Movie Reviews: "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus"

[JamesG]

Movie Reviews: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
22 May 2009 2:20 AM, PDT

Terry Gilliam has come a long way since the late '60s, when he admittedly became one of the original copyright infringers by cutting out photos and pictures from magazines and newspapers and using them inventively as graphic inserts in the BBC's Monty Python's Flying Circus without permission.

Gilliam has now let his imagination loose in a movie about a traveling circus act called The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.

Although the film co-stars Heath Ledger in his final performance (he died while the film was still in production), it is not the performances or the script that captured the attention of audiences who previewed it at the Cannes Film Festival today (Friday), where it was shown out of competition.

Reviewing the film for the BBC, Emma Jones commented, "There's no doubt that the imaginary world [Gilliam has] created is awe-inspiring, but it's ultimately designed for an art house audience. The critics at Cannes loved it, but most cinema-goers would need to see it more than once to start untangling the multiple themes."

Peter Bradshaw wrote in Britain's Guardian newspaper: "When Gilliam shoots off into his surreal wonderland, his film has a kind of helium-filled jollity and spectacle. ... a reminder of the old Python magic. But the film's convoluted curlicues are tiring, insisting too loudly on how 'imaginative' everything is. And when it descends into the real world -- Lucy out of the sky without diamonds, as it were -- the film can frankly be a bit ho-hum."

-IMDB News




Ledger's Last Film Not A Big Hit Among Critics
22 May 2009 12:10 PM, PDT

Heath Ledger's final film has been given a lukewarm reception at the Cannes Film Festival - and many critics were shocked to see his character hanging from a London bridge with a rope around his neck in his first scene.

Ledger died in January, 2008 before he completed work on Terry Gilliam's fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepped in to complete his part in the movie.

And though film reviewers have been kind to the late actor in his final role, they've not been so taken by Gilliam or his film, which premiered at Cannes this week (beg18May09).

Britain's TimesOnline critic James Christopher writes, "Ledger is a marvel to watch," but insists the plot of the film is "slim, incomprehensible, and desperately unconvincing".

He goes on to suggest the film "could have benefited with a lot more hard story and a lot less whimsy".

And Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw insists the film is "amiable" but "could be for fans only," adding "the film's convoluted curlicues are tiring, insisting too loudly on how 'imaginative' everything is".

-IMDB News

[robyrob]

Terry Gilliam is awesome - but of course its not for everyone.

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by robyrob

Terry Gilliam is awesome - but of course its not for everyone.

I agree. I love Gilliam too. Love the Twelve Monkeys.