Just For Fun: You Remind Me of the Babe

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City pic.twitter.com/cxS49RufW1

— Unhappily Ewa After (@EwaSR) July 28, 2017

This is another one of those "just for fun" posts that I have a hard time believing I haven't written yet. But I checked and double checked, and unless the goblins are rearranging my blog around me to hide a prior Labyrinth post, I really have neglected to write about one of my earliest media obsessions for 6 years of this blog. What?

So here I am to fill that obvious gap.

Let's start with the writing, which means talking about Terry Jones. I didn't think about this until much later, but I think Labyrinth was my gateway to Monty Python. I know MP predates this film, but I'm pretty sure it was the opposite order in my life. Regardless, there's something utterly enchanting and so right about the seriousness clothed in extreme goof that typifies Jones' writing. Gawd, how I love his writing, his imagination run amuck. Here, let me share some of my favorite moments:

That last line? Kills me every time.

"It's so stimulating being your head."

"You say that so often. I wonder what your basis for comparison is."


Then there's the characters. Even the minor characters are fully realized and distinct from each other. From Hoggle to Sarah to the Fireys. With the writing, we get Jones' imagination running wild. With the characters, it's Jim Henson.

Ludo is so lovely (seen here with Sarah)

I think Sir Didymus (and his mount, Ambrosius) are my favorites.

And all the variety of the goblins!

But I think the most important thing about Labyrinth, the thing that caused my obsession, was David Bowie as The Goblin King. Let's set aside, at least for now, the intensely problematic situation of an eons old man falling in love with and courting a 16 year old girl. David Bowie was amazing casting. I've watched and read some things about the making of this film, and Henson said that Bowie was their first choice for the role (although they thought about Michael Jackson as well).

As much as the creative minds behind Labyrinth might have imagined other people in this role, it could only have ever been David Bowie.

So how about you? What did you love (or even... *gasp* hate) about this movie?