The Fisher King has been in the Criterion Collection since it was a Laserdisc label. It was only upgraded to Blu-ray in 2015, and now Criterion has made it one of their few 4K UHD releases. Terry Gilliam’s portrait of homelessness in New York really holds up in 4K.
The beginning of The Fisher King looks like film did in 1991. New York is gritty and grainy, but it’s the upper crust as Jack (Jeff Bridges) is on top of the world as a DJ. After Jack’s downfall, the rainy New York streets glisten and night scenes hold up because the background is pure black.
When Jack meets Perry (Robin Williams) and the homeless camp, then The Fisher King really becomes a surreal Gilliam world. He shoots everything low and full of clutter. When Jack re-enters the city after that, all of New York takes on that Gilliam angle.
The Red Knight’s colors pop, and Michael Jeter’s singing telegram in a red dress with yellow balloons add splashes of color too.
Since The Fisher King has been in the Criterion Collection for so long, there are extras from every incarnation, from Gilliam’s 1991 commentary to new interviews from 2015. They even got some archival materials with Williams.
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