The Goblin King Sings Songs of Love
Late in 2006 Jim Fath at the Phat Phree shared his "Ultimate 11 Least Intimidating Movie Villains," which included: David Bowie as The Goblin King Jareth in Labyrinth
When I look at the rest of the list, it becomes clear that Fath's measures villainy largely by the potential for violence and destruction.
Director [that would be Jim Henson]: David, this just isn't working. I'm just not buying you as a terrifying, wicked villain right now. Do you have any ideas?
Bowie: Well, I guess we could put more glitter on me.
Director: Good. That could work.
But the Goblin King isn't about violence. The Goblin King is about sex. Labyrinth is a movie about an adolescent girl, after all. So Jareth isn't supposed to be "intimidating." He's supposed to be seductive and scary in ways that the heroine has never experienced before.
(Click on the pic above for Danél Turner's contrasting take on the strengths and weaknesses of Labyrinth.)
2 comments:
He is in fact seductive and scarey. It's not the glitter, it's the trousers. (I used to be a fourteen-year-old girl.)
I think the Goblin King could easily have spilled over from Moorcock's End of Time.
The whole labyrinth world being just something he put together for a cocktail party and the baby just an added attraction. (No babies normally at the end of time, either.)
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