The Secrets of Labyrinth

[AbsorbedByPsych]

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.

Agnes however was not the temptaion, she just brought Sarah home. Home was the temptation, whereas Jareth himself was the tempting option in his case.

Also, Agnes was one of Jareth's tricks to keep her brother (and consequently her?) in the Labyrinth. It would seem that Agnes had no personal goal in tempting Sarah with anything.

 

[AbsorbedByPsych]

Shedding some light

Here is an excerpt of the orginal screenplay (thanks again for the link)


SARAH is looking for JARETH. She spots him and sees him whisper
something to his partner who smiles knowingly from beneath her mask
and licks her lips. SARAH blushes and turns away and finds herself
looking into another mirror. But in the reflection, JARETH isn't with
a partner. He is standing alone, the DANCERS a whirling blur around
him, and he is looking straight at her. SARAH, whirling around to
face the crowd and she sees JARETH with yet a third BEAUTY. And then
she realizes that it is herself! In a trance-like state she moves
through the CROWD to get a better look.

ANOTHER ANGLE

SARAH'S POV - She is whirling in JARETH's arms, and she is the most
beautiful woman at the ball. JARETH smiles down at her and the
attraction between them is palpable.

JARETH: You look like a queen.

SARAH looks up at him, thrilled by his words.

SARAH: I ... I feel like ... I ... don't know what I feel ...

JARETH (smiling): Don't you?

And he whirls her around dizzyingly, so dizzyingly that she swoons in
his arms. He catches her before she can fall very far, tightening his
grip around her waist.

SARAH: Are we ... are we in a bubble?

JARETH: Yes, we are. A dream bubble ... where your dreams can come
true.

ANOTHER ANGLE

OUR SARAH is being jostled by the crowd. She stumbles and almost
falls on top of a COUPLE on a bench. The WOMAN is sprawled across the
lap of the MAN who wears a mask with a very phallic nose. SARAH backs
away from them, frightened.

ANOTHER ANGLE

JARETH and SARAH, dancing. She is smiling up at him, he has never
looked more handsome. There is something more open about him, as if
he, too, is caught up in the moment. He nuzzles her hair with his
lips and whispers in her ear.

JARETH (whispering): My Queen!

Then he begins a song. A song that tells SARAH he will give her
everything she wants, even things she doesn't know she wants. A song
that says forget it all; all the restrictions, all the powerlessness.
Forget and stay in the dream.

ANOTHER ANGLE

OUR SARAH watches, mesmerized. But every time she tries to get closer
to JARETH and SARAH she in jostled by a lascivious ADMIRER, pushed
out of the way by WOMEN laughingly being chased by MEN. She stumbles
against a wall and a door opens. Inside, pillow feathers are flying
and she can't make out what the SEVERAL PEOPLE are doing. A WOMAN
comes up to the doorway, winks at SARAH, and closes the door.

ANOTHER ANGLE

JARETH finishes the song and SARAH looks up at him, smiling. He moves
his face closer to hers and she closes her eyes. His face comes
closer, and closer.

ANOTHER ANGLE

OUR SARAH shrinks back from what she is seeing. She turns and runs,
pushing herself though the languid CROWD, right into the bubble
itself.

57 EXT: BALL - NIGHT

SARAH comes crashing through the bubble and the whole ballroom
crumbles. In seconds it resembles nothing so much as a junkyard.


So it would seem that people did want there to be sexual tension.... hmmmm

In fact later during the "confrontation" she lands in his bed.

INT: JARETH'S CHAMBERS - NIGHT

SARAH falls right on to a magnificent huge bed. Opposite her JARETH
sits in a chair. FREDDIE, wrapped in a blanket, is gurgling on his
lap. SARAH reaches into her pocket and pulls out the watch. It is a
few minutes before 13. JARETH stands up.

JARETH: There's still time.

He gestures to a clock on the wall that shows the same time as her
watch. He places FREDDIE into a cradle and comes over to the bed. He
looks down at her.

JARETH: Besides, I'm no longer interested in having a little goblin
prince. I've decided I'd much rather have a queen.

He looks into her eyes for a moment. SARAH doesn't look away.
Instead, she slowly eases herself off the bed and stands facing him.

SARAH (archly): A queen? Have you chosen anyone I know.

She glides by him and walks to the window. JARETH chuckles
appreciatively.

JARETH: You've come a long way, little girl.

SARAH looks out at the labyrinth.

SARAH: I certainly have.

She turns to face him.

JARETH: Yes, I can see it in your eyes. (he moves closer to her) No
one else has ever made it this far in the labyrinth, no one else has
ever been worthy ...

He takes her hand and brings it to his lips. She smiles
down at him.

SARAH: What's your offer.

JARETH stands quickly and looks at her. She certainly has come a long
way!

JARETH: Why, everything ... you'll rule by my side.

SARAH: Everything? The chance to spend my life surrounded by
repulsive goblins ... the chance to torment innocent creatures ...

JARETH (shaking his head): ... the chance to never have a care in the
world, to never have to do anything that you don't want to do.

SARAH looks at him.

SARAH: Anything else?

JARETH (smiling): Why, me. Of course.

*I am such a dork*

 

[Docnzhoss]

Hoggle, Ludo and Sir Didymous represent more than just fantastic creatures who help Sarah on her journey.

Hoggle represents (in Freudian terms) Sarah's id. He represents impulsiveness and the desire for immediate satisfaction. He is greedy (regarding his jewelry, "Them's mine!"), he is crude (urinating in the fountain when Sarah first sees him) and he would rather dispose of his problems rather than cope with them (spraying the fairies and killing them). On top of this, he is a coward. His selfishness and self involvement reflects Sarah's own actions in the beginning of the movie towards her brother Toby.

Ludo represents Sarah's ego, the conscious part of the psyche that is most aware of external reality. Sarah feels ganged up on by her parents, much the same way that she first finds Ludo in the labyrinth: hanging upside down and being beaten with sticks. Sarah feels like a victim, and is unsure how to behave. She hates being the victim, but she can do nothing but hang helplessly and moan and grumble, figuratively speaking. Ludo is huge, very independent and very much an individual-something that separates him from many creatures in the labyrinth and they are traits he shares with Sarah, who wants the world to notice and revolve around her.

Sir Didymous represents Sarah's superego. Subconsciously, Sarah knows that she is ultimately responsible for Toby's protection. Like Sir Didymous, she lashes out against people before thinking about what the effects of her actions will have against those who would only try to help her. Sir Didymous (responsibility) is small, a stark contrast to Ludo. The battle between Ludo and Sir Didymous represents Sarah's struggle to cope with both responsibility and selflessness. When neither wins the battle, it is Sarah's realization that taking on responsibility does not have to be torture.

Back to the id. Hoggle would avoid eternal displeasure by giving Sarah a cursed peach. He regrets his actions after things go bad, the same way Sarah immediately regrets wishing Toby away. They each show immediate desire to amend their decisions by embarking on a journey to assist the person they wronged. Hoggle's selfless act at the end of the movie despite thinking that he will never be forgiven is Sarah's awakening. Selflessness is heroism and from that point forward, Sarah will never shun her responsibilities again (she seems to prove this by placing her Lancelot bear in Toby's crib, the same bear that she was so upset about in the beginning of the movie).


I'm no psychoanalyst. I just came up with this stuff off the top of my head, applying what I learned from one basic psychology course four or five years ago. Feel free to make fun of me all you want. At least I managed to pass some time.

 

[alorindanya]

That's an interesting take on everything and makes a bunch of sense...if the Labyrinth were all in Sarah's head. I'd like to think it was real.

 

[Docnzhoss]

Yeah, don't take anything I said to heart. Labyrinth is a fantasy tale, and anything is possible in fantasy. I was just blowing psychoanalytic junk...I don't take stock in any of it. It's just fun to spout off from time to time.

 

[alorindanya]

I totally had no idea of who you were...I didn't even read the name of who wrote that! I hope you don't think I meant your points aren't valid, they certainly are. I'm just part of a Labyrinth fandom and some of them have come up with pretty far out (and valid) theories of how it was all in Sarah's head. I take everything with a grain of salt.

Your analysis is awesome for you to come up with on a whim if you aren't a complete Labyrinth fanatic.

 

[Docnzhoss]

Though I do appreciate Labyrinth for everything that it is, I can not call myself a fanatic. I take no offense to any comments you made, and I'm glad you were not offended.

 

[Infinity Sirius]

I think Docnzhoss, but something about the Labyrinth should always remain fantastic.

 

[Docnzhoss]

I absolutely agree, Infinity Sirius, which is why I wrote that psychoanalytic mumbo jumbo mostly in jest. Labyrinth is a fantasy and a coming of age story all at once. Sarah endures a fantastic adventure and meets many fantastic beings and all the while realizing her responsibilities and maturing into womanhood. Whether the occurrances are imaginative (in Sarah's mind) or if she actually endures them makes no difference. The outcome of the story is the same.

 

[JaniceFerSure]

I just watched the dvd,letterbox version of Labyrinth last night,and oh my goodness what an amazing treat.To be able to see the movie widescreen(how it's shown in the theaters),restored & to be able to see all of the details and scaleness of the sets was an eyefest.Plus,to be able to see the rest of the screen,and what else is on the set,made me go 'Wow!' quite a lot.I found a few of the hidden Jareth faces(something I couldn't do with regular screen format).Now,I can fully appreciate once again,why I've loved Labyrinth so much over the years.