Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal was an epic undertaking for Henson and company in the early 80’s. It also remains one of my favorite movies of all time. Despite the high production quality of the film the difficulty in creating The Dark Crystal was partly due to the mechanics of mimicking realistic movement with intricate hand puppets, something that had never been conveyed successfully despite prior attempts and experimentation.

Pre-production

Before production was to begin, Henson partnered with Gary Kurtz, who served as producer on Star Wars and Brian Froud, conceptual artist, to bring the story to life. The next step was brainstorming and outlining how The Dark Crystal was going to be created within their projected budget. According to Froud in an interview about the Making of Dark Crystal;

There were so many differences of opinion and so many compromises had to be made to accommodate the characters to the physical limitations of the human body. But everything did turn out all right in the end.

Recognition

The film opened on December 17th, 1982 with a final budget of $15 million, funded and distributed by Universal Studios. Critics either hailed it as a “bittersweet spectacle” or nothing more than an “overblown puppet show“. Through my eyes it was something that broke the mold and pushed the boundaries beyond conventional Hollywood productions. It’s somewhat unsettling that movies that seldom break any molds garner critic appraisal and yet “unique” films with a sense of vision — especially independent productions — rarely receive widespread recognition. Henson’s The Dark Crystal, while fantasy in nature, was also an explosion of colors, textures and culture. As you watch the film you appreciate the amount of work that went into researching the characters, history and special effects.

Special Effects

In an age before CGI (or Computer Generated Imagery), The Dark Crystal utilized extremely detailed and yet complicated puppetry. In some scenes, people small in stature were used for the Gelflings and full-sized actors for many of the supporting characters. Like any Henson production this was needed to envoke a sense of realism and yet, with the addition of layered puppetry, it gives the illusion that the creature on screen is living and breathing. These methods, if used properly, can be very successful in filmmaking, but it’s also nothing new. Since the advent of film, people have dressed up in costumes to represent creatures plucked from their creator’s imaginations. However, in recent times, filmmakers have added more realism by coupling the costume with nothing more than gadgetry (for the eyes, limbs or other protrusions) covered in material such as latex, foam or fur which is usually controlled by radio receivers or computers.

The Dark Crystal will forever remain in my mind as one of the movies which influenced by own interests in puppetry and special effects. As a kid I must have sat down and watched it a few hundred times and never, even to this day, have I grown tired of repeated viewings. It’s a classic in my opinion as far as Henson and fantasy films are concerned and should be a part of anyone’s movie collection, whether you be a die-hard fantasy or science-fiction film aficionado.

“Socrates strolls through the crowded high school auditorium in a bathrobe, nodding hello to Sigmund Freud, as Genghis Khan swings his battlestaff nearby. Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon Bonaparte and Billy the Kid sink back in the plush seats, while Joan of Arc plays with her dog. On stage, Beethoven faces a large array of synthesizers, with a computerized lighting system to introduce him to the MTV generation.

The center of attention, however, is two teenage boys who have brought these legendary figures to the present-day to help them pass a history class.

It’s all part of the madness of Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, a high-spirited comedy-adventure ranging from the Dawn of Time to the 27th century. With the futuristic assistance of Rufus, played by George (Outrageous Fortune) Carlin, Bill and Ted travel the circuits of time to round up the ingredients for a successful history project. But are the likes of Billy the Kid and Napoleon Bonaparte ready for shopping malls and waterparks?” Starlog Magazine (May 1998, Number 30)

Nothing sums up the late 80s and early 90s like Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and it’s sequel Bogus Journey (1991). Starring Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves as Bill and Ted, the movies depicted their “excellent” adventures and the characters they meet along the way and ultimately take back with them to their own time in San Dimas, California, dude.

Nowadays, San Dimas is only known for Raging Waters and sadly no futuristic Academy dedicated to Bill and Ted, although the city council should consider such a government investment. You’d have to see the second movie to appreciate that comment, otherwise its just confusing, isn’t it?

As far as the stars are concerned, since Bill and Ted they’ve approached a multitude of projects. Alex Winter’s Freaked, a movie about freaks stars Winter as a normal Joe who is transformed into a green disfigured winged creature. He meets other freaks along the way and eventually, through careful sluething, figures out why the freaks exist. As far as Keanu Reeves is concerned, he’s done quite well with the Matrix trilogy and of course that role in Steve Martin’s Parenthood in the early 90s. George (Outrageous Fortune) Carlin has been making comedy appearances all over the globe and various guest spots on television and in the movies.

Let us not forget the role of Death (aka Grim Reaper) in 1991’s Bogus Journey played by the fantastic actor William Sadler. Sadler’s most recent movie appearance was in the Green Mile playing Klaus Detterick and as the Sheriff in WB’s ex-Alien series Roswell.

Despite the 12-year gap from Bogus Journey to now, according to Keanu and Winters they plan on revisiting their characters in a movie that will depict Bill and Ted in their excellent 40’s. Considering both of the actors are nearing their 40s (pending mid-life crisis), it’s a bold step for each but a welcomed one at that. Let’s hope that they craft a excellent script and ultimately create a most excellent of a movie.

Dude.

For more Bill and Ted-related info, please visit BillandTed.org and XE’s Bill and Ted’s Excellent cereal write-up.

I’ve always been intrigued by the fantastic. More specifically, movies that explore ideas outside of the box (such as ET and Contact) and allow me as the viewer to also think outside the box. With the mediocre scripts that have been circulating Hollywood coupled with sub-par acting it’s no wonder the production companies are hurting. The material isn’t alive. It doesn’t shout creativity or imagination. Why? The studios are banking the success of a movie based on big name celebrities, hoping they will in fact draw in the crowds rather than focus on writing with substance and production quality material.

E.T. at the time featured a cast of moderately ‘unknowns’ — aside from Peter Coyote and Dee Wallace-Stone — including younger cast members Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore and Robert MacNaughton. Henry Thomas’ performance was notably excellent because he emoted fear and sadness successfully onscreen, all in front of a mechanical puppet.

I love E.T. and it will remain my all-time favorite film out of every movie I’ve seen in my lifetime. It’s as simple as that without complicating things. The movie is a constant reminder of the special attributes of friendship. Looking past the fact that it was a movie about an alien and his first-hand encounters on Earth you start to peel away at the layers and find something special, almost indescribable and more importantly, heartwarming.

To this day I still see it as one of the pinnacle movies of the early 1980s.