MUST MASH: Stunning Trailer For Heath Ledger’s Final Film, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

I’ve watched this trailer probably over 15 times now and I’m still getting goosebumps. I mean, WOW! What a heartbreaking mixture of sadness and celebration this is, as it is of course, the last time we will see Heath Ledger in cinema. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus looks like it will allow Ledger’s talents to soar through director Terry Gilliam’s unique, bizarre and imaginative vision. Ledger of course died during the middle of filming in January of 2008 and there was some real uncertainty if the film would actually be able to go on with out him. Gilliam then found luck and a true blessing by the selfless additions of actors Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law to, not replace Ledger’s character, but to portray different versions of him due to the flexible magical elements of the film. To learn about everything that occurred with filming after Ledger’s passing, click HERE.

This film looks absolutely stunning and it’s all because of Gilliam’s vision. When talking the truly best “abstract/bizarre/imaginative” directors working today, I believe Gilliam tops Tim Burton in every fashion. Why? Because Gilliam gives us something different every time. In 1975 Gilliam gives us one of the greatest comedic masterpieces of all time with Monty Python and the Holy Grail; a brilliant satire on medieval Britain. In 1995 with Twelve Monkeys (one of craziest and most interpretive films ever) Gilliam gave us a bleak yet mesmerizing look into the future. In 1998 with Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas (Johnny Depp’s best performance of his career) Gilliam gave us a never-before-seen, terrifying yet hilarious view of being on drugs, that being, through the eyes of legendary journalist Hunter S. Thompson.  Then in 2005 he took us into a dark yet charming world of ghosts, ghouls and goblins with 2005′s The Brothers Grimm (where he and Ledger had met). The man is a true innovator. And not to diss Burton because he is most creative, but annoyingly incorporates his trademark “ghoulish and contorted architecture” hand prints  all over every one of his films; so the second you see it, even the novice movie-goer would say, “the scenery Alice In Wonderland looks a lot like Beetle Juice.”

In this trailer we get our first looks at Depp, Farrell and Law in action, and it’s really cool because they all have on the same hair and costume as Ledger; as they are all the same character as mentioned earlier.  The moment in the trailer that gives me goose bumps every time is when Ledger says, “the extraordinary Dr. Parnassus!” The emphasis on Parnassus has this deep, bellowing, scratchy sound that is reminiscent of his Joker and it’s so F-ing badass. Right now TIOD Parnassus is set to open throughout most of Europe this October, but no date has been set for a U.S. release. Hmmmmm. They’d better get on that because there is no way that I’m going to wait until next summer when it’s released on DVD (and no, I’m not going to download it, and you shouldn’t either). Anyway, without further ado, check out this amazingly stunning trailer for The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus. R.I.P Heath.

What Do You Think? Discuss.