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* [[Christopher Plummer]] as Doctor Parnassus: A former monk and the 1,000-year-old leader of a travelling theatre troupe.<ref name="reteam" />
* [[Christopher Plummer]] as Doctor Parnassus: A former monk and the 1,000-year-old leader of a travelling theatre troupe.<ref name="reteam" />
* [[Andrew Garfield]] as Anton: a member of Doctor Parnassus' troupe.<ref name=cinematical>{{cite news | author=Campbell, Christopher | url=http://www.cinematical.com/2007/10/09/details-about-terry-gilliams-the-imaginarium-of-dr-parnassus/ | title=Details about Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus' | publisher=Cinematical.com | date=2007-10-09 | accessdate=2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Andrew Garfield]] as Anton: a member of Doctor Parnassus' troupe.<ref name=cinematical>{{cite news | author=Campbell, Christopher | url=http://www.cinematical.com/2007/10/09/details-about-terry-gilliams-the-imaginarium-of-dr-parnassus/ | title=Details about Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus' | publisher=Cinematical.com | date=2007-10-09 | accessdate=2008-01-24}}</ref>
* [[Verne Troyer]] as Percy: Doctor Parnassus' confidant.<ref name=cinematical/>
* [[Verne Troyer]] as Percival St. Antoine de la Terrain San Sepulcral da Piedmonte III (Percy): Doctor Parnassus' confidant.<ref name=cinematical/>
* [[Lily Cole]] as Valentina: Doctor Parnassus' daughter.<ref name="death" />
* [[Lily Cole]] as Valentina: Doctor Parnassus' daughter.<ref name="death" />
* [[Tom Waits]] as Mr. Nick: a personification of the Devil.<ref name=reteam/>
* [[Tom Waits]] as Mr. Nick: a personification of the Devil.<ref name=reteam/>

Revision as of 01:48, 13 July 2010

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
File:ImagOfParn span.jpg
Theatrical US poster
Directed byTerry Gilliam
Written byTerry Gilliam
Charles McKeown
Produced bySamuel Hadida
Amy Gilliam
William Vince
Terry Gilliam
StarringHeath Ledger
Christopher Plummer
Verne Troyer
Lily Cole
Andrew Garfield
Tom Waits
Johnny Depp
Colin Farrell
Jude Law
CinematographyNicola Pecorini
Edited byMick Audsley
Music byJeff Danna
Mychael Danna
Production
companies
Distributed byMetropolitan Filmexport France
Lionsgate UK
Sony Pictures Classics USA (theatrical)
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group USA (all media)[1]
Release dates
May 22, 2009 (2009-05-22)
(Cannes Film Festival)
October 16, 2009
(United Kingdom)
November 11, 2009
(France)
December 25, 2009
(United States)
Running time
123 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom
France
Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget£18 million (estimate)
($30 million)[2]
Box office£37,100,312[3]
($60,325,930)[4]

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a 2009 fantasy film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown. The film follows the leader of a traveling theater troupe who, having made a deal with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to explore their imaginations.

Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, and Tom Waits star in the film, though Ledger's death one-third of the way through filming caused production to be temporarily suspended.[5] Ledger's role was recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying transformations of Ledger's character Tony as he travels through a dream world.

The film's world premiere was during the 62nd Cannes Film Festival, out of competition.[6] The UK release of the film was scheduled for 6 June 2009 but pushed back to 16 October 2009 due to its successful premiere at Cannes. The film was given a limited release in the US on Christmas Day 2009 and a nationwide expansion on 8 January 2010.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was nominated for two Academy Awards in the categories Best Art Direction (art directed by Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro, and set decorated by Caroline Smith; lost to Avatar) and Best Costume Design (costumes designed by Monique Prudhomme; lost to The Young Victoria).[7]

Plot

Doctor Parnassus' (Christopher Plummer) theatre troupe, which includes sleight of hand expert Anton (Andrew Garfield), confidant Percy (Verne Troyer), and Parnassus' daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), performs outside a pub in London. A drunkard barges onstage, crashing through a stage mirror. He is thrown into a journey of the imagination that culminates in his being offered a choice between enlightenment and a pub. After he enters the pub, it explodes. Parnassus says he has lost another one to Mr. Nick (Tom Waits).

Mr. Nick reminds Parnassus that in three days Valentina will turn 16, at which point her soul will be his. As the troupe crosses a bridge, Anton spies someone hanging beneath it. They rescue the hanging man (Heath Ledger), who spits out a golden pipe when revived.[note 1][8] Claiming to have amnesia, the man joins the troupe as a barker. Parnassus becomes despondent over the impending loss of his daughter. Mr. Nick visits Parnassus, revealing that the hanging man is a disgraced philanthropist named Tony. He offers Parnassus a wager: Valentina can stay with whoever wins five souls first.

Tony convinces the troupe to make the show more attractive to contemporary Londoners. In an upscale mall, Tony lures a woman into the mirror, where he takes on a different appearance (Johnny Depp). The landscape, powered by the woman's imagination, features gigantic shoes and jewels. Tony dances with her, and they spy a motel run by Mr. Nick. Tony convinces the woman to take a gondola toward a pyramid alone, winning a soul for Parnassus. The woman emerges from the Imaginarium, writes a blank check to Parnassus and gives her purse to the troupe. Other women watching the show clamor for a turn; Parnassus wins three more souls.

Four Russian gangsters see Tony, who owes them money. Tony flees into the Imaginarium. As the gangsters threaten Tony (Jude Law), Parnassus tempts them with a police recruitment song, promising they will enjoy being cops because they can continue being brutish. Mr. Nick successfully tempts them with a giant babushka; the score is four souls apiece.

Parnassus reveals to Valentina that in an hour she will belong to Mr. Nick. Hundreds of years earlier, Parnassus ran a monastery where monks perpetually recited a story to sustain the world. Mr. Nick challenged their beliefs by sealing their mouths. The world continued existing, but Parnassus claimed it was because stories were being told elsewhere. Mr. Nick made a bet with Parnassus over which of them could win over the souls of people to either crave stories and imagination (Parnassus) or addictions and feeble desires (Mr. Nick). Parnassus won over twelve souls before Mr. Nick, and was given immortality. Because his body still aged, Parnassus made a new pact with Mr. Nick so that he might be youthful again in order to win the heart of a woman he loved. In exchange, any child he fathered would become Mr. Nick's property when the child turned 16.

Valentina wants to run away, but Tony enters the Imaginarium to give his soul to Parnassus. Anton has discovered that Tony is a fraudulent charity scammer and jealously struggles with Tony. In the scuffle, all three of them end up in the mirror. So as a total there are four imaginations in the Imaginarium now. Valentina, Tony, Anton, and Doctor Parnassus himself since he is always present being that the imaginarium is in his mind. Having more than one imagination in the Imaginarium causes a clash of imagination to ensue as each imagination tries to over come the others.

In the Imaginarium, Tony (Colin Farrell) and Valentina float down a river in a boat and have sex. Shortly after an impoverished child disrupts their harmony in the boat, Tony is suddenly back in his role as a philanthropist, speaking at a fundraiser with the President (Peter Stormare) attending. Anton appears as a child and exposes Tony as a fraud (having actually sold organs of third world children to wealthy westerners). A mob pursues Tony as the landscape disintegrates around them. Anton falls into a void, and Tony flees into a desert. Valentina enters a shifting landscape of broken glass and mirrors. Distraught over her father's bargain, Valentina decides to give her soul to Mr. Nick. Doctor Parnassus watches all the imaginations unfold and struggle for dominance from his lookout on Mount Parnassus, and becomes heart broken believing he has just watch his daughter give herself to the devil. Meanwhile Chased by the mob, Tony flees up Mount Parnassus as a heartbroken Parnassus looks on. Mr. Nick offers to free Valentina in exchange for Tony's soul. This offer effectively takes the chose out of Tony's hands and puts it in Parnassus's. Kill Tony or don’t kill Tony.

At the Top of Mount Parnassus is a gallow and Tony's old friend the noose. Tony spots a gallows and with a sigh of relief prepares to swallow his pipe in order to escape death once again, but Parnassus confronts him steals his pipe through slight of hand, presents two copies of Tony's pipe, which he had used to brace his windpipe against the noose. Parnassus challenges Tony to choose which pipe is genuine and one which will break. Tony claims that this has all just been a trick and the Devil (Mr. Nick) doesn’t have Valentina because he cant since she is the prize and cant be part of the final score. He then tries to convince Parnassus that if he kills him that he will be the fifth soul and the devil wins, causing Parnassus to never be able to be with Valentina again. Parnassus ignores Tony’s pleas assuming they are just more lies and continues on with his offer of a choice between the real and fake pipe. Tony chooses one of the two pipes presented by Parnassus. Parnassus then asks Tony if he is sure that the pipe he has chosen is the correct one. Tony says yes and Parnassus takes the pipe swallows it and tests it out on himself. Tony takes the hanging Parnassus lets his body down and hits his chest causing the pipe to fly out. Tony then swallows the pipe assuming it is the correct one. Now thinking he is safe and has the mob fooled the mob grabs Tony and prepares to hang him as he boasts about how it has been a good show and fundraiser. As the mob tightens the noose around Tony's neck Tony looks back over to see Doctor Parnassus body stirring as he spits out broken pieces of pipe and the real pipe as well. Parnassus winks at Tony as Tony realizes that the pipes have been switched and he has been fooled by the same slight of hand trick used by Anton earlier on in the story. The mob drops Tony effectively killing him for good this time. Parnassus asks the devil to fulfill his part of the bargain and tell him where Valentina is, and to release her . The devil confirms that Tony had been right by asking him "how should i know? she is your daughter, i mean she is free? Isn’t she?” Parnassus realizing his blunder is forced to wander his own imagination making choice after choice until finally arrives at a cross road in the desert that has become his mind and begs for no more choices. This allows his torment to end.

Parnassus emerges from the Imaginarium a few years later, finding that Valentina married Anton and has a daughter. He watches the family from behind a restaurant window, but does not rejoin them at the advice of Percy who meets him by the window. By letting his daughter go free in order to live a normal life with her family Parnassus did in fact lose his Valentina as the devil had promised for losing the bet. Teaming up with Percy once more, Parnassus begins selling toy theater replicas of the imaginarium on a street corner. Mr. Nick, though, is still present, and ever watching representing a valuable lesson in the movie.

Cast

Tom Waits (Mr Nick) and Lily Cole (Valentina) promoting the film at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival

Production

Writing

File:ImagOfParn one-sheet.jpg
Promotional one-sheet for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus which for several months was the first placeholder on the film's official site

Director Terry Gilliam and screenwriter Charles McKeown wrote the script for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,[11] their first collaboration since The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988).[16] When he was approached with the basic concept by Gilliam, McKeown thought of the central character of Parnassus "as a semi-eastern medicine man evolved",[17] and in retrospect he further said about the script's sensibilities, "[i]t is about the theme of imagination, and the importance of imagination, to how you live and how you think and so on. And that's very much a Terry theme. [...] I like the idea of storytelling being the thing that sustains the universe."[17] Gilliam described the premise as a "fun and humorous story about the consequences of our personal choices in life",[18] and explained his goal for the film: "It's autobiographical. I'm trying to bring a bit of fantasticality to London, an antidote to modern lives. I loved this idea of an ancient travelling show offering the kind of storytelling and wonder that we used to get, to people who are just into shoot-em-up action films."[16] Gilliam and McKeown based the character of Tony on former British prime minister Tony Blair, who "would say the most insane things and probably he'd believe them himself".[9]

Gilliam repeatedly said in interviews that the character of Parnassus was meant autobiographically, a tale of an aging man with a vivid imagination in a world that doesn't listen anymore.[19] Still being caught in depression over the disruption of his last self-written project, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, his constant struggle with the established studio system, as well as becoming aware of his progressing age, worried that he was going nowhere with his latest projects and that he might not have much time left, Gilliam put a number of references to sudden, tragic, and premature death into his script before the loss of Ledger became a reality. In fact, Gilliam felt compelled to emphasize time and again that upon the film's release many things might be mistaken as references to Ledger's fate but that the script wasn't changed apart from re-casting Tony with Depp, Farrell, and Law.[20][21]

Filming

The film received a budget of $25 million at first,[22] but its final budget was about $30 million.[23] For The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Gilliam and his cinematographer Nicola Pecorini went wider than ever before on focal length with a new 8mm Zeiss lens, unusual even for a Gilliam movie which are usually trademarked by wide-angle imagery.[24] The widest lens that had been employed before on a Gilliam film had been a 9.8mm Kinoptic. Production of the remaining computer generated imagery effects shots was carried out in Vancouver.[11]

Effect of Ledger's death

Production was disrupted by the death of Heath Ledger in New York City on 22 January 2008. Ledger's involvement had been a "key factor" in the film's financing.[13] Gilliam was presiding over concept art when he was informed by a phone call that Ledger had died. His initial thought was: "The film's over, it's as simple as that."[9] Although production was suspended indefinitely by January 24,[25] according to Christopher Plummer, who plays Doctor Parnassus, Gilliam, determined to "salvage" the film, initially considered using computer-generated imagery to make Heath Ledger's character magically change his appearance, perhaps into another character, in order to keep his final work in the film, and, if the film was made, would dedicate it to Ledger.[26] The imagery would be similar to transformation techniques seen on Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and those employed by Roy Scheider in his posthumous release Iron Cross.

Eventually, actors Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law were cast to replace Heath Ledger in certain scenes, portraying the new idea of transformed versions of Ledger's character travelling through magical realms, while the footage shot with Ledger would remain in the film as his character's "real-world" appearance. Gilliam told Entertainment Weekly, "Then we made the quantum leap: What if we get three actors to replace him? [...] Johnny was the first person I called. He said, 'Done. I'm there.' Same with Jude and Colin."[27] Initially, Tom Cruise expressed interest in being involved as another actor to replace Ledger, but Gilliam turned him down because Cruise had never been a close friend of Ledger.[28][29] Gilliam stated, "I just wanted to keep this family—it's as simple as that [...] There were people even offering to come and help, they didn't know Heath. It had to be in the family somehow, I don't know why; it was my attitude."[30]

With the role recast, filming resumed in Vancouver in March 2008.[31] Depp was a friend of Gilliam who starred in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and the aborted The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and had been compared to Ledger by cinematographer Nicola Pecorini. Law was a friend of Ledger and had been considered for the role of Tony, and Farrell had also been friends with Ledger.[9] Depp's participation in Gilliam's film was the hardest to incorporate into any of the new actors' schedules due to his contractual obligation on Michael Mann's Public Enemies at the time. In the end, Gilliam had access to Depp for one day and three hours. All the shots involving him had to be completed in one take in order to fit into Depp's compressed time schedule. Depp, Farrell, and Law opted to redirect their wages for the role to Ledger's young daughter, Matilda, who had been left out of an old version of Ledger's will,[32] and Gilliam altered the part of the credits saying "A Terry Gilliam film" to "A film from Heath Ledger and friends."[9]

Gilliam said in retrospect about the first transition from Ledger to Depp in the film:

"He's extraordinary. That's why I put Johnny in first position [of the three new Tonys], because number one, he was going to be the most difficult to get any time with, and number two, I just thought if it works with the transition to Johnny and if the audience goes for it, they'll follow the next two. And that's exactly how it works. [...] That's what's funny, when Johnny appears so many people think it's Heath! And it's a trick: Johnny's not doing anything. He looks like Johnny. [...]
"[During the initial shoot] Heath was on stage and the Russians are appearing, and he was behaving in a very funny way, he was moving around, and I said, 'Heath, I know what you're doing.' He said, 'What are you talking about?' 'You're doing Johnny Depp, aren't you?' And can you believe, that helps this transition [when Ledger enters the mirror and becomes Depp]. This was not intended!"[30]

Depp said of the experience:

"Maestro Gilliam has made a sublime film. Wonderfully enchanting and beautiful, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a uniquely ingenious, captivating creation; by turns wild, thrilling and hilarious in all its crazed, dilapidated majesty. Pure Gilliam magic! It was an honor to represent Heath. He was the only player out there breathing heavy down the back of every established actor's neck with a thundering and ungovernable talent that came up on you quick, hissing rather mischievously with that cheeky grin, "hey... get on out of my way, boys, I'm coming through..." and does he ever!!! Heath is a marvel, Christopher Plummer beyond anything he's ever done, Waits as the Devil is a God, Lily Cole and Andrew Garfield, the very foundation, are spectacular, Verne Troyer simply kicks ass and as for my other cohorts, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, they most certainly did Master Ledger very proud, I salute them. Though the circumstances of my involvement are extremely heart-rending and unbelievably sad, I feel privileged to have been asked aboard to stand in on behalf of dear Heath."[33]

Jude Law also commented, saying:

"I have always loved Terry Gilliam's films. Their heart, their soul, their mind, always inventive, touching, funny and relevant. When I got the call, it was a double tug. I liked Heath very much as a man and admired him as an actor. To help finish his final piece of work was a tribute I felt compelled to make. To help Terry finish his film was an honour paid to a man I adore. I had a great time on the job. Though we were all there in remembrance, Heath's heart pushed us with great lightness to the finish."[33]

Colin Farrell also commented, saying:

"It’s not hard for me to imagine that if I ever look back on the films I’ve been a part of, and the stories I’ve had a hand in telling, one will stand out as so unique an experience, as to be incomparable. This experience was the shooting of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. The reasons for its uniqueness, sadly, are probably obvious to anyone who reads this.

Three of us had been asked to complete a task that had been set in motion by a man we greatly liked and respected as both a person and an artist. Being part of this film was never about filling Heath’s shoes as much as seeing them across the finish line. How I wish he had brought the film to its completion himself. Of course, the whole crew felt this way. And the cast that we joined felt it, too. It was this spirit of grieving the loss of Heath, that Johnny and Jude and I joined. But there was also a sense of dogged insistence. Insistence that Heath’s last piece of work should not be kept in the shadow of the light of day.

More than anything, though – more than the sadness and shock, the vulnerability and un-suredness as to whether it was right to complete the film or not – was an incredible sense of love. A community of people, caterers and actors, electricians and makeup artists had been brought together in a recognized sense of love and obligation, for and to, one of cinema's finest actors and most generous of men. It will be this sense of love amidst the sadness I will remember most. Such a gift and an honor, from Heath, to be a part of the trail that he left behind.

RIP Heath Ledger x

"[34]

Post-production

The production was beset by further tragedy after the passing of Ledger when producer William Vince died of cancer one week after shooting was done.[20] As Gilliam's daughter, producer Amy Gilliam, remembered, "[Bill Vince] always said, 'If you get your film in the can you'll be all right.' And I kind of believe that he stayed with us to know that happened."[30] Eventually, while on post-production, Gilliam himself was hit by a car, resulting in a cracked vertebra. Gilliam recalled: "So I thought, it was third time lucky - they just didn't get me. They got the star, the producer, and they were going for the director, and the fuckers failed on the last one. Whoever they are..."[20] "They were going for the trinity [...] That would have been a tidy end to the whole thing. But they didn't kill me. I'm stuck here to tell the tale."[19]

Gilliam finished editing the film by November 2008, and then work began on creating 647 computer generated imagery effects shots.[9] As usual with his films, Gilliam found inspiration in particular painters for each CGI-generated scene inside the titular Imaginarium. According to Designing the "Imaginarium" published by CBSnews.com, the scene with Doctor Parnassus's attempted suicide related to the style of Odd Nerdrum,[35] the Ladder World with Jude Law featuring "rolling hills with simple trees" was inspired by the art of Grant Wood,[36] the kitsch landscape from the beginning of the sequence with Colin Farrell took inspiration from Maxfield Parrish,[37] and Jose Maria Sert's mural of the Crucification in Rockefeller Center inspired the scene including the final minutes of Farrell's appearance in the film.[38]

According to the official ParnassusFilm Twitter channel[39][40] launched on March 30, 2009, post-production was finished on March 31. After the production had finally come to a successful closure, Gilliam felt that "[I] didn't make this film. Forces from above and below made it. It made itself. I don't worry anymore. It's got its own relentless momentum. It just needed some human sacrifice."[19] "It's made itself - I was just one pair of hands and there were many hands."[20] "Don't get me into my mystical mode ... but the film made itself and it was co-directed by Heath Ledger!"[41] "The irony is that the choices that were forced upon us improved the movie, so it was as if Heath co-directed the movie, even co-wrote it."[42] According to Gilliam, actor Colin Farrell also went on record for saying that he hadn't been simply playing the character of Tony, but that he was rather feeling like "channeling Heath".[43]

Gilliam also positively recalled people's commitment to Ledger's memory: "Everyone in the cast and everyone in the crew was determined that this film would be finished and everybody worked longer, harder and somehow we got through. It was really ... people's love for Heath that propelled this thing forward."[44] "All the actors already in the film had to change their schedules, and there wasn't a moment's hesitation. [...] They all said, 'We'll do what's necessary.' It's really a love letter to Heath by everybody involved. He was beloved by so many."[19]

Music

The original motion picture soundtrack of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was composed by Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna who had previously worked on Terry Gilliam's Tideland and were hired once again to score one of his movies. Gilliam himself wrote lyrics for the two songs "We Love Violence" and "We Are The Children Of The World", the latter of which spoofed Michael Jackson's famous "We Are the World"[45] and was nominated for a 2009 Satellite Award in the category Best Original Song.[46]

The song "We Love Violence", performed in the film by policemen in drag, was sung by Terry Gilliam, Mick Audsley (who edited The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus), the musician Ray Cooper, Ed Hall (who was also the Visual Effects Editor), and Andre Jacquemin (who was Supervising Sound & Design on the film).[47]

Tracklist[48]
  1. Once upon a Time
  2. The Imaginarium
  3. The Tack
  4. Tony's Tale of Woe
  5. The Monastery
  6. Book & Story
  7. Sympathy for the Hanged Man
  8. The First to Five Souls
  9. Escape from the Pub
  10. The River
  11. Suicide Attempt
  12. Tango amongst the Lilies
  13. Victory in the Lilies
  14. Four through The Mirror
  15. The Ladder World
  16. We Love Violence
  17. Top of the Wagon
  18. We Are the Children of the World
  19. Tony's World Collapses
  20. The Devil's Dance
  21. Tony's Salvation
  22. Parnassus Alone

Locations

Tony is found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge.

Filming took place at various locations in London and Vancouver.[49]

The restyled show debuts in Leadenhall Market.
The "mall" is the foyer of the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library.

The film opens with St Paul's Cathedral in the background (by the north bank of the Thames), and the first show is performed under the rail tracks at Green Dragon Court, directly next to Borough Market, with Southwark Cathedral in the background (in Borough, London, on the south bank of the Thames), where the drunken lout molests the performers and then enters the mirror. The next scene, with Tower Bridge in the background, is just east along the riverbank, by City Hall. Tony is found hanging under Blackfriars Bridge, and the very large disused building in which the following scene (and several later ones) occurs is the interior of Battersea power station, farther west along the south bank of the river.

The following scenes occur north of the Thames: the Homebase, DIY store at 3 Station Road, south of New Southgate railway station, in New Southgate, followed by the Horseshoe pub in Clerkenwell Close in Clerkenwell from which the wagon flees. The restyled show makes its debut in Leadenhall Market, where the stylish women gather to watch. Bray Studios near Windsor was used for model shooting and additional photography.

The remaining scenes were filmed in Vancouver. The fantasy scenes were filmed at Bridge Studios in Burnaby, while the charity gala occurs at the Orpheum Theatre, and the glass-walled "mall" is the Central Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, the curved arcade being the library's entrance foyer.

Release and box office performance

Before The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was finished, the film had already received healthy interest from worldwide distributors and the film sold out across the world.[50][51] However, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus received lukewarm response from many distributors in the United States. Gilliam said that Fox Searchlight Pictures and other distributors had declined to release the film in the United States.[52] Eventually, the film's US distribution rights were acquired by Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, which released the film in the United States theatrically through Sony Pictures Classics.[1] In fact, the US was the last territory in which the film was sold.[53]

Box office

According to Reuters, the film debuted at #3 on its first weekend at the UK box office.[54] The film debuted at #2 in both France[55] and Italy, generating the year's third-best box office return on an opening weekend in Italy. Said Roberto Proia, distribution chief of the film's Italian distributor Moviemax, about its surprisingly warm reception, "Almost two years after his death, Ledger has a huge fanbase which, along with the rest of the stellar cast, certainly contributed hugely. [...] We also found out that teenagers massively love Gilliam, and we did not expect this. He really has rock star status."[56] By January 31, 2010, the film had earned about $42,000,000 theatrically in the countries outside North America.[57]

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus earned $415,233 on its North American limited opening Christmas weekend (December 25–27, 2009), being presented in 48 theaters with an average of $8,651. The second weekend of Parnassus (January 1–3, 2010) set an average of $7,684 with a gross of $368,836 which made for a total of $1,029,821 domestically. Releasing in 607 North American theaters, Parnassus took eleventh place on its opening wide release box office weekend (January 8–10, 2010) with earnings of $1,762,637, an average of only $2,904 and a total of $2,989,290.[58] By January 31, 2010, the film had earned $6,406,049 theatrically in North America.[59]

According to the working partner of William Vince, the film had already made its budget back even before it opened in North America.[60]

Home media

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the United Kingdom (Region 2) on March 29, 2010, by UK home video distributor Lionsgate Home Entertainment. Supplementary material includes audio commentary and an introduction by Gilliam, deleted scene with optional commentary, wardrobe test for Heath Ledger with optional commentary, visual FX feature with optional commentary and three more featurettes called Behind the Mirror, Building the Temple and UK Premiere.[61]

Critical reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 66% of 166 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 6 out of 10. The site's general consensus is that "Terry Gilliam remains as indulgent as ever, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus represents a return to the intoxicatingly imaginative, darkly beautiful power of his earlier work, with fine performances to match all the visual spectacle."[62] Among Rotten Tomatoes' "Top Critics", which consists of popular and notable critics from the top newspapers, websites, television and radio programs, the film holds an overall approval rating of 63%, based on a sample of 27 reviews.[63] Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, has a rating score of 65 based on 30 reviews.[64]

Awards and nominations

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was nominated for two Academy Awards, in the categories Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.[65]

The Costume Designers Guild of America named The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus for Best Fantasy Film of the year with costume designer Monique Prudhomme receiving the award.[66] In addition, it was also nominated for two BAFTA awards, including Best Production Design (Dave Warren, Anastasia Masaro and Caroline Smith) and Best Make Up & Hair (Sarah Monzani), but lost both to Avatar and The Young Victoria respectively.[67] It holds two nominations at the 2010 Jameson Empire Awards (Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Best British Film) voted by the public[68] and was nominated for two Saturn Awards, in the categories Best International Film and Best Make-up (Sarah Monzani).[69]

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus was nominated for Best Achievement in Production at the British Independent Film Awards, but lost to Bunny and the Bull.[70] It was further nominated for three International Press Academy Satellite Awards, in the categories Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction & Production Design, and Best Original Song, and Monique Prudhomme won the award for Best Costume Design.[46] The film was also voted Best Fantasy Film of the Year by readers of the Total Sci-Fi Online magazine.[71]

Notes

  1. ^ Gilliam describes this as "an homage to Roberto Calvi, the famous Italian Vatican banker who was found hanging under that very bridge [Blackfriars Bridge]."

References

  1. ^ a b http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118007231.html?categoryid=13&cs=1&nid=2562
  2. ^ "The imaginarium of Terry Gilliam". Salon.com. Salon Media Group. December 25, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  3. ^ "Live rates at 2010.03.07: 1 USD=0.660223 GBP". XE.com. XE Corporation. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
  4. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 2010-03-07.
  5. ^ "Heath Ledger's final film 'struggling to secure release'". London: Telegraph.co.uk. 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-02.
  6. ^ "Festival de Cannes: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-05-17.
  7. ^ http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/82/nominees.html
  8. ^ The Dr Parnassus Press Conference at Cannes - Part 2, edited by Phil Stubbs
  9. ^ a b c d e f Dan Jolin (March 2009). "'A Film by Heath Ledger and Friends...'". Empire. pp. 109–113.
  10. ^ Adam Dawtrey (2008-03-10). "Shooting resumes on 'Parnassus'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  11. ^ a b c d "Gilliam, Ledger Reteam for Film". Variety. 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  12. ^ a b Campbell, Christopher (2007-10-09). "Details about Terry Gilliam's 'The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus'". Cinematical.com. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  13. ^ a b Adam Dawtrey (2008-01-23). "'Parnassus' Team Faces Dilemma". Variety. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  14. ^ "Dreams: Terry Gilliam 2009 News Blog". Smart.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  15. ^ a b c d e f Sony Pictures Classics (2009-09-10). "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Production Notes" (PDF). Sony Pictures Classics. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  16. ^ a b Adam Dawtrey (2007-12-14). "Gilliam Mounts 'Parnassus' in London". Variety. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  17. ^ a b Stubbs, Phil (2008). Charles McKeown on writing the Dr Parnassus script, Dreams
  18. ^ Stuart Kemp (2007-11-01). "Ledger, Plummer join Gilliam's 'Doctor'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-12-30.
  19. ^ a b c d Turan, Kenneth (2009)Terry Gilliam used magic to finish 'The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus', LA Times, May 22, 2009
  20. ^ a b c d Terry Gilliam (The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus) Interview, lastbroadcast.co.uk
  21. ^ Daniels, Hunter (2009): THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS at Comic-Con, collider.com
  22. ^ http://www.ifmagazine.com/feature.asp?article=3671
  23. ^ http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/andrew_ohehir/2009/12/25/gilliam
  24. ^ Shell, Theresa (2009). EXCLUSIVE! Nicola Picorini, Director Of Photography, Talks To Dr. Parnassus Support Site About The Film, Heath Ledger & Terry Gilliam, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Support Site, December 06th, 2009
  25. ^ Christine Kilpatrick (2008-01-24). "Production Suspended on Heath Ledger's Latest Movie". People. Retrieved 2008-01-24.
  26. ^ Natasha Stoynoff (2008-01-28). "Show Will Go On for Heath's Last Movie, Says Costar". People. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  27. ^ Josh Rottenberg (2009-03-06). "Heath Ledger's Last Film: The Struggle to Release It". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2010-04-25.
  28. ^ Mihelich, Charles (2009). "Tom Cruise Wanted To Be in THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS; Terry Gilliam Said 'No'", Collider.com, September 4th, 2009
  29. ^ Aguirre, Laura (2009). "Terry Gilliam Rejected Tom Cruise for Dr. Parnassus", ScreenCrave, September 4, 2009
  30. ^ a b c Morgan, David S. (2009). "Resurrecting Heath Ledger's Final Film", CBSnews.com, December 21, 2009
  31. ^ Adam Dawtrey (2008-03-10). "Shooting resumes on 'Parnassus'". Variety. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
  32. ^ Jessica Salter (2008-08-18). "Heath Ledger's daughter given wages of stars in Terry Gilliam's Dr. Parnassus". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-08-18.
  33. ^ a b http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-12-28-johnny-depp-finally-discusses-stepping-in-for-heath-ledger-in-imaginarium
  34. ^ http://riskybusiness.blogs.thr.com/2010/01/colin-farrell-imaginarium-of-doctor-parnassus-heath-ledger-jude-law-johnny-depp.html
  35. ^ Designing the "Imaginarium", Precipice
  36. ^ Designing the "Imaginarium", High in the Sky
  37. ^ Designing the "Imaginarium", Parrish
  38. ^ Designing the "Imaginarium", Noose
  39. ^ ParnassusFilm. "Parnassus Film (ParnassusFilm) on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
  40. ^ Dreams: 2009 News Blog
  41. ^ Kirkland, Bruce (2009). Ledger's 'insane' last film finished, Sun Media
  42. ^ Bunbury, Stephanie (2009). Applause: Even after death, Heath Ledger's life force heavily influenced his final film, The Age, October 11, 2009
  43. ^ Reynolds, Thomas (2009). Terry Gilliam ('Doctor Parnassus'), Digital Spy, Tuesday October 13, 2009
  44. ^ Frenette, Brad (2009). Terry Gilliam talks about Heath Ledger and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus at Cannes, The National Post, May 22, 2009
  45. ^ http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/12/catching-up-withterry-gilliam.html
  46. ^ a b 2009 14th Annual SATELLITE AWARDSTM NOMINEES AND WINNERS
  47. ^ The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus Production Information: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:FaPqNKio2zwJ:thecia.com.au/reviews/i/images/imaginarium-of-dr-parnassus-production-notes.doc+terry+gilliam+we+love+violence+%22ed+hall%22&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=safari
  48. ^ The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus [SOUNDTRACK]: Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna Amazon.com. Release date: January 5, 2010.
  49. ^ The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus film locations
  50. ^ http://www.screendaily.com/gilliams-doctor-parnassus-sells-to-uk-australia-and-japan/4039077.article
  51. ^ http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124205076999206771.html
  52. ^ http://www.movieline.com/2009/12/terry-gilliam-the-movieline-interview.php?page=all
  53. ^ Dr. Parnassus Has Distribution In All Areas Except USA
  54. ^ "Disney's old man rides high at UK box office". news.yahoo.com. 2009-10-20. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  55. ^ 1ères séances : la carton de "2012", allocine.fr
  56. ^ Nick Vivarelli (2009-10-26). "'Parnassus' makes stellar bow in Italy Opening screen average is year's third highest". variety.com. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  57. ^ The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus on Box Office Mojo
  58. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=imaginariumofdoctorparnassus.htm
  59. ^ The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus on Box Office Mojo
  60. ^ The imagination of Bill Vince
  61. ^ The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus UK DVD release notice
  62. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  63. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Top Critics)". Rotten Tomatoes. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2010-02-08.
  64. ^ "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus: Reviews (2009)". Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2009-02-08.
  65. ^ http://oscar.go.com/nominations/nominees/
  66. ^ http://www.costumedesignersguild.com/cdg-awards/
  67. ^ http://www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-awards-nominations,949,BA.html
  68. ^ http://www.empireonline.com/awards2010/vote/
  69. ^ http://www.saturnawards.org/nominations.html
  70. ^ WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 12TH BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS SUNDAY 6 DECEMBER AT THE BREWERY, CHISWELL STREET, bifa.org.uk
  71. ^ The Total Sci-Fi Awards 2009: Results, totalscifionline.com

External links

Official

Databases

Miscellaneous

  • Dreams on Dr Parnassus – Behind-the-scenes articles and exclusive interviews with cast and crew, by Phil Stubbs
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