Tag: The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

News: Gilliam: ‘Ledger Inspired Me To Finish Fantasy Film’

I think thats really inspiring that Heath’s death inspired this movie to be completed.

Terry Gilliam has credited Heath Ledger with saving The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus, insisting the actor’s untimely death pushed him to finish the fantasy film.

Ledger died of an accidental prescription drug overdose in January of 2008 – halfway through shooting the movie.

Director Gilliam was devastated by the tragic news and nearly shut down the set – but his memories of the late actor kept him from abandoning the project.

Instead, Gilliam revised the original script, recruiting actors Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell to fill in Ledger’s last role.

He says, “The closing credit says ‘By Heath and Friends’ because the film changed with his death. He forced me to make changes and we wouldn’t have finished it if it wasn’t for Heath…

“Fortunately, I was surrounded by really good people who insisted that… we had to go out and find a way of finishing the film for Heath.”

And the filmmaker insists Hollywood lost an enormous talent in Ledger, who inspired the entire cast and crew on set.

He adds, “Heath was enjoying himself so much and he was ad-libbing a lot, which I don’t normally allow… but Heath was just brilliant at it and he got everybody else going.

“Everybody was just energised by Heath. He was extraordinary. He was almost exhausting because he had so much energy.”

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News: Ledger’s Last Film Not A Big Hit Among Critics

It is probably very different to how it was intended with the other actors having to replace Heath and change the appearance. I can imagine it to be confusing, but I am still very much looking forward to seeing it.

Heath Ledger’s final film has been given a lukewarm reception at the Cannes Film Festival – and many critics were shocked to see his character hanging from a London bridge with a rope around his neck in his first scene.

Ledger died in January, 2008 before he completed work on Terry Gilliam’s fantasy film The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepped in to complete his part in the movie.

And though film reviewers have been kind to the late actor in his final role, they’ve not been so taken by Gilliam or his film, which premiered at Cannes this week (beg18May09).

Britain’s TimesOnline critic James Christopher writes, “Ledger is a marvel to watch,” but insists the plot of the film is “slim, incomprehensible, and desperately unconvincing”.

He goes on to suggest the film “could have benefited with a lot more hard story and a lot less whimsy”.

And Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw insists the film is “amiable” but “could be for fans only,” adding “the film’s convoluted curlicues are tiring, insisting too loudly on how ‘imaginative’ everything is”.

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Ledger’s Last Film To Hit Cannes

Its nice to see it will get a place in a film festival, to get it out there nice and early.

The film Heath Ledger was making when he died last year is set to premiere at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival in France after becoming a last-minute screening.

Film fans and the media are expected to flock to Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus when it opens on the eve of a day of publicity on 22 May.

The film will not be among those competing for film festival prizes.

As well as Ledger, the film features Christopher Plummer, Verne Troyer, Lily Cole and Tom Waits and Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, who stepped in to complete the tragic actor’s scenes.

Ledger died from an accidental drug overdose in January 2008.

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Ledger’s Last Film Waiting For U.S. Buyers

I would not have expected Heath’s last film to be struggling like this. I thought it would find a major distrubutor with no problem at all. I hope it gets sorted out and gets a big release in the end.

Heath Ledger’s final film The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is facing a limited U.S. release as bosses struggle to land a deal with a major distributor.

Executives have been searching for six months for backers in America but are having difficulty finding a company to release the experimental movie, which features late actor Ledger as a travelling magician.

And American audiences may not have easy access to the independent project as a result of the marketing difficulties.

An industry source tells Reuters, “This movie stars Heath Ledger in his final performance – it will get a deal and come out in the U.S. But it’s no accident that it’s taking this long.”

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