The Fisher King

So, I just watched The Fisher King for the first time ever, tonight. It had been on my to-watch list for quite a while. In light of the events of the past couple of weeks...anyway, for me, now was the time. I expected it to be an interesting film for several reasons (Robin Williams of course, story elements from Arthurian legend, director Terry Gilliam) but even expecting the unexpected, I was surprised at how beautiful it was.

In particular, the scene in which Parry (Williams) recounts the story of the titular Fisher King to Jack (Jeff Bridges):

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This film also made me think of the lyrics to the song "I've Been Waiting" by Sixpence None the Richer:

The lyrics to the first verse, to get right to it:

So I'm waiting by a phone, for the blessed ring

Like a holy grail for a fisher king

Time is ticking down like a metronome

Rhythm for my brain and its ceaseless scares...

It's an incredible song, and I now I have a bit more insight into those words, which is very cool.

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When I saw the headline saying the Robin Williams had died, I found myself more affected than I can recall having been for any celebrity's passing. I don't mean to suggest that I absorb the news of most deaths with indifference, but rather that I don't usually feel as though someone whom I've never met was somehow a close personal friend. That's how I felt this time.

There's something very sad about the way that we, as humans, so often find ourselves reappraising people and things--and coming to realize the depth of their meaning--only after they're gone. It feels tragic in itself, a symptom of our tendency to be overwhelmed by the day-to-day details of life to the extent that we don't manage to stand still and really look at and think about things. (I'm speaking for myself.)

I don't know that there's anything that I can say, except that it's an amazing thing to consider that even as fragile and short-lived as we are, that one life can bring so much laughter, joy, wonder and inspiration to so many people. There's great power in that.

To end this post, here is a commercial that Robin and his daughter Zelda did. Like so many of these things, I only saw it after the fact, but it's just about the sweetest thing ever:

If life can be this beautiful, even for just a moment, that's an incredible thing.

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