Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Fisher King 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 11, 2023

Terry Gilliam's "The Fisher King" (1991) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; deleted scenes with optional commentary by the American director; two new documentaries; new video interview with Jeff Bridges; archival interview with Robin Williams; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

When one of his regular listeners goes on a killing spree, popular shock jock Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart) quits his job and becomes a walking shadow on the outskirts of New York City. It is there that Jack meets Parry (Robin Williams, Good Will Hunting), an ex-academic who has lost his wife and suffered a serious nervous breakdown that has effectively detached him from the real world. Perry tells Jack that he is on a mission to find the Holy Grail.

The two men eventually decide to enter the lavish home of a Manhattan billionaire, where apparently the Holy Grail is hidden. Before they do, however, Parry shows Jack a lonely geeky girl (Amanda Plummer, My Life Without Me) who has stolen his heart without knowing that he exists. Convinced that the girl can help Parry recover, Jack encourages his new friend to gather the courage to ask her out. He also introduces him to his girlfriend (Mercedes Ruehl, Married to the Mob), a jaded video store owner and a former serial dater who know exactly what lonely women want.

Richard LaGravenese’s smart script gives the film two completely different identities. The first makes it easy to see it as a hilarious adventure tale about two people who embark on a journey through a mysterious city of extreme contrasts. This is classic Terry Gilliam territory -- a place where fantasy and reality constantly overlap and the extraordinary becomes ordinary. (It may look like New York City, but it isn’t the same gritty place Martin Scorsese’s films have visited over the years).

The second identity is that of a witty drama about grown-ups whose lives have been filled with bitter disappointments. The film, however, isn’t particularly interested in the specific events that have triggered these disappointments. They provide only a point of departure which is effectively used to deliver a series of excellent observations about true love and happiness.

How much one enjoys The Fisher King will likely be determined by one’s willingness to accept the fact that Gilliam does not favor one of the two identities. What this means is that the film is allowed to evolve without any fear of how the silly and the serious or the sad and the funny would coexist. They just do and Gilliam does not attempt to logically explain why.

In this borderline surreal environment, the actors do the best they can with the characters they are asked to play. In some sequences, they delight, but elsewhere they struggle with lines and attitudes that feel foreign to them. (The late Roger Ebert described the double-date sequence as “embarrassing”, and rightfully so).

The visuals, however, are absolutely striking. Gilliam and cinematographer Roger Pratt repeatedly transform New York City from a modern metropolis into a Gothic kingdom in which knights and yellow cabs look perfectly normal. One could even be fooled to believe that there are a few castles hidden amongst the giant skyscrapers.

George Fenton’s lush orchestral score effectively enhances the film’s unique atmosphere. Some of the most memorable sequences also feature classic tracks by Harry Nilsson (“How About You?”), Ray Charles (“Hit The Road Jack”), and John Coltrane (“I Wish I Knew”).

The Fisher King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of The Fisher King is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray disc is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray disc is Region-A "locked".

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this release:

"The Fisher King was restored in 4K resolution by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The 4K wet-gate scan of the 35mm original camera negative was done by Cineric, Inc., in New York. Digital image restoration was done by Prasad in Burbank, California. Color grading was done by Sheri Eisenberg at Roundabout Entertainment in Santa Monica, California. Audio restoration and conform of the 5.1 surround soundtrack (which was mixed from 35mm LCRS DME stems in 2009) was done by Deluxe Audio in Hollywood. The restoration was supervised by Rita Belda for Sony Pictures Entertainment, with color approval by director Terry Gilliam."

Please note that the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray, including the actual color values of this content.

Criterion first released The Fisher King on Blu-ray in 2015 after the film was restored in 2K. You can see our review of this release here. I liked the 2K makeover a lot and still think that it is fantastic.

This upcoming combo release introduces a brand new 4K restoration of the film that was supervised and approved by Gilliam. In native 4K, the 4K makeover can be seen with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with Dolby Vision but very quickly sampled a few areas with HDR.

I thought that the new 4K makeover was absolutely incredible, and to be honest, before viewing it, I did not think that the difference in quality would be dramatic because the 2K restoration was very nicely done and still looks gorgeous. However, in native 4K, various parts of the film now look sensational because the improvements in the dynamic range of the visuals and color reproduction quite simply alter the viewing experience. (The arrival of the red knight, for instance, is breathtaking). Also, virtually all of the darker areas that convey nuanced shadows boast improved detail and depth, so the combination of better defined nuances and superior color reproduction is pretty striking. How much better is color reproduction? On my system, the difference is pretty significant. Also, the Dolby Vision grade is exceptionally well done and does not produce any odd spikes in select primaries, which I thought made a huge difference. Why? Because from start to finish The Fisher King looks like an early 1990s film, not a modernized version of an early 1990s film. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering. Unsurprisingly, grain exposure is very convincing. Some areas -- like the ones screencaptures #10 and 27 come from -- reveal noticeable grain fluctuations but they are introduced by stylistic choices that are part of the film's original cinematography. Fluidity is outstanding, so if you have a very big screen this is another area where you will quickly notice the superiority of the new 4K makeover. There are no image stability issues. The entire film looks spotless as well. All in all, I think that The Fisher King has never ever looked as good as it does on this 4K Blu-ray release, so if you want to have the best technical presentation of it, you should plan to upgrade.

The Fisher King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Criterion's first Blu-ray release of The Fisher King had an excellent 5.1 lossless track. If there is anything new on this 5.1 track, I missed it. I thought that the quality of the audio was once again outstanding, so I am only going to report that I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Fisher King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, director Terry Gilliam explains in great detail how various parts of The Fisher King were shot, and discusses New York City's presence and role in the film, the delicate balance between comedy and drama, the main characters and their dilemmas, the framing of select sequences, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 1991.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - in this audio commentary, director Terry Gilliam explains in great detail how various parts of The Fisher King were shot, and discusses New York City's presence and role in the film, the delicate balance between comedy and drama, the main characters and their dilemmas, the framing of select sequences, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 1991.

• Trailers - original trailers for The Fisher King. In English, not subtitled. (10 min, 1080p).
  
  1. Domestic Trailer 1
  2. Domestic Trailer 2
  3. Domestic Trailer 3
  4. International Trailer 1
  5. International Trailer 2
  

• Deleted Scenes - presented here is a gallery of deleted scenes which were selected by director Terry Gilliam and transferred from a work print. Each scene includes surrounding footage from the finished film to indicate its original content. Optional audio commentaries (for each scene) by Terry Gilliam are included as well. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Jack and Sondra's Love Life. (2 min, 1080p).
  2. Lydia Dances (silent). (2 min, 1080p).
  3. Jack Locates Lydia. (2 min, 1080p).
  4. Beth, Jack's New Girl. (3 min, 1080p).
  5. Jack Revisits Parry's Friends. (2 min, 1080p).
  6. Jack Hallucinates. (2 min, 1080p).

• The Tale of "The Fisher King" - presented here are two new short documentaries that focus on the production history of The Fisher King (as well as the initial casting ideas and suggestions), its visual style/design, and key themes. Included in them are interviews with Terry Gilliam, producer Lynda Obst, Mercedes Ruehl (Anne), Jeff Bridges (Jack), Amanda Plummer (Lydia), and screenwriter Richard LaGravenese, amongst others. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. The Fool and the Wounded King (30 min, 1080p).
  2. The Real and the Fantastical (31 min, 1080p).

• The Tale of The Red Knight - in this new video piece, artists Keith Greco and Vincent Jefferds recall how The Red Knight came to exist and discuss some of the big technical dilemmas they faced while working on it. In English, not subtitled. (23 min, 1080p).

• Jeff's Tale - during the shooting of The Fisher King, Jeff Bridges took various photographs with his Widelux camera. In this new video piece, the actor shows and discusses some of his photographs. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Jeff and Jack - in this new video piece, Jeff Bridges recalls his work with acting coach Stephen Bridgewater, who taught him how to be a shock jock. Included in it is archival footage from the improvisation sessions in Jack Lucas' studio. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080i).

• Robin's Tale - in this archival video interview, the late Robin Williams discusses his initial impressions of the script for The Fisher King, Terry Gilliam's working methods, the shooting of various scenes across New York City, Jeff Bridges' sex appeal, etc. The interview was conducted in 2006. In English, not subtitled. (20 min, 1080i).

• Audio Commentary - in this audio commentary, director Terry Gilliam explains in great detail how various parts of The Fisher King were shot, and discusses New York City's presence and role in the film, the delicate balance between comedy and drama, the main characters and their dilemmas, the framing of select sequences, etc. The commentary was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 1991.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet/poster featuring Bilge Ebiri's essay "In the Kingdom of the Imperfect". (The author reviews and writes about film for New York magazine. His work can also be found in Rolling Stone, Bloomberg Businessweek, the Nashville Scene, and elsewhere).

The Fisher King 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When Criterion restored The Fisher King in 2K and released it on Blu-ray in 2015, I thought that the film looked great. In 2023, I still think that the 2K restoration is gorgeous. However, this upcoming 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack introduces a brand new 4K restoration of The Fisher King that is jaw-dropping. A lot of older films that transition to 4K Blu-ray lose bits of their identity in the process, which is a very unfortunate trend, but The Fisher King looks exactly like an early 1990s film should and I remember it. So, if you enjoy it and want to have the best technical presentation of it in your collection, this 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack needs to go in your shopping cart. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.