I’ve heard a lot of good things about Terry Gilliam films, but i’ve never really got around to watching any. The Fisher King may be my first, but I was thoroughly pleased with it. The film starts slowly and probably takes a good thirty minutes to draw you in, but once it gets you enthralled, it’s fascinating. It’s a  tragic comedy, which may sound like an oxymoron, but what I mean is, the film has some very funny moments, but although you laugh, you never forget the tragedy that surrounds the comedy. There are a lot of tragic elements to the film, including: murder, madness, heartbreak, and loneliness. This at times makes it hard to watch. The central friendship between Jack (Jeff Bridges) and Parry (Robin Williams) provides the film with a hopeful atmosphere  which works alongside the tragedy, as you wonder how the two are going to benefit from getting to know one another.

Jack Lucas is a successful radio talk show host, but his life is turned upside down when an insensitve unthinking comment he makes on air turns out to be the catalyst for a horriffic crime, as a depressed listener carries out a deadly shooting in a bar. Three years later, Jack’s life has spiralled. He’s consumed by guilt and is on the verge of comitting suicide. At the point when he seems ready to die, he is saved from a tragedy by homeless mad man Parry. At first, Jack only sees Parry as a crazy person that he can’t wait to get away from. However, when he finds out how Parry’s madness began, Jack feels responsible and decides to make it his mission to help Parry out in whatever way he can.

Parry had lived a normal life as a College Professor before his wife was shot down and killed right in front of him. After the incident happened, he went into a catatonic state. When he came out of that, his memory was not fully intact, probably because he found it too painful to remember. He became obsessed with the legend of The Fisher King and he sees the world as a medieval play. At the point in his life when he meets Jack, he believes he is on a quest to find the holy grail.

There is a lot of mirroring in The Fisher King. The film itself mirrors elements of The Fisher King legend, which Parry recounts in one scene. The Fisher King lost the holy grail and was dying. He was blinded by greed and corruption. Just as The Fisher King was approaching death and had almost given up entirely, a fool entered his palace and took some water to the king. The cup he used turned out to be the holy grail, and so the innocent fool restored the king’s sight and saved his kingdom. At times Parry appears to be the fool of the story, as he saves Jack when he is down on his luck. There are ocassions though when it is Jack who seems to be the fool character in the story. He shows kindness to Parry and helps him recover from what has been ailing him.

The theme of blindness plays throughout the film. Parry’s memory loss blinds him from the past, but it the past that is preventing him from seeing reality as it really is. Jack is so blinded by his arrogance and conceit that he doesn’t see what is right in front of him. He behaves awfully to his girlfriend Anne, when all she has shown him is love and comfort.

The film effectively juxtaposes shots of reality with fantasy shots which show what Parry sees in his mind. Many of the fantasy shots involve a red knight on a horse. The red knight represents Parry’s hidden memories. Every time he begins to remember something from his past, the red knight appears and Parry freaks out, sometimes uncontrollably. The red knight is never shown very clearly and is usually shrouded with a hazy red colour. This reflect’s Parry’s unclear memories and the redness represents the tragedy that he is trying to forget about.

The Fisher King effectively uses close-ups to emphasise the state of mind of the characters. In early scenes with Parry, the close-ups are used fast and seem to reflect Parry’s paranoid and hyper state. In scenes with Parry, the camera often gets uncomfortably close to him and this creates a tense atmosphere.  If it’s uncomfortable to look at Parry, what must it be like to be inside his head? Extreme close-ups are also used early on in the movie to reflect Jack’s feelings of claustraphobia and his idea that his life has spun out of control and that the world is closing in around him. The more Jack gets to know Parry, the less close-up are used in his shots. This is because Parry provides him with a sense of calmness and gives his life some meaning which it had previously been lacking.

Robin Williams is fantastic as Parry, and his tendency to over-act really comes in useful. Parry is eccentric, hyperactive, and paranoid, and Williams does this brilliantly. He manages to play Parry with just the right amount of craziness, but he also shows his sensitive and serious side, which hints at the person he was before tragedy struck.  New York is an effective setting for The Fisher King. The hustle and bustle of the city helps emphasise Parry’s tormented and Paranoid mind.

You may find the film shocking and hard to watch, as the sometimes unsteady camera work and the  juxtaposition of fantasy and reality shots make for uncomfortable viewing.  The Fisher King is not meant to be a comfortable movie though, so you shouldn’t let this put you off.  There is a sense of real tragedy throughout the movie and in parts it can be upsetting, but it successfully draws you in and really makes you sympathise with the characters. By the end you’re wishing for a happy ending for all of them.

Dir: Terry Gilliam

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, Mercedes Ruehl