mob of angry benefactors pursues Tony, and, as the landscape disintegrates, Anton confesses his love for Valentina before falling into a void.

Distraught and angry over her father's bargain and a lifetime of hiding the truth from her, Valentina willingly gives her soul over to Mr. Nick even though he himself tries to dissuade her. Disillusioned by the easy victory, Mr. Nick offers Parnassus yet another bargain: to trade Valentina's soul for Tony's. Therefore, as the mob approaches Tony to hang him, Parnassus presents Tony with his true sturdy golden pipe that will allow him to survive the hanging as well as a near-perfect but brittle replica, hoping that Tony will choose wrong; indeed, Tony inserts the cheap replica in his windpipe and thus dies when the mob lynches him. Mr. Nick keeps his word, freeing Valentina's soul but not revealing her new location to Parnassus, who is abandoned to wander in despair for years, trapped in his own Imaginarium.

One day, Parnassus looks up to find himself a pitiful beggar back in London, when Valentina suddenly walks by him. He sees that she is now happily married to Anton, has a daughter with him, and is living an affluent life. As Parnassus watches them through a window, his old assistant Percy walks up to him, dissuading him from interrupting Valentina's new cheerful life. Parnassus finally seems to be at peace, just knowing that his daughter is happy. Soon, Parnassus and Percy team up again, presenting toy theatres of the Imaginarium and the troupe on a street corner. As Mr. Nick appears one final time to beckon Parnassus over to him for a new bargain, Percy quickly intervenes, telling Parnassus back to work.

Cast[edit]

Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell all completed the film after the death of Heath Ledger

Production[edit]

Writing[edit]

Director Terry Gilliam and screenwriter Charles McKeown wrote the script,[9] their first collaboration since The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).[10] When he was approached with the basic concept by Gilliam, McKeown thought of the central character of Parnassus "as a semi-eastern medicine man evolved",[11] and in retrospect he further said about the script's sensibilities, "It is about the theme of imagination, and the importance of imagination, to how you live and how you think and so on. And that's very much a Terry theme. [...] I like the idea of storytelling being the thing that sustains the universe."[11] Gilliam described the premise as a "fun and humorous story about the consequences of our personal choices in life",[12] and explained his goal for the film: "It's autobiographical. I'm trying to bring a bit of fantasticality to London, an antidote to modern lives. I loved this idea of an ancient travelling show offering the kind of storytelling and wonder that we used to get, to people who are just into shoot-em-up action films."[10] Gilliam and McKeown based the character of Tony on former British prime minister Tony Blair, who "would say the most insane things and probably he'd believe them himself".[13]

Gilliam repeatedly said in interviews that the character of Parnassus was meant autobiographically, a tale of an aging man with a vivid imagination in a world that does not listen anymore.[14] He was still caught in depression over the disruption of his last self-written project, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, his constant struggle with the established studio system, and of becoming aware of his progressing age, worried that he was going nowhere with his latest projects and that he might not have much time left. He put several references to sudden, tragic, and premature death into his script before the loss of Ledger became a reality. He was compelled to emphasise that upon the film's release many things might be mistaken as references to Ledger's fate but that the script wasn't changed apart from re-casting Tony with Depp, Farrell, and Law.[15][16]

Filming[edit]

The film received an initial budget of $25 million,[17] but its final budget was about $30 million.[18] Gilliam and his cinematographer Nicola Pecorini went wider than ever before on focal length with a new 8mm Zeiss lens, unusual even for Gilliam movies which are known for wide-angle imagery.[19] The widest lens on a Gilliam film had been a 9.8mm Kinoptik. Production of the remaining computer generated imagery effects shots were done in Vancouver.[9]

London filming[edit]

Production started in December 2007, beginning with various shots of the Imaginarium wagon moving about the London suburbs, such as Bounds Green,[20] on the evening of 9 December.[21] The carnival scenes were shot at Potters Field between 10 and 11 December; shooting then moved to the abandoned Battersea Power Station for three days, where the production had set up offices nearby.[22] After a full day of set-up, the hanging scenes at Blackfriars Bridge were shot for three hours on the evening of 17 December.[23]

At the same time that an intimate early scene between Andrew Garfield and Lily Cole was being shot on top of the travelling Imaginarium wagon, second unit work around London was also being done for several more nights, until 20 December; this change in schedule was to allow Heath Ledger a break to travel back to Australia to visit his family. After the entire cast returned from Christmas break, the production resumed shooting for 2008 back at Battersea for one full day; this was Tom Waits's first day on set, as he would mainly be required for the subsequent Vancouver shoot, not the London section. From 5–6 January,[24] the production filmed scenes with the Imaginarium at Leadenhall Market; shooting on this sequence managed an average of 70 set-ups a day.[25] The production had originally planned to shoot the Leadenhall scenes at Bond Street, but this was scrapped, due to security concerns.[26]

Effects of Heath Ledger's death[edit]

Production was halted by the death of Heath Ledger in New York City on 22 January 2008. Ledger's involvement had been a "key factor" in the film's financing.[27] Gilliam was presiding over concept art when he was informed by a phone call that Ledger had died. His initial thought about the production was: "The film's over, it's as simple as that."[13] Although production was suspended indefinitely by 24 January,[28] Gilliam initially wanted to "salvage" the film by using computer-generated imagery to make Ledger's character magically change his appearance, perhaps into another character. He also wanted to dedicate the film to Ledger.[29] The imagery would have been similar to transformation techniques seen on Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and those employed on Roy Scheider's performance in his posthumous release Iron Cross.

Eventually, actors Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law were cast into Ledger's character in certain scenes, portraying the new idea of transformed versions of the character travelling through magical realms. Ledger's footage would remain in the film as his character's "real-world" appearance. Gilliam told Entertainment Weekly, "Then we made the quantum leap: What if we get three actors to replace him? [...] Johnny was the first person I called. He said, 'Done. I'm there.' Same with Jude and Colin."[30] Depp, a friend of Gilliam's who starred in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the aborted 1998 production of The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, had been compared to Ledger by cinematographer Nicola Pecorini. Law was also a friend of Ledger's and had been considered for the role of Tony, and Farrell had also been friends with Ledger.[13]

Initially, Tom Cruise expressed interest in being involved as another actor to replace Ledger, but Gilliam turned him down because Cruise had never been a close friend of Ledger.[31][32] Gilliam stated, "I just wanted to keep this [in the] family—it's as simple as that [...] There were people even offering to come and help, they didn't know Heath. It had to be in the family somehow, I don't know why; it was my attitude."[33]

One scene planned for the Vancouver shooting with the Tony character was scrapped; two others were altered to accommodate Ledger's absence, a third was added to plan for Colin Farrell's role in the film, and a fourth, already in the script, had a prop of Farrell in a magazine added.[34] A fifth, with close-ups of Ledger already filmed, scrapped any major dialogue from Tony and used a body and voice double, as detailed below.

Vancouver filming[edit]

With the role recast, and the script restructured accordingly, filming resumed in Vancouver on 24 February 2008, a month later than originally planned;[35][36] this push-back in filming also required another film produced by Samuel Hadida, an adaptation of the video game Onimusha, to be delayed indefinitely.[37] Exteriors required for the film's ending, featuring Christopher Plummer and Verne Troyer, were shot during this time; the location work also required the presence of Tom Waits (on the first day)[38] and Lily Cole (on the second).[20] All of Plummer's scenes, including exterior flashbacks shown early on in the film,[26] had to be filmed first in the Vancouver schedule, within three weeks, as he was due to leave to begin filming on The Last Station, which was to start production in Germany on 7 April.[25][39]

After arriving in Vancouver on 26 February,[38] Colin Farrell joined the cast and began practicing scenes with them for several weeks while Christopher Plummer's bluescreen and interior work was done, only beginning filming proper on 10 March.[40] Farrell's work was the first of the Tonys to be done, as it was the only Imaginarium-based shooting that involved significant sets; the scenes at the charity ball were shot (at Vancouver's Orpheum Theatre),[41] then the hanging scene, and finally the gondola sequence (rewritten from its original conception due to the now-compressed shooting schedule).

Johnny Depp's shooting on the film was the hardest to incorporate into any of the new actors' schedules, due to his contractual obligation on Michael Mann's Public Enemies at the time; in the end, Gilliam had access to Depp for one day and three hours. All of the shots involving him had to be completed in one take, to fit into Depp's compressed time schedule.

A few of the scenes featuring Zander Gladish, behind a mask, doubling for Ledger.

Finally, Jude Law arrived at the very end of shooting, on 2 April,[42] to film the Imaginarium ladders sequence, which now required more dialogue than originally planned; a key scene in the Imaginarium wagon between Tony and the rest of the cast had been reserved for the Vancouver interior shooting,[36] and so all of the dialogue (and, thus, narrative role of that scene) had to be funnelled into a conversation between Law and Andrew Garfield's characters in the Imaginarium.[24] This conversation proved to be the last sequence shot for the film, and involved a set completely improvised, on the day, to look like the ground at Battersea;[26] they did not have the budget for anything better, but the production crew came away quite impressed at how well it worked.[24][26][43]

For the first two Imaginarium sequences, a double for Ledger, Zander Gladish, was used to ease the audience into the other actors as Tony. Gladish also doubled for Ledger in wide shots and masked close-ups for another, non-Imaginarium scene, where his character tries out various costumes. Gladish wore the character's mask for his shots, and did not speak, but is still credited for his work on the film.[34][44]

Depp, Farrell, and Law opted to redirect their wages for the role to Ledger's young daughter, Matilda, who had been left out of an old version of Ledger's will,[45] and Gilliam altered the part of the credits saying "A Terry Gilliam film" to "A film from Heath Ledger and friends."[13]

Gilliam said in retrospect about the first transition from Ledger to Depp in the film:

He's extraordinary. That's why I put Johnny in first position [of the three new Tonys], because number one, he was going to be the most difficult to get any time with, and number two, I just thought if it works with the transition to Johnny and if the audience goes for it, they'll follow the next two. And that's exactly how it works. [...] That's what's funny, when Johnny appears so many people think it's Heath! And it's a trick: Johnny's not doing anything. He looks like Johnny. [...] [During the initial shoot] Heath was on stage and the Russians are appearing, and he was behaving in a very funny way, he was moving around, and I said, 'Heath, I know what you're doing.' He said, 'What are you talking about?' 'You're doing Johnny Depp, aren't you?' And can you believe, that helps this transition [when Ledger enters the mirror and becomes Depp]. This was not intended!"[33]

Depp said of the experience:

Maestro Gilliam has made a sublime film. Wonderfully enchanting and beautiful, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a uniquely ingenious, captivating creation; by turns wild, thrilling and hilarious in all its crazed, dilapidated majesty. Pure Gilliam magic! It was an honor to represent Heath. He was the only player out there breathing heavy down the back of every established actor's neck with a thundering and ungovernable talent that came up on you quick, hissing rather mischievously with that cheeky grin, "hey... get on out of my way, boys, I'm coming through..." and does he ever!!! Heath is a marvel, Christopher Plummer beyond anything he's ever done, Waits as the Devil is a God, Lily Cole and Andrew Garfield, the very foundation, are spectacular, Verne Troyer simply kicks ass and as for my other cohorts, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, they most certainly did Master Ledger very proud, I salute them. Though the circumstances of my involvement are extremely heart-rending and unbelievably sad, I feel privileged to have been asked aboard to stand in on behalf of dear Heath."[46]

Jude Law also commented on the film:

I have always loved Terry Gilliam's films. Their heart, their soul, their mind, always inventive, touching, funny and relevant. When I got the call, it was a double tug. I liked Heath very much as a man and admired him as an actor. To help finish his final piece of work was a tribute I felt compelled to make. To help Terry finish his film was an honour paid to a man I adore. I had a great time on the job. Though we were all there in remembrance, Heath's heart pushed us with great lightness to the finish.[46]

Colin Farrell commented on the experience:

It's not hard for me to imagine that if I ever look back on the films I've been a part of, and the stories I've had a hand in telling, one will stand out as so unique an experience, as to be incomparable. This experience was the shooting of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. The reasons for its uniqueness, sadly, are probably obvious to anyone who reads this.

Three of us had been asked to complete a task that had been set in motion by a man we greatly liked and respected as both a person and an artist. Being part of this film was never about filling Heath's shoes as much as seeing them across the finish line. How I wish he had brought the film to its completion himself. Of course, the whole crew felt this way. And the cast that we joined felt it, too. It was this spirit of grieving the loss of Heath, that Johnny and Jude and I joined. But there was also a sense of dogged insistence. Insistence that Heath's last piece of work should not be kept in the shadow of the light of day.

More than anything, though – more than the sadness and shock, the vulnerability and un-suredness as to whether it was right to complete the film or not – was an incredible sense of love. A community of people, caterers and actors, electricians and makeup artists had been brought together in a recognized sense of love and obligation, for and to, one of cinema's finest actors and most generous of men. It will be this sense of love amidst the sadness I will remember most. Such a gift and an honor, from Heath, to be a part of the trail that he left behind.

RIP Heath Ledger x[47]

Post-production[edit]

Principal photography in Vancouver wrapped, as planned, on 15 April, but the production was soon beset by further tragedy when producer William Vince died of cancer, just two days after model shooting back in London had wrapped.[20] Fellow producer Amy Gilliam, Terry's daughter, remembered, "[Bill Vince] always said, 'If you get your film in the can, you'll be all right.' And I kind of believe that he stayed with us to know that happened."[33] Eventually, while on post-production, Gilliam himself was hit by a car, resulting in a cracked vertebra. Gilliam recalled: "So I thought, it was third time lucky – they just didn't get me. They got the star, the producer, and they were going for the director, and the fuckers failed on the last one. Whoever they are..."[15] "They were going for the trinity [...] That would have been a tidy end to the whole thing. But they didn't kill me. I'm stuck here to tell the tale."[14]

Gilliam finished editing the film by November 2008, and then work began on creating 647 computer generated imagery effects shots.[13] As usual with his films, Gilliam found inspiration in particular painters for each CGI-generated scene inside the titular Imaginarium. According to Designing the Imaginarium published by CBSnews.com, the scene with Doctor Parnassus's attempted suicide related to the style of Odd Nerdrum,[48] the Ladder World with Jude Law featuring "rolling hills with simple trees" was inspired by the art of Grant Wood,[49] the kitsch landscape from the beginning of the sequence with Colin Farrell took inspiration from Maxfield Parrish,[50] and Jose Maria Sert's mural of the Crucifixion in Rockefeller Center inspired the scene including the final minutes of Farrell's appearance in the film.[51]

According to the official ParnassusFilm Twitter channel[52][53] launched on 30 March 2009, post-production was finished on 31 March. After the production had finally come to a successful closure, Gilliam felt that "[I] didn't make this film. Forces from above and below made it. It made itself. I don't worry anymore. It's got its own relentless momentum. It just needed some human sacrifice."[14] "It's made itself – I was just one pair of hands and there were many hands."[15] "Don't get me into my mystical mode [...] but the film made itself and it was co-directed by Heath Ledger!"[54] "The irony is that the choices that were forced upon us improved the movie, so it was as if Heath co-directed the movie, even co-wrote it."[55] According to Gilliam, actor Colin Farrell also went on record for saying that he hadn't been simply playing the character of Tony, but that he was rather feeling like "channeling Heath".[56]

Tony is found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge.

Gilliam also positively recalled people's commitment to Ledger's memory: "Everyone in the cast and everyone in the crew was determined that this film would be finished and everybody worked longer, harder and somehow we got through. It was really [...] people's love for Heath that propelled this thing forward."[57] "All the actors already in the film had to change their schedules, and there wasn't a moment's hesitation. [...] They all said, 'We'll do what's necessary.' It's really a love letter to Heath by everybody involved. He was beloved by so many."[14]

Locations[edit]

The restyled show debuts in Leadenhall Market.

The film opens with St Paul's Cathedral in the background (by the north bank of the Thames), and the first show is performed under the rail tracks at Green Dragon Court, directly next to Borough Market, with Southwark Cathedral in the background (in Borough, London, on the south bank of the Thames), where the drunken lout molests the performers and then enters the mirror. The next scene, with Tower Bridge in the background, is just east along the riverbank, by City Hall. Tony is found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge, and the very large disused building in which the following scene (and several later ones) occurs is the interior of Battersea power station, farther west along the south bank of the river.

The following scenes occur north of the Thames: the Homebase, DIY store at 3 Station Road, south of New Southgate railway station, in New Southgate, followed by the Horseshoe pub in Clerkenwell Close in Clerkenwell from which the wagon flees. The restyled show makes its debut in Leadenhall Market, where the stylish women gather to watch. Bray Studios near Windsor was used for model shooting and additional photography.

The "mall" is the foyer of the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library.

The remaining scenes were filmed in Vancouver. The fantasy scenes were filmed at Bridge Studios in Burnaby, while the charity gala occurs at the Orpheum Theatre, and the glass-walled "mall" is the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, the curved arcade being the library's entrance foyer.

Music[edit]

The original motion picture soundtrack of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was composed by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna who had previously worked on Gilliam's Tideland (2005). Gilliam wrote lyrics for the two songs "We Love Violence" and "We Are the Children of the World", the latter of which spoofed Michael Jackson's famous "We Are the World"[58] and was nominated for a 2009 Satellite Award in the category "Best Original Song".[59]

The song "We Love Violence", performed in the film by policemen in drag, was sung by Gilliam, Mick Audsley (who edited the film), the musician Ray Cooper, Ed Hall (who was also the Visual Effects Editor), and Andre Jacquemin (who was Supervising Sound & Design on the film).[60]

Release[edit]

Tom Waits and Lily Cole promoted the film at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.

Before it was finished, the film had already received healthy interest from worldwide distributors and had sold out across the world.[61][62] However, it received mild response from many distributors in the United States. Gilliam said that Fox Searchlight Pictures and other distributors had declined to release it in the US.[63] Eventually, its US distribution rights were acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, which released it in the US through Sony Pictures Classics.[64][65] The US was the last territory in which it was sold.[66] Gilliam said that his team asked for $4 million for selling the US rights, but eventually couldn't get it.[63]

Box office[edit]

According to Reuters, the film debuted at No. 3 on its first weekend at the UK box office.[67] The film debuted at No. 2 in both France[68] and Italy, generating the year's third-best box office return on an opening weekend in Italy. Said Roberto Proia, distribution chief of the film's Italian distributor Moviemax, about its surprisingly warm reception, "Almost two years after his death, Ledger has a huge fanbase which, along with the rest of the stellar cast, certainly contributed hugely. [...] We also found out that teenagers massively love Gilliam, and we did not expect this. He really has rock star status."[69] Eventually, the film had earned about $54,119,168 theatrically in the countries outside North America.[70]

It earned $415,233 on its North American limited opening Christmas weekend (25–27 December 2009), being presented in 48 theatres with an average of $8,651. Its second weekend (1–3 January 2010) set an average of $7,684 with a gross of $368,836 which totaled $1,029,821 domestically. Releasing in 607 North American theatres, it took eleventh place on its opening wide release box office weekend (8–10 January 2010) with earnings of $1,762,637, an average of only $2,904 and a total of $2,989,290.[71] Eventually, the film had earned $7,689,607 theatrically in North America.[70]

According to the working partner of William Vince, the film had already made its budget back even before it opened in North America.[72]

Home media[edit]

The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom (Region 2) on 29 March 2010, by Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Supplementary material includes an audio commentary and an introduction by Gilliam, deleted scenes, wardrobe test for Heath Ledger, visual FX feature, and three featurettes titled "Behind the Mirror", "Building the Temple", and "UK Premiere".[73]

The DVD and Blu-ray were released in the US on 27 April 2010. The film went on to bigger success in US ancillary markets, with more than $10,445,997 in US Blu-ray and DVD sales alone.[74]

Reception[edit]

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 64% of 197 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6/10. The website's critical consensus is that "Terry Gilliam remains as indulgent as ever, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus represents a return to the intoxicatingly imaginative, darkly beautiful power of his earlier work, with fine performances to match all the visual spectacle."[75] Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 65 based on 30 reviews, indicating 'generally favourable reviews'.[76]

Roger Ebert gave the film 3 stars out of 4:

The story in Gilliam's fevered film is all over the map, as usual, but this time there's a reason. His wild inventions in character, costumes and CGI effects are accounted for by a plot that requires revolving worlds.[77]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Award Category Recipient Result
Academy Awards[78] Best Art Direction Dave Warren, Anastasia Masaro and Caroline Smith Nominated
Best Costume Design Monique Prudhomme Nominated
BAFTA awards[79] Best Production Design Dave Warren, Anastasia Masaro and Caroline Smith Nominated
Best Make Up & Hair Sarah Monzani Nominated
British Independent Film Awards[80] Best Achievement in Production Nominated
Costume Designers Guild of America[81] Best Fantasy Film Monique Prudhomme Won
Empire Awards[82] Best British Film Nominated
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Nominated
Satellite Award[59] Best Art Direction and Production Design Anastasia Masaro, Dave Warren, Terry Gilliam Nominated
Best Costume Design Monique Prudhomme Won
Best Original Song Terry Gilliam
For the song "We Are the Children of the World" 		Nominated
Best Visual Effects Nominated
Saturn Awards[83] Best International Film Nominated
Best Make-Up Sarah Monzani Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". Cineuropa. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  2. ^ ""The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 14 August 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  3. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)". Box Office Mojo.
  4. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Heath Ledger's final film 'struggling to secure release'". The Daily Telegraph. London. 2 March 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 2 March 2009.
  6. ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 17 September 2009.
  7. ^ "Nominees & Winners for the 82nd Academy Awards". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  8. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (10 March 2008). "Shooting resumes on 'Parnassus'". Variety. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  9. ^ a b "Gilliam, Ledger Reteam for Film". Variety. 31 October 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  10. ^ a b Dawtrey, Adam (14 December 2007). "Gilliam Mounts 'Parnassus' in London". Variety. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  11. ^ a b Stubbs, Phil (2008). "Charles McKeown on writing the Dr Parnassus script". Dreams fanzine.com.
  12. ^ Kemp, Stuart (1 November 2007). "Ledger, Plummer join Gilliam's 'Doctor'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  13. ^ a b c d e Jolin, Dan (March 2009). "A Film by Heath Ledger and Friends...". Empire. pp. 109–113.
  14. ^ a b c d Turan, Kenneth (22 May 2009). "Terry Gilliam used magic to finish 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". Los Angeles Times.
  15. ^ a b c "Terry Gilliam (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus) Interview". lastbroadcast.co.uk. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014.
  16. ^ Daniels, Hunter (27 July 2009). "'The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus' at Comic-Con". Collider.com.
  17. ^ Ferrante, A. C. (8 January 2010). "Exclusive Interview: Director Terry Gilliam Enters 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'". If magazine. Archived from the original on 10 January 2010.
  18. ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (25 December 2009). "The imaginarium of Terry Gilliam". Salon.com. Archived from the original on 12 January 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  19. ^ Shell, Theresa (6 December 2009). "Nicola Picorini, Director of Photography, talks to Dr. Parnassus Support Site about the film, Heath Ledger & Terry Gilliam". The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Support Site. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011.
  20. ^ a b c "Dreams: Terry Gilliam 2008 News Blog". Dreams fanzine.com. 10 March 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  21. ^ "Dreams: Terry Gilliam 2007 News Blog". Dreams fanzine.com. 17 December 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  22. ^ "Dreams: Editor Mick Audsley talks to Dreams about his work on Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus". Dreams fanzine.com. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  23. ^ "Dreams: Terry Gilliam & Heath Ledger on location of The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus". Dreams fanzine.com. 29 December 2007. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  24. ^ a b c "Shooting The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". Wide Angle / Closeup. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  25. ^ a b Morgan, David (21 December 2009). "Resurrecting Heath Ledger's Final Film". CBS News.
  26. ^ a b c d "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Production Design". Wide Angle / Closeup. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  27. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (23 January 2008). "'Parnassus' Team Faces Dilemma". Variety. Retrieved 23 January 2008.
  28. ^ Kilpatrick, Christine (24 January 2008). "Production Suspended on Heath Ledger's Latest Movie". People. Retrieved 24 January 2008.
  29. ^ Stoynoff, Natasha (28 January 2008). "Show Will Go on for Heath's Last Movie, Says Costar". People. Retrieved 28 January 2008.
  30. ^ Rottenberg, Josh (6 March 2009). "Heath Ledger's Last Film: The Struggle to Release It". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
  31. ^ Mihelich, Charles (4 September 2009). "Tom Cruise Wanted To Be in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"; Terry Gilliam Said 'No'". Collider.com.
  32. ^ Aguirre, Laura (4 September 2009). "Terry Gilliam Rejected Tom Cruise for Dr. Parnassus". ScreenCrave. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
  33. ^ a b c Morgan, David S. (21 December 2009). "Resurrecting Heath Ledger's Final Film". CBS News.
  34. ^ a b "Shooting The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". Wide Angle / Closeup. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  35. ^ Dawtrey, Adam (10 March 2008). "Shooting resumes on 'Parnassus'". Variety. Retrieved 14 March 2008.
  36. ^ a b "Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus – Shooting in Vancouver". Dreams fanzine.com. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  37. ^ Calistri, Arnaud (27 March 2008). "'Onimusha' delayed? What's Christophe Gans up to, then?". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 30 August 2008.
  38. ^ a b Kazren. "Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus – Johnny Depp". Ohjohnny.net. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  39. ^ Meza, Ed (31 March 2008). "Mirren, Plummer to star in 'Station'". Variety.
  40. ^ Arasto (13 March 2008). "Heath's final movie is under way". fadedyouthblog.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011.
  41. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Production Notes" (PDF). Sony Pictures Classics. 10 September 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  42. ^ "Jude Law Goes To Vancouver To Play Dr. Parnassus". PopSugar. 3 April 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  43. ^ "Dreams: Terry Gilliam reflects on The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus". Dreams fanzine.com. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  44. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (15 February 2010). "Carnivalesque: Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  45. ^ Salter, Jessica (18 August 2008). "Heath Ledger's daughter given wages of stars in Terry Gilliam's Dr. Parnassus". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 21 August 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  46. ^ a b Ellwood, Gregory (28 December 2009). "Johnny Depp finally discusses stepping in for Heath Ledger in Imaginarium". HitFix.com. Archived from the original on 31 December 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  47. ^ "Risky Business: Colin Farrell on 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus'". The Hollywood Reporter. January 2010. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  48. ^ "Designing the Imaginarium", Precipice". CBS News. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  49. ^ "Designing the Imaginarium, High in the Sky". CBS News. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  50. ^ "Designing the Imaginarium, Parrish". CBS News. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  51. ^ "Designing the Imaginarium, Noose". CBS News. 18 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  52. ^ ParnassusFilm. "Parnassus Film (ParnassusFilm) on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 16 October 2009.
  53. ^ "Dreams: 2009 News Blog". Dreams fanzine.com. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  54. ^ Kirkland, Bruce (23 April 2009). "Ledger's 'insane' last film finished". Canoe.com. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  55. ^ Bunbury, Stephanie (11 October 2009). "Applause: Even after death, Heath Ledger's 'life force' heavily influenced his final film". The Age.
  56. ^ Reynolds, Thomas (13 October 2009). "Terry Gilliam ('Doctor Parnassus')". Digital Spy.
  57. ^ Frenette, Brad (22 May 2009). "Terry Gilliam talks about Heath Ledger and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus at Cannes". National Post.[permanent dead link]
  58. ^ Edgar, Sean (18 December 2009). "Catching Up With...Terry Gilliam". Paste. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  59. ^ a b "2009 14th Annual Satellite Awards Nominees and Winners". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on 1 December 2009.
  60. ^ "The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus Production Information". The Cinematic Intelligence Agency. 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2010.
  61. ^ Mitchell, Wendy (20 May 2008). "Gilliam's Doctor Parnassus sells to UK, Australia and Japan". Screendaily. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
  62. ^ Kaufman, Anthony (12 May 2009). "Cannes Films Bridge an Array of Financing and Foreign Partners". The Wall Street Journal.
  63. ^ a b Buchanan, Kyle (23 December 2009). "Terry Gilliam: The Movieline Interview". Movieline. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  64. ^ Swart, Sharon (12 August 2009). "'Parnassus' finds Stateside buyer". Variety. Archived from the original on 16 August 2009.
  65. ^ Longwell, Todd (21 January 2010). "Sony's acquisitions unit finds films for many labels". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  66. ^ "Dr. Parnassus Has Distribution in All Areas Except USA". imaginariumofdrparnassus.com. 27 June 2009. Archived from the original on 22 September 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
  67. ^ "Disney's old man rides high at UK box office". Yahoo! News. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 29 October 2009.[dead link]
  68. ^ "1ères séances : la carton de "2012"". Allocine.fr (in French). 11 November 2009. Archived from the original on 14 November 2009.
  69. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (26 October 2009). "'Parnassus' makes stellar bow in Italy Opening screen average is year's third highest". Variety. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
  70. ^ a b "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) - International Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  71. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) - Weekend Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo.
  72. ^ Mackie, John (24 December 2009). "The imagination of Bill Vince". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 9 December 2014.
  73. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". dvdactive.com. 7 July 2022.
  74. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  75. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  76. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  77. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus movie review and film summary". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  78. ^ "2012 Oscar Winners". Oscar.go.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  79. ^ "Film Awards Winners in 2010". British Academy Film Awards. Archived from the original on 28 February 2010. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  80. ^ "Winners Announced for the 12th British Independent Film Awards Sunday 6 December at the Brewery, Chiswell Street". British Independent Film Awards. Archived from the original on 5 May 2010.
  81. ^ "Costume Designers Guild Local IA 892 – 14th Annual CDG Awards". Costumedesignersguild.com. 21 February 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  82. ^ "Jameson Empire Awards 2010". Empire Online. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2010.
  83. ^ "The 38th Saturn Award Nominations". Saturn Awards. Archived from the original on 10 February 2005. Retrieved 24 March 2012.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Imaginarium_of_Doctor_Parnassus&oldid=1218283116"