21 January, 2016

Let me think about... Labyrinth (1986)

Think I`m going to renew my blog for the upcoming long travel to the UK as we all were asked to keep notes on new vocabulary heard and anything interesting on our way. 
But first things first. And first things are movies!


R.I.P. David Bowie

It seems so meaningless to write about this now. So strange to mention that I'm crying now over a death of a rock and pop star whom I hardly knew anything about and barely interested in. About the one who died like my mother, but was lucky to live a way longer than her. I sound like a suddenly apeared new fan on a hype, but I don`t do this. I'm not his fan and have never been. I`ve always loved some of his songs even not knowing they were his: Ashes to Ashes, Golden Years, Starman, Sound and Vision and many others (surely didn`t know that The Man Who Sold The World was his). It is highly possible that soon I`ll become one, but that won`t be easy. It requies lots of listening and readng of the lyrics and biography of the artist. It`s just... It seems to me that if I was more attentive to what`s worthy in the world, I wouldn`t be in the stupid situation of discovering the artist for me just now, right after his death. I`ve already listened to a few albums, finding out that some songs are among my favorites, watched some movies, finding him immensly attractive and his acting so electric, watched some interviews, where he is very intelligent and funny sometimes. IPhone keeps offering me to listen to Blackstar, but it will take much time for me to get to it. I`m not ready to say goodbye, not yet. We`ve just met.

Labyrinth (1986) Original

"Labyrinth" is frequently mentioned now as the first thing where people of about my age saw Bowie and loved him ever since. It was mentioned in a special late-night radio program, released on the day when everybody knew everything already . It was mentioned by the host of the program in the very end, and I decided to join the club - be the one, who saw Bowie there for the very first time. I could live happily ever after if I didn`t.

Created in 1986, the movie is described as the last one between the old and the new era of movie-making - the age of technological innovations. Puppets are now almost history. So is the director of the movie (and... the leading actor, sorry to say) - Jim Henson died a year after its release. The movie didn`t get positive reviews until the 90s, when people somehow managed to get tired of technological outburst and wanted something old-fashioned. So. here it is, with badly developped special effects, but so life-like puppet characters that  scenes with them will take your breath away! Mysterious settings, adventurous, but vague plot of a fantasy fairy-tale, great work over the details - there are just a few of "why you must watch the movie".

Labyrinth_6

The main one is David Bowie. He rules the movie. Like Jareth the Goblin King he plays, who is a bit bored doing his Gogling-King job - just like the audience when David is not in the screen:) He is one of his many imagies of a performer there, different from Ziggy or Duke, just another one, but still sophisticated and unbarebly attractive. I guess, they changed the early script mainly for him to become one. (The change brought a love story to the fantasy, there was none before - the King was repulsively selfish and was turned into a little ugly gobling in the end. Who dared to do such things with David Bowie? Right.)


I should also mention the duet he created with young Jennifer Connely.  Actually, Jennifer here is like... you don`t know whether she acts badly or she plays a girl who acts all the time, but whoes acting is poor. Anyway, there wasn`t the movie without her lovely and brave Sarah.


Should I comment on the hair, the make up, the costume, the leggins, every single little moment of the presence of the Goblin, but so angel-like creature on screen? Right.


See, I had no chance. The fact, that the Goblin King was in love with the girl (perhaps in his own strange way) was killing me throughout the whole movie. The music Bowie wrote for the movie sounded strange to my ear - no wonder, I`m not a fan of Bowie. 

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