Gilliam films are tough. They're certainly not the type of films to whack on after a long night of partying with your buddies. They're also not the type of films that appeal to a mass audience. Gilliam has long been the king of the indie-fantasy world, and reserves his most individual of storytelling styles for the intellectual and the open minded.
'The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus' has received easily double the attention that it would have had we not lost Heath Ledger last January. Now, let me tell you something about Heath Ledger. The man represented a generation of young actors. His talent was limitless and ever so expansive. In fact, I can't remember the last time I got so upset about a celebrity passing. 'The Dark Knight' aside, Heath shone in everything. His performance in 'Brokeback Mountain' was a revelation, while powerful roles in films like 'Ned Kelly' and 'Monster's Ball' also helped to shape his reputation as one of the finest actors in the game today.
The role of 'Tony' is a conflicted one, an amnesiac charity owner who is on the run from Russian loan sharks (it gets weirder). He is discovered by Dr Parnassus (the wonderful Christopher Plummer) and his kooky gang (Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole and Verne Troyer) hanging from a noose under a bridge and taken into their care. Considering it's Ledger's curtain call, I certainly did not anticipate him being introduced to the film at the end of a rope. Talk about uncomfortable. Thankfully, he's not dead and the film presses on.
While Parnassus believes Tony to be sent by the devil himself (played by the AWESOME Tom Waits) with whom he has been bartering for the last thousand years or so, it is not the case. Tony's introduction into Parnassus' world was just a simple case of 'wrong place, wrong time'. He is a deceptive and selfish character all things considered, though charming and witty. He is certainly good at making money for Parnassus, though the latter has never needed money to feed his gambling addiction.
The particular wager that the film is built around is a simple one. First to five souls. Parnassus has no choice but to take part as should he able to attain five souls before The Devil, he would be relinquished of his commitment to handing over his daughter (Lily Cole) on her 16th birthday (as agreed with The Devil in exchange for eternal youth!). Tony signs on as a contributor, and off we go!
Through the mirror is your imagination, whether it be light or dark (kinda like good trip, bad trip. Eh Gilliam?) Once inside, your soul goes to either Parnassus or The Devil. The choice is yours. Once a choice has been made, you return to the real world enlightened and purified, but soulless. It's all very strange to say the least, but compared to previous Gilliam outings, it's suprisingly easy to follow.
Presumably, all the scenes set in London were filmed first. Ledger is in all of them, and boy is he in all of them. Not only has he raised the bar once again, but this time through the most interesting use of accents. While it's never stated, I understand Tony to be of Australian origin living in London. From the sounds of things, he's been here a while. Ledger uses three notable accents over the course of the film. When he's emotionally vulnerable or threatened, he's Australian. When he's playing the tough guy who you apparently shouldn't mess with, he's from London (east end?). And when representing Parnassus during a live performance, he's defined and well-spoken, almost poetic. I can only hope that film-goers and critics alike will recognise this as a strength when breaking down Ledger's final performance. The use of accents is most definitely intentional and should not be written off as a fault.
When Tony isn't in London being brilliant, he is in the imaginarium being portrayed by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. As far as I can tell, the changing faces symbolise the many faces of a character. First, it is shown through the drunken yob passing through the imaginarium (who was 'not himself' due to being inebriated), and later through the numerous faces of Tony's character as played by the actors listed above. In short, Ledger's incomplete performance is written into the story seamlessly, and his three successors have limited screentime so as not to detract from the fact Tony is Heath Ledger's role. Naturally, Depp has the least screentime (for obvious reasons) and Jude Law's dialogue is scarce, with Colin Farrell closing the film subtly.
There was a point towards the end of the film when I realised that I wouldn't be seeing Heath Ledger again, and it was a surreal moment. To end his career with two such overpowering performances is fitting. He should always be remembered for his dedication and precision. To have an impact on Hollywood is one thing, but to truly affect the last ten years of modern cinema is something to behold.
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