Regarding Sarah: yes, she was a total brat at the beginning of the film. I feel like that was intentional; she was an entitled, overdramatic teenager who felt like everything was about her. The story was about her growth and improvement. She risked her life for her baby brother, she made friends, she had to get creative and overcome challenges like the masked ball sequence (surely some sort of wish-fulfillment fantasy for a teenage girl). At the end of the film she was more mature and less selfish.
Well her biological Mother ran off to become a famous Dancer/Movie star and her Dad re-married and the kid is her Half-Brother. So she was used to being the center of attention for a long time. But yes this is basically a story of a teenager starting down the first steps of maturity and womanhood.
I also think they intentionally made her very childish because this movie is a unique coming of age story. It's aim is not to turn Sarah into an adult (I think she's meant to be 14?) It's aim is to bring her out of that phase in a young person's life where they are the center of attention and the only thing that matters in the world. At the end, Sarah is still a kid inside, she still has her imagination and her joy. I just think they needed to make her as selfish and annoying as she was at the beginning to make a transition like that work. I think Jennifer Connelly reads a little old. When I was younger (I was less 10 or 11 when I saw this). I had a huge crush on her, but I thought she was the age of my 17 to 18 year old babysitters. Had she been that age, her behavior would have been disgusting.
Yes, the actress was old for the part. They were not very clear about that. That is my only criticism of this film. I have watched it I don’t know how many times I think it was number six when I first saw the milk bottles at the goblin Kings doorstep. There’s always something visual going on in every part of the screen in every scene.
She’s 15-16 which is exactly the right age for this story, simultaneously too old and too young. The unspoken relationship between her and Jareth is complex and confusing, which is exactly the right tone. I think this movie isn’t perfect, but it’s brilliant work of technique and imagination.
"Labyrinth" is about Jennifer Connelly's character progress. She is supposed to start out annoying and spoiled. She is caught up in drama and essentially avoiding social contact with her fantasies. If you rewatch this movie, notice everything in the background especially in her room. There is a ton of foreshadowing. She also always forgets the power line. "You have no power over me." (Meaning her fantasies have power over her at least until the end). She also screams about how unfair everything is at first but learns over the course of the movie that life is unfair and to accept it. The conflict with the hoarder is her own inability to let go of things as she grows up. She denies Toby her Lancelot at the beginning and give it to him in the end. This is a coming of age movie as she transitions from her childish ways into a more mature teen. The end reassures her that if she ever needs her fantasies that they will be there for her. BTW, Cheryl "Gates" McFadden (Beverly Crusher on Star Trek Next Gen) was the choreographer for this. Jim Henson did Kermit. Frank Oz is Yoda and Miss Piggy (also the guard returning the prison stuff in "The Blue Brothers). Both did more muppets than I care to list here.
McFadden also plays the wife of Jack Ryan seen at the very beginning of 'The Hunt for Red October' - like Alec Baldwin and the child playing his daughter she was also replaced for 'Patriot Games' and 'Clear and Present Danger'.
Actually, there's a funny story about that 'baby got therapy' scene. They needed a crying reaction from little Toby, and everyone was expecting that when he was surrounded by all those creepy little goblins, it would do the trick; they'd get the reaction, calm him down, etc. But, in fact, Toby loved the goblins, and wasn't scared at all - the reaction they ultimately got wasn't because he was frightened, it was because he was HUNGRY - it was time for his bottle, and they put off giving it to him just long enough for him to get frustrated and start crying. You should check out 'The Dark Crystal'. It's quite similar to this in terms of visual style, techniques, etc., but I feel it is slightly more 'adult' than 'Labyrinth' - as such, it might appeal to you more. (Plus, it's REALLY cool.)
"I hope that baby got therapy after all that he saw" Toby Froud, the actor that played the baby, grew up to become a puppeteer and fabricator of goblins, trolls and any other creature you can think of. He's an actual 'Goblin King' now!
If I remember right, he was Brian Froud's son- Brian being the creature designer for Jim Henson projects including The Dark Crystal (Wikipedia says Brian was the conceptual designer for this movie too). Toby in turn helped in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. :)
He's still working with the Henson Company with his father. They made the "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" series for Netflix. The Dark Crystal is the movie to finish this 'trilogy' of puppetry fantasy films from the 1980s.
David Bowie's.....leggings....were a sexual awakening for many of us in the 80's. :D The other classic along this vein is 'Legend', which is absolutely delightful and might work for HallowBeans - Tim Curry as 'Darkness' (and a wee Tom Cruise!).
It's so true 😂 I didn't know what I was feeling about him, but I felt it! Damn, now that I think about it, he was the first sexy, mysterious lothario to seduce me....and at such a young age. Yikes!😱
I already loved Bowie, but this movie came out just as I graduated high school. For a hot second, Bowie's pants made me think maybe I wasn't gay. But that's just the power of Bowie!
Oh, you have no idea- The "contact juggling" with the crystal balls by Jareth was done by a "stunt juggler" who was pretty-much upside down and backwards, reaching-around Bowie to get the shot.
"Is this what it's like when you take drugs?" No, this is what it's like when Jim Henson takes drugs. You should watch the outtakes for this movie. David Bowie didn't actually rotate the crystal balls, but there was a guy hiding behind him, and it's his hand we see in the frame. Because he couldn't actually see his hand, he dropped them often. But David Bowie never gets annoyed or upset, he laughs it off take after take. I have to admit, being a Monkees fan growing up, I found it funny when you accidentally called him "Davy" because David Bowie's real name was David Jones, but he used the stage name David Bowie because there was already a musician named Davy Jones.
I don't think Henson really took drugs, though. He did try dropping acid once, according to his biography, but even though he had several friends present to make sure he was okay in case he started seriously tripping, nothing happened.
@@rocketdave719 Yeah, when it came to Muppeteers and drugs, Richard Hunt and Jerry Nelson were the ones who were into that stuff. It said in that book that they would often sneak off to smoke a joint, and for all I know they may have done more than that.
@@rocketdave719 I meant that as a joke, not to be taken seriously. In actuality, Jim Henson saw puppets as more than just children's entertainment, and sought to make movies aimed toward adults using puppets.
Since you mentioned "The Crotch", my husband thought I ought to amuse you and the rest of your followers with the true story of my Labyrinth reaction when my mother took me to see it for my 13th birthday: I was really excited to see the movie, as a Bowie fan since early childhood - and I was positively melting in my seat watching David strutting around as Jareth (I'm sorry, but I *loved* that wig. Still do). Naturally, at that age, I'd recently hit puberty so I was noticing men. Oh, I'm also autistic (this is an important part of the tale; you'll soon find out why). During the scene where you noticed the face in the rock (Bowie's face: it's hidden throughout the movie) my mother waited for the almost-whispered lines between accusing Hoggle of helping Sarah and threatening him with the Bog of Eternal Stench, before whispering to me "David Bowie's really good in this, isn't he?" So there I am, nearly 13 years old. Hormones everywhere, with my ovaries maturing at an accelerated rate for reasons of David Bowie in tight leggings. Autistic, with absolutely no filter. I'm sat there wishing I was Hoggle for just that split second, and now Mum is talking at me just as the knee bends and The Crotch does its thing with Hoggle's left eye. My response, in a silent auditorium, was a not-quite-shouted "Mum. You are supposed to be looking at his FACE!" And now, 35 years later, my Mum will still tell anybody who will listen about how I embarrassed her at the cinema when I caught her ogling The Crotch.
The baby not only went on to be a make up artist for “The Dark Crystal” TV series, but he did his own version of “Dance Magic Dance” in tribute to David Bowie when he passed away.
Has Ashleigh watched The Dark Crystal yet? I really feel that is a must to compete after she's already done Neverending Story and Labyrinth. Those 3 are like the trio of dark puppeteering kids movies from the 80s. DARK CRYSTAL!
"directed by the creator of The Muppets, produced by the creator of Star Wars, and written by an original member of Monty Python, and its lead actor is one of most legendary solo artists in the history of Rock & Roll." quoted in TV Tropes.
As an adult, one of the things that elevates this film is realizing that it's all a metaphor for her growing up. Jareth and his bulge were about sexual maturity, the hoarder was about clinging to the trappings of childhood, etc., etc. The crazy-scary red guys MIGHT be about the bodily changes of puberty, or just Jim Henson's fever dream. On a connected note, have you seen the classic muppet films or the Muppet Show? They are great, and NOT kid's shows.
Oubliette is a secret dungeon with access only through a trapdoor in its ceiling commonly found in castles during medieval times.. It was used to hold political and other kinds of prisoners and was built particularly narrow and dark to increase the psychological damage.
(Disregarding whether they really were a thing or just legends)... « Oubliette » is of french origin built on the verb « Oublier » (to forget)... People you throw down there aren't supposed to come out any day soon or late.
I feel privileged to have grown up during Jim Henson's heyday. Between Sesame Street, the Muppet Show (and movies), Fraggle Rock, and his films like this and Dark Crystal that pushed the boundaries... he and Frank Oz and the rest of his crew practically raised a generation.. and I weep for future generations that cant appreciate the creativity and humanity of his art.
@@craftyladybug411 he still is.. he ain't dead yet 🤣 he was great in Knives Out.. and as much as I didnt care for the movie.. it was good to have his Yoda back in Last Jedi
I just downloaded for myself the complete season of the Story Teller. For many years I thought I just imagined that show, so glad I found it... Jim Henson at his best.
Jim Henson had an eye for detail that is rare, but shared with many of the producers/ directors/ filmmakers that are considered all time greats. His other great talent was finding people who understand or at least trusted the direction he was going because he consistently pushed the boundaries of his art and technology available. And as a result we have this and many other great works of art
As far as Sarah's character goes, you have to see the finer details of her room to get a better understanding of where she's coming from with her angst. If you look closely, you can see clippings of her mom's success as an actress and coupled with a very David Bowie looking guy after she left her marriage behind. With the insecurities of a child left behind by a parent, you can better empathize and understand the story's subtext. I always felt that it was closer to a Wizard of Oz than a Never-Ending Story in that regard. I think when this millennial should check back after a few years to see if any of this has grown on her, despite what she says here.
Her mother leaving her behind, her stepmother expecting her to be Free Childcare without bothering to ask (truly an elder daughter's lament all around), giving the baby her things without asking, and no one taking her passions seriously... Sarah definitely needs perspective, but her frustrations as a young teenager in that situation are very understandable!
The Goblin King is such an interesting character. David Bowie described him as reluctantly inherited the job and the goblins have (without his permission) kidnapped this random child and he spends the movie trying to solve the issue as best he can. The baby just happens to belong to the girl he’s in love with.
There is a cool fan theory that the Goblin King was a half/mortal half fae who fell in love with a girl named Sarah. He built an empty kingdom for the both of them, but she refused to join him because she had a little brother to care for when her parents died. He went back to make his kingdom even better, but for him a few days had passed, but for her it was a lifetime. He returned to her gone, but not understanding mortal lives he sought her out, thinking she was hiding. He found another Sarah with a little brother and decided to steal the baby to lure her in as a game. If she won his maze, she got the baby back, if she lost, he kept the baby and it eventually became a Goblin (hence the name, and hence the song you remind me of the babe, because it was, once). Over time some Sarah's escaped with their siblings, others did not, and the story grew with each attempt, as did the Goblin horde, the goblin city to house them, and the maze grew ever larger. Each time Jareth wanting only more time with his beloved Sarah and so making the labyrinth longer each time so as to spend that much more time with her as this was his only chance to be with her, so he would make it last. Hoggle and the rest have seen so many Sarah's (Hence the "of course you are" comment, why did he ask? They are ALWAYS Sarah). Jareth doesn't WANT to be the Goblin king, he wants to be King with his Queen Sarah, but if all she wants to do is play these silly little game,s then so be it. This is all from posts over the years on the movie creating lore and backstory.
@@littlekong7685 "Hoggle and the rest have seen so many Sarah's (Hence the "of course you are" comment, why did he ask? They are ALWAYS Sarah). " The problem with that statement is that I heard it in another film in the mid 80s. Highlander. "Hi, my name's Candy...." "Of course you are......" It doesn't necessarily mean anything depending on the context - sort of like a less crib sounding "yo momma" thing.
For kids growing up in the 80s, this, Neverending story and Dark Crystal were THE movies for the world of Magic. This was my Harry Potter on a smaller scale. Its one of my favorites from my childhood that I feel like actually aged well. Also...David Bowie was one of my first ever crushes because of this movie. A whole generation feels that way lol
Like many children's films of the 80s, this movie emotionally scarred me for years and I was too terrified to watch most of it. But...the Fireys were one exception.
It's amazing that the late Terry Jones from Monty Python did the screenplay for Labyrinth. The door knocker with the handle in his mouth kind of looks like him too.
He wrote the original script. But it was heavily re-written during pre-production. Even George Lucas did a draft of it. The final shooting script bore little resemblance to what Jones wrote.
The CG owl is a big deal as far as evolution of computer generated effects on film. It wasn't the first, but an important step on the way towards more intense CG.
if i remember correctly it was actually the first attempt at a real photo realistic creature, previously CG animation had been fantasy creations that were obviously an effect, like the one is young sherlock holmes which incedently was after Tron so the first cgi CHARACTER would be the 'Master Control Program' from tron though he was just a head!😂 the walking window was however the first cgi character to move around a real world enviroment!
It took me a number of years of growing up, before I understood her lines at the end. "I need you, Hoggle. Every once in a while in my life, for no reason at all...I need you." Who else cherishes those giddy feels? As we get older, we go back. Memories.
My favourite movie of all time and there's so many questions to answer: - To note Sarah is played by Jennifer Connelly who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in A Beautiful Mind. She is married to Paul Bettany who plays Vision in the MCU. - there was actually a person standing behind David Bowie putting his arms through to do the crystal ball juggling, you can see how they did it in the behind the scenes special "Inside the Labyrinth". David kept laughing every time the juggler dropped the ball. - the baby is played by Toby Froud the son of puppeteer Brain Froud. He grew up to follow in his fathers footsteps continuing to work with puppets. - The question of one door leads to the centre of the Labyrinth and one door leads to certain death, Sarah got right, if works out if you think about it very slowly. I always figured if she just made it over the shaft of hands she would have been fine. Yes, who would ever choose down. - As a kid for the longest time I thought he said Ougliette, then when internet rolled around I learned it was actually oubliette which is usually a basement dungeon accessible only through a hatch in a high ceiling. - That statue of the face is David Bowie/Jareth's face. It his hidden 7 times in the Labyrinth, that one being the most obvious but you can see a list with pictures of the rest here: faroutmagazine.co.uk/david-bowie-7-hidden-faces-in-labyrinth-film/ - Yes David Bowie is wearing a wig, but I don't know what you're talking about, Jareth/David Bowie is so sexy all the time. - That's the Junk Lady there are a many Junk People who live in the trash surrounding the Goblin City. She is working for Jareth, trying to distract Sarah from her mission to save Toby - the part where Jareth comes over the edge of the ledge was done by a stunt double with a hydraulic arm attached to his leg. You can also see how it's done in "Inside the Labyrinth" - The reason this reminds you of Monty Python is because Terry Jones one of the Monty Python members wrote the screenplay (with Jim Henson, George Lucas and others) - Frank Oz was the voice of Miss Piggy, Jim Henson was the voice of Kermit and the creator of the Muppets. Jim Henson's son Brian did the voice of Hoggle and was part of the team puppeteering his face. - No this was not David Bowie's music outlet. He was chosen by Jim Henson (there other choices were Sting and Michael Jackson) to do this film that was Henson's idea to do a coming of age story since he had daughter that age at the time. Bowie was asked to write some music for the film. Just to put my thought on this when I was a kid I never thought that Sarah was a selfish brat. I was completely on her side. I never understood until I got older that she was actually in the wrong and acting childish. lol
The stairway scene is based off of M.C. Escher. FYI: most of the movie's elements are in her room in the beginning. THe Hobble bookend, Escher print, etc.
Yes, it would be well worth a rewatch for her to realize all the references that are hidden in her room. 1986 Easter eggs abound! Especially the Escher print above here bed.
@@alexlail7481 Escher's heyday goes back a loooooong time into the 1900s. Certainly long before the 80s, albeit he was not appreciated by the mainstream until around this time.
@@mnomadvfx yes Escher's art was created long before the 80's. He was born around the turn of the century... I was really referencing the aspects the movie included...but his heyday was essentially post WWII into the 60s for creation. My personal favorite is 'Drawing Hands' which is from just after the war. But I like most of his works
This movie is like an onion, so many layers every time I watch it. The junkyard scene is one of my favorites because it’s the turning point in her journey. The labyrinth is her internal struggle and self realization story.
Yes, you've hit the nail on the head here. This whole movie is a coming-of-age story, and the junkyard scene is where Sarah stops seeing the world through the self-centered eyes of a child, and takes that first real step into adulthood. (And by self-centered, I don't mean stuck up or narcissistic; I mean it takes a while for children to develop empathy, to understand that other people have the same needs and feelings and world-inside-their-heads that they do.) IMHO this scene is the true climax of the movie; the whole "rescue Toby" storyline was really a metaphor for becoming a grown-up. Toby could never have been rescued if Sarah had not had this awakening.
8:50 “Oubliette” is a real word. It’s a medieval form of prison cell - a deep hole with an opening at the top sometimes covered with a grate of some kind. It really is “someplace you put someone to forget about them” - think of the word “oblivion.”
it was also referred to as a forgetting room, they even put jagged stones into the floor of the room so you couldn't sleep... an awful way to break someone
"WOW, How did they do this?" THAT is what I miss about the 80s. Like a puzzle that needed to be solved, you had to use your imagination. Now its like "Oh CGI, interesting." It will never be the same.
Of course, this film used CGI too, but it didn't quite work. Nowadays it's much better, and practical effects still exist, as well. It's just a bigger tool box to play with.
The girls transition from self centered to being more mature and humble was always a good story for this movie, plus look around her room at the beginning and you’ll see the majority of the characters as toys or decorations
Just watched this movie recently and realized it is all about growing up and leaving childhood. Escaping the desire to always stay in a childlike state of mind. Which is why she says at the end that she will need them. She is saying that no matter what in her life she will still need to have that imagination of the world and never forget who she was. Very fun movie
When Bowie manipulates the crystal ball, in reality he keeps his right arm behind his back and we see professional magician Michael Moschen juggling blind in his back with his arm out. Michael invented the brand new discipline of contact juggling just for Labyrinth.
Gaaah Labyrinth, my all-time fave WTF movie. I rented this VHS when I was 7 and I basically drove my mom insane because I would insist on rechecking it out every week for an entire summer. There was just something so magical about this movie that has stuck with me to today. Also, fun fact, Prince Charles thought the Bog of Eternal Stench was the funniest thing ever. He was the only one at the London premiere who laughed lol
Kind of like when the first STAR WARS film came out, I too was a kid who could not get enough of. Lost track of how many times I went and saw it, and it too drove my mother up the wall. She wanted to see something else, while I wanted to see STAR WARS.
Oubliette - from the French “to forget” Usually a cell or hole in the ground where someone was left to die. These were commonly tied into castle’s human waste dumps etc.
This movie is so batshit crazy, overlaid with David Bowie’s transcendent coolness, that I have already hit the like button before the play button. I have no earthly idea how you’re going to react to this one, but I love that it will be an honest one.
Poor Jim Henson - he literally was responsible for all of this and gets so little love because he wasn't Yoda's voice. He's like the Jack Kirby of Muppets - with Frank Oz still alive people just seem to forget he existed at all 😭
This is one of my brother's favorite movies. Right up there with The Dark Crystal. And, "I wish the Goblins would come and take you away, right now, that's not hard is it", my brother quoted that a lot as a kid.
I first saw this movie as a kid in the 80s. Bowie did a great job on the soundtrack. “Underground,” “As the world falls down,” and “within you“ I get stuck in my head from time to time. They have an underrated catchiness.
Not to cast any shade on you Ashleigh (I love your channel), but I feel like a lot of people who do reactions don't see that quite often the main character is supposed to be unlikeable to begin with, so they can undertake "the hero's journey", and come out the other side better people for it. For me, that makes for better characters, and Labyrinth is a great example of this.
Didn't help that it was either over-the-top for what looks like a 17 yr old.. Or bad casting for what should have been a 12-13 yr old. Good actress, did well in this movie, and a younger kid would have looked even more uncomfortable being that a lot of this was quite handsey. "Fixing this" would work better to have toned down the overdramatic start, than finding a younger actress to make the overly self centered behavior work.
I just realized after watching the labyrinth a trillion times and throughout my childhood the rock that has a face is David bowie’s face 😯 Also, if you were to observe Sarah’s bedroom, everything you see in the labyrinth is in her bedroom. So clearly, the world is all made up from her imagination. You’ll also find a photo of her and David Bowie, which in my opinion she had envisioned Bowie as the goblin king, cause maybe she is a fan girl, and like a lot of young girls..they tend to fantasize about their celebrity crush 🤷🏼♀️ maybe? It seems as if this film is based on a girl’s imagination with her weird fantasy of her recent celebrity crush playing the villain, cause what teenage girl doesn’t like to fantasize about attractive fellas as the enemy they’re up against? Lol. Jareth also has a fascination towards Sarah. He even tells her that if she were to lose, her baby brother will become one of his goblins and she will be his goblin queen..eh? love this movie tho✌🏻
It's about her moving on from childhood. Everything in her bedroom is from when her mum was there and that's why at the end she puts most of it away symbolising that she's ready to grow up ☺ (but not too much, there's still time for an impromptu bedroom party apparently lol) x
She's not a fan, her mother ran away with a fellow actor, that's the guy in the pictures (played by Bowie).
3 года назад+23
13:45 “Why is this scene taking so long?” 😂 Because the children's audience want to enjoy their puppets' show and costumed characters for the longer times over the dramatic pieces 🥳.
Welcome to the film that every geeky woman in their 20's and 30's knows by heart. This is a millennial Wizard Of Oz. My wife loves this film so much we used the song As The World Falls Down for our first dance at our wedding.
"I like him, he's my favorite character so far"- sums up my feelings about the worm, as well. I would have had a mighty hard time resisting his invitation, although there wouldn't be much of a movie if Sarah had just gone inside and met the missus. (I always wondered how she, gigantic compared to the worm, would get "inside")
I was 5 when I saw this movie. My babysitter put it on because she figured it would be fine because it had puppets and such. (Plus she was a teen girl, so she was into the David Bowie bits.) It scared me, and needless to say, the puberty subtext was completely lost on me. I never have re-watched it, but certain scenes are still burned into my brain.
@AshleighBurton… I promised ya a love story dealing with “Labyrinth” last week, this is it: On a Facebook comment thread I met a woman named Erin, who kept replying back to me. I was enjoying our back-and-forth so I checked her profile. Turns out SHE was also a Labyrinth fan! So I sent her a friend request and she accepted. Weeks go by, we share cat pictures to each other (we both loved cats) and chat every now and then. Then in September 14th, 2016, they were going to show Labyrinth in theaters for its 30th anniversary! I asked if she’d like to join me and she said yes! I go to pick her up and she wanted me to meet her mother who turned out to be a former clown in the company I work for! Not only that but the evening went so well that we planned another date for that Saturday because a friend of hers was having a yard sale and a friend of mine was having one as well. Turned out it was the same friend! Fast forward two years and I took Erin to the Norfolk Comedy Festival at the Push Comedy Theater in Norfolk, VA. That evening they had none other than “Lost’s” Terry O’Quinn performing! Erin was a huge Lost fan and this was her surprise for our anniversary. We met him after the show and he couldn’t have been cooler. Erin was gushing at dinner and said he’d be invited to our wedding when it happens. That’s when I pulled the ring out and said, “Then you’ll be needing this!” She said yes! Now Erin was a very sick woman. She was on dialysis and had a myriad of other issues. Think Shelby from “Steel Magnolias,” same issues. Because of this we couldn’t get married until after her transplant and all. But I was cool with that, we have the rest of our lives. This past August I lost Erin after complications from sepsis developed after surgery. She had been in the hospital all summer. Her body just couldn’t take it anymore. I was there holding her hand when she passed on. She was the kindest, gentlest, sweetest person I had ever known and I miss her terribly. But I want people to know of the woman I loved. That way she’ll live forever. A couple of weeks after we saw the 35th anniversary showing of Labyrinth. My friends and family all came in a celebration of Erin’s life.
I feel like most people who love this movie, grew up with it, and people who didn’t grow up with it but see it later in life are like meh…it’s alright. I’m personally a Jim Henson fan so all the crazy whimsical movies were staples for me growing up and I still love to this day
You are very judicious Ashleigh! And very honest, I agree completely! One request is that this movie doesn't taint the possibility of you watching 'The Dark Crystal' in the future. Wonderful to see you as always, and looking forward to Friday's opening of HALLOBEANS!! ✌✌
I love seeing peoples' first impression of this movie! While some of my son's friends were staying over, he convinced them to watch this movie with us. They were entranced with the whole thing!
"Oubliette" = that weird word early in the movie. It's one of the movie's darker details - and it has a lot of dark details. An oubliette is a feature of medieval dungeons and castles. It's from the French word for "forgotten" or "to forget." It's a dead-drop pit or sealed off chamber in which a person would be imprisoned and, well, forgotten about and left to die. Kid's movie. ;)
Yep, the "You remind of a ..." routine appears in "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer" from 1947 as others have written. The movie stars Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Rudy Vallee and Shirley Temple in the Bobby Soxer role. Sidney Sheldon won a screenplay Oscar for it (he created "I Dream of Jeannie" among other projects). TBATBS, definitely worth a watch.
One of the writers was Terry Jones, one of the Monty Python crew, so yeah Python vibes are intentional. If you want a pure Jim Henson, high concept, experience then "The Dark Crystal" is called for.
Think of Sarah's journey as her learning that she needs to grow up, but she's also not quite ready to do so. The two scenes that really encapsulate this are the ballroom, which is very dramatic and romantic and involves people acting more adult (don't get me started on the one person fondling the other's very phallic-shaped nose) which frightens her because she's not ready for that yet, which is quickly followed by the hoarder trying to convince her to stay in her room by giving her all of her baby things, her cute toys, her little slippers, and telling her this is where you want to be, right? In order to continue on her journey she has to accept where she is in her life right now, and take control both of herself and of the maze. Honestly there are so many levels that I could write an entire essay on this movie.
Heard this before, though I've heard Jareth representing Sarah's first teenage crush as part of it. Why else have him played by David Bowie constantly playing with his glass balls while wearing tights that draw the eye to his crotch?
Teenage years are a weird place to be in life. The masquerade shows she’s too young for such adult things, while her bedroom shows she’s too old for such childish things. Part of why she gives Toby Lancelot and puts some things away, but tells her friends she’ll still need them. This is my favorite coming of age story in film!
An "oubliette" - from French "oublier" = "to forget". It's part of a Medieval dungeon where they would leave a person to "be forgotten", i.e., to just waste away and die (no food, no water, no nothing).
Growing up in the 80's I watched this movie all the time! Muppets were everything! And this movie had a fantastic soundtrack!!! I love this movie just as much now as I did when I was a kid.
I feel like an appreciation for this movie comes from seeing it through the eyes of my 11 year old self the first time I saw it. My appreciation grew when I got to introduce it to my children. Nostalgia plays a big part.
8:46 The word used was "oubliette", which means a sort of "dungeon under the regular dungeon", which was used to house prisoners the owner of the dungeon wanted to keep in especially miserable conditions. They were usually at the bottom of a deep shaft, and could only be accessed from a trapdoor in the ceiling. Some of them were too small for the prisoner to lie down in, or, in extreme cases, even sit down in. Needless to say, they weren't the sort of place one would want to be stuck in for any length of time.
Built off the french word for "Forget". So to toss someone into the Oubliette is to throw them into the "Forget-them hole". Some pretty dark meaning there.
Haha, for 80s standards these figures were meant to be relatively cute, now you know why there's so much horror heads in my generation and that's why I can't wait for Hallobeanz! 😁
That's actually intentional to some degree. Henson famously said that it's important for kids to be a big scared sometimes in small doses. That way they can learn to process those feelings and how to handle them safely. Familiar fears like the dark, swamps, animals... that's why they were so prevalent at the time. They were easy for kids to identify with and learn that it's okay to be scared, but if they believed in themselves they'd be fine, etc etc etc.
I love the scene when Sarah is in the maze and comes up on the red and blue door guards. One that always tells the truth, and one that always lies. A really simple solution to find out which one is which, is go up to either one and ask them what color their shield is. Then you find out who tells the truth, then you ask them which door to choose. 😂
@@KnightsaysNi Which Door would the other guard say is the good door? The honest one will say the liars door, the liar will say the liars door, you don't take that door.
I think that the funniest thing is, her analyzation of the situation was correct. She was right. But it ended up still being wrong, simply because the labyrinth is not meant to be fair or logical. 😂
Right side door says one of the doors leads to the castle. She asks Left side door what right side door would answer if she asks right side door if the left door leads to the castle. Left door says right would say yes. Right side door is the liar. He lied at the start - neither door leads to the castle (and probably neither leads to*certain* death). Whichever door she'd asked about, the answer would have been the same. She was trying to solve the riddle based on false information.
The scene where she has to solve the riddle to determine which door to use is a near perfect example of the classic logic puzzle known as the knights and knaves puzzle
I absolutely love your channel my young friend. Your reactions make me smile and your movie choices make me nostalgic for my youth. Just as an FYI, Frank Oz voiced Miss Piggy and Yoda, Jim Henson(the creator of the muppets) voiced Kermit. You were super close. As an old fossil that grew up watching the muppets on TV and saw Star Wars in the theater as a 4 year old child, I am required by law to be picky :)
Came to say almost this exact thing. Differences, I was going to include Frank Oz also did Fozzie Bear, Grover, Animal, Bert, Cookie Monstwr, and Sam Eagle, among many others. I am slightly younger than you (Saw Star Wars for my first birthday), but have most of the same obligations by law.
Jumped on this one so quickly! I saw this in the theater with my family as a young teen and we all loved it after growing up with the Muppets and other Henson productions. Can definitely say Jennifer Connelly was one of my first movie/tv crushes. Thanks for this one! edit: Frank Oz was Miss Piggy and Fozzy the Bear. Jim Henson was Kermit the Frog and had the puppeteering company.
The Never Ending Story meets Monty Python was a pretty good guess as Labyrinth was one of a number of fondly remembered family orientated fantasy films from the 1980's, which are all pretty similar in style and the script for Labyrinth was devised and co-written by Terry Jones who is one of the Monty Python team.
As a guy who grew up in the 80's here are my random recommendations for the young lady: Legend directed by Ridley Scott, The flight of the navigator directed by Randal Kleiser, Short Circut directed by John Badham and Pee-wee's Big Adventure directed by Tim Burton. 🖖😎🥃
This movie is one I have watched a billion times. The music is great, the puppets are awesome, and it is full of quotable lines. I think this movie will always be special to those of us who were kids in the 80's. 🙂
EVERYTHING is hinted at in her room. Even the Snow White reference, the Labyrinth maze as a model and images of David Bowie the singer. I have the theory if you look at this in a dark way, Sarah is going through mental anguish due to the loss of her mother and is not coping with reality. This movie is basically her struggle with sanity. Come the end, when she "Embraces" her new friends, she finally give in completely to her insanity and delusions. This is the tale of a young lady lost forever.
VERY interesting and cool take. The opposite of my opinion. Check out Talisman's comment below; that's the way I've always felt about it... a story about an entitled brat learning to give up her attachment to cheap material things (her toys). She sheds her selfishness by learning to put her brother's welfare above her own; hence the climax where she takes a leap of faith off the maze ledge to reach him, then finally understands what it means to tell her fantasy he has no power over her. To me, the bedroom scene at the end is just a way of saying that, even though she's growing up, she'll always need to comforts of youth from time to time.
Yeah, that's an old theory and a lot of movies from the 80s are said to have that going on. Ferris Bueller, The Neverending Story, others. The fact is, we get endless imaginative movies and TV shows because the young writers and directors were straight out of the 60s. Those dudes were ex-hippies who actually had talent and skills, so they made incredible stuff. Especially for kids. This story, though, is a version of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, with a dash of several dark versions of fairy tales. Can you see it? haha
@@LA_HA Cinematic Fantasy had so much more depth in the 80's. It was okay to challenge kids by scaring them, shocking them, making them think, or showing them something they didn't quite understand. Very similar to the way the Grimms and old-school fairy tale writers produced. Everything now is goofy and sanitized. The fact that deeper and more challenging writing was good for a child's psychological growth has been lost.
@@Seth-fg4ho Agreed. We're in a position to see the truth of that. All anyone need do is watch, then compare. The stuff the writers were using must've been a special blend. haha
This movie was squarely aimed at teenage girls. This movie was almost a right of passage for girls in the 80s. This movie was my little sister's favorite for decades. You would have appreciated it so much more if you were seeing it as a kid.
Ashleigh! You should give my childhood fantasy favorite a try: “Legend”! Tom Cruise, Tim Curry as a big, red devil (probably the best prosthetic work I’ve ever seen!), dwarves, elves, fairies, and an eighties synth score that can’t be beat! If you make it around to watching it, enjoy! And I always enjoy the videos you do do! 👍🏻 keep it up! Highlight of my Mondays!
This is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I do think it’s probably best viewed from the point of view of a child. (Unless you’re already sort of into this kind of thing.) I think the over-dramatics feel more natural to children because all of your emotions and experiences feel so Big when you’re little lol. Regardless, kudos to you for checking it out even though it wasn’t really your jam! I would recommend The Dark Crystal if only because I feel the story is more mature, so it might be more enjoyable for you. (And if you do enjoy it, the netflix series is amazing- it’s one of the best high fantasy series created to date imo)
I remember reading some trivia about the film and that the baby in the "Magic Dance" scene (who was actually played by a set of twins), was not scared of the goblins at all. They had to wait for the kid to get tired before he started crying a bit! EDIT: So not played by twins, I stand corrected :)
8:50 It's an "oubliette", from the French "oublier", which means "to forget". It's a type of prison, specifically a prison for people you never want to think about again.
I think the creativity of this movie is what brings people back. It had so many interesting moments where you can imagine yourself in these situations trying to figure a way out. Even if you know how it unfolds, the journey is so interesting.
Such a shame we never got a second movie.. Set it 10 or 15 years after this with a grown up Sarah dealing with a loveless marriage and two kids until she says "I wish the Goblins would take ME away.." --- Once again the doors fly open and Jarath says, "You could have asked any time you wanted.. I was never far away.."
When it comes to Labyrinth and Neverending Story, I definitely think you would have had a different reaction if you'd seen it as a kid and with a little lower quality video. I remember both of them feeling so magical, so on a rewatch now there's some of that nostalgia, but I can definitely see how it would read different without that child brain context.
The stairs at the end are from a poster she had in her room in the beginning. It's by an artist named M.C. Escher who drew lots of pictures with weird perspectives, and impossible geometries. Also did some cool things with tesselations (where identical shapes tile together perfectly without spaces)
If you wanted to know. The hole sarah fell in is called an “Oubliette”. It was a real thing used in the 18th century esp in france and it was basically a hole with a trapdoor on top that led down a well into a small stone room. People basically would put people down there as punishment until they starve to death. The word oubliette comes from the french word “oublier” which means “to forget”. if hoggle hadn’t been down there to save sarah, she would have DIED down there. Yikes. The more you know
Regarding Sarah: yes, she was a total brat at the beginning of the film. I feel like that was intentional; she was an entitled, overdramatic teenager who felt like everything was about her. The story was about her growth and improvement. She risked her life for her baby brother, she made friends, she had to get creative and overcome challenges like the masked ball sequence (surely some sort of wish-fulfillment fantasy for a teenage girl). At the end of the film she was more mature and less selfish.
You’re not wrong, I just personally think it was done in a piss poor way.
Well her biological Mother ran off to become a famous Dancer/Movie star and her Dad re-married and the kid is her Half-Brother. So she was used to being the center of attention for a long time.
But yes this is basically a story of a teenager starting down the first steps of maturity and womanhood.
I also think they intentionally made her very childish because this movie is a unique coming of age story. It's aim is not to turn Sarah into an adult (I think she's meant to be 14?) It's aim is to bring her out of that phase in a young person's life where they are the center of attention and the only thing that matters in the world. At the end, Sarah is still a kid inside, she still has her imagination and her joy. I just think they needed to make her as selfish and annoying as she was at the beginning to make a transition like that work.
I think Jennifer Connelly reads a little old. When I was younger (I was less 10 or 11 when I saw this). I had a huge crush on her, but I thought she was the age of my 17 to 18 year old babysitters. Had she been that age, her behavior would have been disgusting.
Yes, the actress was old for the part. They were not very clear about that. That is my only criticism of this film. I have watched it I don’t know how many times I think it was number six when I first saw the milk bottles at the goblin Kings doorstep. There’s always something visual going on in every part of the screen in every scene.
She’s 15-16 which is exactly the right age for this story, simultaneously too old and too young.
The unspoken relationship between her and Jareth is complex and confusing, which is exactly the right tone. I think this movie isn’t perfect, but it’s brilliant work of technique and imagination.
"Why do I love his voice so much?" Because it is beautiful, iconic and sorely missed ♥
ALL. OF. THIS.
Paul C.: I feel the same.Such powerfull voice & such GREAT memory.
Out loud I responded, "because he's David Bowie?" lol
Out loud I responded, "because he's David Bowie?" lol
"Labyrinth" is about Jennifer Connelly's character progress. She is supposed to start out annoying and spoiled. She is caught up in drama and essentially avoiding social contact with her fantasies. If you rewatch this movie, notice everything in the background especially in her room. There is a ton of foreshadowing. She also always forgets the power line. "You have no power over me." (Meaning her fantasies have power over her at least until the end). She also screams about how unfair everything is at first but learns over the course of the movie that life is unfair and to accept it. The conflict with the hoarder is her own inability to let go of things as she grows up. She denies Toby her Lancelot at the beginning and give it to him in the end. This is a coming of age movie as she transitions from her childish ways into a more mature teen. The end reassures her that if she ever needs her fantasies that they will be there for her. BTW, Cheryl "Gates" McFadden (Beverly Crusher on Star Trek Next Gen) was the choreographer for this. Jim Henson did Kermit. Frank Oz is Yoda and Miss Piggy (also the guard returning the prison stuff in "The Blue Brothers). Both did more muppets than I care to list here.
McFadden also plays the wife of Jack Ryan seen at the very beginning of 'The Hunt for Red October' - like Alec Baldwin and the child playing his daughter she was also replaced for 'Patriot Games' and 'Clear and Present Danger'.
Also as you mentioned Frank Oz and Blues Brothers he is actually the prison warden in the sequel too.
I did like that imagery as the garbage lady piled all her toys on her, making her start to look like them.
Actually, there's a funny story about that 'baby got therapy' scene. They needed a crying reaction from little Toby, and everyone was expecting that when he was surrounded by all those creepy little goblins, it would do the trick; they'd get the reaction, calm him down, etc. But, in fact, Toby loved the goblins, and wasn't scared at all - the reaction they ultimately got wasn't because he was frightened, it was because he was HUNGRY - it was time for his bottle, and they put off giving it to him just long enough for him to get frustrated and start crying.
You should check out 'The Dark Crystal'. It's quite similar to this in terms of visual style, techniques, etc., but I feel it is slightly more 'adult' than 'Labyrinth' - as such, it might appeal to you more. (Plus, it's REALLY cool.)
He wouldn't be scared of the goblins because his house was full of them! He grew up with his parents work half finished around the house.
@@aaronchang9317 Good point. Plus, what little kid doesn't love fairies and such?
Or Legend
I don't blame him. I don't think I would have been the least bit scared of them as a baby.
Mmmmm, mmmm, yes mmm. 😅 jk those big tall creatures freak me out.
"I hope that baby got therapy after all that he saw" Toby Froud, the actor that played the baby, grew up to become a puppeteer and fabricator of goblins, trolls and any other creature you can think of. He's an actual 'Goblin King' now!
That was great acting! I would have sworn he actually was a baby!
hehe sounds like he really did need therapy
@@dand9244 He followed in his parents’ footsteps.
If I remember right, he was Brian Froud's son- Brian being the creature designer for Jim Henson projects including The Dark Crystal (Wikipedia says Brian was the conceptual designer for this movie too). Toby in turn helped in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. :)
He's still working with the Henson Company with his father. They made the "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" series for Netflix.
The Dark Crystal is the movie to finish this 'trilogy' of puppetry fantasy films from the 1980s.
David Bowie's.....leggings....were a sexual awakening for many of us in the 80's. :D The other classic along this vein is 'Legend', which is absolutely delightful and might work for HallowBeans - Tim Curry as 'Darkness' (and a wee Tom Cruise!).
Mia Sara in that Black Dress.......there is a reason I like Goth Girls.
It's so true 😂 I didn't know what I was feeling about him, but I felt it! Damn, now that I think about it, he was the first sexy, mysterious lothario to seduce me....and at such a young age. Yikes!😱
..."along this vein" huhuhuhu yeah
Oh my god... Tim Curry as Darkness! Both him and Bowie were my first couple of crushes when I was younger 😍
I already loved Bowie, but this movie came out just as I graduated high school. For a hot second, Bowie's pants made me think maybe I wasn't gay. But that's just the power of Bowie!
Ashleigh: “David Bowie’s pants are a little too tight to doing these close ups…”
Me: LOL “Ashleigh, meet the Bowie Bulge!”
Or as I call it "The David Wowie"
Oh, you have no idea- The "contact juggling" with the crystal balls by Jareth was done by a "stunt juggler" who was pretty-much upside down and backwards, reaching-around Bowie to get the shot.
@@HalSchirmer Michael Moshen, I would guess, given the year the movie came out.
Major Tom to Ground Control: Tell my wife I love her very much.
SHE "KNOWS"!!!!!!!!!!!!
ruclips.net/video/hNVsN6pUd0U/видео.html
It was completely intentional. He wore a codpiece. Remember a part of growing up is coming to terms with your sexuality.
"Is this what it's like when you take drugs?"
No, this is what it's like when Jim Henson takes drugs.
You should watch the outtakes for this movie. David Bowie didn't actually rotate the crystal balls, but there was a guy hiding behind him, and it's his hand we see in the frame. Because he couldn't actually see his hand, he dropped them often. But David Bowie never gets annoyed or upset, he laughs it off take after take.
I have to admit, being a Monkees fan growing up, I found it funny when you accidentally called him "Davy" because David Bowie's real name was David Jones, but he used the stage name David Bowie because there was already a musician named Davy Jones.
I don't think Henson really took drugs, though. He did try dropping acid once, according to his biography, but even though he had several friends present to make sure he was okay in case he started seriously tripping, nothing happened.
Outtakes and behind the scenes, amazing stuff.
Davy Jones was also David Jones, funny coincidence there. David 'Davy' Thomas Jones vs David 'Bowie' Robert Jones... I think Bowie wins.
@@rocketdave719 Yeah, when it came to Muppeteers and drugs, Richard Hunt and Jerry Nelson were the ones who were into that stuff. It said in that book that they would often sneak off to smoke a joint, and for all I know they may have done more than that.
@@rocketdave719 I meant that as a joke, not to be taken seriously. In actuality, Jim Henson saw puppets as more than just children's entertainment, and sought to make movies aimed toward adults using puppets.
Since you mentioned "The Crotch", my husband thought I ought to amuse you and the rest of your followers with the true story of my Labyrinth reaction when my mother took me to see it for my 13th birthday:
I was really excited to see the movie, as a Bowie fan since early childhood - and I was positively melting in my seat watching David strutting around as Jareth (I'm sorry, but I *loved* that wig. Still do). Naturally, at that age, I'd recently hit puberty so I was noticing men. Oh, I'm also autistic (this is an important part of the tale; you'll soon find out why).
During the scene where you noticed the face in the rock (Bowie's face: it's hidden throughout the movie) my mother waited for the almost-whispered lines between accusing Hoggle of helping Sarah and threatening him with the Bog of Eternal Stench, before whispering to me "David Bowie's really good in this, isn't he?"
So there I am, nearly 13 years old. Hormones everywhere, with my ovaries maturing at an accelerated rate for reasons of David Bowie in tight leggings. Autistic, with absolutely no filter. I'm sat there wishing I was Hoggle for just that split second, and now Mum is talking at me just as the knee bends and The Crotch does its thing with Hoggle's left eye.
My response, in a silent auditorium, was a not-quite-shouted "Mum. You are supposed to be looking at his FACE!" And now, 35 years later, my Mum will still tell anybody who will listen about how I embarrassed her at the cinema when I caught her ogling The Crotch.
OMG I just hurt myself laughing! Best story I've heard in a long time. Thank you for sharing.
You can't not. That package is EPIC. IT DESERVES ITS OWN ZIPCODE 😅😍
Hahahaha! What a fabulous story! I love it!
I don't know if you're still interested, but you can see David Bowie's bare butt in the vampire movie 'The Hunger' from 1983.
BRILLIANT!
The baby not only went on to be a make up artist for “The Dark Crystal” TV series, but he did his own version of “Dance Magic Dance” in tribute to David Bowie when he passed away.
Jennifer Connelly went on to have BOOBS !
But seriously, I love Career Opportunities.
@@tempsitch5632 And an OSCAR.
@@blueamaranth9419 Lucky Oscar.
Has Ashleigh watched The Dark Crystal yet? I really feel that is a must to compete after she's already done Neverending Story and Labyrinth. Those 3 are like the trio of dark puppeteering kids movies from the 80s.
DARK CRYSTAL!
I think maybe The Muppet Movie first.
love the dark crystal. weirdly couldnt get into the netflix series though
@@TheFloorface I loved it. I was crushed when they announced they cancelled it after only 1 season.
Dark Crystal is a must. An absolute must. It's genius.
As far as Dark Crystal the movie there were no live actors / actresses .Classic Henson magic.
This is what happens when you combine Terry Jones (from Monty Python), Jim Henson, George Lucas, and David Bowie. Incredible Talent.
"directed by the creator of The Muppets, produced by the creator of Star Wars, and written by an original member of Monty Python, and its lead actor is one of most legendary solo artists in the history of Rock & Roll." quoted in TV Tropes.
Also incredibly *trippy.* Awesome!
Don't forget Brian Froud. Without him, it's a much different film.
"A choose-your-own-adventure game with something different behind every door would be so much fun."
D&D. You're describing D&D.
This, absolutely ❤
HEROQUEST
Or Pathfinder
Or, when one grows up, Runequest...
Depends on the dice roll
The one song that David Bowie sings her inside the masquerade ball was one of the most beautiful love songs from the '80s.
As an adult, one of the things that elevates this film is realizing that it's all a metaphor for her growing up. Jareth and his bulge were about sexual maturity, the hoarder was about clinging to the trappings of childhood, etc., etc. The crazy-scary red guys MIGHT be about the bodily changes of puberty, or just Jim Henson's fever dream.
On a connected note, have you seen the classic muppet films or the Muppet Show? They are great, and NOT kid's shows.
The Bog of Eternal Stench might be a metaphor for the overall yuckiness of puberty.
Are you sure the entire movie wasn't Jim Henson's fever dream?
Oubliette is a secret dungeon with access only through a trapdoor in its ceiling commonly found in castles during medieval times..
It was used to hold political and other kinds of prisoners and was built particularly narrow and dark to increase the psychological damage.
I heard that some historians think they might have only been used as storage spaces.
(Disregarding whether they really were a thing or just legends)... « Oubliette » is of french origin built on the verb « Oublier » (to forget)... People you throw down there aren't supposed to come out any day soon or late.
@@Malfehzan Yes 👍, Hoggle was not being facetious when he said it's a place you put someone to forget about them.
It’s where they put prisoners they want forgotten forever
I believe it comes from the French word for "forget".
I feel privileged to have grown up during Jim Henson's heyday. Between Sesame Street, the Muppet Show (and movies), Fraggle Rock, and his films like this and Dark Crystal that pushed the boundaries... he and Frank Oz and the rest of his crew practically raised a generation.. and I weep for future generations that cant appreciate the creativity and humanity of his art.
Frank Oz was amazing I’ve seen so many of his movies!
@@craftyladybug411 he still is.. he ain't dead yet 🤣 he was great in Knives Out.. and as much as I didnt care for the movie.. it was good to have his Yoda back in Last Jedi
Also The Storyteller with John Hurt.
I just downloaded for myself the complete season of the Story Teller. For many years I thought I just imagined that show, so glad I found it... Jim Henson at his best.
Jim Henson had an eye for detail that is rare, but shared with many of the producers/ directors/ filmmakers that are considered all time greats. His other great talent was finding people who understand or at least trusted the direction he was going because he consistently pushed the boundaries of his art and technology available. And as a result we have this and many other great works of art
As far as Sarah's character goes, you have to see the finer details of her room to get a better understanding of where she's coming from with her angst. If you look closely, you can see clippings of her mom's success as an actress and coupled with a very David Bowie looking guy after she left her marriage behind. With the insecurities of a child left behind by a parent, you can better empathize and understand the story's subtext. I always felt that it was closer to a Wizard of Oz than a Never-Ending Story in that regard.
I think when this millennial should check back after a few years to see if any of this has grown on her, despite what she says here.
Plus Hoggle, Sir Didymus, a Fiery and the Escher painting are all there.
She's also only 14! She had a major growth spurt between casting and filming and was meant to look a lot younger than she does in the movie.
Her mother leaving her behind, her stepmother expecting her to be Free Childcare without bothering to ask (truly an elder daughter's lament all around), giving the baby her things without asking, and no one taking her passions seriously... Sarah definitely needs perspective, but her frustrations as a young teenager in that situation are very understandable!
The Goblin King is such an interesting character. David Bowie described him as reluctantly inherited the job and the goblins have (without his permission) kidnapped this random child and he spends the movie trying to solve the issue as best he can. The baby just happens to belong to the girl he’s in love with.
There is a cool fan theory that the Goblin King was a half/mortal half fae who fell in love with a girl named Sarah. He built an empty kingdom for the both of them, but she refused to join him because she had a little brother to care for when her parents died. He went back to make his kingdom even better, but for him a few days had passed, but for her it was a lifetime. He returned to her gone, but not understanding mortal lives he sought her out, thinking she was hiding. He found another Sarah with a little brother and decided to steal the baby to lure her in as a game. If she won his maze, she got the baby back, if she lost, he kept the baby and it eventually became a Goblin (hence the name, and hence the song you remind me of the babe, because it was, once).
Over time some Sarah's escaped with their siblings, others did not, and the story grew with each attempt, as did the Goblin horde, the goblin city to house them, and the maze grew ever larger.
Each time Jareth wanting only more time with his beloved Sarah and so making the labyrinth longer each time so as to spend that much more time with her as this was his only chance to be with her, so he would make it last.
Hoggle and the rest have seen so many Sarah's (Hence the "of course you are" comment, why did he ask? They are ALWAYS Sarah).
Jareth doesn't WANT to be the Goblin king, he wants to be King with his Queen Sarah, but if all she wants to do is play these silly little game,s then so be it.
This is all from posts over the years on the movie creating lore and backstory.
@@littlekong7685 "Hoggle and the rest have seen so many Sarah's (Hence the "of course you are" comment, why did he ask? They are ALWAYS Sarah). "
The problem with that statement is that I heard it in another film in the mid 80s.
Highlander.
"Hi, my name's Candy...."
"Of course you are......"
It doesn't necessarily mean anything depending on the context - sort of like a less crib sounding "yo momma" thing.
@@littlekong7685 that fan theory needs to be made into a fanfiction story. it sounds very interesting.
@@littlekong7685 I love this fan theory 😍 so heartwrenching and dark.
For kids growing up in the 80s, this, Neverending story and Dark Crystal were THE movies for the world of Magic. This was my Harry Potter on a smaller scale. Its one of my favorites from my childhood that I feel like actually aged well. Also...David Bowie was one of my first ever crushes because of this movie. A whole generation feels that way lol
I grew up in the 90s and this movie was the bomb. I heard it wasn't as popular at first and became more loved over time.
Yeah I grew up in the 90s and these was very much my movies.
same! Jareth was my first crush too :p
Throw Willow in there also. :)
Dark Crystal was a masterpiece. The recent series defied my expectations by being pretty amazing too.
Ashleigh: "This scene makes me uncomfortable"
Everyone: "Yes."
Those Fireys can burn in childhood trauma hell.
They were always my favorite!! To each their own ….
I don’t get why everyone hates those guys! They crack me up every time haha.
I loved em when I was a kid
I love the Fireys! Chilly down is a bop!
Like many children's films of the 80s, this movie emotionally scarred me for years and I was too terrified to watch most of it. But...the Fireys were one exception.
It's amazing that the late Terry Jones from Monty Python did the screenplay for Labyrinth.
The door knocker with the handle in his mouth kind of looks like him too.
He wrote the original script. But it was heavily re-written during pre-production. Even George Lucas did a draft of it. The final shooting script bore little resemblance to what Jones wrote.
@@doughbafett good point
@@doughbafett But you still can see a lot of Jones in the film.
The CG owl is a big deal as far as evolution of computer generated effects on film. It wasn't the first, but an important step on the way towards more intense CG.
Yeah little me was blown away by it.
The first cg animated character, obviously, was in young sherlock Holmes. Not Tron.
@@petemk73 Young Sherlock Holmes is a great movie. It’s like goonies meets temple of doom.
I watch it as a double feature with ‘Mr. Holmes’ (2015)
@@petemk73 Tron was a better film though.
if i remember correctly it was actually the first attempt at a real photo realistic creature, previously CG animation had been fantasy creations that were obviously an effect, like the one is young sherlock holmes which incedently was after Tron so the first cgi CHARACTER would be the 'Master Control Program' from tron though he was just a head!😂 the walking window was however the first cgi character to move around a real world enviroment!
Funny enough, Terry Jones from Monty Python wrote the screenplay for this movie, so your kind of right about this movie having a Monty Python feel.
That's weird, considering that nothing in the movie is funny...
The scene with the worm is pure Monty python.....
@@lucywillis4535 As is the scene with those talking columns: ("Oh please. I haven't said in such a long time.")
Didn't Eric Idle also do some design work for the helping hands?
It took me a number of years of growing up, before I understood her lines at the end. "I need you, Hoggle. Every once in a while in my life, for no reason at all...I need you."
Who else cherishes those giddy feels? As we get older, we go back. Memories.
My favourite movie of all time and there's so many questions to answer:
- To note Sarah is played by Jennifer Connelly who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in A Beautiful Mind. She is married to Paul Bettany who plays Vision in the MCU.
- there was actually a person standing behind David Bowie putting his arms through to do the crystal ball juggling, you can see how they did it in the behind the scenes special "Inside the Labyrinth". David kept laughing every time the juggler dropped the ball.
- the baby is played by Toby Froud the son of puppeteer Brain Froud. He grew up to follow in his fathers footsteps continuing to work with puppets.
- The question of one door leads to the centre of the Labyrinth and one door leads to certain death, Sarah got right, if works out if you think about it very slowly. I always figured if she just made it over the shaft of hands she would have been fine. Yes, who would ever choose down.
- As a kid for the longest time I thought he said Ougliette, then when internet rolled around I learned it was actually oubliette which is usually a basement dungeon accessible only through a hatch in a high ceiling.
- That statue of the face is David Bowie/Jareth's face. It his hidden 7 times in the Labyrinth, that one being the most obvious but you can see a list with pictures of the rest here: faroutmagazine.co.uk/david-bowie-7-hidden-faces-in-labyrinth-film/
- Yes David Bowie is wearing a wig, but I don't know what you're talking about, Jareth/David Bowie is so sexy all the time.
- That's the Junk Lady there are a many Junk People who live in the trash surrounding the Goblin City. She is working for Jareth, trying to distract Sarah from her mission to save Toby
- the part where Jareth comes over the edge of the ledge was done by a stunt double with a hydraulic arm attached to his leg. You can also see how it's done in "Inside the Labyrinth"
- The reason this reminds you of Monty Python is because Terry Jones one of the Monty Python members wrote the screenplay (with Jim Henson, George Lucas and others)
- Frank Oz was the voice of Miss Piggy, Jim Henson was the voice of Kermit and the creator of the Muppets. Jim Henson's son Brian did the voice of Hoggle and was part of the team puppeteering his face.
- No this was not David Bowie's music outlet. He was chosen by Jim Henson (there other choices were Sting and Michael Jackson) to do this film that was Henson's idea to do a coming of age story since he had daughter that age at the time. Bowie was asked to write some music for the film.
Just to put my thought on this when I was a kid I never thought that Sarah was a selfish brat. I was completely on her side. I never understood until I got older that she was actually in the wrong and acting childish. lol
Gates McFadden, aka Dr Crusher from Star Trek TNG, was the choreographer for this film.
Cool
And one of the Fireys was Danny John-Jules, the Cat from Red Dwarf. And one of the Blade movies.
@@Warlock_UK Now THAT I didn't know! Also, I hated the Fireys then and I hate them still haha!
@@Warlock_UK Danny John Jules was TWO of the firejacks.
@@drakocarrion oh yeah!
The big shaggy creature's name is Ludo (LOO-Doe), and he's a rock singer. (Think about it - you'll get it.)
Ludo is also the Latin word for "game"
The stairway scene is based off of M.C. Escher. FYI: most of the movie's elements are in her room in the beginning. THe Hobble bookend, Escher print, etc.
Yes, it would be well worth a rewatch for her to realize all the references that are hidden in her room. 1986 Easter eggs abound! Especially the Escher print above here bed.
“The Hobble bookend” *IT’S HOGGLE*
@@crystalfairy912 He did say it often enough 😅
@@alexlail7481 Escher's heyday goes back a loooooong time into the 1900s.
Certainly long before the 80s, albeit he was not appreciated by the mainstream until around this time.
@@mnomadvfx yes Escher's art was created long before the 80's. He was born around the turn of the century...
I was really referencing the aspects the movie included...but his heyday was essentially post WWII into the 60s for creation. My personal favorite is 'Drawing Hands' which is from just after the war. But I like most of his works
This movie is like an onion, so many layers every time I watch it. The junkyard scene is one of my favorites because it’s the turning point in her journey. The labyrinth is her internal struggle and self realization story.
Yes, you've hit the nail on the head here. This whole movie is a coming-of-age story, and the junkyard scene is where Sarah stops seeing the world through the self-centered eyes of a child, and takes that first real step into adulthood. (And by self-centered, I don't mean stuck up or narcissistic; I mean it takes a while for children to develop empathy, to understand that other people have the same needs and feelings and world-inside-their-heads that they do.) IMHO this scene is the true climax of the movie; the whole "rescue Toby" storyline was really a metaphor for becoming a grown-up. Toby could never have been rescued if Sarah had not had this awakening.
8:50 “Oubliette” is a real word. It’s a medieval form of prison cell - a deep hole with an opening at the top sometimes covered with a grate of some kind. It really is “someplace you put someone to forget about them” - think of the word “oblivion.”
The word Oubliette originates from the French word Oublier meaning "To forget" so essentially it's a place to put people to forget about them.
@@MetalHeadReacts exactement 😉👍
@@MetalHeadReacts From Latin all the way to the start.
it was also referred to as a forgetting room, they even put jagged stones into the floor of the room so you couldn't sleep... an awful way to break someone
I've seen one, from the top, in person. Very frightening, even though you know you won't go in it.
The "stairs going every which way" are based on a drawing by M.C. Escher.
Which she has a print of in her bedroom.
Sarah, that is. Not Ashleigh.
They did it in Inception too
"WOW, How did they do this?" THAT is what I miss about the 80s. Like a puzzle that needed to be solved, you had to use your imagination. Now its like "Oh CGI, interesting." It will never be the same.
Of course, this film used CGI too, but it didn't quite work. Nowadays it's much better, and practical effects still exist, as well. It's just a bigger tool box to play with.
iirc they shot it backwards. They had Bowie lying back on a board and lowered him back then reversed the footage so it looks like he's rising.
@@Corn_Pone_Flicks a bigger tool box but contemporaries aren't using it, hence the decline in quality.
I love this movie because of genius practical FX and Jennifer Connelly is so 🔥
@gutz1981 Ikr, I asked the same thing years back when I first saw this, according to my cousin, they used "special glue."
The girls transition from self centered to being more mature and humble was always a good story for this movie, plus look around her room at the beginning and you’ll see the majority of the characters as toys or decorations
Just watched this movie recently and realized it is all about growing up and leaving childhood. Escaping the desire to always stay in a childlike state of mind. Which is why she says at the end that she will need them. She is saying that no matter what in her life she will still need to have that imagination of the world and never forget who she was. Very fun movie
35 year old CGI, you gotta give them a break. In 1986, it would take a supercomputer the size of a room a week to render one frame of that owl.
When Bowie manipulates the crystal ball, in reality he keeps his right arm behind his back and we see professional magician Michael Moschen juggling blind in his back with his arm out. Michael invented the brand new discipline of contact juggling just for Labyrinth.
Was that the challenge from Penn Teller?
You could say he was the King's "right hand man".
Gaaah Labyrinth, my all-time fave WTF movie. I rented this VHS when I was 7 and I basically drove my mom insane because I would insist on rechecking it out every week for an entire summer. There was just something so magical about this movie that has stuck with me to today.
Also, fun fact, Prince Charles thought the Bog of Eternal Stench was the funniest thing ever. He was the only one at the London premiere who laughed lol
Kind of like when the first STAR WARS film came out, I too was a kid who could not get enough of. Lost track of how many times I went and saw it, and it too drove my mother up the wall. She wanted to see something else, while I wanted to see STAR WARS.
Oubliette - from the French “to forget”
Usually a cell or hole in the ground where someone was left to die. These were commonly tied into castle’s human waste dumps etc.
This movie is why I remembered that in French class lol
My mind was blown when I found out those were real!
@@kattahj I saw a real one at Warwick castle in England when I was about 10 years old. The thought of that type of death has haunted me since.
@@poolhall9632 There's one at Cardiff Castle too, definitely not a great way to die.
@@poolhall9632 I saw that one too - horrific. Probably not even big enough to sit up in. And in total darkness.
This movie is so batshit crazy, overlaid with David Bowie’s transcendent coolness, that I have already hit the like button before the play button. I have no earthly idea how you’re going to react to this one, but I love that it will be an honest one.
“So Frank Oz was Kermit the Frog, right? He’s done a lot of voices.”
*Miss Piggy has entered the chat* 🐷
Frank Oz did not voice Kermit. Kermit was voiced by Jim Henson.
😅
Poor Jim Henson - he literally was responsible for all of this and gets so little love because he wasn't Yoda's voice.
He's like the Jack Kirby of Muppets - with Frank Oz still alive people just seem to forget he existed at all 😭
This is one of my brother's favorite movies.
Right up there with The Dark Crystal.
And, "I wish the Goblins would come and take you away, right now, that's not hard is it", my brother quoted that a lot as a kid.
"is his pants supposed to be snake print?"
Ignores hoggle's face next to buldge 🤣🤣
I first saw this movie as a kid in the 80s. Bowie did a great job on the soundtrack. “Underground,” “As the world falls down,” and “within you“ I get stuck in my head from time to time. They have an underrated catchiness.
This film, Neverending Story and Dark Crystal. Three films that were a huge part of my childhood. Loved these films!
I'll recommend "Little Shop of Horror" for Hallow-Beans. I'd love to see your reaction to Steve Martin's song.
Yes! I always support a recommend for Seymour and Audrey II.
YES!!!
i used to have a dentist who'd sing that song while working
*Feed Me Seymour!* 🪴
Indeed. Agreed.
Not to cast any shade on you Ashleigh (I love your channel), but I feel like a lot of people who do reactions don't see that quite often the main character is supposed to be unlikeable to begin with, so they can undertake "the hero's journey", and come out the other side better people for it. For me, that makes for better characters, and Labyrinth is a great example of this.
Tosche station??
power converters??
That's how movies back then where made nowadays all the movies are basically the same garbage just churned out for people with short attention spans👍
Didn't help that it was either over-the-top for what looks like a 17 yr old.. Or bad casting for what should have been a 12-13 yr old.
Good actress, did well in this movie, and a younger kid would have looked even more uncomfortable being that a lot of this was quite handsey.
"Fixing this" would work better to have toned down the overdramatic start, than finding a younger actress to make the overly self centered behavior work.
@@kaisokusekkendou1498 She was 14, and Sarah was supposed to be 14. A younger actress wouldn't do, Sarah must be a teenager who doesn't want to grow.
Labyrinth is basically a more psychological reimagining of Wizard of Oz.
I just realized after watching the labyrinth a trillion times and throughout my childhood the rock that has a face is David bowie’s face 😯
Also, if you were to observe Sarah’s bedroom, everything you see in the labyrinth is in her bedroom. So clearly, the world is all made up from her imagination. You’ll also find a photo of her and David Bowie, which in my opinion she had envisioned Bowie as the goblin king, cause maybe she is a fan girl, and like a lot of young girls..they tend to fantasize about their celebrity crush 🤷🏼♀️ maybe?
It seems as if this film is based on a girl’s imagination with her weird fantasy of her recent celebrity crush playing the villain, cause what teenage girl doesn’t like to fantasize about attractive fellas as the enemy they’re up against? Lol. Jareth also has a fascination towards Sarah. He even tells her that if she were to lose, her baby brother will become one of his goblins and she will be his goblin queen..eh? love this movie tho✌🏻
You may also notice that Bowie is with a dark-haired woman in the pictures- Sarah's mother.
That's why in the last confrontation, David Bowie (Jareth) sings "every thing I've done, I've done for you". This world was created just for her.
There are many secret images of Bowie scattered throughout the Labyrinth.
It's about her moving on from childhood. Everything in her bedroom is from when her mum was there and that's why at the end she puts most of it away symbolising that she's ready to grow up ☺ (but not too much, there's still time for an impromptu bedroom party apparently lol) x
She's not a fan, her mother ran away with a fellow actor, that's the guy in the pictures (played by Bowie).
13:45 “Why is this scene taking so long?” 😂 Because the children's audience want to enjoy their puppets' show and costumed characters for the longer times over the dramatic pieces 🥳.
The stairs are based upon M.C. Escher's art. His paintings are called "Relativity", and "House of Stairs".
The creator of the Muppets Jim Henson voiced Kermit the Frog.
Frank Oz voices Miss Piggy, Fozzie the Bear, Animal (and Yoda from Star Wars) :)
the CGI owl was the "first realistic cgi animal" to be seen on the big screen. we've come along way since!
Welcome to the film that every geeky woman in their 20's and 30's knows by heart. This is a millennial Wizard Of Oz. My wife loves this film so much we used the song As The World Falls Down for our first dance at our wedding.
I wanna use that song too!
It`s a beautiful song for that! congrats!
As The World Falls Down
47...watch it at least once a year, and still listens to the soundtrack all the time! 😍
How many people were aware that doctor Beverly Crusher of the USS Enterprise was the choreographer for the ballroom scene
"I like him, he's my favorite character so far"- sums up my feelings about the worm, as well. I would have had a mighty hard time resisting his invitation, although there wouldn't be much of a movie if Sarah had just gone inside and met the missus. (I always wondered how she, gigantic compared to the worm, would get "inside")
I was 5 when I saw this movie. My babysitter put it on because she figured it would be fine because it had puppets and such. (Plus she was a teen girl, so she was into the David Bowie bits.) It scared me, and needless to say, the puberty subtext was completely lost on me. I never have re-watched it, but certain scenes are still burned into my brain.
@AshleighBurton… I promised ya a love story dealing with “Labyrinth” last week, this is it:
On a Facebook comment thread I met a woman named Erin, who kept replying back to me. I was enjoying our back-and-forth so I checked her profile. Turns out SHE was also a Labyrinth fan! So I sent her a friend request and she accepted. Weeks go by, we share cat pictures to each other (we both loved cats) and chat every now and then. Then in September 14th, 2016, they were going to show Labyrinth in theaters for its 30th anniversary! I asked if she’d like to join me and she said yes! I go to pick her up and she wanted me to meet her mother who turned out to be a former clown in the company I work for! Not only that but the evening went so well that we planned another date for that Saturday because a friend of hers was having a yard sale and a friend of mine was having one as well. Turned out it was the same friend! Fast forward two years and I took Erin to the Norfolk Comedy Festival at the Push Comedy Theater in Norfolk, VA. That evening they had none other than “Lost’s” Terry O’Quinn performing! Erin was a huge Lost fan and this was her surprise for our anniversary. We met him after the show and he couldn’t have been cooler. Erin was gushing at dinner and said he’d be invited to our wedding when it happens. That’s when I pulled the ring out and said, “Then you’ll be needing this!” She said yes!
Now Erin was a very sick woman. She was on dialysis and had a myriad of other issues. Think Shelby from “Steel Magnolias,” same issues. Because of this we couldn’t get married until after her transplant and all. But I was cool with that, we have the rest of our lives. This past August I lost Erin after complications from sepsis developed after surgery. She had been in the hospital all summer. Her body just couldn’t take it anymore. I was there holding her hand when she passed on. She was the kindest, gentlest, sweetest person I had ever known and I miss her terribly. But I want people to know of the woman I loved. That way she’ll live forever.
A couple of weeks after we saw the 35th anniversary showing of Labyrinth. My friends and family all came in a celebration of Erin’s life.
That is a heartbreaking sweet story my friend. Treasure the memories.
I feel like most people who love this movie, grew up with it, and people who didn’t grow up with it but see it later in life are like meh…it’s alright.
I’m personally a Jim Henson fan so all the crazy whimsical movies were staples for me growing up and I still love to this day
I was 11 when it came out and I’m in the “meh” category. I liked Dark Crystal, Neverending Story, Time Bandits though.
That's me and my husband, I love it and my husband is just like "meh."
You are very judicious Ashleigh! And very honest, I agree completely! One request is that this movie doesn't taint the possibility of you watching 'The Dark Crystal' in the future. Wonderful to see you as always, and looking forward to Friday's opening of HALLOBEANS!! ✌✌
I love seeing peoples' first impression of this movie! While some of my son's friends were staying over, he convinced them to watch this movie with us. They were entranced with the whole thing!
"Oubliette" = that weird word early in the movie. It's one of the movie's darker details - and it has a lot of dark details. An oubliette is a feature of medieval dungeons and castles. It's from the French word for "forgotten" or "to forget." It's a dead-drop pit or sealed off chamber in which a person would be imprisoned and, well, forgotten about and left to die. Kid's movie. ;)
Yep, the "You remind of a ..." routine appears in "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer" from 1947 as others have written. The movie stars Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Rudy Vallee and Shirley Temple in the Bobby Soxer role. Sidney Sheldon won a screenplay Oscar for it (he created "I Dream of Jeannie" among other projects). TBATBS, definitely worth a watch.
One of the writers was Terry Jones, one of the Monty Python crew, so yeah Python vibes are intentional. If you want a pure Jim Henson, high concept, experience then "The Dark Crystal" is called for.
Think of Sarah's journey as her learning that she needs to grow up, but she's also not quite ready to do so. The two scenes that really encapsulate this are the ballroom, which is very dramatic and romantic and involves people acting more adult (don't get me started on the one person fondling the other's very phallic-shaped nose) which frightens her because she's not ready for that yet, which is quickly followed by the hoarder trying to convince her to stay in her room by giving her all of her baby things, her cute toys, her little slippers, and telling her this is where you want to be, right? In order to continue on her journey she has to accept where she is in her life right now, and take control both of herself and of the maze.
Honestly there are so many levels that I could write an entire essay on this movie.
Heard this before, though I've heard Jareth representing Sarah's first teenage crush as part of it. Why else have him played by David Bowie constantly playing with his glass balls while wearing tights that draw the eye to his crotch?
@@EditDeath oh totally. Like I said, I could write an essay 😂
Teenage years are a weird place to be in life. The masquerade shows she’s too young for such adult things, while her bedroom shows she’s too old for such childish things. Part of why she gives Toby Lancelot and puts some things away, but tells her friends she’ll still need them. This is my favorite coming of age story in film!
An "oubliette" - from French "oublier" = "to forget".
It's part of a Medieval dungeon where they would leave a person to "be forgotten", i.e., to just waste away and die (no food, no water, no nothing).
I love your videos! I have some problems in my life and these make me so much happier, keep it up!!! 😁😁
Growing up in the 80's I watched this movie all the time! Muppets were everything! And this movie had a fantastic soundtrack!!! I love this movie just as much now as I did when I was a kid.
As a kid I could not understand why she didn't say with him at the end because I just thought Bowie was so beautiful 😂
I still don't understand.
@@pamelawilliams3144 Me neither.
I thought making the villain sad and beautiful was an amazing choice
@@oaf-77 that's the nature of the fae
@@dahobdahob exactly. So few movies really capture that. Also I like the subtext that Jareth himself is trapped by his own nature.
Speaking of movies that keep getting recommended (by me, at least), I highly recommend Willow (1988)
If only to see an early Val Kilmer film (well, not as early as real genius)
David Bowie’s voice is so soothing to me. Always has been. ❤️
Ashleigh, if you haven't yet seen them, The Princess Bride and Roman Holiday NEED to be on your list!
I feel like an appreciation for this movie comes from seeing it through the eyes of my 11 year old self the first time I saw it. My appreciation grew when I got to introduce it to my children. Nostalgia plays a big part.
8:46 The word used was "oubliette", which means a sort of "dungeon under the regular dungeon", which was used to house prisoners the owner of the dungeon wanted to keep in especially miserable conditions. They were usually at the bottom of a deep shaft, and could only be accessed from a trapdoor in the ceiling. Some of them were too small for the prisoner to lie down in, or, in extreme cases, even sit down in. Needless to say, they weren't the sort of place one would want to be stuck in for any length of time.
Built off the french word for "Forget".
So to toss someone into the Oubliette is to throw them into the "Forget-them hole".
Some pretty dark meaning there.
Labyrinth drinking game, do a shot every time THE PACKAGE is on screen.
That's alcohol poisoning just here...
*dead*
Challenge accepted! What type of liquor?
@@djcease1996 Cucumber vodka, warm.
Again, rewatching my favorite reviews, that owl is the goblin king
Ok you rock....the first reaction I've seen for this movie. Gonna have to become a patreon member now.
Haha, for 80s standards these figures were meant to be relatively cute, now you know why there's so much horror heads in my generation and that's why I can't wait for Hallobeanz! 😁
That's actually intentional to some degree. Henson famously said that it's important for kids to be a big scared sometimes in small doses. That way they can learn to process those feelings and how to handle them safely. Familiar fears like the dark, swamps, animals... that's why they were so prevalent at the time. They were easy for kids to identify with and learn that it's okay to be scared, but if they believed in themselves they'd be fine, etc etc etc.
"Is this what it's like to be on drugs?"
Labyrinth: Yes
I love the scene when Sarah is in the maze and comes up on the red and blue door guards. One that always tells the truth, and one that always lies. A really simple solution to find out which one is which, is go up to either one and ask them what color their shield is. Then you find out who tells the truth, then you ask them which door to choose. 😂
I think you can only ask them one question though, so you have to phrase it very carefully.
@@KnightsaysNi Which Door would the other guard say is the good door? The honest one will say the liars door, the liar will say the liars door, you don't take that door.
I think that the funniest thing is, her analyzation of the situation was correct. She was right. But it ended up still being wrong, simply because the labyrinth is not meant to be fair or logical. 😂
What if the lying door says that it doesn’t know because it is color blind? This is how my brain works…
Right side door says one of the doors leads to the castle. She asks Left side door what right side door would answer if she asks right side door if the left door leads to the castle. Left door says right would say yes.
Right side door is the liar. He lied at the start - neither door leads to the castle (and probably neither leads to*certain* death).
Whichever door she'd asked about, the answer would have been the same. She was trying to solve the riddle based on false information.
Fun fact: the hands reaching around David Bowie doing the contact juggling, and the guy selling the Fushigi are one in the same.
The scene where she has to solve the riddle to determine which door to use is a near perfect example of the classic logic puzzle known as the knights and knaves puzzle
I absolutely love your channel my young friend. Your reactions make me smile and your movie choices make me nostalgic for my youth. Just as an FYI, Frank Oz voiced Miss Piggy and Yoda, Jim Henson(the creator of the muppets) voiced Kermit. You were super close. As an old fossil that grew up watching the muppets on TV and saw Star Wars in the theater as a 4 year old child, I am required by law to be picky :)
Came to say almost this exact thing. Differences, I was going to include Frank Oz also did Fozzie Bear, Grover, Animal, Bert, Cookie Monstwr, and Sam Eagle, among many others. I am slightly younger than you (Saw Star Wars for my first birthday), but have most of the same obligations by law.
Jumped on this one so quickly! I saw this in the theater with my family as a young teen and we all loved it after growing up with the Muppets and other Henson productions. Can definitely say Jennifer Connelly was one of my first movie/tv crushes. Thanks for this one!
edit: Frank Oz was Miss Piggy and Fozzy the Bear. Jim Henson was Kermit the Frog and had the puppeteering company.
Yup! Certainly had a brief crush on Jennifer Connelly, or at least on the character.
I was 14 when this came out, I loved the movie (and still do) and had such a huge crush on JC.
The Never Ending Story meets Monty Python was a pretty good guess as Labyrinth was one of a number of fondly remembered family orientated fantasy films from the 1980's, which are all pretty similar in style and the script for Labyrinth was devised and co-written by Terry Jones who is one of the Monty Python team.
How did I not know the legend Terry Jones(RIP) helped write this???
As a guy who grew up in the 80's here are my random recommendations for the young lady: Legend directed by Ridley Scott, The flight of the navigator directed by Randal Kleiser, Short Circut directed by John Badham and Pee-wee's Big Adventure directed by Tim Burton. 🖖😎🥃
Several 80s John Badham films are worth a watch IMHO.
Blue Thunder and Wargames too at very least.
Oh I loved Short Circuit, it was so cute!
@@alyshaharper8730 yes! I loved all those movies lol
Love the milk bottles on the castle doorstep.
This movie is one I have watched a billion times. The music is great, the puppets are awesome, and it is full of quotable lines. I think this movie will always be special to those of us who were kids in the 80's. 🙂
I still quote it all the time. Many of the lines just work!
its mine and my fathers favorite movie. we went and saw it in theaters for the 30th anniversary
EVERYTHING is hinted at in her room. Even the Snow White reference, the Labyrinth maze as a model and images of David Bowie the singer. I have the theory if you look at this in a dark way, Sarah is going through mental anguish due to the loss of her mother and is not coping with reality. This movie is basically her struggle with sanity. Come the end, when she "Embraces" her new friends, she finally give in completely to her insanity and delusions. This is the tale of a young lady lost forever.
VERY interesting and cool take. The opposite of my opinion. Check out Talisman's comment below; that's the way I've always felt about it... a story about an entitled brat learning to give up her attachment to cheap material things (her toys). She sheds her selfishness by learning to put her brother's welfare above her own; hence the climax where she takes a leap of faith off the maze ledge to reach him, then finally understands what it means to tell her fantasy he has no power over her. To me, the bedroom scene at the end is just a way of saying that, even though she's growing up, she'll always need to comforts of youth from time to time.
Yeah, that's an old theory and a lot of movies from the 80s are said to have that going on. Ferris Bueller, The Neverending Story, others. The fact is, we get endless imaginative movies and TV shows because the young writers and directors were straight out of the 60s. Those dudes were ex-hippies who actually had talent and skills, so they made incredible stuff. Especially for kids.
This story, though, is a version of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, with a dash of several dark versions of fairy tales. Can you see it? haha
@@LA_HA Cinematic Fantasy had so much more depth in the 80's. It was okay to challenge kids by scaring them, shocking them, making them think, or showing them something they didn't quite understand. Very similar to the way the Grimms and old-school fairy tale writers produced. Everything now is goofy and sanitized. The fact that deeper and more challenging writing was good for a child's psychological growth has been lost.
@@Seth-fg4ho Agreed. We're in a position to see the truth of that. All anyone need do is watch, then compare. The stuff the writers were using must've been a special blend. haha
3:41 Hoggle is a bookend.
This movie was squarely aimed at teenage girls. This movie was almost a right of passage for girls in the 80s. This movie was my little sister's favorite for decades. You would have appreciated it so much more if you were seeing it as a kid.
It may have been aimed at teenage girls but they missed and hit me when I was a young boy. I love this movie.
This movie was aimed at children.
@@llamallama1509 Same here, loved this movie when i was a kid.
I heard the theme of the movie was about a child growing into a young adult.. Putting childish things away. Though the ending kind of betrays that.
@@carm3d I think it's about the importance of holding on to your childhood while being an adult
Ashleigh! You should give my childhood fantasy favorite a try: “Legend”! Tom Cruise, Tim Curry as a big, red devil (probably the best prosthetic work I’ve ever seen!), dwarves, elves, fairies, and an eighties synth score that can’t be beat! If you make it around to watching it, enjoy! And I always enjoy the videos you do do! 👍🏻 keep it up! Highlight of my Mondays!
This is one of my favorite movies of all time, but I do think it’s probably best viewed from the point of view of a child. (Unless you’re already sort of into this kind of thing.) I think the over-dramatics feel more natural to children because all of your emotions and experiences feel so Big when you’re little lol. Regardless, kudos to you for checking it out even though it wasn’t really your jam! I would recommend The Dark Crystal if only because I feel the story is more mature, so it might be more enjoyable for you. (And if you do enjoy it, the netflix series is amazing- it’s one of the best high fantasy series created to date imo)
Great movie to watch would be Willow.
Willow is one of the best in this genre. Maybe I should add it to my list of movies I think ashleigh would like.
Willow would be a great! One of my all time favorites! Love the Brownies!
I remember reading some trivia about the film and that the baby in the "Magic Dance" scene (who was actually played by a set of twins), was not scared of the goblins at all. They had to wait for the kid to get tired before he started crying a bit!
EDIT: So not played by twins, I stand corrected :)
It was Toby Froud, son of Brian Froud, the artist who designed the creatures, etc. for the movie (as well as The Dark Crystal).
not played by twins, played by Toby Froud the son of one of the puppeteers
Gates McFadden, best known for playing Dr. Beverly Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation", was the film's dance choreographer.
@@Lorelei_is_Lo Toby Froud was the son of the designer of the goblins, Brain Froud. Not the puppeteer
@@drakocarrion i knew it was something along those lines.
8:50 It's an "oubliette", from the French "oublier", which means "to forget". It's a type of prison, specifically a prison for people you never want to think about again.
I wonder if that is the root of Obliterate
@@user-be1it9zi8v They both derive from the same Latin root, but they took different paths through the development of language.
I think the creativity of this movie is what brings people back. It had so many interesting moments where you can imagine yourself in these situations trying to figure a way out. Even if you know how it unfolds, the journey is so interesting.
Such a shame we never got a second movie.. Set it 10 or 15 years after this with a grown up Sarah dealing with a loveless marriage and two kids until she says "I wish the Goblins would take ME away.." --- Once again the doors fly open and Jarath says, "You could have asked any time you wanted.. I was never far away.."
When it comes to Labyrinth and Neverending Story, I definitely think you would have had a different reaction if you'd seen it as a kid and with a little lower quality video. I remember both of them feeling so magical, so on a rewatch now there's some of that nostalgia, but I can definitely see how it would read different without that child brain context.
"Trust the worm!"
I tell my wife that all the time.
A perfect Segue into Hallow beans would be
“Pans Labyrinth”
lmao
*Segue. Segway is a 2 wheel electric scooter. Lol
The stairs at the end are from a poster she had in her room in the beginning. It's by an artist named M.C. Escher who drew lots of pictures with weird perspectives, and impossible geometries.
Also did some cool things with tesselations (where identical shapes tile together perfectly without spaces)
If you wanted to know. The hole sarah fell in is called an “Oubliette”. It was a real thing used in the 18th century esp in france and it was basically a hole with a trapdoor on top that led down a well into a small stone room. People basically would put people down there as punishment until they starve to death. The word oubliette comes from the french word “oublier” which means “to forget”. if hoggle hadn’t been down there to save sarah, she would have DIED down there. Yikes. The more you know