The role he left behind was that of a mysterious stranger who joins up with the supremely odd theatre troupe of the title character. Thanks to the story, one involving a magic mirror that allows people to enter into a world of imagination partially controlled by Dr. Parnassus, Gilliam was able to recast Ledger's role during the sequences inside the Imaginarium. Gilliam recast it with three great actors who wanted to honor Ledger's memory, and took on the roles without payment (all three deferring their money to Ledger's daughter Matilda). Gilliam has said that many actors (including Tom Cruise) offered their services, but he wanted to "keep it family" with actors whom Ledger had befriended, therefore casting Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell to complete the role.
Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is 1,000 years old, keeping secret from his 15-year-old daughter Valentina (Lily Cole) that he long ago made a deal with the Devil (Tom Waits) to give up any child born to him and the woman he was trying to woo, if the Devil would make him a younger man again. The catch is that the child wouldn't belong to the Devil until its 16th birthday, which for Valentina is quickly approaching.
The doctor drinks away the days, while the Devil keeps popping in to remind him of their deal. Parnassus travels throughout England with his troupe, comprised of sleight-of-hand expert Anton (Andrew Garfield), Valentina, and the dwarf Percy (Verne Troyer), who knows of the deal with the Devil and acts as a kind of sounding board and conscience to the doctor. The group is struggling, attracting very few customers, and not always happy ones at that. One night they save the life of a young man who's been hanged from below a bridge. The man turns out to be Tony (Ledger), who begins to act almost as a pied piper, leading more people to the Imaginarium than have ever come before. Parnassus believes Tony could be a kind of savior, and looks to make a new deal with the Devil to try and save Valentina's life.
This story, from Gilliam and co-writer Charles McKeown, isn't short on invention. Although "deal with the Devil" stories are as old as the Devil himself, it's given a bit of a spin here in a way that stops it from ever feeling like a cliché. There’s also a lot of nuance to the characters, as we initially like Tony, and so dislike the jealous antics of Anton, who obviously has a crush on Valentina, but sees the way she looks at Tony. These feelings deepen and begin to shift as the movie goes on, so that our allegiances are brought into question in a really wonderful way.
Gilliam has always been known for his distinct imagery (often in a fantasy setting), but he is a filmmaker I usually find short on story and character. Here, he is not. I've not typically been a fan of Gilliam’s, even his celebrated visuals, but this movie made me reconsider (I’ve since revisited much of Gilliam’s work and found that my dislike of his non-Monty Python movies hasn’t changed just because I love this one). Although the CGI isn't perfect, and we're not always convinced that the actors and the effects are occupying the same space, the overall feel and impact of the images works the way I assume Gilliam wants it to. And that’s because of the amazing and dreamlike imagery in the Imaginarium. The fact that we don’t believe the effects actually ends up elevating the dreamlike state of those scenes.
There's also the case of Gilliam’s actors seeming more believable this time around. The actors and characters in much of Gilliam’s work are caricatures, with no grounding in even the internal reality of the movie. These actors play things for real, making the fantasy (as well as the comedy) that much more effective.
The legendary Christopher Plummer is as good as he's ever been as the ancient Dr. Parnassus, perpetually drunk and gambling, often unable to realize when he’s making a good decision or a bad one. Doll-faced English model Lily Cole brings a youthful energy and wonderful vulnerability to the young Valentina. And as the jealous and squirrelly but possibly goodhearted Anton, Andrew Garfield is flawless. This was the first time I ever saw Garfield, so the fact that he’s blossomed into an Oscar nominated star in the years since this movie is not a surprise to me in the slightest. I wouldn't have suspected it, but one of the most interesting characters and best performances is that of the dwarf Percy, played to hilarious and heartfelt superiority by "Mini-Me" himself Verne Troyer, showing off that he can actually act. Who knew? And Tom Waits as the Devil? Couldn't be more perfect if you tried. That gravelly voice fits so beautifully into the person they refer to as Mr. Nick.
But of course, no discussion of a movie with the sad circumstances surrounding it that this one had would be complete without talking about Heath Ledger and the actors charged with replacing him. Depp, Law, and Farrell’s casting feels much more organic than you would expect going into it. Farrell is the best and darkest of the three (showing yet again that when he’s doing weird, wonderful, non mainstream work, he’s among the shortlist of our best actors), Law is fine, and Depp mostly relies on his star power charisma rather than creating a unique character or anything.
Ledger, though, is again the show stealer, getting us to like Tony without knowing what possible dark secrets lie in his past. His energy and charisma lend the movie an innate watchability. He truly had come into his own as an actor and would've no doubt gone on to become one of the better actors around had he not met his tragic end. Thankfully, not just The Dark Knight will remain as a tremendous, if elegiac, final testament to his talent. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is a wonderful Hidden Gem.
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