The Owl in the Labyrinth
This post is classified under my personal "The Owl" subsection, and may or may not have to do with board games.
Last night I watched Jim Henson's Labyrinth for the first time. Most of you must be familiar with it, so please bear with me as I express my novice enthusiasm. I was enchanted. By the rich imagination of the creators that manifests itself in every detail, by the charming personality of the characters, by the artfully rendered scenery, by Bowie's effortless magnetism... and didn't mind the bad CGI, the impossible-not-to-focus-on-Jareth's-crotch moments, or even the uncomfortable thought of a 40 year old man seducing a 16 year old girl.
In case you haven't seen the film, this is a fantasy adventure from 1986 featuring a small cast of human actors (with David Bowie and Jennifer Connely as the protagonists) and a large number of puppets (that represent goblins, dwarfs, and other creatures). The film begins with young Sarah lost in a reverie of inhabiting an imaginary world which she is forced to abandon in order to tend to her babysitting duties. Her baby brother is as annoying as a crying baby can be, which makes her call upon the Goblin King in frustration, and wish the goblins take the baby away.
Her wish becomes immediately true, and King Jareth (who can also transform himself into an owl) appears before her and promises to grant her all her desires if she lets him keep the child. Sarah regrets her impulsiveness and rejects the offer. She decides to go find her brother who is held captive in the Goblin King castle. Jareth gives her a 13-hour time limit, and she sets out to cross the labyrinth and reach the castle.
Besides the key characters that consist of Sarah's entourage - Hoggle the dwarf, Ludo the giant, and Didymus the fox-terrier - creatures that make a quick appearance leave their mark as well: the worm ('ello'), the biting fairies, the sleepy sage, the talking doorknobs, everything is weird and wonderful, like the paradoxical stairs in the castle's Escher room in the penultimate scene.
I was sad to read that it was a commercial failure (ending up behind Karate Kid II, Top Gun and Ferris Bueller's Day Off in the US box office) and can imagine Jim Henson's disappointment in the public's lukewarm reception. It is blatantly obvious that this was a labour of love, with hundreds of hours of work behind it. It eventually received the cult following it deserved, and it seems that plans were made in 2016 for a sequel. I wonder how good a sequel without the King can be, but I still hope it gets made.
Out of curiosity, I searched BGG for Jim Henson's Labyrinth: The Board Game, a 2016 cooperative game from River Horse, but reviews say that it's a terrible flop. A Labyrinth tarot deck is coincidentally coming out this summer but, as is often the case with popular culture tarots, the connection between the characters and the archetypes of the cards is quite loose (Hoggle as The Hierophant? Meh).
I wonder if the goblins in Dungeon Degenerates were inspired by Henson's puppets. One quarter of the board (the Badlands) is goblin land with a fortress in the middle. There is a maze tile among the components that may be used in some scenarios, and I think it wouldn't be a a stretch to say the goblins on the cards were based off of those in the film but I can't be sure.
For me, what Labyrinth does best, besides flood the viewer with strange images and memorable scenes, is highlight the fact that life is full of grey areas. Sarah is at the same time a spoiled brat and a girl with high moral standards. Hoggle is her friend but also a traitor. Jareth is an evil tempter and yet also loving and protective. The Labyrinth itself is in one place lush with greenery and in another a filthy stinking bog.
If you haven't seen Labyrinth yet, I encourage you to do so, if only for the amusing spectacle of Bowie's tight outfit in what is essentially a children's movie.
I've seen on Philibert that they are releasing a Labyrinth-themed Tarot game (commercial link).
They altered the traditional suits (and there are apparently two more cards), and one of the "new" suits is the Owl one!
Athena, I would like to add that your observation about the film’s approach to morality was spot-on and very perceptive. Every character that I am aware of in the film has interesting flaws which could make them appear more realistic towards the viewer. This is good for an 80’s film as I didn’t notice grimdark fantasy really take flight until the last ten years or so. When I use the term Grimdark it is more strictly in the sense of amorality. I love a good Light vs Dark tale anytime, but lately I find interest in more complicated character development.
There's a whole crop of 80s fantasy movies that I love. Labyrinth is definitely one of them. When I found out the crystal ball manipulation was a real thing called contact juggling, I had to try to learn it. I can do it a little now, but no where near what pros can do. Maybe I need to get out the old practice ball.
Jennifer in a tight outfit woulda worked better for me. 😉 She was only a teenager when in that movie. One of my favorite movies that she was in: Requiem for a Dream. Very 'dramatic' - not much happiness, but a very good flick, IMHO.
I remember this one from my childhood as well. It always seemed like a big, sometimes silly adventure tale with dark undertones. Definitely stuck with me for some time. I got my wife and daughter (who love Jim Henson movies) to watch it with me last week.