The Secrets of Labyrinth

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Alright, so my boyfriend (Dreamy! :flirt: ) bought me the deluxe wamadine edition of Labyrinth for my birthday. :excited:
Anyhow, I watched it with him that night and since he had only watched it once growing up he was asking me a lot of questions which got me to thinking.
What do you think Labyrinth isreally about? On the surface it is a kid's flick, but the more you watch it the more you see.
What I mean is, that the lyrics to the songs are quite telling, it seems that Jareth wants compainionship at heart and he doesnt seem to like his appointed (?) posistion as Goblin King.... he doesn't look like a goblin so maybe he is there against his will.... are we supposed to think that?
This Jareth/Sarah relationship that never was has spawned thousands of fan fictions over the years, so there must be something to it.
So, do you think Terry Jones and the Henson team wanted there to be subliminal sexuality to the plot or do we as fans see more than intended? :confused:
 

alorindanya

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Well, I have friends who are friends with Tony Visconti, who is one of David Bowie's producers. He told them just last month that while Labyrinth was in production, David told him not to let his 10 year old daughter watch it because it was too sexual.

Makes you wonder what was left out.

But I don't think Terry Jones would have wanted anything like that in the plotline. But even Jim said that this story was about a girl going from childhood to womanhood.
 
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Groovy to know. I guess what I was really wondering, not that you didnt answer my question, just to keep conversation going, is this:
So the story is about a girl's journey from childhood to womanhood.... do you think that was always the idea. I have read the orginal screenplay but it was years ago and I cant find it online anymore. (I remember that in the end Jareth turns into a bird and flies away... not an owl some other kind)
Anyhow, the way that I see Labyrinth is that it is a story about a very lonley man who needs a companion, moreso than Sarah needs to pass a test.
And a note on the ending, what do you think it is about? The characters she met are deemed not make belive, since they reappear in her world... and Jareth is on the outside looking in, was this to imply that he is still watching her, or just to reitterate that he was not part of her fantasy anymore?
I guess in the end, while I like the movie I find its message muddled. A girl becomes so irrational that she wishes her baby brother away to what she thinks is an imanginary place only to find that he real goblin king wears tight pants and wants her... but she will need to inlist the help of three other male figures who are not in anyway sexual beings... she later gets drugged and seems to fall in love with the man who has brought her so much misery only to realize that he has no power over her.... so where is the growing up (other than in the blatent scenes where she figures out that things aren't fair but that's the way it is)

Oooo and one more thing... did you ever notice that in the end the speech she practiced so well in the park was not said correctly? She skips the line "to bring back the child you have stolen" I wonder if this is intentional or if at that point in the movie her motive had changed.
Sorry about typos folks. :cry:
 
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Oh I totally want to know what was left out, why dont you think any of that was on the $50 DVD? There can't be another one coming out anytime soon. :boo:
 

Beauregard

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I havn't seen it yet. I have been informed that it is too wierd for my liking. Does it have much magic in it?
 

Lisa D

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The "weirdness" factor isn't as high as Dark Crystal, or even Storyteller. The magic exists more in the characters look, and species names (goblins, fairies ect.). Although the premise of the movie is extremely magical, the relationships and behavior of most of the characters are very down-to-earth and real. It's worth renting at the very least.
 

alorindanya

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AbsorbedByPsych said:
So the story is about a girl's journey from childhood to womanhood.... do you think that was always the idea.
Yes.

And a note on the ending, what do you think it is about? The characters she met are deemed not make belive, since they reappear in her world... and Jareth is on the outside looking in, was this to imply that he is still watching her, or just to reitterate that he was not part of her fantasy anymore?
I think the way the film ended, "the Confrontation" as we Laby fanatics like to call it--especially Sarah skipping the "to take back the child that you have stolen" line--is about Sarah realizing that she was immature and needed to face her responsiblities. It was her responsiblity to get back Toby because it was her wish had had him taken away. Jareth did as SHE ASKED. He didn't steal anything.

I think you might find the message of the film muddled because although Sarah learned her responsiblities, she still held onto her fantasy's, as shown with her admitting that she still needed Hoggle by saying "I don't know why, but every now and again in my life, for no reason at all, I need you."

As for Sarah being the only female, well, her biggest temptation came from Agnes, who is a female goblin. The growing up Sarah did was just facing the fact that the world didn't revolve around her.
 
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Oh wow I forgot about Agnes. I suppose that it would be hard to say that it isnt one of my favorite movies, it is, but after watching it again after about two years of Laby celibacy it was weird to try and explain it to my boyfriend.
Honestly, I think that Labyrinth is one of those movies that could have done well with a sequel, there are a lot of characters mid way through development (I am not bashing the char. development, I am just saying.... Why does Hoggle know the ins and out of the Labyrinth? Who appointed Jareth? Who appointed Didymus as the bridge keeper? Does Toby remember anything? Did Jareth really care for her?)
A sequel would have been awesome.
I know that I am obsessive. It's just my style. :rolleyes:
 
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