'Labyrinth', the beautifully realized fantasy from the late Jim Henson, has finally been given a letterboxed transfer for laser disc. The world of the Labyrinth is a magical land populated by fantastic creatures from the imaginations of Henson and 'Dark Crystal' collaborator Brian Froud and brought to life by Henson's Creature Shop and executive producer George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic.
When a vain and self-centered teenager named Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) is left to babysit for her infant brother, Toby, the child's incessant crying frustrates the girl and in a fit of pique she wishes the child be taken away. Her words unknowingly allow the Goblin inhabitants of the Otherworld to spirit away the child. When suddenly faced with the disappearance of Toby, Sarah pleads with Jareth, the Goblin King (a perfectly cast David Bowie), for his return. Jareth offers Sarah but one opportunity to rescue Toby. She is given 13 hours to find her way through the Labyrinth to the Goblin Castle where Toby has been taken. If she fails, then Toby will become a minion of the Goblin King. It is Sarah's journey that is the main focus of the story. A journey that ultimately teaches Sarah the value of loyalty and friendship.
'Labyrinth' was beautifully photographed in anamorphic widescreen by Alex Thomson and has been given an outstanding video transfer by Tom Sartori of Foto-tronics. Colors are deep and vivid without a trace of noise or smearing. The image is sharp as a tack with only the faintest hint of grain in a few scenes. Contrast and brightness are excellent. The widescreen aspect ratio appears to be accurately framed at about 2.35:1.
The Dolby Stereo soundtrack is oddly lacking in directional effects and use of the surround channel, but the audio quality is quite good, particularly frequency response, with bass extension in some of the effects going suprisingly low. Dialog is clear and natural sounding with good balance. The overall level of the audio seems a bit lower than it should be but that is easy enough to compensate for (just turn it up).
'Labyrinth' runs 102 minutes. The disc, from New Line Video and Image Intertainment, contains 28 chapters. Unfortunately, no trailer or other extras are included. The single CLV disc is housed in a handsome gate-fold jacket with extensive liner notes on the inner spread (for those that enjoy such things...like me). The side break is placed at a scene change but still seems a bit jarring. List price is $39.95.
Image deserves credit for putting together a very nice edition of this very entertaining film. Consider it highly recommended.
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