The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

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Doctor Parnassus' show. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – The enigmatic Doctor Parnassus and his travelling performers are struggling to remain interesting to the general public; they face having to end their days of Victorian style acting. The travellers come across the charismatic but amnesic Tony who injects new life into their tired and old-fashioned ways, making their shows much more appealing. With the need to get people up on stage and behind the mysterious curtain, Doctor Parnassus is delighted to be popular once again, however Tony’s past begins to catch up with him, revealing his true nature – which isn’t exactly as good as he’s let the others believe.

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (2009) – Director: Terry Gilliam

Is The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus appropriate for kids

Rating: 12

Running Length: 123 mins

Starring: Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Heath Ledger

Genre: Fantasy

REVIEW: THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS

Mainly known for being Heath Ledger’s final movie before his untimely death in 2008, the actual story of ‘The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus’ has mostly been ignored. Being very typical in style to Gilliam’s other works, this is a movie which is full of the ordinary and the weird, the beautiful and the grotesque, the real and the fantastical. There are subtle mentions of religion which are never fully explained and although this does make the story a little frustrating, the film doesn’t suffer for this lack of clarity.

All the cast, including a pre-‘The Amazing Spiderman‘ Andrew Garfield, manage their roles extremely well which is impressive for roles involving Gilliam’s trademark mix of the strange and the ordinary. This is a movie which is oozing with indulgent fantasy and is very similar in tone to the Neil Gaiman penned ‘MirrorMask’. The majority of the film is set in modern-day London, with very little reliance on special effects or animated backdrops (with some surreal exceptions behind the mystical door leading to Doctor Parnassus’ bespoke imagination worlds), and while not a lot really happens in the story, it is just fun to watch the events of the movie unfurl. This is especially true because Doctor Parnassus is such a warm, relatable character which makes the audience root for him and feel emotionally attached to him as he goes through his ups and downs.

Whilst this movie is likely to be initially attractive more to existing Gilliam fans, it is also appealing to anyone who enjoys plenty of dark fantasy. Due to the lack of action, it will probably be a bit too boring for kids but this is a great example of character driven plot, dialogue, and a huge imagination at work – all of which will keep the adults of the family entertained throughout.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

The movie starts with the travelling performers setting up their stage outside a pub at night. A few drunk people gather round and the situation soon gets out of hand when one of the drunks goes on the stage. He harasses the young female performer, cursing and making lewd comments towards her. His drunk girlfriend is jealous of this, blaming the young woman and says that she will ‘scratch (her) eyes out’. The drunk man follows the young woman behind the curtain on the stage and finds himself in a different world, he becomes afraid and tries to escape but comes across a pub; he enters and shortly after the pub explodes.

The performers are driving near a bridge and stop as someone sees the shadow of a man ‘dancing’ on the water. Another character realises that it is actually someone struggling from being hung. They drag him onto the bridge, his face is bloody and he is not moving, however they manage to save him and he soon recovers.

Towards the end of the movie, Tony goes behind the curtain several times and sees a different world each time. He is chased by gangsters during one of these visits and when they catch him, they attempt to hang him from a tree. This part lasts for a couple of minutes and Tony’s fear and distress is very real. They are interrupted at the last moment and Tony is saved, however this could be quite frightening for young kids.

Towards the end of the movie, a male character is in the fantasy world behind the curtain with Valentina, Doctor Parnassus’ daughter who has just had her 16th birthday. The two sit in a small rowing boat together and, after some flirting, they passionately kiss and Valentina’s clothes are removed so that her underwear is revealed. It is then strongly implied that the two characters have sex. While the age of consent is 16 in the UK, it has been made clear that Valentina has been 15 during the majority of the film and sexual references have been made by and towards her when she was underage.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?
VERDICT: IS ‘THE IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS’ FOR KIDS?

‘The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus’ is full of Gilliam’s trademark dark fantasy combined with flashes of indulgent surrealism which may not appeal to everyone, but the clear themes of his movies are there for any fans to enjoy. We feel that the lack of action is going to make this film a bit too dull for young children and is probably more appropriate for kids aged 10 and over but we would also recommend caution due to the amount of cursing and sexual references throughout.

  • Violence: 2/5 (hanging is a common theme running throughout the film and one character is killed when they are hung by a group of angry people. A man hits a young woman twice. One character is accused of selling the organs of third world children)
  • Emotional Distress: 1/5 (Doctor Parnassus’ despair at being unable to attract more people to his stage becomes a little upsetting)
  • Fear Factor: 2/5 (the dark undertones of the movie and surreal aspects may be a little disturbing for young kids)
  • Sexual Content: 3/5 (sexual comments are made towards a 15-year-old girl who is aware of her own sexuality. While flirting with a young man, she mentions that 16 is ‘the age of consent’ and, soon after her 16th birthday, she is seduced by a man who is quite few years older than her. One character comes across a sleazy motel which is obviously used for one night stands and a female character tries to lure him in)
  • Bad Language: 3/5 (frequent cursing and blasphemy including sexual curse words and one strong word is used towards the beginning of the movie)
  • Dialogue: 3/5 (the dialogue in the opening scene with the drunks is moderate in tone and could be too strong for young children. The dialogue in the rest of the movie is quite tame in comparison)
  • Other notes: Deals with themes of desperation, amnesia, being a good person, greed, the battle between good and evil, the dangers of temptation and choosing a partner for love or lust.

Words by Laura Record

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