Labyrinth Quote-Along

This Quote-Along was our anniversary celebration together for number 14. It was an easy choice because Somara is a huge Muppet fan. I can’t remember the last time I saw Labyrinth but I did see it in theaters before left for Marquette. It’s another movie which lived on through secondary distribution (cable, VCRs) to become well loved. Sadly, it tanked pretty badly when it debuted. I think this commercial failure contributed to Jim Henson’s negotiations with Disney while David Bowie, George Lucas and Jennifer Connelly carried on. The latter having a pretty decent film career. I had forgotten how attractive Jennifer was even then.

We all know the story thus I won’t waste time on that.

For the Quote-Along, I had the special fruit shake to go with my bottomless popcorn.

In the prop department we had rattles to shake whenever you heard the baby cry, balloons to hit around the theater when the creatures who can take their heads off appear, a scratch-n-sniff card for the smelly bog and little nerf rockets for the battle with the goblins at the end. There may be some I overlooked. Somara may have the complete list.

How I wish I had a copy of the soundtrack. David Bowie crafted some decent songs for the movie. It may have been around his mid-Eighties period which he came to disavow (he later regretted making Tonight and Never Let Me Down) but they’ve held up over 30 years compared to other soundtracks which feel dated.

Alamo Extras: Flight of the Conchords bit of Labyrinth Bowie meeting Bret; Newsreel showing an Australian guy who makes marionettes; Jim Henson’s earlier work in commercials and variety shows; Trailer for The Dark Crystal; Bowie performing “Boys Keep Swinging” on SNL with his puppet body; this awful telephone propaganda junk from the Fifties using marionettes, it was trying to teach kids phone ettiequte back when most people only could get party lines.

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