Labyrinth | Movie Review | MovieBitches Retro Review Ep 18
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- Per request from our very special Patreon supporter, we review Labyrinth featuring David Bowie, a bunch of fabulous muppet goblins, and Jennifer Connelly!
-MovieBitches (Avaryl & Andrew)
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"There's a lot of bitch in every woman, a lot in every man"
-Joan Crawford
"When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch"
-Bette Davis
it has been suggested over the years that the movie is a larger metaphor of Sara's conflict over growing up and her childhood ideas of what it means to be a grown up and what she is realizing being an adult actually means. Each sequence represents different associations such as giving in to the ideas of your peers (the fire guys), adults are smelly (sweat and puberty and etc, Bog of Eternal Stench), and babies are goblins that take up all of your time and cause problems (duh) and are the subjects of the Goblin King. The Goblin King being sexuality. This is a dream type representation being alluring and dangerous but also indirect. She has an idea of where babies come from. It is all hints but not clear statements. She asserts herself over the outside concept of desire and says it does not control her, she is incharge of her interests. Hoggle is her own self loathing. This is why the character is both sabatoging and helpful. There are more clearly writen theories on the internet. i am just recalling and rambling. Glad you liked the movie. It is amazing.
Oh my god. This movie. This movie. If ever there was a film close to my heart, it is Labyrinth.
Back in the eighties, I was a sad, odd child. My parents were hardcore religious fanatics, so I wasn't allowed to dress like the other girls or go to the movies, or have anything to do with anything worldly. I went to a tiny Christian school, and I was still the oddball even then. I wanted so much to be like the other girls - to feather my hair, and have a Cabbage Patch Kid doll - all of that - but instead I dressed like Little House on the Prairie and played with a doll my mom made.
Then came Kristin Kennedy's birthday party. She had been my good friend since kindergarten, even if I was different. She had a slumber party, and they ordered pizza, and we all admired her new Cabbage Patch Preemie and played Twister. And then they put on a movie. It was Labyrinth.
I'm sure if my parents knew that, they never would have allowed me to go, but what they didn't know didn't hurt them. I had never seen anything like it. I was equal parts terrified and entranced. It was the most mysteriously beautiful thing I had ever seen, and of course, the fact that it was forbidden fruit made it all the more lustrous. That movie burned itself into my brain, from Hoggle peeing in the lake, to the swirling bladed weapon slashing its way through the catacombs, to the mind-bending stairs and doorways of the Escher room.
For an hour and three quarters, I got to truly be a child of the eighties. And it didn't matter that I had my hair in two long braids, because it was long and dark and straight just like Sarah's. And it didn't matter that I didn't have a Cabbage Patch Kid, because now I had dwarves and rock-calling monsters and strange, mystical Goblin Kings.
I may not have had the opportunity to watch the Goonies or Gremlins or Beetlejuice, or most of the other iconic eighties kids' films, but by golly, I got Labyrinth, and no one can take that away from me!
SchizoRacer Dude, that’s awesome. So glad you got to have that experience. Similar oddball childhood here because abuse and such and this movie was one of my first escapes so means a lot to me too. So from one weirdo 80s kid to another, you are AWESOME. And now that we’re “grown-ups”, we’re the authors of our own stories and it’s all an uphill adventure from here. 😊
I love this story!
amazing story!!
21 minutes before you mentioned the Bowie Bulge!! Don’t know if I’m impressed at your restraint or disappointed that this wasn’t all the review was about!
Starring David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, and David Bowie’s pants...
So, a little bit of trivia about the Fire Gang, the puppets with the terrible "green screen" That was actually shot on a stage made of black velvet (if you please). The puppeteers were also dressed in full black velvet bodysuits. This is because black velvet was the darkest material at the time.
The reason it works with David Bowie is because he is simply a GOOD PERSON. It was originally written that he was supposed to kiss Jennifer but since she was so young he refused. David Bowie is a safe space because he is exactly that. He knows right from wrong so when he reads his lines he is being charming because he is and not being a predator because he isn't.
I think CGI is able to fool your eyes but not your heart.
Martin Kronström I adore how you put that! Yes!
Not doing a Pretty Woman Retro Review would be a big mistake. Big. Huge.
Is Andrew related to the Goblin King ?
I assume I don’t need to say why
I always got the the impression that the whole point of labyrinth was that it was what she thought she wanted, but she didn’t really.
Sarah wanted Toby taken away - when he gets taken away, she regrets it. So on so forth.
And I definitely think the Goblin King was meant to be in love with Sarah. I certainly got that impression as a child even without picking up on the innuendo. Therefore with the Goblin King, she assumed she wanted the attention of older men ( not uncommon for a teenage girl.) but when she was put in that situation was like “ oh no actually I’m very uncomfortable this is bad.”
Basically, what you want isn’t always what you want.
David Bowie was a magical and wonderful being
I usually never comment on ANY UA-cam videos but as soon as I saw “MovieBitches” and “Labyrinth” in the same sentence I couldn’t contain my excitement. This movie is one of my all time favorites. My first tattoo will be the song lyric “I move the stars for no one.” Labyrinth is so amazing and holds a dear place in my heart. I’m SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW. Love you, cunts!
The image in the bubble is just his face upside down guys😂😂
Ashleigh Calvert NO ITS A GIRL IN A BIKINI! Lol
ok LOVE the idea of Gaga as the Goblin Queen
PAN CAKE no
She’s Mother Monster 😝
David Bowies hair is a force of nature.
I always lose it when the dog walks across that bridge with the fox puppet on his back just flopping around. It’s amazing
I've always been saddened that we never got a movie with David Bowie and Annie Lennox together playing siblings/spouses/gods/vampires/rivals/lovers/whatever.... at the same time! :(
OMG TILDA ANNIE AND BOWIE
David Bowie in this movie was my first crush. I think if they were ever to remake it, it has to be played by Tilda Swinton, she could definitely pull off a shorter hairdo though.
He was my first crush too!
The 80s had the most fabulous kids movies. They all have an element of camp and fantasy that only the 80s aesthetic could bring.
One of my all time favorites! Gotta love all the creepy children’s movies the 80’s brought.
the fact that you guys reviewed this not only has me shooketh but has lifted my soul from the bog of eternal stench. thank you
Such a great movie! One of my biggest influences as a puppeteer, for sure. Gates McFadden (from Star Trek: The Next Generation) was the choreographer on this movie, and Baby Toby is a puppeteer and animator who makes his own movies with puppets, as well.
xingcat I was at Star Trek Las Vegas recently and someone asked her about it at a panel lol
“come inside! Meet the misses & have a cup of tea!!” “Don’t Go that way!!” I LIVE!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this movie!!!! the goblin king and sarah’s relationship means so much to me, as it really stands as a visual representation of coming of age, but also relationships with older men/abusive partners. the ballroom scene has always been particularly hard to watch for me, but a very very interesting look at the mind of a narcissist.
YASSSSSSS also David Bowie makes everything infinitely forgivable and better.
Also that RETURN TO OZ vhs...retro review?
So nice to see Return To Oz featured (it's my favorite movie)
Retro review?
The only time I watched it was the weekend after Bowie passed, and my boss at the arthouse movie theater I worked at was like "Fuck it, we're showing Labyrinth this weekend in his honor" and it was a really nice night at work, and a really fun tribute.
Avaryl, your hair is on point in this video girl, looking like your ready to go to the ball with that gorgeous volume!!!
The scene with the Fireys was filmed in a (experimental?) precursor to green screen in front of black velvet that had to be constantly cleaned of lint and dust. Props to Jim for always trying new things but black velvet screen didn’t age well.
I had a lot of confusing feelings about David Bowie as a kid. That codpiece!
Aww, it made me smile when y'all were talking about Pan's Labyrinth. It's my favorite movie of all time, and it never fails to make me cry. It's somber and beautiful.
Two of my favourite things, MovieBitches & Labyrinth (David Bowie)... SO HAPPY
So, I'm a bit obsessed with Labyrinth. Best theory I've read: The photos in Sarah's room are of her mum who left to be with an actor who happens to look a lot like Jareth the Goblin King. Sarah wants to be an actress like her mum, and has a weird coming-of-age crush on her mum's boyfriend... who happens to look like the Goblin King. Get it? He totally has the hots for her because the Labyrinth is all a wonderful metaphor for puberty. And the song he sings her at the masked ball... totally about loosing her virginity. Listen to the lyrics.
Lets hope she found a nice boy of her own age to obsess over, instead of her potential step-father. Yikes!
I remember watching this movie for the first time in elementary and learning about David Bowie. 10 year old me was both confused and didn't mind the tight pants.
it's not creepy for Jareth to be in love with Sarah because the story is from her viewpoint, not his. the characters, like in a dream, are all aspects of herself. her conflict is growing up and her realization is that she doesn't have to leave her childhood behind. none of us does
Next retro movie review : the never ending story.
Pleaseeeeeee
hi it’s 2 years later and i agree
I think the thing about Bowie is that he has this sense of unreality about him, so he feels less like a Real Threat and more like a manifestation of of Sarah's subconscious. Therefor, ultimately, he (and everything in the Labyrinth) feel like they are somewhat in her control, somehow. I dunno, maybe I'm not explaining it well, but in this Bowie just always felt like like something she'd conjured, than a real, like...creepy dude stalking her, if that makes sense.
Also, in terms of what her "dream" is that Goblin King can give her...my interpretation was that the Labyrinth IS her dream. Like, she's always playing make believe, imagining living in the fantasy world, and Jareth is like, I can give you that, you can stay here forever and be a fairytale princess just like you always wanted.
Labyrinth is probably my favorite movie of all time so I'm so so glad you liked it! Also I think I know why Sarah seemed to hate her baby brother so much: Her biological mother is gone, presumably dead, and Toby is her father and stepmother's child. To Sarah, Toby represented the loss of her mother and the loss of her beloved childhood.
She's a teenager now but she's still clearly very attached to her childhood; the teddy bears and fairy tale books in her room etc. Her journey through the Labyrinth was like a wake up call, to learn not to be so selfish, and to accept Toby as a part of her life. To grow up, not necessarily to dismiss the childish things that she loves, but to share it with Toby and to show him the same love that her mother showed her.
There's really so much to this film that I could also talk about, I wrote a paper on it lol. On the surface it may seem really silly but once you get into all the symbolism it's so fascinating, makes me love it even more.
i rewatched one of my childhood movies last night called aquamarine about a mermaid trying to find love in the early 2000s and it’s so good but so awful. i NEED you two to review it
oh my god YES!!!!
Sarah inspired me to LARP and I blame and thank her character to this day. Still waiting for a gorgeous goblin to entice me with Z Gallery decorations.
I remember reading the comics and just lovingit.
Oh Freddie Mercury has to be playing at Cock Cove. He has to
Probably I want to break free
Part of Sara's background is that her mother is dead, and her father has moved on and started a new family.. Toby represents her own lost childhood and saving him is her coming to terms with growing up.. That's a decent amount of background that relates to her motivation..
*high-pitched whale noises*
This is all I've ever wanted.
The Center for Puppetry Arts is here where I live in Atlanta, and the original Labyrinth Puppets are totally the highlight of the collection. Sidebar, who's up for a museum that had a dark creepy puppet room that was so scary that they literally had to redesign it because it every child who entered it immediately started crying when the puppets leapt out of the darkness and started to menace you as spotlights illuminated them one by one? It was GREAT.
I love the quote that David Bowie is a safe space. I fucking LOVE THAT
i was never mad at David Bowie's grey pants :P
OMG this is my favorite movie of all time. I grow up with this movie and it means a lot to me. Thank you for making this review.
Whenever I see the old TriStar logo, I instantly get a nostalgia wave. It always makes me think of this movie or The Muppets Take Manhattan.
Jared is so cool and RIP David Bowie a god among weirdos, and his flair and music will never be forgotten.
Bowie looks EXACTLY like Nicole Kidman in "how to talk to girls at parties"
Have Rik make that shirt. Never the less she persisted. I would buy it 10000 percent.
Hilarious! Fav line so far, about how Bowie looked like Tilda about to go riding. Such a great review. PS: Bowie's costume was likely meant to suggest a men's ballet costume. That would explain the pale color, the tightness, and what looks like a cod piece but isn't. Danced all my life and it took me decades to understand how the men arrange themselves for performing in tights. I was constantly confused, with my virgin understanding of male anatomy, to picture what was happening in there! Let's just say things get pressed upward. My money says that was all David. Actual macho male ballet stars will have custom padded dance belts made, which make them look more like they are smuggling a loaf of bread!
I honestly feel like if The Goblin King / Jareth was to be categorized as a specific race - he'd likely be a Fae, given that (as Avaryl kinda mentioned) in mythology and folk tales they're known to be tricksters and enjoy twisting the truth, playing games with humans, and sometimes attempting to seduce or woo young women away to their realms.
If I described David Bowie I would also describe him as a fae...
A review of one of my favorite movies from childhood featuring my all time fave David bowie?? And a mention of my other faves mj and prince??? HERE FOR IT!
Every time I see Jennifer connely in the ball gown wedding dress I get so emotional I wanna cry, she is just so beautiful!
All i could think of was the lack of EpiPens with all this decapitation talk...👻
Wait is Shirley Bassey on #fabulouscuntisland ?!
Charlie Simmonds she probably sings the anthem, “Cunts are forever”
R S I just get some very weird thoughts from diamonds are forever if you know you know 😂😂
"Sega Dreamcast" had me SCREAMING! Love this review, as always!
I love this review! Speaking of Prince, how about a review of Purple Rain?
Avaryl's hair! Yes VOLUME!
There was a website during the early days of the internet (late '90s/early 2000s) called DBA (David Bowie's Area) and it was 100% dedicated to crotch shots from this movie. It was glorious.
The half an hour behind the scenes extra at the very end of the VHS tape is AMAZING
I remember watching Jumanji as a kid for the first time and going, literally, word for word: “wow, these monkeys look so real!” 🤷🏻♀️
There's a few discussions about what the Goblin King's character represents in the movie. Some believe that he is played as is - a predatory being who steals babies and creates goblins for them, became enchanted by the idea of Sarah and wanted her for his own plaything due to her perseverance, courage and prettiness.
Others believe that he stands as a symbol for a sexual awakening for Sarah - a teenager who is attracted to the idea of an older man who is sexy and will take care of her if she lets him 'lead' her. Her pushing him away is the realisation of her own power when it comes to controlling her urges, a part of growing up and becoming an adult.
Another belief is that he stands for a part of herself that she could give in to, an other personality that would allow her to pull away from her family. A 'demon' that would cause her personality to change completely, to be the kind of person who would leave her brother behind - that she is on the cusp of a choice between who she currently is as the movie starts and who she
could be. At the end she chooses to embrace her younger brother instead of dismissing him as unimportant in her life.
Lastly though, will we see Dark Crystal in the future? Or even better, The Last Unicorn? (IDK if you guys do animated films, but it's a dark children's film of the same era as Labyrinth and the style is just fab.)
This was my favorite movie as a kid. The first version I saw was bootleg on VHS with Otis and Milo as the second feature. Love that you all RetroReviewed it and gave it the love it deserves.
a favorite film from my childhood, poor Andrew was deprived
YES OMG FINALLY! i love you guys so much this is one of my all time favourite movies. i used to be so scared of it as a kid but i rewatched it last year and was like yes i love this faboulous david bowie, jim henson 80's puppet musical
WONDERFUL review of my favourite childhood movie! Thank you!
The reason Sarah was particularly angst-y is because she was angry at her stepmother and dad for leaving her mum. You can see photos of her mum around the vanity mirror and in her scrap book. I also think there is a photo of her mum and David Bowie together in the scrap book (fantastic set decoration!) so she really does have plenty to be frustrated about, bless her!
P.S - The "Glass Ceiling" reference was priceless, thank you ...you learn something new!
Dame Bassey is from Wales, like myself! Much love from our often-forgotten country :D
So glad you guys are reviewing this! One of my all time favorite classics from a kid. Now go really retro and review The Neverending Story.
Omg!! My favorite childhood movie! I’m so glad you guys reviewed it :)
I don't think the ballroom scene is as much the Goblin King seducing Sarah as it is him offering her another of her dreams. They're not alone - they're in a crowd of other people at a masquerade ball. Sarah isn't in some skimpy little outfit, she has a big poofy ballgown and fabulous hair and jewelry. Jareth interacts with her in a very formal manner, in what is essentially a formal, public setting. It's a daydream fantasy - going to a fancy dress ball with a handsome cavalier and dancing the night away.
As others have pointed out, Bowie's Jareth feels very "safe" because he truly is. The Goblin King has every opportunity to make things creepy or inappropriate, but he doesn't. While he's clearly playing by very fae rules, he plays by those rules and doesn't really do that much to derail her journey. He uses distractions, misdirections, and traps but he does not harm her or try to take advantage of her. The ballroom scene is a perfect example of that; while he gets her to eat the poisoned peach, he then proceeds to... distract her with a fancy dress ball. That's it. That's all he does. And the minute she realizes it's a distraction and pulls away, he does not try to stop her. He just stands there while she runs away and breaks out of the illusion. He plays by the rules.
The final confrontation is the same. He complains, threatens, begs, and bribes - but that's all. He does not once try to use physical or magical force to overpower her. He offers Sarah her dreams, her fantasies, but when she finally understands the meaning of "you have no power over me," then the contest ends and Sarah is whisked back home with Toby. Jareth is an antagonist but not a villain and I think of all the actors they considered, David Bowie is the only one who could make that believable.
37:40 girl that's Bowie's upside down reflection
In a time long long ago a sorcerer named Jareth fell in love with a girl named Sarah. Sarah’s father and step-mother would not let her marry Jareth because they wanted her to keep her, as a servant, to care for their other child. In a fit of rage Jareth kidnapped this other child and spirited it away to the fairy world. In this new world Jareth built a palace for his Sarah. He turned the spoiled child into a goblin, and kept it to be a servant.
Many stories of the fairy world tell us that time moves differently there than in our world (Rip Van Winkle for one). In the time it took for Jareth to build his kingdom, which he may have thought was little more than a few years, Sarah grew old and died.
Overcome by grief and addled by a lifetime spent in a strange world filled with monsters, Jareth goes mad. He refuses to believe that he has lost his love. He searches the mortal world from his castle, looking for her.
Sarah is Hebrew name. So, it is common, and has been in use for thousands and thousands of years. It does not take long (for him) to find a dark haired girl named Sarah, who has a younger sibling, and who feels that she is treated unfairly by her step mother. In a fit of rage he kidnaps this other child and spirits it away to the fairy world. Perhaps this new Sarah dies in the quest to find the child, perhaps she wins her sibling back and flees.
Jareth searches the mortal world from his from his castle, looking for her. It does not take long to find a dark haired girl named Sarah…
This is how Jareth becomes the goblin king. Every goblin in the goblin city is a child Jareth has stolen, who was not recovered by a Sarah. (he told the current Sarah that Toby would become a goblin if she did not find him in time)
This is why he builds the maze. The magic bog, the junk yard of useless treasures, all tricks to slow Sarah down. Because if he can only have his Sarah for the time it takes for her to regain the stolen child, he will make it take as long as possible, keep her as long as possible.
This is why there exists in our world a book containing the story. Because it has happened before. So many times. At some point some lucky Sarah must have returned to our world to tell the story.
This is why when the most recent Sarah first meets Hoggle at the start of the labyrinth, and introduces herself; “I’m Sarah”, Hoggle responds “That’s what I figured.”
Because of course she’s Sarah.
They were all Sarah.
Yeeeeaaassssss Bitches ....love all the movies you review ... this is one of my favorites! !!! OMGOODNESS just love you guys so much .and those grey tights .. Always brings me joy and laughter to watch and keep up the great work!!!
It’s a love story. It said that he falls in love with her while she is looking for Toby.
your guys’ videos never fail to put a smile on my face, even after crying into a box of chinese food, lots of love, harvey xo
Yassssss. I cant describe how Labyrinth shaped my childhood. Best. Movie. Ever.
YESSSSSSSS!!!! I have never been so excited than when I saw this notification
Always the best reviews. Thank you. Def consider reviewing Return to Oz. Also if you havent seen it Mom and Dad Save the World is a hot mess of delight and production. 💕💕💕💕💕
Labyrinth is so good and thnx to both Jim Henson and David Bowie and Jennifer too, also Tobey!
I love David Bowie’s 80s Tina Turner hair is everything lol
I'm rewatching this so the comment is late. This is my FAVORITE movie, I've seen it about 3 trillion times.
Sarah faces faces her childhood in the labyrinth which is her own creation. She goes inside her child mind and meets the fantasy SHE'S created. Jareth's intention is to keep her safe and keep her innocent, ignore her responsibilities and stay with him in her imagination forever. She grapples at the end with her own behaviours and realizes through the fantasy that she does need to grow up, that she can't stay in the Labyrinth forever, but that those pieces of her that made her through her childhood are always there for her. They're a part of her! She matures and realizes what's important but holds a piece of them forever.
No to remakes, leave my Labyrinth alone, haha
YAAASSSSS!! I got so ridiculously excited when I saw this. One of my absolute favorite all time movies!
Oh moviebitches u can do no wrong in my book. Ur commentary is spot on. I don't understand how u do not have more subs! Baffles me... smh
They should remake Labyrinth with Tilda Swinton honestly
Maybe kids movies shouldn't have things taking their heads off...agreed! That scene from Return to Oz gave me nightmares for weeks as a child. WEEKS!! 😳
Loving the retro reviews guys, good choices! 💖
The world needs MORE True Blood references!!!! I feel like when it was on, it was a thing, wasn't it? Wasn't it a thing for a while? Or was it totally eclipsed by Twilight in pop culture? I loved that show, then it ended and then... nothing. No one mentions it ever again, HBO doesn't show it anymore, and it's just gone.
I audibly gasped when I saw this and couldn’t click fast enough!!! This was a favorite of mine as a kid (I watched it SO many times) and I JUST rewatched it with my husband for our nostalgic movie night (he’d never seen it! Gasp!) and thought, “I’d love to see a Movie Bitches review of Labyrinth.” And here it is as if you’d read my mind!!!! Love y’all!!!
I am so SO happy for this amazing Labyrinth Retro Review! Love, love, loved it! I don't think I'll ever watch this movie again with picturing Laura Dern as Sarah.
The brief flash of the head library made me think that you absolutely have to do a retro review of "Return to Oz" though I'm still waiting for "Soapdish" to happen. Love you guys!
This is why we need the Moviebitches podcast so you can go on for hours
Wow. Maybe this was your best review ever! So good! So hilarious!
I can safely say that VHS helped to mask some of the less advanced effects. When I went to a midnight screening of Labyrinth as an adult, I was surprised by how much crisper it looked, and a few times I spotted wires. The background of the fieries scene has aged the worst, but they were working with a black velvet backdrop that was quite clever for it's time, so I really can't complain.
I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS. Can't wait for you guys to talk about Bowie's crotch for ~45 mins
Tim Minchin should write a musical of this
Just discovered your channel. Dude I love you guys so hard. Thank you so much. Really needed the extra happy today. 💚❤️🎄
I am fucking LIVING for this review! Thank you so much for this it made my whole week. God I love you guys.
Im at 53seconds..and all i have to say is i Hope they don't shit on this movie. Its my favorite..as a kid and now. And when i first met my bf and we were having those "whats-your-favorite..." convos we both said Labyrinth at the SAME TIME, in unison when speaking about our favorite movie...thats when i knew i loved him. Almost ten yrs we've been together bc our bond over Labyrinth.
THIS NOTIFICATION MADE MY ENTRAILS FALL OUT
Kincaid Rabb that's... A lot. Hahaha
I can't watch this for a little while and it is killing me because David Bowie is the sun moon and stars in my universe and this movie is everything to me...I am so excited to watch this I am prematurely commenting 🤣