Product: The Fisher King [VHS] (1991)
Rating: 5.0
Gilliam's Best
This film is Director Terry Gilliam's best for one simple reason: it is his most successful marriage of modern story to mythic content. Just as the first three Star Wars movies (Episodes IV-VI) succeeded in captivating the hearts and minds of its viewers on a deep, spiritual level amidst the revolutionary special effects, Gilliam has taken a segment of New York city's extremes and has recasted the Holy Grail adventure in modern, well-tailored clothes. This movie serves as, perhaps, the best motion picture example of the Jungian theory of individuation I have seen. The main characters map nicely to the ego-shadow-anima trio with Jack (Jeff Bridges) playing an ego maniac who suffers a Icarian fall and is brought to face his shadow, Perry (Robin Williams), who is anything but egotistical and selfish. Providing both support and unintentionally inhibiting his progress is his anima/mother figure of a girlfriend Anne (Mercedes Ruehl) whom he must grow both toward and away from as any immature young man must do as he learns to see his significant other as not a replacement mother but soulmate. But Perry and Anne are also not just projections, but characters with their own depth and complexity each developing a relationship with the other in significant, plot building ways. Moreso than in any of Gilliam's other films is the stories' plot capable of producing a successful vehicle for Gilliam's well-known propensity for complexity that normally tends to muddy the focus of his efforts to the detriment of the film.Simultaneous to the achievement of the Grail is Jack's rescuing of his shadow Perry (through his final, willing ego sacrifice) and his readiness to unite on an equal level with his beloved anima Anne. Truly the Grail represents the achievement of the individuated personality, one that has reconciled ego to shadow to anima all while developing a successful interface (persona) with society that allows the individual to be both successful and moral. These truths, as elucidated by C.G. Jung, underlie what most draws us to stories and speak to our deepest spiritual needs. The Fisher King provides a concise outline of this complex process just as clear as the first Star Wars movie presented us with a concise example of Joseph Campbell's hero's journey. With the obvious mythological references found in most of the content of his other works, this movie must represent an ideal match of story form and content to Gilliam's personal interests. And could it be (as with Stephen King and his literal monsters that end up detracting from the story) that when Gilliam makes a movie about a basically non-(literally)mythical-magical world, his tendency to overdue his scenes with fantasical, but finally, distracting wonderment is suitably restrained?