Word of the Day
Today's word of the day is actually quite serious business. Not only is it one of my favorite words of all time, it also the title of my favorite Jim Henson movie and, perhaps, my favorite architectural structure. Today's word is...
labyrinth [lab-uh-rinth]
noun
1. An intricate combination of hallways, paths and passages that make it difficult to reach the exit.
2. A maze made of tall hedges, either built for the amusement of trying to find the exit or for the aesthetic complexity.
3. A complicated and/or confusing arrangement of streets.
4. A bamboozling complex or bewildering puzzle
I could use the word to talk about the Minotaur of Crete and Theseus but I think I'll leave that sort of talk for another article. Today and hey, this week, I want to talk about Jim Henson's 1986 film, Labyrinth.
GOBLIN KING, GOBLIN KING
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| We ain't in Kansas no more. |
This film is special. It is the Wizard of Oz of my childhood (and we had Wizard of Oz too). Yet, something about Wizard of Oz is so different. The difference being the dark imagination of illustrator Brian Froud was brought to life by the puppet sculpting genius of Henson Studios, a story by the collective mad genius of Jim Henson, Dennis Lee, Terry Jones and Elaine May, and all feeding off the charisma of David Bowie. Everyone has their own idea of Bowie in their mind's eye. Some people see the Bowie of Ziggy Stardust, some see the more settled Bowie who sang Drummer Boy, but I see the Bowie as the Goblin King. I love the story told here but its easy to forget where it all begins.
Thanks to Jennifer Connely's performance as Sarah I will always have a bit of my heart out there for bookish girls with dark hair. Sarah is a 15-year old girl who enjoys acting, reading and, therefore, lives much of her life in her imagination. More than anything, Labyrinth is a tale of her growing up from a child (or is it?) The story begins with out heroine returning home in a rain storm, her pretty gown costume sopping wet and her mother irritated with her (Her "evil" stepmother won't even let the English Sheepdog inside the house because he is wet). She is then informed that she is responsible for babysitting her infant brother until the two return from an evening party. Sarah probably laments that she is given all this responsibility and is still treated like a child. Sarah is like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She spends all her time reading books (nothing wrong with that) and is obsessed with fairy tales (so much so, her imagination can get away from her).
She goes to her room and when he spots that one of her many stuffed animals, Lancelot, has gone missing she becomes a little upset. She becomes absolutely petulant when she discovers that her stepmother gave it her baby brother, Toby. Sarah becomes angry, taking the toy away (on one hand, immature, but on the other, why doesn't Toby have his own stuffed bear?) and this makes Toby start to cry. Desperate to have him stop and a bit apologetic, she takes her baby brother and tells him a story to calm his nerves.
She begins telling him the story of a Goblin King and a girl he gave special powers because of their love. She then tells him that one day the girl grew furious with her baby brother crying all the time and she wishes the goblins to take him away (they did). Meanwhile, hiding behind the 4th wall of her reality are a bunch of silly looking goblins waiting to hear her say "I wish..." When she leaves Toby in the bed, still crying, she turns off the light and says, "I wish the goblins would come and take you away. Right now."This off-hand remark is enough. Toby stops crying. Concerned,she rushes back into the room to find that Toby has disappeared.
This is when our antagonist makes his most dramatic appearance. A large owl flies in the window and transforms into Jareth, the Goblin King (David Bowie). This bewitching wizard expects a thank you from Sarah for granting her wish and getting rid of the babe. She tells him that she didn't mean it. This begins the game. Jareth, is a pretty damn powerful wizard and so he makes a deal. If she can make it to the center of his Labyrinth in 13 hours, she can have Toby back. If she fails, he will be turned into a goblin!
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| Doesn't look so hard. |
Thus begins Sarah's quest to find her brother in the wacky world of the Labyrinth. Rather than keep synopsis the story I want to analyze Sarah as the symbol of adolescence.
This is one of Jennifer Connely's first roles so her performance isn't award worthy but for the role it is just fine. Furthermore, she gives, at the very least, a much more believable performance than Judy Garland's Dorothy. Sarah is an archetype that borrows from Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. The girl on the cusp of womanhood thrust into a dangerous and fantastic world. Yet, unlike Alice or Dorothy here quest is not strictly a selfish one. She is there to save her little brother. This means she has far more to lose than just being trapped in the fantastic land. In fact, several times, Sarah is tempted to stay. She is torn between two worlds.
On one hand, she is still in love with childhood. Growing up, for many, means letting go of fantasy and sinking into the dull rhythm of reality. This manifests in her selfishness in her scene where she takes the bear away from Toby. Her possessions are like little treasures to her but they seem to hold her back (at least when thought of as so important). This gets her into real trouble when she is seduced by a trash witch who brings her into her old room. The witch begins literally piling all of her possessions onto her back but she realizes that they're not treasures. They're just things! She refuses the material culture of childhood and breaks free of the witch's grasp. This shows she is able to overcome her desire to live in a fantasy world.
The next challenge, is her desire to grow up. In the film, this is related with Jareth tempting Sarah with power and adulthood. He tricks her into eating a poisoned peach (innocence) and she falls into a dream. In the dream she is at a masquerade and is the gorgeous center of attention. All the while, the Goblin King is trying to seduce her. It is a bit dark to think of Gareth, played by a middle aged Bowie, trying to seduce the young woman but remember that this world is (for better or worse) made up of Sarah's fantasies. There is nothing creepy about a teenage boy fantasizing about an older woman so why is it wrong for her to fantasize about a KING? In the end, she not only resists these temptations but breaks away from him. She realizes that adulthood is not so simple.
Being an adult doesn't mean you should abandon all childish things. The characters of our imagination helped establish right from wrong and created friendships that don't end. The beauty of it all is that though she has to return to reality and begin accepting reality, her friends will always be there. As Hoggle says, "Should you need us."
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| Party Time! |
Tomorrow I will cover Jareth and the music of Labyrinth. The word of the day will have to do with Hoggle. I'm going to try and give you guys a lot of Labyrinth articles so forgive me for my silliness.
