The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus (Terry Gilliam, 2009)

[hot_locket]

Speaking of Gilliam, any news on the clusterfuck that was the Tidelands DVD release? Is there still no way to see it in its intended aspect ratio?

[denti alligator]

See the appropriate thread.

Short answer: yes (import it from Germany)

[DrewReiber]

Thank you, Dark Knight.

huh?

Because I believe Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain or not, has a lot of viability right now thanks to pre-release buzz on the Begins sequel. Take Bale for instance, he's publicly acknowledged his role as Batman helps him get films like Rescue Dawn made.

[Kirkinson]

Variety:

Gilliam mounts 'Parnassus' in London
Film is director's most personal since 'Brazil'
By ADAM DAWTREY

In a parallel universe, where novelists get to choose who adapts their books, "The Golden Compass" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" would have been directed by Terry Gilliam.

Philip Pullman and J.K. Rowling both wanted Gilliam, who was also approved by Roald Dahl's widow to remake "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." In each case, the studio said no.

That's the story of Gilliam's career. He's loved by fellow creatives, but he scares the suits to death.

Back in the real world, the 67-year-old filmmaker, originally from Minneapolis but now a naturalized Brit, has just started shooting "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," a $30 million indie movie which he describes as "a compendium of everything I've done."

It's his first wholly original screenplay, and his most personal statement, since "Brazil" in 1985.

Set and shot in contemporary London and in parallel fantasy realms, it stars Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits and Lily Cole in a characteristically convoluted tale of a travelling theater troupe led by the 1,000-year-old Parnassus (Plummer), whose magical mirror lets his audience escape into a universe of boundless imagination.

The only snag is that Parnassus has won this power by gambling with the devil (Waits), which means there's a price to pay.

"It's autobiographical," laughs Gilliam. "I'm trying to bring a bit of fantasticality to London, an antidote to modern lives. I loved this idea of an ancient travelling show offering the kind of storytelling and wonder that we used to get, to people who are just into shoot-em-up action films."

"Parnassus is trying to bring amazement to people, and not doing a very good job of it, because they aren't paying attention to him. But if they will enter his mirror, and allow their imagination to mix with his, they enter these extraordinary worlds, and they come back transcendent -- or they strangely disappear."

Gilliam co-wrote the script with Charles McKeown, with whom he last collaborated on "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" and "Brazil."

"It's the first thing I've truly written myself since then," Gilliam says. "I wanted to work back in England and do what I used to do in animation, free thinking. This is the first film I've storyboarded myself since 'Munchausen.' That's what I've really enjoyed, just to sit there and start drawing."

Gilliam's flights of fancy don't come cheap, so financing is always a struggle. After a run of hits from "Time Bandits" to "Twelve Monkeys" (with only the significant blip of "Munchausen"), his fortunes have dipped in the past decade with "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," the abandoned "Man Who Killed Don Quixote," "Brothers Grimm" and "Tideland."

It doesn't help that his resume includes two notorious production disasters -- "Munchausen," which went wildly over budget, and "Quixote," halted when its elderly star Jean Rochefort fell ill, as chronicled in the doc "Lost in La Mancha."

Yet for all his unruly creative persona and his compulsively outspoken behavior, Gilliam is a remarkably disciplined filmmaker. "I have always stayed within budget, apart from that one glitch. But that's not what my legend is," he says. "I have a weird obsession to tell the truth about filmmaking, but my problems have been no greater or less than anyone else's. I just talk too much, or there's always a documentary crew around."

Fortunately, there's always talent lining up to work with him. "Nothing I do seems to be understandable to the money people at the early stage. The key is to get Johnny Depp or Heath Ledger. If big-name actors didn't want to work with me for bad money, I wouldn't be able to do it," he says.

"Parnassus" is produced by Sammy Hadida, Bill Vince and Amy Gilliam (his daughter). Gilliam credits them for the "miracle" of raising the $30 million budget -- a lot for an indie movie, but not for what he's putting on screen.

"Anyone else would want $80 million to make this movie. People are going to see it and think, 'Wow!'" Gilliam says. He's doing the f/x work in Canada after he finishes shooting around such London landmarks as Battersea Power Station, Tower Bridge and St. Pauls Cathedral.

"You can do 'Golden Compass' for $250 million, or you can make 'Parnassus' for a tenth of that, and still make it look spectacular," he asserts. "I don't want to do the hugely expensive films because my creative team wouldn't have control. Suddenly you're surrounded by executives, by this fear, and that puts everyone off."

No really new information, except that bit about The Golden Compass. I knew that Gilliam had been itching for years to be the one to put Pullman's books on film, but I didn't know the feeling was mutual. In any case, I'm excited that this movie is actually happening.

[Sanjuro]

Tom Waits as the Devil. Ho hum, always typecast as himself...

[Magic Hate Ball]

If I had a billion dollars I would give all of it to Gilliam.

[Steven H]

I just hope Brothers Grimm isn't a signpost for what this one will be like.

[Antoine Doinel]

Heath Ledger set pics.

[Barmy]

With Heath dead it seems Gilliam has bad luck.

[tavernier]

You think?

[domino harvey]

Let's add this thread to the list of ways I don't want to find out someone died

[tavernier]

I always check Passages first, especially since so many seem to be going lately.

[arsonfilms]

With any luck, the fact that he passed away in New York bodes well for the release of the movie... I'm sure he must have wrapped by now. This and Dark Knight will probably get a little bit of a bump, as posthumous releases of a young Oscar nominee, who by all accounts should have just been getting started.

[hot_locket]

That'd be a pretty quick shoot, wouldn't it?

[Barmy]

TMZ has Heath's last pic, taken Saturday on set. I doubt they're done shooting.

[tavernier]

Another candidate for a "Gilliam's rotten luck" documentary.

[Zazou dans le Metro]

TMZ has Heath's last pic, taken Saturday on set. I doubt they're done shooting.

They've wrapped in London last week. Don't know if he had stuff to do in Canada.

[arsonfilms]

Well, if production began in late November/early January, and if Ledger wasn't the lead, I don't see why he couldn't have been done by now. Its fairly common for supporting actors to be finished shooting long before production wraps, and the very fact that he was in New York on a Tuesday certainly indicates that he wasn't needed on set right away.

[NABOB OF NOWHERE]

Time for all you voice over artists to work on your chops. With Gilliam's shooting method's there's gonnae be a shitload of dubbing to do.

[Shrew]

You know what would be an awesome way to salvage this tragedy? If the rest of Heath Ledger's scenes were filmed using one of Gilliam's cut-out animations.

[Zazou dans le Metro]

This just in. From the set.... without him,they only have half a film

[hot_locket]

As sad as his death is, you really have to hand it to Ledger for setting a crazy new record of bad luck associated with Gilliam productions. The dark humor associated with this unfortunate passing is very rich indeed.

[Marcel Gioberti]

Time for a sequel to Lost in La Mancha, I guess. This is also horrible fucking news.

[jmj713]

What else is there to say that hasn't been said already. I could not in any way see this coming, not that guy. And Terry, man, what the effing eff? I really hope this film comes out in some way, maybe cut down Heath's role in it, but release it as a tribute to him.

[tavernier]

Like Natalie Wood in Brainstorm.