I still haven’t seen Terry Gilliam‘s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, even though it opened on 12.25 in NY and LA. I was invited to some LA press screenings in November but none at all in NYC. I guess I’ll just pay to see it sometime this week unless, of course, someone would like to send me a screener.

Johnny Depp and Jude Law, in any event, have released the following statements regarding their involvement the film (i.e., having been hired to complete Heath Ledger‘s role in the wake of his death in early ’08).

Deep: “Maestro Gilliam has made a sublime film. Wonderfully enchanting and beautiful, The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus is a uniquely ingenious and captivating creation; by turns wild, thrilling and hilarious in all its crazed, dilapidated majesty. Pure Gilliam magic!”

Who edits this stuff? It’s all well and good to say what you feel at a testimonial dinner, but when you’re on the page you need to do it with brevity and restraint, less being more, etc.

“It was an honor to represent Heath,” Depp continues. “He was the only player out there breathing heavy down the back of every established actors neck with a thundering and ungovernable talent that came up on you quick, hissing rather mischievously with that cheeky grin, ‘hey…get on out of my way boys, i’m coming through…” and does he ever! Heath is a marvel,

“And Christopher Plummer goes beyond anything he’s ever done, Waits as the Devil is a God, Lily Cole and Andrew Garfield, the very foundation, are spectacular, Verne Troyer simply kicks ass and as for my other cohorts, Colin Farrell and Jude Law, they most certainly did Master Ledger very proud, I salute them.

“Though the circumstances of my involvement are extremely heart-rending and unbelievably sad, I feel privileged to have been asked aboard to stand in on behalf of dear Heath.”

Law: “I have always loved Terry Gilliam’s films. Their heart, their soul, their mind…always inventive, touching, funny and relevant. When I got the call, it was a double tug. I liked Heath very much as a man and admired him as an actor. To help finish his final piece of work was a tribute I felt compelled to make. To help Terry finish his film was an honor paid to a man I adore. I had a great time on the job. Though we were all there in remembrance, Heath’s heart pushed us with great lightness to the finish.”