Family Fun Matinee!
LABYRINTH (1986)
Sarah isn’t the best babysitter. One Saturday night, frustrated by her gig, she summons goblins to hijack her charge…and is quite surprised when that’s exactly what happens. And so Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) must journey to the land of the Goblin King (David Bowie) and find her way through the labyrinth that guards his castle.
This wildly imaginative adventure was directed by Muppet-master and puppet-genius Jim Henson as his follow-up to The Dark Crystal. While not a success on its original release, it has become a re-appreciated cult favorite, a testament to the imagination and world-making abilities of a true American creative genius. Plus…David Bowie!
The scripting of the film is a story in itself. While Monty Python’s Terry Jones is the sole credited scriptwriter, it went through many hands over a four-year development period, including George Lucas and Elaine May. Maurice Sendak threatened to sue over similarities between the film and his Outside Over There (they worked it out). In all 25 different scripts and treatments were completed between 1983-86.
For all that, the film holds together beautifully. The imagined universe is bursting at the seams with creativity and creatures. The creation of a world using animatronics and puppets – no CGI, of course; it’s 1986! – still measures up today. It’s an exciting, absorbing movie with very little violence…a perfect ‘80s family vehicle.
And all some of us need is David Bowie in a crazy wig, hamming it up deliriously. Worth the price of admission, for sure.