Hollywood Hates Terry Gilliam (and Smart Moviegoers)
You’d think that the Hollywood distribution companies would kill to get their hands on The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus — you’ve got Terry Gilliam one of the best directors of all time, then you have the final performance of Oscar winning Heath Ledger and add to that additional performances by Jude Law, Colin Farrell and Johnny Depp. The film only cost $20 million to make, yet distribution companies are afraid to touch it because the plot is too complex. These industry types point to the complexity of recent Gilliam efforts like Tideland and The Brothers Grimm, but to be blunt about it the marketing campaigns on those films were pretty non-existent. Sadly if a deal can’t be reached it looks like the film will go to DVD — now perhaps it’s not ready for the cineplex at the mall, but you’d think that this film at least deserves an art house run.