“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (2009)
Andrew Garfield as Anton
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
Written By: Terry Gilliam and Charles McKeown
Release: 25 December 2009, 16 October 2009 (UK)
Genre: Adventure | Fantasy | Mystery
Co-Stars: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole
In London, the sideshow troupe of Doctor Parnassus promises to the audiences a journey to the “Imaginarium”, an imaginary world commanded by the mind of Doctor Parnassus where dreams come true. In the stories that Doctor Parnassus tells to his daughter Valentina, to the midget Percy, and his assistant Anton, he claims to have more than one thousand years; however, when he felt in love for a mortal, he made a deal with the devil Mr. Nick trading his immortality per youth. As part of the bargain, he promised his son or daughter to Mr. Nick on the sixteenth birthday. Valentina now is almost in the doomed age and Doctor Parnassus bets with Mr. Nick that whoever seduces five souls in the Imaginarium will have Valentina as a prize. Meanwhile the troupe rescues Tony that was hanged on a bridge by the Russians that explains why he had been chased and he joins the group. Tony and Valentina fall in love for each other and the jealous Anton discovers that his competitor is a liar.
Gallery Images
Quotes
Tony: If Doctor Parnassus can really control people’s mind, why isn’t he ruling the world,then? Eh? Why bother with this little… side show?
Anton: ‘Side show’? He don’t… he don’t want to rule the world. He wants the world to rule itself!
Trivia
Heath Ledger’s last movie project. It is dedicated to him along with William Vince.
After the death of Heath Ledger, production was shut down for a few months. Then it was re-started when Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell agreed to complete Ledger’s role. The film’s fantasy premise, and some clever rewrites, let the actors play a man whose appearance changes as he travels between imaginary worlds.
Dominic Cooper auditioned for the role of Anton.
The name “Parnassus” in literature typically refers to its distinction as the home of poetry, literature, and learning. Parnassus was also the site of several unrelated minor events in Greek mythology.
Many of the Imaginarium scenes were based on famous paintings. The scene where Parnassus courts his wife was based on Maxfield Parrish and Claude Monet; Jude Law’s scene was based on Grant Wood.
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