Labyrinth

Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets, directed this imaginative fantasy starring a young Jennifer Connelly. She plays teenaged Sarah, whose fairy-tale fancies become nightmares when, forced to baby-sit her screaming stepbrother Toby on yet another Friday night, she wishes him away to the underworld of Goblin King Jareth (David Bowie). Determined to rescue the boy, Sarah must negotiate a dangerous, ever-changing, Escher-inspired maze known as the Labyrinth. Aided by a variety of gnomes and pixies, she has but 13 hours to make her way to the Goblin King’s castle — or Toby will be transformed into a goblin forever! There are artistic nods to classic children’s authors Maurice Sendak, Lewis Carroll and L. Frank Baum in the characters, narrative, sets and costumes; the soundtrack, by David Bowie (and Trevor Jones), has helped cement Labyrinth’s status as a cult classic. Terry Jones (Monty Python) and Dennis Lee (Alligator Pie) contributed to the story. “A remarkable achievement . . . [Henson] expands the possibilities of imaginative fantasy that can be transferred to the screen . . . One of Henson’s special gifts is producing puppets that are wonderfully human, eccentric and individualistic” (Nina Darnton, New York Times). Colour, 35mm. 101 mins.