There's more than one way to make a movie, especially if you have the imagination and talent of Terry Gilliam. During the production of his "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus," his star, Heath Ledger, died. Many directors would have abandoned the project. Gilliam found a way to complete it, convincing three of Ledger's friends and fellow-actors, to divide the part and to, more or less, make it work.
The result is an interesting movie and a glorious visual entertainment, not always successful, but worth seeing to become involved with Gilliam's imagination, at least equal to that of Dr. Parnassus, a beautifully developed character thanks to a splendid performance by Christopher Plummer. Verne Troyer, one of the little people, is a delight as one of his actors. Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepped in to replace Ledger as slightly different versions of Tony, our almost-hero. In what may be a tribute that also seems a little too pointed and perhaps too graphic, we see Ledger in a hangman's noose in his first scene. Nicole Pecorini, the director of photography, deserves many plaudits for the impressive look of the film.
The good doctor, by the way, runs a strange circus and has made a deal for immortality with the Devil, here called Nick and played with evil passion by Tom Waits. Waits' fee, possession of the doctor's beautiful daughter (the lovely Lily Cole) on her 16th birthday is due to be collected soon.
Gilliam, who directs with style and wrote the screenplay in collaboration with Charles McKeown, is a veteran with Monty Pythonesque skill and the ability to balance many balls in his juggling act, lets some of them hit the ground along the way, but the final tribute to Ledger and the interesting, imaginative use of four actors to create one character, certainly holds interest.
Opening today at the Tivoli.
-Joe
Comments