Year: 1991
Director: Terry Gilliam
As a teenage Python obsessive at the turn of the Nineties I devoured anything related to them whether it be the genius of Ripping Yarns to tangential rubbish they had been involved in (take your pick) and I think I didn’t really get with The Fisher King in 1991. It had one of my childhood heroes Mork in it but it wasn’t a laugh riot from end to end.
Picked up the Criterion Blu Ray on TFK last week as it dipped in price in the sales and gave it another shot over the weekend as I know it’s good and I recall watching The South Bank Show at the time which gushed over that scene in Grand Central Station. I was a naïve young fool back then is my only conclusion who like Jeff Bridges’ Jack at the beginning of the film didn’t believe in magic. For a start – when it is funny, its really funny – not just Robin Williams’ portrayal of Parry the street person’s psychosis in full flight – a mix of Shakespearean verse, quips and close harmony singing but the extremely well drawn female characters have some of the best lines. Amanda Plummer’s Lydia, the unrequited love interest of Parry, is equally as oddball as some of down n outs but somehow manages to hold on to a job and semblance of reality. Mercedes Ruel’s Anne as Jacks supportive, sarcastic and strong girlfriend helping him rebuild his life after a tragedy that he inadvertently caused acts up a storm whether wisecracking or letting fly her frustrations.
Of course with hindsight the most aching part of the film is Robin’s performance – not just in terms of the narrative arc he goes through from street bum, his past trauma, looking for and finding love and losing grip of reality whilst pursued by an imaginary red knight that symbolises – well, it’s up to you what it means but as always Terry Gilliam brings these fantastic images to life with a cartoonist’s eye.
Its those moments of lucidity that Parry has where Williams plays the scene pretty straight but without the mawkish edge that tainted so many of his other performances that make you wish he was still around so he could shine again like this just once. The sweetness of his scenes like Plummer on their date mixed with clowning and one liners ‘I’ve got a hard on for you the size of Florida’ is entirely believable and real. He was able to pull back on the manic persona when needed to show real depth and humanity – the dark core of his own personality perhaps but don’t wanna get all psyche on yo ass
New York looks fantastic in the movie, you are knocked out by the variety of structures and building styles in amongst the steel and glass, showing off the best of the city. The story is about redemption love, madness and magic shot through the prism of Arthurian legend, Dante’s Inferno and Tom Waits as a diaabled Vietnam veteran. You don’t get that from Michael Bay
Might appeal to people who enjoyed:
Their Mork more than their mawk, spread a little magic if you will
New York in Spring (how about you?)
Great review Dave. It is a classic. Bridges is terrific in it – just the right amount of disbelieving naievety – and I think it is Robin’s crowning moment. The soundtrack is fab and it looks a million dollars.
Must re-watch this one – I remember watching it with the kids some years ago and many tears being shed – great movie.
Great film, and got TG back on track commercially after the glorious disaster of the Baron Munchausen film.
And without this Bridges wouldn’t have been Lebowski.
I might try Munchausen again next.
Munchausen is fantastic. Another of my favourite cinema experiences.
It’s a wondrous mess. As usual TG manages to apparently make three or four films happen at once. It works and it doesn’t work. Gotta love his kid-locked-in-a-toyshop approach to filmmaking.
Of course, after that TG said to himself, “Well, I’m not doing anything that absurdly over-ambitious again, because it only leads to trouble”
….bwa-hahahaha!!
I recall seeing Brothers Grimm at the London Film festival and brother, was it…..oh you do the rest.
One of my all time favourites, a glorious piece of work, with all involved at the very top of their game. Watched it again about a couple of months back, and swept up in its power once more. Top review, especially if it convinces another ditherer to give it a go.
Hmmm, I wasn’t convinced when I saw the Fisher KIng in the cinema when it first came out. Been meaning to give it a second chance ever since, so now might be the time.
I have a troubled relationship with Terry Gilliam. One of my favourite directors, but a good number of his films are just substandard.
The ones I love:
Jabberwocky
Time Bandits
Brazil
Baron Munchausen
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Twelve Monkeys
Tideland
(That one a couple of years ago – name escapes me)
The ones I don’t like:
The Fisher King
The Brothers Grimm
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
(Until I wrote it all out like that, I had no idea how much the good films outweighed the bad ones. Makes me like him even more if I just see the bad films as occasional blips).
I just love it when I start writing a post then disagree with myself by the end of it.
It saves us a lot of time too…
I haven’t bothered since Grimm. And that’s despite him being one of my favourite film makers and people
Will be interested to see how his Don Quixote film finally turns out as Lost In La Mancha is a great tale
The Zero Theorem, I believe you mean, Arthur. But you can’t leave us hanging like that: where do you stand on 12 Monkeys?
(*cough* – just had my P.A. read your post. I really should leave this sort of stuff to her..)
Yes, the Zero Theorem, that’s the one. I think that was flawed, but tapped into his genius again after the disappointment of Parnassus.
Twelve Monkeys may be my favourite Gilliam film actually. Everyone on the production on top of their game, a tightly scripted sci-fi with a fantastically downbeat premise.
DFB, I’d definitely recommend Tideland. Think I’m right in saying he made it at the same time (or just after) Grimm, on a minuscule budget, when he got bored and frustrated with the logistics of doing a major studio picture.
It’s a great little creepy, raw handheld film- feels very ‘tangible’ like his earlier movies, with a real hands-on aesthetic.
I nearly gave up after Grimm as well.
I thought Fear & Loathing was execrable. Unfilmable source material to start with, so why he bothered I have no idea.
What can I say? I know very few other people who like it (in fact, nobody!) but it taps into the wild, cynical animal side of my personality.
I prefer it to the book actually.
One of my favorite films. I was dragged to a late night showing after the pubs closed one Friday night with the promise that I would love it. And I did.