Post 33

Labyrinth

 

Institutional context

• Production Company
   

The main production company of Labyrinth is the Jim Henson Company, however, other production companies include Henson Associates, LucasFilms, Delphi V Productions and Tristar Pictures.

• Distributor

The distributors for Labyrinth include TriStar Pictures, Columbia TriStar Films, Transmundo Films, Deliverance pictures, Fathom Events, CEL, Columbia Broadcasting Systems, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, Columbia TriStar Home Video, Constantin Video, Disney Channel, Editora Europa, Embassy Home Entertainment, Image Entertainment, Jim Henson Home Entertainment, LK-TEL, Mundial Films, Nelson Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and New Line Home Video.

• Director

The director to Labyrinth is the well-known, Jim Henson. Jim Henson wanted to bring a combination of puppets and humans into a film so he decided to direct labyrinth to do so.

• Cinematographer

The cinematography for Labyrinth was done by Alex Thomson. Alex Thomson has also done cinematography for movies like High Spirits (1988), Alien 3 (1992), Black         Beauty (1994) and Hamlet (1996)

• Composer

The soundtrack for Labyrinth was composed by Trevor Jones and sung by David Bowie who also starred in the movie as Jareth who is one of the main characters.

• Editor
  The editor of Labyrinth was John Grover. Grover also edited other films such as For Your Eyes Only, Moonraker and James Bond; License to kill. 
   
• Stars

There were a few very well-known actors that starred in labyrinth, for example David Bowie as Jareth and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah, but there were also some actors that voice acted for some of the puppets that were used, like Brian Henson who voice acted Hoggle and Ron Mueck who voiced three characters; Ludo, a goblin and one of the Fireys.

• Other notable personnel
   
  Other people who contributed towards the acting were Shari Weiser who was inside the Hoggle costume, Toby Froud who played Toby Williams and Frank Oz who voice acted the Wiseman.
• Notable related films
   
  Other films that Jim Henson has directed that are notable are The Dark Crystal, The Muppet Movie, The Witches and some of the Sesame Street films.
   
• Production Notes
   
  In the behind the scenes video of Labyrinth, it is revealed how much technology and effort actually went into the movie. It’s quite surprising because when you watch the film it seems like it wasn’t too difficult to put together however there is so much technology, math and artistic skills that went into producing the movie.

Audience Expectation

 

• Is the film an adaptation?
   
  No, Labyrinth is an original movie put together and directed by Jim Henson and produced by Eric Rattray.
   
• Part of a franchise?
   
  (Unknown)
   
• A star vehicle?
   
  Labyrinth stars David Bowie, who was a popular singer back in the 1980s. You could say that Labyrinth is a star vehicle because it features a wide range of songs sung by David Bowie which promotes his music and he plays a very important role which promotes his acting.
   
• Is the director well-known? Does he have a particular style? Work with particular actors?
   
  Jim Henson is one of the most well-known directors in the film industry, and he is known mostly for the Muppet movies. He works mainly with puppets which are quite realistic and complicated, however he also likes to mix puppets with real actors. He doesn’t work with specific actors in most of his movies, neither does he work with specific producers or editors.

Reviews

• How has the film been received?
   
  https://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/jim-hensons-labyrinth-the-ultimate-visual-history 
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• What has been written about the film?
   
  Most of the reviews of the film have talked about how they enjoyed it when they were younger, or how their younger self would enjoy the film. They also talk about how they enjoyed the unexpected twists of the film and how David Bowie was used as one of the main actors.

 

Historical/political context

• When is it set?
   
  The film is set in America in 1986.
   
• Where is it set?
   
  The start of the film is set in America, however, as the film goes on, it shifts into the labyrinth which also has a goblin kingdom in the center.
   
• Does the film relate to real events?
   
  The film is mainly based around mythical creatures and unlikely happenings so there isn’t any events that happen in the movie that’s happened in real life.
   
• Does it reflect the political mood of the time?
   
  There is not much reference to politics in Labyrinth.
   
• Does the film deal with the social, cultural, political issues?
   
  Labyrinth deals with the thought that young women should stay inside and look after their children or siblings instead of going out and having fun. The main character makes her views on this very clear expressing that it’s ‘not fair’.