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„Avatar“ wasn’t the only film last year in which characters regularly go to another reality. One more impressive example of this narration technique was “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus“, directed and half written by Terry Gilliam, a member of legendary “Monty Python”. The main difference is that “Avatar” tends to sci-fi and “Imaginarium” is more similar to fairy-tale.

I won’t develop much more, because I’m risking to fall in to the most misleading trap, though it is possible that this could be the main purpose of the movie. Why? Because the film which I’m trying begin to tell about is an ode for telling itself. The genres, style and mood do not matter. “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus“ springs with admiration for magnificent human ability to imagine and to tell. Narration gets different features: from the axiom that narration force the world to rotate to the thought that telling is simply fun thing. I won’t give examples, because I don’t want to rob a pleasure to watch.

Let’s return to the very beginning instead. Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is a host of a magic theater which wanders through space and time. He and his miserable escort invite his audience to come to the miraculous mirror and viewer finds himself in the world created by his character and Parnassus imagination. At first a guest is wandering trough the animated space in which his or her biggest dreams and obsessions embodies. Later, depending on a level of guest’s rottenness, a participant of Doctor Parnassus imagination gets an exercise: he or she must choose between his weaknesses and the eternal values. Such a game is great opportunity for a little bet. This is what devil, mister Nick, likes the most…

It seems an odd friendship of Parnassus and Nick has been lasted longer than a millennium, from the day when Satan gave immortally to Doctor and the latter promised his first child for Mr. Nick when he or she becomes sixteen years old. Only now, after so many ages, Parnassus understands what he really had given, because only now he has a daughter Valentina, performed by nonstandard beauty Lily Cole. The fatal sixteenth birthday is coming and a great fantasist is puzzling his brains searching for ways to save Valentina.

Here Tony, a playboy, who has lost his memory, comes to the rescue. Now is the trick: four great actors had played this part. Maybe movie creators could be satisfied with one, but Heat Ledger didn’t make it till the shooting end. Therefore Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell came to finish the job. Usually these names themselves show the quality of the film. However, for the sake of truth, I should say that, despite a few very sophisticated moves, the first epithet that comes to my mind this time is “oh, what a funny narration!”

By the way, this review was published on the official site of the movie.

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