Saw it at the Toronto International Film Festival!
Apparently, Gilliam was not "on" anything while conceiving this masterful work of abstract reality. And i, for one, believe this statement is genuine. This is because through the visual chaos presented on the screen lies a single idea that weaves the entire picture together. Yes, there are flaws in the story but life has flaws and that is why artists like Mr. Gilliam create the means to escape from that daily monotony.
The cast had perhaps more heavyweight star-power than any contemporary Hollywood blockbuster could ever dream of (Ledger, Plummer, Depp, Law, and Ferrel. Each of them bringing their talents to the table even as Tom Waits steals the show popping up unexpectedly every now and then in the most unusual fashion. Heath is a true chameleon; this time, sporting an English accent. But it is Christopher Plummer who is the true lead as it is he who we follow on the mission to save his daughter from the grasp of Waits' devil that underlines the entire film.
While watching, one ultimately forgets that it is the last time that Heath will ever grace the big screen and yet it seems as though he goes out with the same grace many thought had already passed with The Dark Knight. It is also particularly strange how the last shot of the Joker in The Dark Knight is hanging upside-down (sorry for spoiler) and the first shot of Tony in this film is hanging under a bridge (not really a spoiler). The latter is foretold by Parnassus via a tarot card called "The Hanged Man" which foretells happiness at the price of sacrifice...
Apparently, Gilliam was not "on" anything while conceiving this masterful work of abstract reality. And i, for one, believe this statement is genuine. This is because through the visual chaos presented on the screen lies a single idea that weaves the entire picture together. Yes, there are flaws in the story but life has flaws and that is why artists like Mr. Gilliam create the means to escape from that daily monotony.
The cast had perhaps more heavyweight star-power than any contemporary Hollywood blockbuster could ever dream of (Ledger, Plummer, Depp, Law, and Ferrel. Each of them bringing their talents to the table even as Tom Waits steals the show popping up unexpectedly every now and then in the most unusual fashion. Heath is a true chameleon; this time, sporting an English accent. But it is Christopher Plummer who is the true lead as it is he who we follow on the mission to save his daughter from the grasp of Waits' devil that underlines the entire film.
While watching, one ultimately forgets that it is the last time that Heath will ever grace the big screen and yet it seems as though he goes out with the same grace many thought had already passed with The Dark Knight. It is also particularly strange how the last shot of the Joker in The Dark Knight is hanging upside-down (sorry for spoiler) and the first shot of Tony in this film is hanging under a bridge (not really a spoiler). The latter is foretold by Parnassus via a tarot card called "The Hanged Man" which foretells happiness at the price of sacrifice...