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While this may be a fantastical film, we begin in a very real setting, with London night-clubbers being thrown out of a club by the bouncers. These people are just the sort that Dr Parnassus (an excellent Christopher Plummer) and his travelling sideshowcircus are looking for. Into this recognisable city life they bring their world ruled by the imagination – the Imaginarium. When one enters through the mirror, the imagination controls the surroundings, which become whatever you want them to be. Like Gilliam’s films, they bring a slice of the surreal into everyday life.
The world through the mirror is beautifully realised and retains Gilliam’s distinctive artistic stamp. Whether it's a world made of sweets, giant floating lilies or ladders that stretch into the sky, the world of the imagination is limitless. However, as we quickly discover, it can also be dangerous.
Into all this enters Tony (Heath Ledger), found left for dead and hanging under a bridge, an entrance which is now all the more poignant. He is rescued by Dr Parnassus’ daughter (Lily Cole) and her cohorts Anton (Andrew Garfield) and Percy (Verne Troyer), and is recruited to work with them. Tony is a mysterious man, however, who doesn’t know his name or how he got there. It is the slippery nature of his character that allowed Depp, Law and Farrell to portray his character each time he enters through the mirror, as one is never quite sure who Tony is.
The transitions between actors work well, with each ‘Tony’ being suitably different, but also recognisably Tony. As you would expect, Depp fits most comfortably into his role, with Law just edging out Farrell in terms of ‘Tonyness’; but all are convincing enough that Ledger’s performance is channelled through Depp, Law and Farrell’s, so that you always feel Ledger’s presence and his mark on the role. Ledger had been in the Gilliam universe before, in The Brothers Grimm, and the fact that he was obviously comfortable there shows through his performance. He is a ball of energy, complete with enough noises and gestures to allow him to fit right into Dr Parnassus’ world, while still remaining enough of an outsider that Percy and Anton don’t entirely trust him.
Alongside this is the tale of Dr Parnassus, who likes making bets with the Devil (Tom Waits), his latest wager carrying a dangerous price. There are so many stories within this film that it's sometime hard to keep up, and the film feels slightly overlong, but the many threads make this truly an ensemble piece. As Dr Parnassus remarks, “You can’t stop stories being told”; they sustain the universe, and in this universe they are often very funny to boot. Lily Cole is a surprising gem as Valentina, Parnassus’ daughter, while Tom Waits’ Devil seems to be the happiest character, in the vein of a spats-wearing 40s film noir mafia boss, accompanied by an appropriate musical motif.
While everyone assumed that The Joker would be Ledger’s lasting legacy, even though this was his last film, Ledger shows off just as much talent here. As Johnny Depp’s Tony explains to a woman he has taken through the mirror, some people remain forever young, vivacious and beautiful; a fitting tribute to Ledger. Perhaps the final dedication in the end credits says it all: “A film from Heath Ledger and friends”.
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