Dance in Film · 1991
The Fisher King (1991)
Its Grand Central reverie converts commuter traffic into a thousand-person waltz around Parry and Lydia, a singular example of ballroom movement externalizing a character's private longing.
The Fisher King is a 1991 dance feature film centred on ballroom and social dance. For dancers, it's a chance to see the style performed on screen — the phrasing, partnering, and musicality that the same dances carry onto a real floor.
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Where to watch: Verified 2026-08-08: Criterion sells a director-approved 4K UHD/Blu-ray edition plus Blu-ray and DVD editions; Apple TV U.S. maintains a legitimate film listing. Availability and transaction terms are time-sensitive.
The dance sequences in The Fisher King
1 sequence — what is danced, by whom, and where to find it.
Grand Central Station waltz
WaltzDanced by Robin Williams; Amanda Plummer; ensemble of more than 1,000 background actors
More than 1,000 commuters pair off and waltz around Lydia as Parry follows her through Grand Central Station.
Parry's romantic imagination converts the commuter rush into a mass partnered waltz, turning an ordinary transit lobby into a full-scale dance fantasy while Lydia crosses the concourse.
Watch this sequence · This sequence is on YouTube as a standalone clip. AFI identifies the exact sequence, says Terry Gilliam conceived it while scouting Grand Central, and records more than 1,000 background actors; no credited choreographer or edition-specific timestamp was verified. AFI and Apple list 137 minutes, while Criterion lists 138. The linked Moving Pictures upload shows the exact sequence; channel ownership was not independently verified.
Poster artwork and title data from TMDB. This site uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.