Three New Clips from ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’

Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on May 26, 2009

In the wake of its appearance at the Cannes Film Festival this past week, three new clips from Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus have appeared online via the French site Comme Au Cinema.

The fantasy film — which stars Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield, Verne Troyer, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law — tells the story of Dr. Parnassus and his traveling ‘Imaginarium’, a traveling show where members of the audience are given the opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom, thanks to the good Doctor’s extraordinary gift of guiding the imaginations of others. Of course, not even his gift can stop the result of a deal that he struck long ago with the devil, known as Mr. Nick. Originally earning immortality in a bet with Mr. Nick, Dr. Parnassus later found his true love and traded his immortality for youth, on the condition that when his first born turned 16 years old he or she would be come property of Mr. Nick.

Of course, another deal with the devil is struck around the time that Valentina, Parnassus’ daughter is about to come of age. The new wager is that Valentina will become the property of whomever can seduce the first five souls. So Parnassus enlists the aid of a group of men, promising Valentina’s hand in marriage to the one who helps him win the bet. If you ask me, it sounds a little wild, but also potentially very cool. And from the look of the film in the clips below, it shows some potential for being the “wild, comical, captivating and explosive” adventure that the official synopsis claims it to be.

Have a look for yourself at the clips below. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is still without a U.S. release date.

What do you think of these three clips from The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus?

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