THE
IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS (2009) - PREVIEW
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The
Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
Starring: Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Lily Cole,
Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law Directed by: Terry Gilliam
U.S.
Opening Date: December 25th, 2009
Set in the present day, director Terry Gilliam's
fantastical morality tale follows the traveling show of the mysterious Dr.
Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) - a man who once won a bet with the Devil
himself, and possesses the unique ability to guide the imagination of
others.
Many centuries ago, Dr. Parnassus won immortality in
a bet that found the malevolent Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) coming up short.
While few would be foolish enough to try their luck against the powers of
darkness a second time, Dr. Parnassus did precisely that - this time
trading his mortality for youth on the understanding that his firstborn
would become the property of Mr. Nick when the child reaches his or her
16th birthday. Flash-forward to the present day, and Dr. Parnassus'
daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), is about to celebrate her sweet sixteen.
Dr. Parnassus is desperate to save his little girl
from her fiery fate, and when Mr. Nick arrives to collect, the good doctor
presents the Prince of Darkness with a wager too enticing to refuse: Dr.
Parnassus and Mr. Nick will each compete to seduce five souls, with
possession of Valentina going to whomever manages to complete the task
first. As the competition begins to heat up, Dr. Parnassus promises his
daughter's hand in marriage to any man who can help him successfully
navigate the surreal obstacle course that lies ahead and finally help him
undue the many mistakes of his past.
While the sudden death of prominent Imaginarium of
Dr. Parnassus player Heath Ledger in January of 2008 left Gilliam and
company scrambling to find a means of salvaging the film - which was
already well into principal photography at the time - the cavalry soon
arrived in the form of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, who each
serve as alternate-dimension versions of the character originally set to
be played by Ledger when the character crosses through a paranormal
mirror.
