One of My Favorite Movies: Terry Gilliam’s “The Fisher King”

I love fantastical films. The odder or weirder the better. “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Big Fish,” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou” are all at the top of my favorite fantastical films list. But one of my favorites in this category is “The Fisher King.” Blurring the lines between reality and fantasy is often a trademark of Terry Gilliam’s work (see “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen,” for instance), but this movie, for me, is the pinnacle of his work.

Yes, “The Fisher King” does go “over the top” at times, but that is at least part of what I like about such movies. And as is often the case in these films, there is an undercurrent of the spiritual dimension running through them. This was brought to mind concerning “The Fisher King” when I read a post by Gordon Duncan at theooze.com (see link below). Duncan wrote:

There is also the wonderful element of the reality of the spiritual in the film. Parry hears voices guiding him on his spiritual journey to reclaim the Holy Grail, “the symbol of God’s mercy on earth.” Parry knows that he needs mercy in light of his wife’s death, and he believes he can experience it by reclaiming the grail. Jack knows that he needs redemption and that his life will never get straightened out with it. He pursues it by helping Parry clean up and get a date with a woman he admires from afar, but this is not enough. Parry needs spiritual redemption, and Jack realizes that he does as well. The denouement is slightly trite, but the overall sentiment of the movie triumphs and provides a wonderful foundation for the presentation of the gospel.

“The Fisher King” proudly presents all of us as deeply flawed and shows how our sin has profound effects on us and the people around us. We see that no matter what we do, we need a redemption that is otherworldly and mystical. We see that even our best efforts fall short if we do them with selfish motives. “The Fisher King” proclaims that are own hearts condemn us, and salvation lies outside of our self. Truer words are rarely spoken in mainstream cinema.

In celebration of this film, here are three clips from it. The first is where Parry (played by Robin Williams) tells the story of the Fisher King to Parry (Jeff Bridges). The second is where a homeless cabaret singer played by Michael Jeter delivers an amazing singing telegram to Parry’s would-be girlfriend Lydia (Amanda Plummer). And the third is my favorite scene from the movie (which I’ve posted before, but post again because I like it so much) in which the people traveling through Grand Central Station break into ballroom dancing.

Enjoy.