The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

[Front-Ranger]

It's a joyful movie, I'm sure you'll love it!

[Mandy21]

I haven't read the entire 28 pages of posts here.  Watched this movie, finally, on Wed night, and was terribly sad that I did.  Heath was tremendous, of course, but I would have rather had him as the Joker being my last memory of him on film.  Guess I just don't understand Gilliam movies.

[Front-Ranger]

Well, just watch The Dark Knight again and then that will be Heath's last movie for you. Problem solved. But keep in mind that Heath liked Terry Gilliam's films and wanted to support the film by appearing in it. One of the things that made Imaginarium memorable for me was coming to understand what Heath saw in it.

[Mandy21]

Thanks, Lee.  I did, in fact, watch The Dark Knight directly after that to erase the memory.  I always fast-forward and only watch the scenes with Heath in them.  The rest of the movie, I didn't care much for.

I try to appreciate Gilliam simply because Heath loved him so much.  I TRY, but it doesn't seem to work.  He's just not my cup of tea.

I'll just remember Heath as Ennis, and the Joker, and Casanova, and Skip, and William, and Patrick, etc. etc....

[delalluvia]

Thanks, Lee.  I did, in fact, watch The Dark Knight directly after that to erase the memory.  I always fast-forward and only watch the scenes with Heath in them.  The rest of the movie, I didn't care much for.

I try to appreciate Gilliam simply because Heath loved him so much.  I TRY, but it doesn't seem to work.  He's just not my cup of tea.

I'll just remember Heath as Ennis, and the Joker, and Casanova, and Skip, and William, and Patrick, etc. etc....

Why did it make you sad?

[Front-Ranger]

I'd also like to hear more about it, friend.

[Mandy21]

It's hard to put my finger on why it made me sad, other than the obvious reason -- that it was his last.    Guess I just didn't want the last words he ever spoke on film to be "Don't believe what you read in the newspapers.  Especially "The Mirror".  It seemed to me, watching it, that the spark of life had kind of gone out of him, like he wasn't enjoying his work 1/100th as much as he did as The Joker.  Or maybe it's just cause Gilliam films creep me out.  Or maybe it's just because of hindsight being 20/20, etc.  Anyway, I was glad when it was over, and I'll never watch it again, that's for sure.

[delalluvia]

I'm sorry that you feel that way about the movie Mandy.  From the accounts I read, he was very pleased to be working on the film.  In the behind the scenes bit on the DVD, Heath felt very grateful to Gilliam and said he'd work for him for nothing.  I also liked that those were his last words.  They were funny.  I'm sure Heath would have appreciated the irony considering his profession.  And I'm sure he loved his last role.  He was always wanting to have multi-faceted roles, to play complicated characters.  And if you listen to most actors, they love playing villains because they're always more fun to play than the hero type.  I'm sure that's what attracted Heath to the role in the first place.

If you like, watch Heath in Casanova again.  Watch the very last scene.  When I think of Heath, that's what I think of.  Somewhere, someplace, he's with some traveling show, on a primitive side-show theatre stage, out in the beautiful countryside, with people he loves, doing what he loves, with the smells of fresh air and greasepaint in his nose.   

[Mandy21]

Thanks Del.  Like I said, I just don't really appreciate Gilliam films, for some reason.  But I'm glad to read what you said about him pleased to be involved.

When I let myself think about Heath, in his last scene from every movie he did, I think I like Skip in "Lords of Dogtown" best -- humbly, but also cockily (is that a word?) shaping up that surfboard, sneaking his sipping whiskey when the boss left the room, to the tune of "Maggie May".  That always makes me smile.

[Kelda]

I finally saw this yesterday - I enjoyed it and I liked how the 3 guys took on his character when in the dreamland.. it didn't seem odd at all that they were them rather than heath... I hadn't realised Andrew Garfield was in the film.

Also, his last words... (remembered my thoguths when he said it when i saw mandy's post) It was a copy of The Sun he had so why does he mention the other tabloid, The Mirror? Something to do with the mirror on the stage?