THE FISHER KING

Consistent with one of Terry Gilliam’s work, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and Brazil, The Fisher King once again deals with grand themes against the backdrop of an alienating and dehumanizing social environment. The movie begins with Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges), the sardonic and biting radio DJ, berating his caller and listeners from a studio in New York. While speaking to one of his fan named Alan, Jack launches into a lengthy tirade in which he mock down the “yuppies”, declaring they deserve to die. However, on the same day the 11 o’clock news reports a violence scene where Alan (Jack’s caller) went on a shooting rampage earlier in the day, killing several people at a trendy New York nightspot frequented by “yuppies” types.

That awful scene had made Jack to feel extremely guilty for the deaths of those in the clubs. Three years later, Jack’s guilt is exacerbated further when Parry (Robin William), the husband of the murder victim, saves him from a suicidal plunge into the Hudson. Throughout the rest of the movie, the fateful relationship between both of them unfolds, providing the springboard for Gilliam’s brilliant exploration of such fundamental human problems as sin, repentance, and redemption as well as the search for personal fulfilment.

The focus on the search for personal fulfilment in an increasingly bureaucratized and alienating world is played through the more basic debate surrounding human motivation. The character Jack Lucas gives us a portrait of egoism incarnate, a covetous and self interested radio DJ who is perpetually anguished despite his material success. On the other hand, parry, the homeless mad man (the fool) who finds satisfaction through apparently selfless and noble acts. The Egoism-Altruism dichotomy is made even more explicit as Parry relates the story of “The Fisher King” to Jack. The story concerns a king with visions of glory and fortune who spends a lifetime searching for the sacred Holy Grail, only to find himself emotionally scarred and cynical as he nears the end of his life.

At this point, a fool comes along. Finding the king thirsty, the fool offers the king a drink of water. As the king drinks the water from the fool’s cup, he finds himself not only emotionally healed but also in possession of that which he had chased for so long, the Holy Grail. The point of “The Fisher King” story is clear, where the single minded pursuit of personal satisfaction, such as egoism, is doomed to failure. Only through other pursuits can true happiness be realized.

'Cause after all, women can have babies, which is kind of like creating. And which also accounts for the fact that women are so attracted to men... 'cause let's face it... the Devil is a hell of a lot more interesting! Believe me, I've slept with some saints in my day, I know what I'm talking about. So the whole point in life is for men and women to get married... so that God and the Devil can get together and work it out. Not that we have to get married. God forbid.' ~ Anne Napolitano