While our review of the Terry Gilliam Collection might have come off as rather warm and generous, I wanted to make sure you had the whole picture on what you might be missing out on. Out of the 6 films in the collection, there’s a pretty good cross section of the man’s work, but leaving out what I consider to be one of his greatest films leaves me feeling there’s a hole in that box set. Without having The Fisher King on board to enjoy, you’re probably not getting the whole picture of what a great director Terry Gilliam is.
Jack Lucas is a successful New York shock jock at the top of his game. When one of his trademark tirades inadvertently incites a man to shoot up an upscale restaurant, he plummets from his perch into the gutter, drowning his guilt in booze. One night he meets a homeless man named Parry, a self-styled knight whose wife died in that restaurant massacre. Wracked with guilt, Jack agrees to help him get back on his feet, no matter what the quest laid before them. The Fisher King is a story of guilt, penance and redemption – set in a magical New York City where red knights ride on horseback and Grand Central Station can be instantly transformed into a starlit ballroom – in short, it’s NYC with a Terry Gilliam touch.
To adapt an Arthurian story into a modern context with New York city as a backdrop in all it’s majesty is exactly what’s great about Terry Gilliam – ambitious and captivating.
I wouldn’t go quite so far to call this my favourite film, but this is my favourite film by my favourite director. And not only does it have Terry Gilliam’s grimy fingerprints all over it, it’s also supported by a robust cast of some of my favourite performers. You can really tell that Robin Williams is giving it all in his performance as Parry – a valiant effort without seeming like he was trying too hard. Jeff Bridges, as always, is brilliant as Jack Lucas the pompous, tortured, but somehow likable shock jock living in exile. However the greatest performance in the film arguably belongs to Mercedes Ruehl, awarded with a Best Supporting Oscar for her performance as Jack Lucas’s long-suffering girlfriend. Tom Waits and Michael Jeter are also a nice touch.
To adapt an Arthurian story into a modern context with New York city as a backdrop in all it’s majesty is exactly what’s great about Terry Gilliam – ambitious and captivating. It’s a great movie and a shining example of what Gilliam’s raw natural talent to tell a human story in a way you haven’t seen before.
Because this came out in the 90s, the trailers were all made in a time when everyone forgot how trailers were made. Below is the best one I could find of the bunch:
i’m confused when you say “6 films in the collection”. aren’t there 4 films included in the box set> time bandits, brothers grimm, fear & loathing, 12 monkeys.
Welcome to the Film Cynics, Sam!
The Terry Gilliam Collection contains six of his films: Brazil, Time Bandits, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life, The Brothers Grimm, and 12 Monkeys.
You can check it out at Amazon here:
[...] of Baron Munchausen) ought to be funny, his darker films like the apocalyptic 12 Monkeys or The Fisher King, a story about homelessness, mental illness and crippling guilt in the wake of mass murder at a [...]