There’s not a ton of new info on the Cannes page for “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” (yes, we will milk this all day because we are genuinely interested, sorry) which features Heath Ledger’s final onscreen performance. And no, these purported “new” photos are not new, but there are bits of information for those of us that are starved for more.
Mychael and Jeff Danna who wrote the score for Terry Gilliam’s “Tideland” (and Jeff wrote music for “The Boondock Saints,” plus many other films we generally don’t care for; Mychael’s CV is much classier) also composed the score for this one and a larger synopsis is now available for those that have no clue what this potential head-scratcher is about. Gilliam’s long-time cinematographer and close-friend to Heath Ledger, Nicola Pecorini is once again lensing. The film is also 122 minutes long. Here’s the synopsis:
‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day. Dr. Parnassus with his extraordinary traveling show “The Imaginarium” offers to members of the audience an irresistible opportunity to enter their universe of imaginations and wonders, by passing through a magical mirror. But Dr. Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) is cursed with a dark secret. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago he made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick (Tom Waits), in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter (Lily Cole) reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick. Now it is time to pay the price… In this captivating, explosive and wonderfully imaginative race against time, Dr. Parnassus must fight to save his daughter and undo the mistakes of his past once and for all!
Notice that the synopsis doesn’t mention the Ledger/ Johnny Depp/Jude Law/Colin Ferrell character. Odd, right? Though not really, according to the script we read, he doesn’t really enter the picture until maybe the 20-minute mark by our estimation. The film also stars Andrew Garfield (the remarkable young actor from “Boy-A“) and Verne Troyer, both of who are part of Parnassus’ traveling show.
Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” makes its world premiere near the end of the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, May 22. No U.S. date is set yet, but last we heard, Gilliam himself said he was aiming for a Fall release.