Last night, thanks to a friend not being able to go, we got into a premiere of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus for free. I've wanted to see this movie ever since I heard about it, based solely on the fact that it was the last movie Heath Ledger worked on. Also, it was directed and written by Terry Gilliam, so it was sure to at least be interesting and eye-catching. I was also quite curious to see just how Gilliam had re-worked the film, as I'd heard that four actors would now be playing the role that Heath Ledger was solely meant to play.
And I think he pulled it off quite well. Here, my previous musing about a costume dictating who the wearer was over a various number of performances regardless of its different wearers was quite elaborated. Because of the circumstances, Gilliam had to convince the audience (and the other characters in the film) that Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell were indeed the same person. And with a little bit of witty banter and imagination, this was accomplished by having each actor wear the same suit and have the same hairdo, as well as the same mannerisms (see below). I agree with Gilliam's initial choice, as I loved Heath the most in the role, but I do always enjoy seeing Johnny Depp in any film. All in all, it was a visually stunning work, which I will happily watch again. Oh, and Lily Cole's first leading role was also quite lovely.
(Photos via IMDb.com)
4 comments:
I am SO looking forward to seeing this. It looks absolutely amazing, visuals-wise, and even though I've heard mixed things about the plot (what did you think?) I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.
I kind of steered clear on commenting on the plot on purpose. Because I'm still not entirely sure what I think. You're left with a lot of questions if you care about having a solid plot. But at the same time, Terry Gilliam's movies usually don't make sense to me, so perhaps he intends to leave stuff up in the air. And there are a couple of scenes that are so reminiscent of Monty Python, which thrived on not making sense. I was just happy to watch Heath in one last great role, and to have something gorgeous to look at for a couple of hours.
It was the most exquisite visualisation of that perfect dream state which (normally) defies capture. I loved it with a passion, precisely because it skipped a merry step ahead of my own brain, twisting and weaving, pulling you close and pushing you away. Heath Ledger and co managed to thrill me. End of.
Excellent way of putting it, Stefanie!
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