As a man (Heath Ledger) who tried to hang himself joins a traveling theater troupe in England, its ancient leader (Christopher Plummer) is worried about a deal he once made with the Devil. Just like the drunken idiot who in the film’s early scenes is sucked into the mysterious world on the other side of Doctor Parnassus’s mirror, so are we immediately fascinated by director Terry Gilliam’s visual tricks. However, after a while one grows tired of the excess and starts longing for a real story. Still, this Faustian tale has a splendid cast.
2009-Britain-France-Canada. 122 min. Color.Ā Directed byĀ Terry Gilliam.Ā Screenplay:Ā Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown.Ā Production Design:Ā David Warren, Anastasia Masaro.Ā Cast:Ā Heath Ledger (Tony), Christopher Plummer (Doctor Parnassus), Verne Troyer (Percy), Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, Tom Waitsā¦ Peter Stormare, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell.
Trivia: Ledger passed away during the shooting, and is replaced in the film’s second half by Depp, Law and Farrell as his character changes faces in the world behind the mirror.
