The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

Directed by

Terry Gilliam

Genre

fantasy film, adventure film, mystery film

Country

United Kingdom, France, Canada

Runtime

2h 02m

Rated

PG-13

Rating

6.4 of 10 from 2,905 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A traveling theatre troupe is led by an ancient man who made a bet with the Devil. He invites audience members to step through a magical mirror into their own imaginations, where they choose between enlightenment or ignorance. The story follows a mysterious stranger who joins the troupe and gets caught up in the supernatural wager.

whimsicaldreamliketheatricaldarkly comicmelancholicsurrealfast-pacedvisually lush

What happens

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. 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. The film is Ledger's final performance; it was dedicated to him and co-producer William Vince. Its world premiere was during the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, out of competition. The film, which cost $30 million to make, grossed more than $60 million in its worldwide theatrical release. It received mostly positive reviews from critics. 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; it lost to Avatar. The second was Best Costume Design with costumes designed by Monique Prudhomme; it lost to The Young Victoria. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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