Labyrinth

A Dangerous Adversary

[Previous] The villain comes in the form of Jareth, who is perhaps the most convincing and, when examined, genuinely terrifying movie villain ever likely to be seen in a fantasy movie. Despite his credibility-destroying penchant for singing pop songs throughout the film (a tactic guaranteed to make unsuspecting parents think that their child is watching a nice, fun movie), Jareth is as cunning, smart and downright dangerous an adversary as Sarah could have. This is, of course, a fantasy story, so he has to give her a set time to rescue her brother and therefore set up a game of sorts to be played between them. And then he cheats. Given the fact that he is a movie villain, this would seem predictable - except that Jareth at the beginning of the film is a perfect model of sincerity. The deal he makes with Sarah about her brother's life is almost businesslike. Sarah is shocked that he should make the clock run faster as it is the first indication that things are not going to be as easy as it was for the heroines of her books. And to reinforce the point, Jareth almost kills her by putting her on the wrong side of a hideously spiked cleaning machine and then sets her against her gnome friend by making him into a spy. He tries everything in and out of the book to discourage Sarah from continuing in her quest. And then he tries another tack.

The Masked Ball

From the beginning, Jareth attempts to convince Sarah to return home which, in any circumstances, is the last thing she wants. However, in the dreamy 'masked ball' sequence, brought on by Sarah's eating of a drugged peach, Jareth plays on Sarah's attraction to him and to his land of her dreams. He will try to win this game of his by trapping her in her own fantasies. But he does not succeed. Sarah's rejection of his 'ideal' world makes the remainder of the film largely irrelevant, although the castle of the Escher-like stairs as Jareth attempts to play with Sarah's mind further is a visual delight, despite the fact that Sarah's decision can no longer be in doubt. Jareth, despite his great charisma and power, is ultimately a twisted goblin ruling a world in which Sarah and her brother do not belong. In a fantastic battle of wills, Sarah uses his own fantasy world against him, finishing the story (the same story she had been unable to finish in the first scene of the film), with the words:

"You have no power over me!"

 

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Jareth, his goblin castle and the labyrinth disappear, leaving Sarah and Toby alone in their normal house in a normal world. Sarah has ultimately rejected Jareth's childish goals of power and passion and has instead accepted her responsibilities as an adult. However, her friends from the other world still remain, to help her whenever she needs them, and to throw the occasional mad party!

Labyrinth, far from being a lightweight Alice In Wonderland clone, is an excellent fantasy film. This is in part due to the exceptional performances by its two lead actors: Jennifer Connolly and David Bowie; in part due to wonderful special effects such as the Escher staircases and the labyrinth itself; in part due to the witticisms of the script; but mainly due to its central theme of growing up and leaving, however regretfully, childish things in their place. At some point, everyone realises that the whole princess thing just isn't going to happen, but there is another side to life and maybe this whole Real World thing isn't so boring after all. At any rate, we have to give it a shot, while the next generations pick up their dragon-slaying swords and venture into the labyrinth of life. [The Creatures]

- Lonely Walker

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