Masterpiece Cinema - The Dark Crystal

‘The Dark Crystal’



Starring .

Written by Jim Henson & David Odell.

Directed by Jim Henson & Frank Oz.

Genre: Fantasy

Released: 1982

Running time: 93 mins.

Rated: PG (American rating).

IMDb link: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0083791/

For some reason, the 1980s was a great time for fantasy films…or at least, it was for the production of fantasy films. Despite the fact that they bombed over and over again, they continued getting made. ‘Legend’, ‘Willow’, ‘The Labyrinth’. All great films, all commercial failures.

But there’s one less-than-hugely-successful fantasy film of the 1980s that’s always held a special place in my heart, and that would be 1982’s ‘The Dark Crystal’. Envisioned by Jim Henson, ‘The Dark Crystal’ tells the story of Jen, a young Gelfling living in a fantastic realm, raised by a group of kindly old wizards known only as the Mystics. One day, the oldest of the Mystics takes ill, and before he dies, he tells Jen of the Dark Crystal, an object that will give eternal power to the evil overlords of the land, the Skekses. That terrible fate will be avoided, however, if Jen can find the missing shard of the crystal and make the Dark Crystal whole once more.

I love Jim Henson. When you look at his work, you get a real sense of how much imagination he had, as well as how much passion he had for his work. He elevated puppetry to a level that it had never experienced before, and gifted the world with beautiful and striking stories. His is truly an amazing legacy.

Personally, I have a hard time deciding which of his works is my favourite. Of coursed I loved ‘Sesame Street’ as a kid, and ‘The Muppets’ will always be a favourite. But it was Henson’s darker work that had a special hold over me. The television series ‘Jim Henson’s The Storyteller’ was something my family and I would circle around the TV to watch, captivated by each episode. ‘The Labyrinth’ was a film that fuelled both my imagination and my nightmares. And then, there was ‘The Dark Crystal’.

‘The Dark Crystal’, to me, was even more ominous than ‘The Labyrinth’. ‘The Labyrinth’ at least had a sense of normality to it, starting and ending in the real world and having an actual human girl as its protagonist. ‘The Dark Crystal’ had none of these things. ‘The Labyrinth’ also had a cartoonish sensibility to it that, for the most part, is missing from ‘The Dark Crystal’.

But like all of his productions, ‘The Dark Crystal’ shows how talented Henson and his collaborators are. Before the advent and popularisation of CGI, Jim Henson Productions were creating worlds and characters that would draw you in and leave you truly believing in their existence. These weren’t puppets; these were living, breathing creatures. This wasn’t a soundstage; this was an actual place. This wasn’t a movie; this was a fable for the ages.

Jim Henson died too young. But he left us with such a rich tapestry of stories and characters that the sadness that’s left by his loss is one that’s mixed with a great deal of happiness. We may not have Jim anymore, but we have his work to remember by, to marvel at, and to love.

And how can you not love ‘The Dark Crystal’? If you haven’t ever seen it, I highly recommend you check it out. You have no idea what you’re missing out on.

Next week: I’m thinking I’m going to do something along the lines of a movie review…you know, just to mix it up a little…

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