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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Details

2009 Certificate 12
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 219 members

Set in the present day, director Terry Gilliam's fantastical morality tale follows the traveling show of the mysterious Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) -- a man who once won a bet with the Devil himself, and possesses the unique ability to guide the imagination of others. Many centuries ago, Dr. Parnassus won immortality in .. Read more

Starring Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law
Director Terry Gilliam
Genres Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

Set in the present day, director Terry Gilliam's fantastical morality tale follows the traveling show of the mysterious Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) -- a man who once won a bet with the Devil himself, and possesses the unique ability to guide the imagination of others. Many centuries ago, Dr. Parnassus won immortality in a bet that found the malevolent Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) coming up short. While few would be foolish enough to try their luck against the powers of darkness a second time, Dr. Parnassus did precisely that -- this time trading his mortality for youth on the understanding that his firstborn would become the property of Mr. Nick when the child reaches his or her 16th birthday. Flash-forward to the present day, and Dr. Parnassus' daughter, Valentina (Lily Cole), is about to celebrate her sweet sixteen. Dr. Parnassus is desperate to save his little girl from her fiery fate, and when Mr. Nick arrives to collect, the good doctor presents the Prince of Darkness with a wager too enticing to refuse: Dr. Parnassus and Mr. Nick will each compete to seduce five souls, with possession of Valentina going to whomever manages to complete the task first. As the competition begins to heat up, Dr. Parnassus promises his daughter's hand in marriage to any man who can help him successfully navigate the surreal obstacle course that lies ahead and finally help him undue the many mistakes of his past. While the sudden death of prominent IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS player Heath Ledger in January of 2008 left Gilliam and company scrambling to find a means of salvaging the film -- which was already well into principal photography at the time -- the cavalry soon arrived in the form of Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, who each serve as alternate-dimension versions of the character originally set to be played by Ledger when the character crosses through a paranormal mirror.

Starring Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, Jude Law, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Verne Troyer, Carrie Genzel
Director Terry Gilliam
Studio LIONSGATE
Run time DVD: 1 hr 59 mins
Blu-ray: 2 hrs 3 mins
Certificate Certificate 12
Genres Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Language DVD: English
Blu-ray: English
Released DVD: 29 Mar 2010
Blu-ray: 29 Mar 2010
Production year: 2009
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

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  • With a little help from an all-star line-up, Terry Gilliam's eagerly awaited fantasy film, starring the late Heath Ledger, makes its debut... read more »

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    • Tom Charity, 
    • LOVEFiLM
  • Most helpful member's review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

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  • 38 out of 43 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Mixed Feelings

    This movie looks amazing, am really excited to see Heath again. However, it will undoubtedly be sad to see him in a new role for the absolute last time. He is greatly missed.

      • A customer from Oxford
  • Most recent members' review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

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  • 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

    * * * This review contains spoilers * * *ShowHide

    Rated - 5 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    superb............................

  • News and features

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    Vertigo

    The Imaginarium of Terry Gilliam

    • 13 Oct 2009

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Rating breakdown

219 Member ratings
  • 100
47
  • 90
17
  • 80
50
  • 70
31
  • 60
29
  • 50
12
  • 40
18
  • 30
3
  • 20
9
  • 10
3

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    • Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, The - BLU-RAY Version
      Set in the present day, director Terry Gilliam's fantastical morality tale follows the traveling show of the mysterious Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) -- a man who once won a bet with the Devil himself, and possesses the unique ability to guide the imagination of others. Many centuries ago, Dr....

    • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
      Set in the present day, director Terry Gilliam's fantastical morality tale follows the traveling show of the mysterious Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) -- a man who once won a bet with the Devil himself, and possesses the unique ability to guide the imagination of others. Many centuries ago, Dr....