Methods of Gilliam

In The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Terry Gilliam utilizes his broad pallet of unusual visual techniques to create a stunning and surreal universe. This is not a film of subtleties and Gilliam’s tactics are appropriately extreme. His colors are fantastic, his lighting severe. Everything is vivid and intense. The power of the film is largely contingent on his sharply contrasting visual elements.

As is his wont, Gilliam frequently employs wide angle lenses to distort the features of his subjects. This technique is particularly striking in his opening scene where it adds a loose, and almost nauseating effect to his scene of drunken debauchery and indiscretion. The resulting grotesque appearance of his characters make the film immediately recognizable as Gilliam's.

Gilliam tells his story primarily through low angle shots, which further convey the bizarre and epic tones of his film. The camera is highly mobile, often twisting and turning in unfamiliar ways. His extensive use of handheld shots make the film feel free and unpredictable.

Gilliam’s lighting is stunning and sharp. With the exception of his leading lady, who is lit softly and evenly, his characters are often harshly lit, an unflattering approach that furthers the film’s already intense, surreal appearance. The film is split between the filthy, dirty and often underlit scenes of reality and his bright, sometimes overexposed depiction of the fantasy world. His careful and calculated interplay of light and dark tells much of the story.

Indeed, distortion seems the central tenet of the film and each shot is carefully twisted in Gilliam’s hands. The film presents a simple dichotomy; the familiar struggle of good against evil, and each method he employs meticulously underscores this theme.