The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)

Movie Summary:

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a fantastical morality tale and dark comedy centered around the thousand-year-old Doctor Parnassus, who leads a struggling, itinerant theatre troupe across modern-day London. Parnassus has the extraordinary gift—and curse—of being able to guide the imaginations of others through a magic mirror known as the Imaginarium. He is forever locked in a Faustian rivalry with the Devil, Mr. Nick, having won immortality from him in a bet ages ago. Desperate for love, Parnassus later traded his immortality for youth and a mortal life with the condition that his daughter, Valentina, would become the property of Mr. Nick on her sixteenth birthday. With Valentina's birthday days away, Mr. Nick arrives to collect, but, being an inveterate gambler, he makes a final wager: Valentina's fate will be determined by whoever can seduce the first five souls through the Imaginarium mirror. The troupe, including his daughter Valentina, jealous actor Anton, cynical dwarf Percy, and a mysterious amnesiac they rescue named Tony, must now scramble to win the ultimate bet, which has cosmic consequences.

Detailed Plot (Movie Story):

The film opens on the dilapidated, horse-drawn stage of the traveling show known as The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, performing in a modern, cynical London. The show consists of the 1,000-year-old, melancholy, alcoholic Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer), his beautiful teenage daughter Valentina (Lily Cole), the loyal but sarcastic dwarf Percy (Verne Troyer), and the lovestruck young actor Anton (Andrew Garfield).

Parnassus’s gift, granted through a deal with the Devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), allows him to guide people into his “Imaginarium” through a mirror on the stage. Once inside, the audience member faces a moral choice between two paths: the easy, tempting path of pleasure (often guided by Mr. Nick) or the difficult, redeeming path of imagination and self-discovery (guided by Parnassus). The goal of the show has always been for Parnassus to win "souls" by inspiring them to choose the good path.

The troupe's meager existence is interrupted by the appearance of Mr. Nick. Three days remain until Valentina's 16th birthday, the deadline for Parnassus to forfeit his daughter's soul as part of his second bet. This second, fatal bet was made centuries ago: Parnassus, tired of immortality, traded it for youth to win the love of a mortal woman, on the condition that any child he had would belong to the Devil at the age of 16.

Mr. Nick, keen to prolong the game, offers a new wager: the winner of Valentina will be the one who first collects five souls from people who enter the Imaginarium. Parnassus agrees.

The next morning, the troupe discovers a man, Tony (Heath Ledger), hanging from a bridge. Valentina rescues him. Tony, an amnesiac (or so he claims), is charismatic and quickly proves to be an excellent hustler, convincing Parnassus to modernize the show to attract a new, richer clientele, much to Anton's and Percy's distrust, as Anton harbors a deep jealousy of Tony's instant rapport with Valentina.

As the troupe travels, Tony guides four wealthy, miserable Londoners into the Imaginarium. Because of the fantasy nature of the inner world, Tony's appearance transforms based on the imagination of the person who crosses the mirror. In these scenes, the role of Tony is played by different actors: Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell, a directorial device necessitated by the tragic death of Heath Ledger during filming.

• The first two "souls" are won by Parnassus (choosing the hard, good path).

• The third soul, a wealthy woman, is wooed by Johnny Depp's version of Tony in the Imaginarium, and she chooses Mr. Nick's path, giving Nick a soul.

• The fourth soul, a self-important fashionista, is seduced by Jude Law's Tony and also chooses Nick's path.

The score now stands at 2-2.

Tony's true past is soon revealed: he is a disgraced politician and embezzler with a history of corruption and debt to Russian mobsters. He is pursued by the police and the mob. Valentina, frustrated by her father's irresponsible, gambling nature and believing Tony to be a genuine hero, plans to run away with him.

The final soul needed is secured when Anton, in a fit of jealousy and desperation, forces a child into the mirror. Inside the Imaginarium, the child's mind transforms Colin Farrell's Tony into a giant puppet figure. Tony's true, manipulative nature is revealed inside the mirror, and the final soul is secured for Mr. Nick.

With the deal lost, Mr. Nick arrives to claim Valentina. Valentina, tired of her father's chaotic life and the realization that Tony is a fraud who was using her, chooses to enter Mr. Nick's pathway willingly.

Parnassus is left broken and defeated. As a final, minor consolation, Mr. Nick offers Parnassus another choice: either save Tony's life from the mobsters or receive a small bag of life-saving gold coins. Parnassus chooses the gold, using it to get drunk one last time, allowing Tony to be caught by the mob and hung from the bridge—his original fate.

The film ends years later, after the Imaginarium has fallen apart. A much older Parnassus, having lost his gift and his family, is now a humble, mortal beggar telling stories on the street corner. He watches his daughter, Valentina, now happily married to Anton, with a child of her own. Percy, recognizing that Parnassus finally learned humility and love, places a toy Imaginarium on his bench, letting the old storyteller find a quiet, simple redemption.

Cast Details:

Crew Members Details:

Release Date:

December 25, 2009 (United States, Limited Release)

October 16, 2009 (United Kingdom)