Sunday, August 21, 2005
Carrying our Junk
A few months ago, after watching the All Blacks trounce the Lions, I had the opportunity to watch Labyrinth for the first time in many years. As is the case with all great movies, this struck me with fresh insight and appreciation for Jim Henson's genius. (As an aside, we need more directors who can realistically portray both good and evil in all their splendor.)
The tableau that has been playing on my mind is when Sarah encounters the Junk Lady and her husband. These two are buckled under the weight of accumlated odds and ends; they are living in a tip, carrying the debris of their life. As they sort through the junk they find memorabilia from Sarah's life and pile it into her hands...soon she has too much to carry. They insist on giving her more and more.
There are some things that we should carry through life -- both physical and mental -- but it's debilitating to attempt to carry everything. The powerful images created by Henson do exactly what such images should. Amuse with their stupidness; shock with their realism. Take a trip with Sarah and Jareth down memory lane but make sure you're not carrying too much trash-baggage with you.
The tableau that has been playing on my mind is when Sarah encounters the Junk Lady and her husband. These two are buckled under the weight of accumlated odds and ends; they are living in a tip, carrying the debris of their life. As they sort through the junk they find memorabilia from Sarah's life and pile it into her hands...soon she has too much to carry. They insist on giving her more and more.There are some things that we should carry through life -- both physical and mental -- but it's debilitating to attempt to carry everything. The powerful images created by Henson do exactly what such images should. Amuse with their stupidness; shock with their realism. Take a trip with Sarah and Jareth down memory lane but make sure you're not carrying too much trash-baggage with you.
Craig (mars-hill) Sunday, August 21, 2005
1 Comments:
And also make sure that you don't willingly become a enslaved to an evil goblin king. Re-watching the Labyrinth as an adult left me somewhat disturbed at the paedophilic undertones in Bowie's character Jareth and his pleas for Sarah to become his: "I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say". From a man his age (and in spandex tights) to a young girl, barely legal for babysitting duties, that's just not right.
