As a longtime fan of the films of Terry Gilliam, and also one who was greatly aggrieved by the death of the tremendously talented Heath Ledger, I have been intensely anticipating the release of the film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.
The film's wildly imaginative and bizarre storyline, as well as the rich imagery, resembles some of my all-time favorite Gilliam work (especially The Adventures of Baron Munchausen which was co-written by Charles McKeown who also co-wrote Parnassus). Aside from the draw of being Ledger's final film role, I am greatly enticed by the rest of the cast which includes Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell, Verne Troyer, and Tom Waits!
This film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2009, with reviews praising its stunning visuals and calling Ledger "a marvel" in his role. The film was also released in Germany at the Munich Film Festival and has release dates secured for countries including Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy, etc.
Despite the huge publicity and big-name cast, negotiations with several prospective commercial partners are ongoing and no United States release date has been set. If Gilliam cannot find a distributor willing to pay the going rate for rights to screen it in cinemas, Heath Ledger’s final film, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus could go straight to DVD!
No! Keep your fingers crossed that this film gets a release in the States, otherwise all of us miss out on a golden opportunity to see a treasure trove of creative greatness on the big screen!
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