Michael’s Turn: Michael Jeter in The Fisher King
By June 24, 2015
Film Info
- United States
- 1991
- 138 minutes
- Color
- 1.78:1
- English
- Spine #764
A fairy tale grounded in poignant reality, the magnificent, Manhattan-set The Fisher King, by Terry Gilliam, features Jeff Bridges and Robin Williams in two of their most brilliant roles. Bridges plays a former radio shock jock reconstructing his life after a scandal, and Williams is a homeless man on a quest for the Holy Grail—which he believes to be hidden somewhere on the Upper East Side. Unknowingly linked by their pasts, the two men aid each other on a fanciful journey to discovering their own humanity. This singular American odyssey features a witty script by Richard LaGravenese, evocative cinematography by Roger Pratt, and superb supporting performances by Amanda Plummer and an Oscar-winning Mercedes Ruehl, all harnessed by Gilliam into a compassionate, funny modern-day myth.
Cast
| Jack | Jeff Bridges |
| Anne | Mercedes Ruehl |
| Parry | Robin Williams |
| Lydia | Amanda Plummer |
| Homeless cabaret singer | Michael Jeter |
| Lou Rosen | David Pierce |
| Sondra | Lara Harris |
| Crazed video customer | Kathy Najimy |
| Sitcom actor Ben Starr | Harry Shearer |
| Sitcom wife | Melinda Culea |
| Red Knight | Chris Howell |
| Jamaican bum | William Jay Marshall |
| Grand Central bum | Tom Waits |
Credits
| Director | Terry Gilliam |
| Produced by | Debra Hill and Lynda Obst |
| Written by | Richard LaGravenese |
| Music | George Fenton |
| Director of photography | Roger Pratt |
| Production designer | Mel Bourne |
| Editor | Lesley Walker |
| Costume designer | Beatrix Pasztor |
| Casting | Howard Feuer |
Disc Features
DIRECTOR-APPROVED EDITION:
- New, restored 2K digital transfer, approved by director Terry Gilliam, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- Audio commentary featuring Gilliam
- New interviews with Gilliam, producer Lynda Obst, screenwriter Richard La Gravenese, and actors Jeff Bridges, Amanda Plummer, and Mercedes Ruehl
- New interviews with artists Keith Greco and Vincent Jefferds on the creation of the film’s Red Knight
- Interview from 2006 with actor Robin Williams
- New video essay featuring Bridges’s on-set photographs
- Footage from 1991 of Bridges training as a radio personality with acting coach Stephen Bridgewater
- Deleted scenes, with audio commentary by Gilliam
- Costume tests
- Trailers
- PLUS: An essay by critic Bilge Ebiri
New cover by LA2
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