Labyrinth
Labyrinth is a 1986 British/American fantasy film directed by Jim Henson, produced by George Lucas, and designed by Brian Froud. The film stars David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King, and Jennifer Connelly as Sarah Williams. The plot revolves around Sarah's quest to rescue her little brother, Toby, from Jareth while trapped in an enormous otherworldly maze. Most of the other significant roles are played by puppets or by a combination of puppetry and human performance. It was shot on location in New York and at Elstree Studios and Hampstead Heath in the UK. It was the last feature film directed by Henson before his death in 1990.
The movie opens with 15-year-old Sarah, rehearsing lines from a book called Labyrinth in a park. While trying to remember her final line in the book, a bell rings and she realizes that she has lost track of time and runs home to find her stepmother waiting for her. Sarah is left home to babysit her baby brother, Toby and realizes that her treasured teddy bear, Lancelot, is missing from her room. Storming into Toby's room, she finds Lancelot and yells at Toby, who then begins to cry. Sarah begins rehearsing more lines from Labyrinth, telling the story of a maiden granted special powers by the King of Goblins. According to the story, the girl could no longer stand the baby's cries and wishes for goblins to take away her screaming baby brother. As she ends the story and turns off the light, she remarks, "I wish the goblins would come and take you away. Right now." Toby suddenly stops crying and a worried, Sarah enters his room to find that he has vanished...
Create Your Own Storyboard
Click below to access images of the opening scene to Labyrinth to help you create your own storyboard:
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Labyrinth - Official Trailer 1986This is the original 1986 trailer for Jim Henson's Labyrinth starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly. |
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Labyrinth - Key Scenes
Below are a few of the key scenes from the film to aid your analysis helping you to write your essays. Watch the clips closely and make notes on the production features used in relation to the essay question of your choice.
It's Not Fair...This is the opening ten minutes of the film in which we see Sarah feeling hard-done-by due to having to baby-sit her baby brother and constantly having her bedroom invaded. However, she speaks too hastily and says "The Magic Words" which initiates the roller-coaster ride through the Labyrinth... |
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You Have No Power Over Me...Sarah is confronted by Jareth at the climax of the film and stands upto him in order to reclaim her baby brother, Toby. She finally remembers the line from the book Labyrinth that she has struggled to remember throughout, and tells him "You have no power over me..." |
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Should You Need UsThis is the last scene of the film when Sarah returns home to realise that she loves her brother and that her life is not as bad as she first thought. She also has a reminder from the creatures that she met on her journey that they will always be there for her, "Should you need us..." |
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Inside the Labyrinth
- Behind-the-Scenes Documentary
This 57 minute documentary can be located on the special edition DVD of the film "Labyrinth". It covers the conception of the film and goes into the sketches for the various Muppet characters and features interviews with various cast and crew members. This is a really useful film to help understand the author's craft as all production processes are discussed with the cast and crew, as well as showing the special effects that helped bring the fantastical creatures to life. Go inside the labyrinth and make notes on how Jim Henson brought his vision to the big screen.
Inside the LabyrinthThis is Part One of the original documentary showing the making of Labyrinth. |
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Inside the LabyrinthPart Two of the documentary. |
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Inside the LabyrinthPart Three of the documentary. |
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Inside the LabyrinthPart Four of the documentary. |
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Inside the LabyrinthPart Five of the documentary. |
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Inside the LabyrinthPart Six of the documentary. |
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Advertising Posters, Video and DVD Covers
Click on an image to view an enlarged version of some of the advertising posters for the film Labyrinth. What features of the film are evident in most of the posters, and what static images techniques can you identify?