Jim Henson: The Director

[Ed man]

Hey all,

For a school assignment, I have a group project where my peers write a 10 page paper on a famous director. I chosed Jim Henson. The problem that I am having is that I have to list 5 films that he directed. Did he?

The professor is looking for films not tv. So far I have come up with:
The Great Muppet Caper
Labrynth
Dark Crystal
Time Piece (short)

I need one more! Also, can anyone tell me their personal opinions on Henson from a professional point of view. I could use the help.

Thanks SOOOO much,

-Eric

 

[GelflingWaldo]

Here is a list of all of Jim's Director credits (encluding TV Shows, TV Movies, and such - which you can sort out). Most of the smaller Muppet/Henson projects he just producedand performed in. Note: with some of the TV Series, Jim did not direct all the episodes of the serries only a some of them; but with the Movies, TV movies, and such Jim Directed the whole thing, also some projects he co-directed (like Drak Crystal was Jim and Frank Oz both directing)

Jim Henson's Directoral Features

Muppet*vision 3-D (1991 Special Attraction Movie)
"The Jim Henson Hour" (1989 TV Series)
"The Storyteller" (1987 TV Series)
Tale of the Bunny Picnic, The (1986 TV-Movie)
Labyrinth (1986 Theatrical Movie)
"Fraggle Rock" (1983 TV Series)
John Denver & the Muppets: Rocky Mountain Holiday (1982 TV-Movie)
The Dark Crystal (1982 Theatrical Movie)
The Great Muppet Caper (1981 Theatrical Movie)
Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas (1977 TV Movie)
The Muppet Musicians of Bremen (1972 TV-Movie)
The Frog Prince (1972 TV-Movie)
"Sesame Street" (1969-present TV Series)
The Cube (1969 TV-Movie)
Hey Cinderella (1969 TV-Movie)
Time Piece (1965 Short Film)



Also here are two great links to sites with more information on Jim and his work.
http://www.jimhenson.com/company/jim_henson.html
http://www.jimhensonlegacy.org/

 

[Beauregard]

Hm, what was The Cube?

 

[GelflingWaldo]

Hm, what was The Cube?

Jim Henson created this film in 1969 with the help of Jerry Juhl, it is very abstract, weird, and does not feature Muppets. The film originaly aired on NBC as part of an indepented films series. There have been no commercial releases of it though. Here is a breif overview of what happens in the film

(CAUTION: Contains spoilers for those who have not seen it)
A man awakens inside a white cube, covered in a five-by-five grid. He has no memory of how he got there and there seems no way out. But as time passes, panels open temporarily to admit an intruder or onlooker. They pop back through their panels but bar the man from going through, pointing out "this is MY door; you'll have to find YOUR door." The intruders vary from individuals to a child on a tricycle and and a rock band. More and more people start to come into the cube, filling it up and this developes into a sort of cocktail party. A rock band comes through sometime during all of this, singing The Cube's theme song, "You'll never get out, you'll never get out, you'll never get out till you die." At one point the man sees himself, a double, and has a dialog with himself about how he has to find HIS way out. Is the man a prisoner? An inmate? Someone on a voluntary retreat? The stories change with each new visitor. Eventually, just as he succumbs to despair, a square panel clicks open. The man crawls through it and discovers he is in a clinic corridor. A therapist welcomes his escape form the Cube and takes him to his office. There the therapist reveals the reason the man was in the Cube. Or does he? Once in the office the man was given a fountain pen to sign some forms before being discharged. He accidently cuts his finger, and when he sucks the cut he tastes not blood but .... strawberry jam. The office then dissolves into ... the white cube. Fade to white.

 

[Beauregard]

Is there some deeper meaning to that story? Or am I missing something?