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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

The Imaginarium of Doctor


Parnassus (2009)

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a 2009 fantasy film


directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown.
The film follows a traveling theater troupe whose leader, having made a
bet with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to
explore their imaginations and present them with a choice between self-
fulfilling enlightenment or gratifying ignorance.

Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, and Tom
Waits star in the film, though Ledgers death one-third of the way through
filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledgers role was
recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying
transformations of Ledgers character as he travels through a dream
world.

PLOT SUMMARY

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

The ancient Doctor Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) theatre troupe,


which includes sleight of hand expert Anton (Andrew Garfield), confidant
Percy (Verne Troyer), and Parnassus daughter Valentina (Lily Cole),
performs outside a London pub. A drunkard (Richard Riddell) barges
onstage and crashes through a stage mirror, where his face changes (Bruce
Crawford), and he enters a journey of imagination that culminates in a
choice between a torturous-looking twelve-step program and going to a
pub. He enters the pub, but it explodes; in the real world, Parnassus says
he has lost another one to Mr. Nick (Tom Waits).

Mr. Nick reminds Parnassus that in three days Valentina turns 16, and her
soul will be his. Drowning himself in drink and playing tarot, Parnassus
tells Valentina that, centuries earlier, he ran a monastery where monks
perpetually recited stories to sustain the world. Mr. Nick challenged their
beliefs by sealing their mouths. The world survived, but Parnassus claimed
it was because of stories told elsewhere. Mr. Nick bet Parnassus over who
could win souls of more people, to crave either stories of imagination
(Parnassus) or addictive feeble desires (Mr. Nick). Parnassus won 12 souls
before Mr. Nick, and gained immortality.

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

As the troupe crosses a bridge, Anton spies someone hanging beneath it.
They rescue the hanging man (Heath Ledger), who spits out a golden pipe
when revived.[note 1][8][9] Claiming to have amnesia, the man joins the
troupe as a barker. Parnassus becomes despondent over the impending
loss of his daughter. Mr. Nick visits Parnassus, revealing the hanging man
is a disgraced philanthropist named Tony. He offers Parnassus a wager:
Valentina can stay with whomever wins five souls first.

Tony convinces the troupe to remodel the show as more attractive to


contemporary Londoners. In an upscale mall, Tony lures a woman
wearing Louis Vuitton (Maggie Steed) into the mirror and follows her,
where they enter a pastel-colored dream-world of giant high-heel shoes,
bejeweled eggs, and floating lily pads representative of this womans
imagination. The womans imagination also changes Tonys face (Johnny
Depp); upon discovering this, he dances elegantly with her, and they spy a
motel run by Mr. Nick. However, Tony convinces the woman to take a
gondola toward a pyramid alone, winning a soul for Parnassus. Soon after,
Tony falls backward out of the Imaginarium, changing his face back to
normal; the woman exits shortly after and writes a blank check. Three
other women clamor for a turn. Each emerges elated and pays well;
Parnassus wins three more souls.

Four Russian gangsters see Tony, who owes them money, and they chase
him into the Imaginarium. As they threaten Tony, who has once again
transformed into his vision of a successful man (Jude Law) Parnassus
tempts them with a police recruitment song, promising they will enjoy
being cops who can legally brutalize people. Mr. Nick lures them to a
woman that takes the form of their mother with a giant babushka. It
explodes; the score is four souls apiece.

Parnassus reveals to Valentina that in an hour she will belong to Mr. Nick.

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

He finally explains he made a new pact with Mr. Nick to be youthful again,
so to win the heart of a woman he loved. In exchange, any child he
fathered would become Mr. Nicks property at age 16. Valentina attempts
to run away, but Tony enters the Imaginarium to give his soul to
Parnassus; in exchange, Parnassus must teach him the trance which
powers the dream-world. Valentina returns as he tries to enter the mirror,
but Anton blocks them, having discovered from a recent newspaper how
Tony is a fraudulent charity scammer.

Anton jealously struggles with Tony; in the scuffle, first Valentina, then
Tony, enter the mirror dream-world. Influenced by Valentinas desires,
Tonys face changes again (Colin Farrell), and with Valentina, floats along
in a boat. Shortly after an impoverished child disrupts their boat trip,
Tony is suddenly now a philanthropist, speaking at a fundraiser. Anton
appears as an outspoken child and exposes Tony as a fraud. A mob
pursues Tony as the landscape disintegrates around them. Anton falls into
a void, and Tony flees into a desert.

Valentina enters a shifting landscape of broken mirrors. Distraught over


her fathers bargain, Valentina gives her soul to Mr. Nick. Disillusioned at
his easy victory, Mr. Nick offers to trade Valentina for Tony. Chased by the
mob, Tony flees to a hilltop gallows, but Parnassus confronts him, holding
two copies of Tonys pipe, which he used to brace his windpipe against the
noose. Parnassus challenges Tony to choose which pipe is genuine. He
chooses wrongly, and, when the mob string him up on the gallows, he
finally dies. Mr. Nick keeps to his word, and Valentina is freed, but he
knows not where. Nick abandons Parnassus to the wilds of his
Imaginarium.

Heartbroken, Parnassus only emerges from the Imaginarium years later,


where he finds that Valentina married Anton and has a daughter. He

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

watches them from outside a restaurant window, but when tempted to join
them, he is stopped by Percy, who reappears as a hotel worker. Teaming
up with Percy once more, Parnassus sells toy theater replicas of the
Imaginarium on a street corner. Mr. Nick, everpresent, invites Parnassus
over to him, but Percy successfully puts an end to the temptation.

Image & Source

FILM SUBLIMINALS

Learn more about the concepts, principles and symbolism behind the
subliminals found in this film:

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RELATED FILMS

First Published: Dec 23, 2011 Last Updated: Apr 2, 2014

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a 2009 fantasy film


directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown.
The film follows a traveling theater troupe whose leader, having made a
bet with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to
explore their imaginations and present them with a choice between self-
fulfilling enlightenment or gratifying ignorance.

Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, and Tom
Waits star in the film, though Ledgers death one-third of the way through

https://hollywoodsubliminals.wordpress.com/director/terry-gilliam/the-imaginarium-of-doctor-parnassus/ Page 15 of 53
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledgers role was


recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying
transformations of Ledgers character as he travels through a dream
world.

PLOT SUMMARY

The ancient Doctor


Parnassus (Christopher
Plummer) theatre
troupe, which includes
sleight of hand expert
Anton (Andrew
Garfield), confidant
Percy (Verne Troyer),
and Parnassus daughter
Valentina (Lily Cole),
performs outside a
London pub. A drunkard (Richard Riddell) barges onstage and crashes
through a stage mirror, where his face changes (Bruce Crawford), and he
enters a journey of imagination that culminates in a choice between a
torturous-looking twelve-step program and going to a pub. He enters the
pub, but it explodes; in the real world, Parnassus says he has lost another
one to Mr. Nick (Tom Waits).

Mr. Nick reminds Parnassus that in three days Valentina turns 16, and her

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

soul will be his. Drowning himself in drink and playing tarot, Parnassus
tells Valentina that, centuries earlier, he ran a monastery where monks
perpetually recited stories to sustain the world. Mr. Nick challenged their
beliefs by sealing their mouths. The world survived, but Parnassus claimed
it was because of stories told elsewhere. Mr. Nick bet Parnassus over who
could win souls of more people, to crave either stories of imagination
(Parnassus) or addictive feeble desires (Mr. Nick). Parnassus won 12 souls
before Mr. Nick, and gained immortality.

As the troupe crosses a bridge, Anton spies someone hanging beneath it.
They rescue the hanging man (Heath Ledger), who spits out a golden pipe
when revived.[note 1][8][9] Claiming to have amnesia, the man joins the
troupe as a barker. Parnassus becomes despondent over the impending
loss of his daughter. Mr. Nick visits Parnassus, revealing the hanging man
is a disgraced philanthropist named Tony. He offers Parnassus a wager:
Valentina can stay with whomever wins five souls first.

Tony convinces the troupe to remodel the show as more attractive to


contemporary Londoners. In an upscale mall, Tony lures a woman
wearing Louis Vuitton (Maggie Steed) into the mirror and follows her,
where they enter a pastel-colored dream-world of giant high-heel shoes,
bejeweled eggs, and floating lily pads representative of this womans
imagination. The womans imagination also changes Tonys face (Johnny
Depp); upon discovering this, he dances elegantly with her, and they spy a
motel run by Mr. Nick. However, Tony convinces the woman to take a
gondola toward a pyramid alone, winning a soul for Parnassus. Soon after,
Tony falls backward out of the Imaginarium, changing his face back to
normal; the woman exits shortly after and writes a blank check. Three
other women clamor for a turn. Each emerges elated and pays well;
Parnassus wins three more souls.

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

Four Russian gangsters see Tony, who owes them money, and they chase
him into the Imaginarium. As they threaten Tony, who has once again
transformed into his vision of a successful man (Jude Law) Parnassus
tempts them with a police recruitment song, promising they will enjoy
being cops who can legally brutalize people. Mr. Nick lures them to a
woman that takes the form of their mother with a giant babushka. It
explodes; the score is four souls apiece.

Parnassus reveals to Valentina that in an hour she will belong to Mr. Nick.
He finally explains he made a new pact with Mr. Nick to be youthful again,
so to win the heart of a woman he loved. In exchange, any child he
fathered would become Mr. Nicks property at age 16. Valentina attempts
to run away, but Tony enters the Imaginarium to give his soul to
Parnassus; in exchange, Parnassus must teach him the trance which
powers the dream-world. Valentina returns as he tries to enter the mirror,
but Anton blocks them, having discovered from a recent newspaper how
Tony is a fraudulent charity scammer.

Anton jealously struggles with Tony; in the scuffle, first Valentina, then
Tony, enter the mirror dream-world. Influenced by Valentinas desires,
Tonys face changes again (Colin Farrell), and with Valentina, floats along
in a boat. Shortly after an impoverished child disrupts their boat trip,
Tony is suddenly now a philanthropist, speaking at a fundraiser. Anton
appears as an outspoken child and exposes Tony as a fraud. A mob
pursues Tony as the landscape disintegrates around them. Anton falls into
a void, and Tony flees into a desert.

Valentina enters a shifting landscape of broken mirrors. Distraught over


her fathers bargain, Valentina gives her soul to Mr. Nick. Disillusioned at
his easy victory, Mr. Nick offers to trade Valentina for Tony. Chased by the
mob, Tony flees to a hilltop gallows, but Parnassus confronts him, holding

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two copies of Tonys pipe, which he used to brace his windpipe against the
noose. Parnassus challenges Tony to choose which pipe is genuine. He
chooses wrongly, and, when the mob string him up on the gallows, he
finally dies. Mr. Nick keeps to his word, and Valentina is freed, but he
knows not where. Nick abandons Parnassus to the wilds of his
Imaginarium.

Heartbroken, Parnassus only emerges from the Imaginarium years later,


where he finds that Valentina married Anton and has a daughter. He
watches them from outside a restaurant window, but when tempted to join
them, he is stopped by Percy, who reappears as a hotel worker. Teaming
up with Percy once more, Parnassus sells toy theater replicas of the
Imaginarium on a street corner. Mr. Nick, everpresent, invites Parnassus
over to him, but Percy successfully puts an end to the temptation.

Image & Source

FILM SUBLIMINALS

Learn more about the concepts, principles and symbolism behind the
subliminals found in this film:

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a 2009 fantasy film


directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown.
The film follows a traveling theater troupe whose leader, having made a
bet with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to
explore their imaginations and present them with a choice between self-
fulfilling enlightenment or gratifying ignorance.

Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, and Tom
Waits star in the film, though Ledgers death one-third of the way through
filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledgers role was
recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying
transformations of Ledgers character as he travels through a dream
world.

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009) | Hollywood Subliminals 12/2/17, 8(35 AM

PLOT SUMMARY

The ancient Doctor


Parnassus (Christopher
Plummer) theatre
troupe, which includes
sleight of hand expert
Anton (Andrew
Garfield), confidant
Percy (Verne Troyer),
and Parnassus daughter
Valentina (Lily Cole),
performs outside a
London pub. A drunkard (Richard Riddell) barges onstage and crashes
through a stage mirror, where his face changes (Bruce Crawford), and he
enters a journey of imagination that culminates in a choice between a
torturous-looking twelve-step program and going to a pub. He enters the
pub, but it explodes; in the real world, Parnassus says he has lost another
one to Mr. Nick (Tom Waits).

Mr. Nick reminds Parnassus that in three days Valentina turns 16, and her
soul will be his. Drowning himself in drink and playing tarot, Parnassus
tells Valentina that, centuries earlier, he ran a monastery where monks
perpetually recited stories to sustain the world. Mr. Nick challenged their
beliefs by sealing their mouths. The world survived, but Parnassus claimed

https://hollywoodsubliminals.wordpress.com/director/terry-gilliam/the-imaginarium-of-doctor-parnassus/ Page 29 of 53
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it was because of stories told elsewhere. Mr. Nick bet Parnassus over who
could win souls of more people, to crave either stories of imagination
(Parnassus) or addictive feeble desires (Mr. Nick). Parnassus won 12 souls
before Mr. Nick, and gained immortality.

As the troupe crosses a bridge, Anton spies someone hanging beneath it.
They rescue the hanging man (Heath Ledger), who spits out a golden pipe
when revived.[note 1][8][9] Claiming to have amnesia, the man joins the
troupe as a barker. Parnassus becomes despondent over the impending
loss of his daughter. Mr. Nick visits Parnassus, revealing the hanging man
is a disgraced philanthropist named Tony. He offers Parnassus a wager:
Valentina can stay with whomever wins five souls first.

Tony convinces the troupe to remodel the show as more attractive to


contemporary Londoners. In an upscale mall, Tony lures a woman
wearing Louis Vuitton (Maggie Steed) into the mirror and follows her,
where they enter a pastel-colored dream-world of giant high-heel shoes,
bejeweled eggs, and floating lily pads representative of this womans
imagination. The womans imagination also changes Tonys face (Johnny
Depp); upon discovering this, he dances elegantly with her, and they spy a
motel run by Mr. Nick. However, Tony convinces the woman to take a
gondola toward a pyramid alone, winning a soul for Parnassus. Soon after,
Tony falls backward out of the Imaginarium, changing his face back to
normal; the woman exits shortly after and writes a blank check. Three
other women clamor for a turn. Each emerges elated and pays well;
Parnassus wins three more souls.

Four Russian gangsters see Tony, who owes them money, and they chase
him into the Imaginarium. As they threaten Tony, who has once again
transformed into his vision of a successful man (Jude Law) Parnassus
tempts them with a police recruitment song, promising they will enjoy

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being cops who can legally brutalize people. Mr. Nick lures them to a
woman that takes the form of their mother with a giant babushka. It
explodes; the score is four souls apiece.

Parnassus reveals to Valentina that in an hour she will belong to Mr. Nick.
He finally explains he made a new pact with Mr. Nick to be youthful again,
so to win the heart of a woman he loved. In exchange, any child he
fathered would become Mr. Nicks property at age 16. Valentina attempts
to run away, but Tony enters the Imaginarium to give his soul to
Parnassus; in exchange, Parnassus must teach him the trance which
powers the dream-world. Valentina returns as he tries to enter the mirror,
but Anton blocks them, having discovered from a recent newspaper how
Tony is a fraudulent charity scammer.

Anton jealously struggles with Tony; in the scuffle, first Valentina, then
Tony, enter the mirror dream-world. Influenced by Valentinas desires,
Tonys face changes again (Colin Farrell), and with Valentina, floats along
in a boat. Shortly after an impoverished child disrupts their boat trip,
Tony is suddenly now a philanthropist, speaking at a fundraiser. Anton
appears as an outspoken child and exposes Tony as a fraud. A mob
pursues Tony as the landscape disintegrates around them. Anton falls into
a void, and Tony flees into a desert.

Valentina enters a shifting landscape of broken mirrors. Distraught over


her fathers bargain, Valentina gives her soul to Mr. Nick. Disillusioned at
his easy victory, Mr. Nick offers to trade Valentina for Tony. Chased by the
mob, Tony flees to a hilltop gallows, but Parnassus confronts him, holding
two copies of Tonys pipe, which he used to brace his windpipe against the
noose. Parnassus challenges Tony to choose which pipe is genuine. He
chooses wrongly, and, when the mob string him up on the gallows, he
finally dies. Mr. Nick keeps to his word, and Valentina is freed, but he

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knows not where. Nick abandons Parnassus to the wilds of his


Imaginarium.

Heartbroken, Parnassus only emerges from the Imaginarium years later,


where he finds that Valentina married Anton and has a daughter. He
watches them from outside a restaurant window, but when tempted to join
them, he is stopped by Percy, who reappears as a hotel worker. Teaming
up with Percy once more, Parnassus sells toy theater replicas of the
Imaginarium on a street corner. Mr. Nick, everpresent, invites Parnassus
over to him, but Percy successfully puts an end to the temptation.

Image & Source

FILM SUBLIMINALS

Learn more about the concepts, principles and symbolism behind the
subliminals found in this film:

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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a 2009 fantasy film


directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown.
The film follows a traveling theater troupe whose leader, having made a
bet with the Devil, takes audience members through a magical mirror to
explore their imaginations and present them with a choice between self-
fulfilling enlightenment or gratifying ignorance.

Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Andrew Garfield, Lily Cole, and Tom
Waits star in the film, though Ledgers death one-third of the way through
filming caused production to be temporarily suspended. Ledgers role was
recast with Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell portraying
transformations of Ledgers character as he travels through a dream
world.

PLOT SUMMARY

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The ancient Doctor


Parnassus (Christopher
Plummer) theatre
troupe, which includes
sleight of hand expert
Anton (Andrew
Garfield), confidant
Percy (Verne Troyer),
and Parnassus daughter
Valentina (Lily Cole),
performs outside a
London pub. A drunkard (Richard Riddell) barges onstage and crashes
through a stage mirror, where his face changes (Bruce Crawford), and he
enters a journey of imagination that culminates in a choice between a
torturous-looking twelve-step program and going to a pub. He enters the
pub, but it explodes; in the real world, Parnassus says he has lost another
one to Mr. Nick (Tom Waits).

Mr. Nick reminds Parnassus that in three days Valentina turns 16, and her
soul will be his. Drowning himself in drink and playing tarot, Parnassus
tells Valentina that, centuries earlier, he ran a monastery where monks
perpetually recited stories to sustain the world. Mr. Nick challenged their
beliefs by sealing their mouths. The world survived, but Parnassus claimed
it was because of stories told elsewhere. Mr. Nick bet Parnassus over who
could win souls of more people, to crave either stories of imagination
(Parnassus) or addictive feeble desires (Mr. Nick). Parnassus won 12 souls
before Mr. Nick, and gained immortality.

As the troupe crosses a bridge, Anton spies someone hanging beneath it.
They rescue the hanging man (Heath Ledger), who spits out a golden pipe
when revived.[note 1][8][9] Claiming to have amnesia, the man joins the

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troupe as a barker. Parnassus becomes despondent over the impending


loss of his daughter. Mr. Nick visits Parnassus, revealing the hanging man
is a disgraced philanthropist named Tony. He offers Parnassus a wager:
Valentina can stay with whomever wins five souls first.

Tony convinces the troupe to remodel the show as more attractive to


contemporary Londoners. In an upscale mall, Tony lures a woman
wearing Louis Vuitton (Maggie Steed) into the mirror and follows her,
where they enter a pastel-colored dream-world of giant high-heel shoes,
bejeweled eggs, and floating lily pads representative of this womans
imagination. The womans imagination also changes Tonys face (Johnny
Depp); upon discovering this, he dances elegantly with her, and they spy a
motel run by Mr. Nick. However, Tony convinces the woman to take a
gondola toward a pyramid alone, winning a soul for Parnassus. Soon after,
Tony falls backward out of the Imaginarium, changing his face back to
normal; the woman exits shortly after and writes a blank check. Three
other women clamor for a turn. Each emerges elated and pays well;
Parnassus wins three more souls.

Four Russian gangsters see Tony, who owes them money, and they chase
him into the Imaginarium. As they threaten Tony, who has once again
transformed into his vision of a successful man (Jude Law) Parnassus
tempts them with a police recruitment song, promising they will enjoy
being cops who can legally brutalize people. Mr. Nick lures them to a
woman that takes the form of their mother with a giant babushka. It
explodes; the score is four souls apiece.

Parnassus reveals to Valentina that in an hour she will belong to Mr. Nick.
He finally explains he made a new pact with Mr. Nick to be youthful again,
so to win the heart of a woman he loved. In exchange, any child he
fathered would become Mr. Nicks property at age 16. Valentina attempts

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to run away, but Tony enters the Imaginarium to give his soul to
Parnassus; in exchange, Parnassus must teach him the trance which
powers the dream-world. Valentina returns as he tries to enter the mirror,
but Anton blocks them, having discovered from a recent newspaper how
Tony is a fraudulent charity scammer.

Anton jealously struggles with Tony; in the scuffle, first Valentina, then
Tony, enter the mirror dream-world. Influenced by Valentinas desires,
Tonys face changes again (Colin Farrell), and with Valentina, floats along
in a boat. Shortly after an impoverished child disrupts their boat trip,
Tony is suddenly now a philanthropist, speaking at a fundraiser. Anton
appears as an outspoken child and exposes Tony as a fraud. A mob
pursues Tony as the landscape disintegrates around them. Anton falls into
a void, and Tony flees into a desert.

Valentina enters a shifting landscape of broken mirrors. Distraught over


her fathers bargain, Valentina gives her soul to Mr. Nick. Disillusioned at
his easy victory, Mr. Nick offers to trade Valentina for Tony. Chased by the
mob, Tony flees to a hilltop gallows, but Parnassus confronts him, holding
two copies of Tonys pipe, which he used to brace his windpipe against the
noose. Parnassus challenges Tony to choose which pipe is genuine. He
chooses wrongly, and, when the mob string him up on the gallows, he
finally dies. Mr. Nick keeps to his word, and Valentina is freed, but he
knows not where. Nick abandons Parnassus to the wilds of his
Imaginarium.

Heartbroken, Parnassus only emerges from the Imaginarium years later,


where he finds that Valentina married Anton and has a daughter. He
watches them from outside a restaurant window, but when tempted to join
them, he is stopped by Percy, who reappears as a hotel worker. Teaming
up with Percy once more, Parnassus sells toy theater replicas of the

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Imaginarium on a street corner. Mr. Nick, everpresent, invites Parnassus


over to him, but Percy successfully puts an end to the temptation.

Image & Source

FILM SUBLIMINALS

Learn more about the concepts, principles and symbolism behind the
subliminals found in this film:

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CONTINUE READING

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