This week it seems a fitting topic to talk about a favourite movie starring the now sadly gone David Bowie (cancer sucks).
I was a fantasy reading teen in the mid eighties (and a fantasy reading kid before then) and there really weren’t a lot of non-animated fantasy movie offerings that weren’t from the Conan/Beastmaster (ie manly warrior smiting things) school around in the eighties. Special effects were still pretty early stage and creatures had to be real puppets and animatronics not CGI. Jim Henson made The Dark Crystal in 1982 which I loved (it is entirely puppets/muppets) and I think The Neverending Story came out a few years later. Legend which is kind of a weird mess was another offering. But then in 1986, Jim Henson came back with another offering…Labyrinth. Which had humans and creatures and music and possibly, most importantly, Jareth, the Goblin King, who was mysterious, a bit dangerous and, let’s face it, pretty hot when played by David Bowie. It’s a quest story, which I always love and a coming of age story and pretty funny in spots.
I watched it again on Monday night after the news about Bowie dying came through and still enjoyed it a lot. It’s worth a watch despite the slight cheesiness and the few shaky spots effects wise.Still love the ball room scene and Ludo and Hoggle and Didymus. And, of course, Mr. Bowie. I wish Jim Henson had lived a lot longer. Would be very interesting to see what he could do with muppets and CGI. But it seems we lose too many people too soon. So this week, I think I’m going to donate a little to cancer research in honour of all the ones who get stolen away from us and in the hope that one day it won’t happen anymore.
Vale to the Goblin King. I hope wherever you are, life is just as weird and fantastic for you.
