The Dark Crystal
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quote:
Originally posted by DalekTek790:
“Froudian” would refer to fans of Brian Froud, the genius who brought us The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth and several books on mythology and folklore.I could go on and on about [i]The Dark Crystal[/i], but I don’t want to disrupt your thread.
Since you mentioned [i]The Dark Crystal[/i], I decided to get my laserdisc copy out of storage. It’s been I while since I’ve watched it.
[img]http://lavender.fortunecity.com/tomatoes/168/darkcrys/intoDC/Jen-Crystal.JPG[/img]
[b]Feel the power[/b].
To prevent the “On Public Figures and Private Lives” thread from getting off topic, I’m starting the [i]Dark Crystal[/i] ravings on this thread, which Flamegrape has generously presented us with.
No film besides the [i]Star Wars[/i] movies evokes such strong emotions in me as [i]The Dark Crystal[/i]. The story is ingenious. Complex yet simple (I don’t know if that sounded Campbellian or just stupid [img]images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] ), a modern retelling of the classic tale of the hero’s quest, like [i]Star Wars[/i], only a “land” instead of “space” adventure. Actually, I read that the plot of [i]The Dark Crystal[/i] was based on an early draft of [i]Star Wars[/i]: Episode IV. I don’t know if that’s true, but from reading [i]Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays[/i] I can definitely see parallels (with the Kiber Crystal and all). [i]The Dark Crystal[/i] is also one of those movies that you notice new things in every time you see it. I can also pick out what I think are allegorical/symbolic elements in it, but I got a little negative feedback at Froud Chat for my symbolic analysis so I won’t go into my theories here.
I first saw [i]The Dark Crystal[/i] when I was 10, and it had a profound impact on my psyche. I had seen [i]Labyrinth[/i], and thought that was pretty neat, but I was absolutely blown away by [i]The Dark Crystal[/i]. It had a beautifully ordered yet tragically chaotic world, with so many awe-inspiring elements it was almost an overload for my simple pre-adolescent mind. [img]images/smiles/icon_eek.gif[/img] And I still love it, maybe I can’t appreciate it in quite the same way I did when I first saw it, but it is to this day one of my favorite movies, and I can still “get into” it.
The creatures are amazingly lifelike and intriguing on both a visual and a psychological level. You have the admirable Mystics, the delightfully creepy Skeksis, the humorous Pod People, the wondrous wildlife. And the Gelflings! love those things (to be perfectly honest I used to have the biggest crush on Kira [img]images/smiles/icon_redface.gif[/img] ).
Yes, I’ve heard the reviews from critics and friends alike that it’s “flat,” “lacks edge,” is “hopelessly puerile,” “simply eye-candy,” or “too dark for children and too light for adults.” And I don’t know if anyone is really going to read this or if I’m typing in vain. But I say if you can just look beyond the Muppet-ness it’s really a great film. The script is well-written, and the characters are actually pretty realistic (more so than those of many “normal” sci-fi movies). All in all, [i]The Dark Crystal[/i] is an incredibly creative and moving science fantasy that almost rivals the [i]Star Wars[/i] films (almost [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] ).
[ 08-11-2001: Message edited by: DalekTek790 ]
Yeah, it’s a great movie. The things I remember most are Ogra, Fizgig, of course Kira and (can’t remember his name except that it starts with a J), and the Skeksis. My dad does such a good impression of a Skeksis saying “Essence of Gelfling”. I always feel so sorry for the pod people when they’re being attacked.
WOW!
That’s quite a mouthful DalekTek790 [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
I would love to expound further on the merrits of this particualr movie(which I may add I did not actually see until I was an adult) but memory fails me now.
Sad but true, I chose my screen name because I felt it was cute, I too had a crush on Kira, and (oh my god what was his name Jem? Jen? big ol gasp and self flogging).
I think I’m going to have to pop down to the ol video store and pick up a copy for the weekend. Perhaps I may even have something intelligent to say, but I doubt it [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]quote:
Originally posted by Aeryn Crichton:
Yeah, it’s a great movie. The things I remember most are Ogra, Fizgig, of course Kira and (can’t remember his name except that it starts with a J), and the Skeksis.
quote:
Originally posted by Gelfling:
WOW!
That’s quite a mouthful DalekTek790 [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
I would love to expound further on the merrits of this particualr movie(which I may add I did not actually see until I was an adult) but memory fails me now.
Sad but true, I chose my screen name because I felt it was cute, I too had a crush on Kira, and (oh my god what was his name Jem? Jen? big ol gasp and self flogging).
I guess I tend to “get into” [i]The Dark Crystal[/i] more than others. I’ve researched the making of it and the supplemental books, made my own page devoted to the movie (it’s not up anymore), and seen it I don’t know how many times. It all seems so familiar to me. I forget that the typical person can’t quite remember all the details. Okay, here are the main characters-
[b]Jen[/b]: Our Gelfling hero.
[b]Kira[/b]: His lovely Gelfling companion.
[b]Fizzgig[/b]: That annoying furball.
[b]Aughra[/b]: The one-eyed witch.
[b]urSu the Master[/b]: The Mystic that sends Jen on his quest.
[b]skekSil the Chamberlain[/b]: The Skeksis exile.
[b]skekUng the Garthim Master[/b]: The new Skeksis emperor.
[b]skekTek the Scientist[/b]: The essence-stealing scientist.
[b]SilSol[/b]: The urSkek who heals Kira.
quote:
Originally posted by Gelfling:
Sad but true, I chose my screen name because I felt it was cute, I too had a crush on Kira, and (oh my god what was his name Jem? Jen? big ol gasp and self flogging).
Tell me, Gelfling, do you have wings? [img]images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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“Exterminate!” -Dalek warrior, [i]The Daleks[/i]: Episode 4-[i]The Ambush[/i]
“Feel the power of the dark Crystal!” -skekTek the Scientist, [i]The Dark Crystal[/i]
“I will love you forever!” -drone #790, [i]Lexx 1.1: I Worship His Shadow[/i]
What happened to Gelfling? [img]images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] I was hoping for an in-depth [i]Dark Crystal[/i] discussion here, since lately the Froudian message board has been off topic. [img]images/smiles/icon_sad.gif[/img] Yeah, I need to get a life. [img]images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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