King of the fishermen

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Movie
German title King of the fishermen
Original title The Fisher King
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1991
length 137 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Terry Gilliam
script Richard LaGravenese
production Debra Hill
Lynda Fruit
music George Fenton
camera Roger Pratt
cut Lesley Walker
occupation

The Fisher King (Original: The Fisher King ) from 1991 is a feature film by American director Terry Gilliam . The screenplay is penned by Richard LaGravenese , who also took on a guest role in the film.

The film is about forgiveness, friendship and love, and uses the motif of the search for the Holy Grail .

action

Radio host Jack Lucas is at the height of his career. He is known for his sharp tongue and loose mouth. Nevertheless, listeners call on his show and let him "advise" them. One day Edwin calls and, through a false remark from Jack, he runs amok and causes a bloodbath with a gun in a bar. Plagued by guilt, Lucas sinks into self-pity and falls into alcohol and debt. Only the self-sacrificing love of the video store owner Anne, who desperately fights Jack's whims, has not let him slip completely.

One evening he meets the homeless Parry who, together with other homeless people, happens to save his life. Jack soon discovers that Parry is former literature professor Henry Sagan, who lost his wife in the bar massacre that Jack feels guilty of. Convinced that the only way he can get his own life back on track is to help Parry, Jack decides to do just that.

The search for the holy grail begins in the middle of New York. Again and again Parry encounters the red knight, a horrific vision and symbol for the gunman who shot his wife. Parry imagines the red knight is avoiding him as long as Jack is by his side. As Parry chases after this bogeyman through Central Park, Jack in tow, the two suddenly hear cries for help. So the two meet a homeless man who thinks he's a singing diva. Jack gets to know more homeless people and sees his own life situation with different eyes.

The once career-conscious egocentric Jack Lucas is now determined to help the traumatized homeless Parry lead a normal, happy life. The opportunity arises when he meets the lonely accountant Lydia, with whom Parry is in love. Jack tricked Lydia into saying that she won a free membership to Anne's video rental company in a raffle. The shy and suspicious Lydia doesn't believe him, however. So Jack comes up with a new plan to convince her of her winnings and lure her into Anne's video store, where he wants to pair her with Parry. As the bearer of the good news, Jack hires the singing homeless man he and Parry previously helped in Central Park. He is overjoyed that his talent as a singer has apparently been recognized, and delivers the message to the unsuspecting Lydia, costumed with a blonde wig, red mini dress and suspenders, the message as sung message.

Lydia, now convinced of her win, visits Anne's video store. Parry, disguised as an employee, tries unsuccessfully to contact him. To help Parry, Anne and Jack arrange a date between the two, during which Lydia falls in love with Parry. When he brought Lydia home, Parry's memories of his wife's murder come back to life. The red knight appears again and chases him through the city. Parry flees to the place where he first met Jack and is brutally beaten by two teenagers. He survived but fell into catatonia .

Jack, who has just returned to normal after helping Parry, separates from Anne and resumes his position as radio host. Only when he meets the singing homeless man again and receives an offer from his agent to play a homeless man in a television comedy does a change of heart begin in Jack. He visits Parry at the hospital. Then he decides to put everything, especially his career, on the line and get the "Grail" for Parry, because he hopes to be able to wake him out of his coma .

Jack, wearing a Robin Hood look and a grappling hook , enters Langdon Carmichael's house at night, which is more like a castle. He steals the cup that Parry thinks is the Holy Grail. By sounding the alarm when leaving the house, it also thwarted the suicide of the owner, who poisoned himself. Back from that risky night-and-fog operation, Jack brings the Grail to Parry's bed in the hospital; Parry wakes up shortly afterwards. Lydia visits him the next day and falls overjoyed into his arms. Jack has become a different person after this difficult but successful test. He realizes that he cannot be happy on his own and that love and friendship mean more than career and money. He returns to Anne with insight and confesses his love to her for the first time. Anne, who always cared for and loved Jack, forgives him for leaving her; the two make up.

The film ends with Henry (formerly Parry) and Jack lying naked as friends in New York's Central Park, watching the stars.

Cover story

The title of the film refers to a version of the Grail legend in which the Fisher King appears as the keeper of the Grail. The homeless Parry, who was an expert on medieval literature in his previous life, tells this story to Jack.

As a young man, the king sees the vision of the Grail in a campfire. Obsessed with the thought of power, fame and beauty, he reaches for it and burns his hands. Over the years this wound gets worse and the king old and sick. One day a fool comes into the castle, sees the sick man, but does not recognize him as a king and asks: “What is wrong with you, my friend?” The old man replies that he is thirsty and urgently needs water. The fool takes a cup that is by the bed, fills it with water and hands it to the king. When the king drinks from it, his wound heals and his powers return; and lo and behold: suddenly he holds the holy grail in his hands. Amazed, he asks the fool: “How could you find something that my bravest and wisest did not find?” To which the fool replies: “I don't know. I just knew that you were thirsty. "

synchronization

In the German language dubbing , Frank Glaubrecht speaks for Jeff Bridges , Marina Krogull for Amanda Plummer and Peer Augustinski for Robin Williams .

Reviews

The lexicon of international films found: “A comedy about friendship, love and everyday self-assertion that works with an abundance of quotes, allusions and genre borrowings. Well played, aesthetically very attractive and convincing as a way of dealing with basic human questions of guilt, redemption and responsibility. "The TV magazine Prisma said:" Once again, ex-Monty Python Terry Gilliam presents a brilliant, modern fairy tale that is sensitive and sentimental and with a few weird ones Points of view. "

Awards

Mercedes Ruehl won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1992 . Robin Williams, the screenplay by Richard LaGravenese, the score and the sets were nominated for an Oscar. Robin Williams and Mercedes Ruehl won the Golden Globe Award in 1992 . The film for Best Comedy, Terry Gilliam and Jeff Bridges were nominated for a Golden Globe.

Amanda Plummer and Richard LaGravenese were nominated for the 1992 BAFTA Award . Mercedes Ruehl won the Saturn Award in 1992 ; the film for Best Fantasy Film, Jeff Bridges, Robin Williams, directed by Terry Gilliam, the screenplay by Richard LaGravenese and the costumes were nominated for the same award. Richard LaGravenese was nominated for the 1992 Writers Guild of America Award .

The German Film and Media Assessment FBW in Wiesbaden awarded the film the rating particularly valuable.

backgrounds

For director Gilliam this is the second grail quest of his film career after the comedy Die Ritter der Kokosnuss (1975) with the comedy troupe Monty Python , his first film without an ex-Python as an actor, as well as the first film that Gilliam has been in since his Debut Jabberwocky (1977) directed, the script of which he had not written all or most of the script himself; After all, this is also the first film that the native American actually shot in the USA, which was immediately followed by two further exclusively American productions, 12 Monkeys (1995) and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The shooting location was Hunter College High School in Carnegie Hill
  2. ↑ King of the Fishermen. In: synchronkartei.de. German dubbing file , accessed on March 2, 2017 .
  3. ↑ King of the Fishermen. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  4. ↑ King of the Fishermen at Prisma Online