The kids and I have been watching a lot of 80's movies's of late, just to show them what we watched when we were kids...and let me tell you, the reactions are varied. 'Willow' was acceptable, as was the 'Never Ending Story', just about everything else as laughed at, complete with eye rolls at the tragic special effects.
The other day I sat down and watched Labyrinth with my kids. I saw it once when was a teenager and didn't really like it much, but bored for entertainment, we raided the T.V cabinet (It's my partner's DVD). My son loved it and giggled at the silly, corny jokes, while I tried get into the story.
For a while I was enchanted, Jim Henson did possess a magic all of his own after all, but there was something darker and disturbing about this little tale. It seemed to imply,that a very clearly over 40 Bowie, was longing after a underage girl and even on an LSD trip?
Perhaps I'm reading to much into it, but doesn't Sarah say at the start of the movie the Goblin King had fallen in love with the young girl?
Even more disturbing than David Bowie' clear infatuation with a teenage girl were the many close ups of his cod piece-now was that really necessary in a kid's movie?
All I can say, is what were you thinking David Bowie?
On the surface this tale appears to be your typical child's fantasy story, but there have been many articles written on what is really going on it the movie.
Two movie alluded to in Labyrinth are 'The Wizard of OZ' and 'Alice in Wonderland', I know a lot of people would start with the mind control theories, but I'm not going there, there's enough on the net about that without me even speculating on that.
I found the ending very disturbing, because it appeared to me that she had gotten home alright, but then, her friends appear out of nowhere in her room, and couldn't help but wonder if they were all in her imagination and in the end she thought they were real? Perhaps Sarah was more disturbed than we thought?
It is just one of those movies that leave you wondering what you just watched. I'm sure many people take it at face value, other wise it wouldn't of been so successful, but there is always usually, some undertone or under lying idea/theme behind what is written. I think the makers of the movie were very aware of its intention, as also it sparks controversy, by having an old Bowie, playing the romantic interest to the young girl.
Hollywood has traditionally had large age gaps between leading co stars, but how young is to young?
And of course,all this conjecture is based merely on implied sexual tension and attraction between the to characters. But to me,it just felt weird and awkward. It would of been better to have a younger Goblin King and let the two main characters fall in love, then it would of been even more tragic when they had to part.
I think if you are going to have a love interest in the story,then you want something to happen between the love interest and the main character, why make it wierd?
But perhaps too, Bowie's character represented Sarah's awakening sexually, as she is quite clearly a teenager,and he represents both sexually and fear of that unknown sexually, thus by being older, she can't quite reach him....but is all this really necessary in a children's movie, that is going to go over there heads?
I just think that if your going to have all these themes and undertones, put them in the right context so that you are hitting the right audience. Then your story will have so much power and depth.
I am a MASSIVE Jim Henson fan, and always have been, but this movie just fails to get to me. It just leaves me questioning it's intentions.
So basically, I am a Bowie fan and a massive 80's fantasy fan as well, and I am a lover of Gothic Fantasy because of being exposed to these types of movies in my childhood, but Labyrinth just disturbs me...more so than any of the other offerings from it's time...
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