SOURCE: “The Fisher King: Terry Gilliam Melds the Modern and the Mythical,” in American Film, Vol. 16, September, 1991, pp. 50–1.

In the following review, Drucker offers an analysis of Gilliam's directing technique in The Fisher King.

Jack Lucas (Jeff Bridges) is New York’s top shock disc jockey—that is; until one of his careless on-air remarks triggers a horrific tragedy. Three years later, at rock-bottom, Jack encounters Parry (Robin Williams), a former professor of medieval history who roams the streets living in a world he’s invented to block out memories of a personal trauma. Only Parry, an innocent, has the power to help Jack recover his humanity, and Jack, in turn, tries to heal Parry’s psychological injuries.

Director Terry Gilliam’s Fisher King harks back to Arthurian legend, in which the knight Percival, distinguished by his childlike innocence, heals the wounds of the Holy Grail’s guardian...