LabyrinthThey say be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. When a petulant teenager with an overactive imagination named Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) recites the lines from a play she practices called "The Labyrinth", with the desire to have her infant brother, Toby (Toby Froud), kidnapped by the goblins, she finds that her wish made out of frustration is in fact granted by the seductively sinister goblin king, Jareth (David Bowie). Immediately remorseful at her hasty decision, she sets out on a quest, challenged by Jareth, to make her way to the center of his vast labyrinth to save the boy before he is turned into a goblin.
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Directed by the master of puppetry, Jim Henson, Labyrinth is a rich and imaginative fantasy film, with colorful characters, fantastic locations, and dynamic characters. The story is inspired by numerous fairy tales and fables, many of which are immediately recognizable. The smirking antagonist Jareth--who is never seen in the same outfit twice--recalls the story of Rumpelstiltskin, who grants a wish which is initially desirable, but the cost far outweighs the benefit, something the conniving Jareth is well aware of in advance. At least a couple of obvious references to Snow White can be found in Sarah's journey; instead of seven dwarves, she is aided by one named Hoggle, a cowardly and avaricious gnome who is even browbeaten by Jareth into offering a poison peach to Sarah. Along Sarah's journey she meets other strange and unusual creatures, like the rock-calling giant beast, Ludo, whom she saves in a fashion reminiscent of Aesop's Fable of "The Lion and the Mouse", and a boasting anthropomorphic fox named Sir Didymus, whose bravado recalls the story of Don Quixote. Even seemingly throwaway moments like the helpful worm Sarah encounters early on or the twin doors--one of which only tells the truth, and the other lies--would not be out of place in the works of Lewis Carroll. And of course, more than any others, the adventure to the goblin city by the young girl and her three mismatched companions is a direct homage to The Wizard of Oz; a copy of the book can be seen in Sarah's room.
It should come as no surprise that the fantasy world in which Sarah finds herself is full of familiar fantasy; much of the objects and imagery are foreshadowed in her room at home in the form of posters, music boxes, toys and other dolls. Could it be that Sarah's journey is a dream composed of the things which surround her? She's certainly established as having a vivid imagination, acting out her performance in the park with her Old English Sheepdog, Merlin, a scene intentionally framed early on to suggest that it isn't a mere play. But for Sarah, her fantasy is a form of escape, her way of fleeing from a household she claims to be "unfair", where she balks at her responsibilities and is content to retreat into her room to be surrounded by her things. At the beginning of the film, she is a child, throwing tantrums and cursing her infant brother; her experiences in Jareth's labyrinth teach her maturity, logic, and what fairness is in relation to the actual state of her situation. Her childishness is, thinking about it along these lines, an effect of her sense of abandonment by her mother, a detail often overlooked in most viewings of Labyrinth. It's clear Sarah's mom isn't around any more, but a quick glance at the varied newspaper clippings and various pictures adorning Sarah's mirror suggests that she was an actress herself, but left Sarah and her father, and Sarah has been trying to fill the void ever since by acting and finding illusion preferable to reality. These abandonment issues perhaps contribute to her perception of Jareth, the kind of man who takes advantage of girls like Sarah, the model of a psychologically abusive partner. Via his challenge and his self-professed cruelty, Jareth manipulates Sarah and sets unreasonable expectations for his amusement, and yet accuses her of this in turn to deflect responsibility. He also tries to bait her into submission by paradoxically claiming himself to be subservient to her. For anyone who has suffered the whims of one in a relationship like Jareth, the signs are eerily similar.
Psychological complexities aside, Labyrinth is also a marvelous family film, relatable to children and full of good moral lessons as well as excellent music. The eponymous labyrinth is a fully-realized fantasy realm, largely due to Jim Henson's visionary applications of his master craft. And aside from merely playing Jareth, David Bowie also contributed five songs to the soundtrack, all of them toe-tappers with an intrinsically nostalgic quality, songs which would in most cases stand on their own as a part of a concept album or rock opera, which is what Labyrinth occasionally leans toward. Some of the music is full of energy and joy, like "Magic Dance", and others like "Within You" are simultaneously barbed with cynicism and wistfulness. The music of Labyrinth is the very nervous system of the film, often heralding (and accompanying) the most dynamic set pieces in the movie, from an M. C. Escher-inspired final lair of Jareth to the hallucinatory masquerade Sarah experiences, replete with ballroom regalia and a hypnotic array of slow-motion dancing and claustrophobic cinematography. They say that Lucifer was the fallen angel responsible for creating music; certainly Jareth is portrayed as a horned god, whose interests in Sarah are highly dubious. Jim Henson has said that he cast David Bowie in the role of the goblin king was because he embodied all of those elements which seem to represent adulthood, the endgame for Sarah, but also the peril of her journey. She grows mature from her trials, but retains her integrity and her own sense of values in the face of making the choice not to allow Jareth any power over her--the difference between a child and an adult.
Recommended for: Fans of a fantastic display of the pairing of the visions of two amazing artists: Jim Henson's vision in creating a gorgeous world of fantasy combined with the musical wizardry of the David Bowie. The result is an engaging and thoroughly entrancing fantasy tale about growing up.
It should come as no surprise that the fantasy world in which Sarah finds herself is full of familiar fantasy; much of the objects and imagery are foreshadowed in her room at home in the form of posters, music boxes, toys and other dolls. Could it be that Sarah's journey is a dream composed of the things which surround her? She's certainly established as having a vivid imagination, acting out her performance in the park with her Old English Sheepdog, Merlin, a scene intentionally framed early on to suggest that it isn't a mere play. But for Sarah, her fantasy is a form of escape, her way of fleeing from a household she claims to be "unfair", where she balks at her responsibilities and is content to retreat into her room to be surrounded by her things. At the beginning of the film, she is a child, throwing tantrums and cursing her infant brother; her experiences in Jareth's labyrinth teach her maturity, logic, and what fairness is in relation to the actual state of her situation. Her childishness is, thinking about it along these lines, an effect of her sense of abandonment by her mother, a detail often overlooked in most viewings of Labyrinth. It's clear Sarah's mom isn't around any more, but a quick glance at the varied newspaper clippings and various pictures adorning Sarah's mirror suggests that she was an actress herself, but left Sarah and her father, and Sarah has been trying to fill the void ever since by acting and finding illusion preferable to reality. These abandonment issues perhaps contribute to her perception of Jareth, the kind of man who takes advantage of girls like Sarah, the model of a psychologically abusive partner. Via his challenge and his self-professed cruelty, Jareth manipulates Sarah and sets unreasonable expectations for his amusement, and yet accuses her of this in turn to deflect responsibility. He also tries to bait her into submission by paradoxically claiming himself to be subservient to her. For anyone who has suffered the whims of one in a relationship like Jareth, the signs are eerily similar.
Psychological complexities aside, Labyrinth is also a marvelous family film, relatable to children and full of good moral lessons as well as excellent music. The eponymous labyrinth is a fully-realized fantasy realm, largely due to Jim Henson's visionary applications of his master craft. And aside from merely playing Jareth, David Bowie also contributed five songs to the soundtrack, all of them toe-tappers with an intrinsically nostalgic quality, songs which would in most cases stand on their own as a part of a concept album or rock opera, which is what Labyrinth occasionally leans toward. Some of the music is full of energy and joy, like "Magic Dance", and others like "Within You" are simultaneously barbed with cynicism and wistfulness. The music of Labyrinth is the very nervous system of the film, often heralding (and accompanying) the most dynamic set pieces in the movie, from an M. C. Escher-inspired final lair of Jareth to the hallucinatory masquerade Sarah experiences, replete with ballroom regalia and a hypnotic array of slow-motion dancing and claustrophobic cinematography. They say that Lucifer was the fallen angel responsible for creating music; certainly Jareth is portrayed as a horned god, whose interests in Sarah are highly dubious. Jim Henson has said that he cast David Bowie in the role of the goblin king was because he embodied all of those elements which seem to represent adulthood, the endgame for Sarah, but also the peril of her journey. She grows mature from her trials, but retains her integrity and her own sense of values in the face of making the choice not to allow Jareth any power over her--the difference between a child and an adult.
Recommended for: Fans of a fantastic display of the pairing of the visions of two amazing artists: Jim Henson's vision in creating a gorgeous world of fantasy combined with the musical wizardry of the David Bowie. The result is an engaging and thoroughly entrancing fantasy tale about growing up.