THE FISHER KING
A film review by Robert Ferguson
Copyright 1991 Robert Ferguson
Directed by Terry Gilliam.
Starring Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Reuhl,
and Amanda Plumber.
A Tri-Star Release
There are few directors working today who fully grasp the nature of film as a visual media, and even fewer still who have a distinct visual style which is evident through-out their work. Along with people like Tim Burton, Peter Greenaway and Akira Kurosawa, Terry Gilliam is one of those directors, and his latest film, THE FISHER KING, is certainly evidence that his unique style remains a fundamental part of his filmmaking.
Gilliam's previous three films (TIME BANDITS, BRAZIL, and THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN) formed a trilogy which dealt with the nature and relationship of fantasy and reality. THE FISHER KING also touches on that theme, but at heart, it is a film about retribution and redemption, in the most traditional senses: retribution for sin, and redemption from evil.
As you might gather from the title, the device about which the plot revolves is a modern day retelling of the myth of the Fisher King and the Holy Grail. While THE FISHER KING is not an overtly religious movie, it *is* very concerned with morality -- the master-stroke of the plot is that myth and everyday life gradually form a seemless blend, and the dramatic force of the movie comes from these entwined elements.
To go along with fascinating plot, there is the bizarre and brilliant direction by Gilliam. His use of strange camera angles and odd lens choices work together to make the film create its own reality, still recognizably our own, but somehow cast in a new light; however, it is his flair for staging and spectacle that grabs you again and again. There is a scene set in the heart of Grand Central Station in New York that is the visual centerpiece of the movie, and is as perfect a bit of filmmaking as I have ever seen.
Jeff Bridges plays a shock-jock radio personality, whose fall from grace is as sudden as it is deserved. Robin Williams plays a crazed, homeless man whose life is entwined with Bridges'. Bridges gives a fine performance, but Williams is excellent -- with this film, and his performance in AWAKENINGS, Williams has without question established his credentials as a "serious" actor. Reuhl and Plumber play the love interests for Bridges' and Williams' characters, respectively, and they both do an equally fine job.
THE FISHER KING is a profoundly good movie. It has good performances, an intellectually and emotionally engrossing plot, a distinctive visual style, and a patented Terry Gilliam monster. What more could you want?
I wholeheartedly recommend it.
[THE FISHER KING opens either this week or next "at theaters everywhere" in the U.S. and Canada].
------- Rob Ferguson robertfe@microsoft.com .
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