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User:Sjones23/The Dark Crystal

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The Dark Crystal is a 1982 British-American fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. Although marketed as a family film, it was notably darker than previous material created by them. The animatronics used in the film were considered groundbreaking. The primary concept artist was the fantasy illustrator Brian Froud, famous for his distinctive faerie and dwarf designs. Froud also collaborated with Henson and Oz for their next project, the 1986 film Labyrinth, which was notably more light-hearted than The Dark Crystal. The film stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell and Billie Whitelaw, and tells the story of a young man (Garlick) trying to repair a crysta

The Dark Crystal was produced by Gary Kurtz, whose list of credits includes American Graffiti, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return to Oz, and Slipstream. The screenplay was written by David Odell, who had previously worked with Henson as a staff writer on The Muppet Show. Trevor Jones provided the film's atmospheric music. The film makes an attempt to study the nature of good and evil in terms of conscience, destiny, and the triune nature of harmony. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment, the British production company responsible for producing The Muppet Show.

Plot

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The Dark Crystal is a film about a young man's quest to repair the titular crystal. The story is set on a fictional world, called Thra in the companion book The World of the Dark Crystal.[1] The film begins with a voice over establishing the film as the story of the Dark Crystal. One thousand years earlier, the crystal cracked, resulting in the appearance of two races: the Skeksis, vulture-like tyrants using the power of the "Dark Crystal" to continually replenish themselves, and a race of hunchbacked natural wizards called "Mystics," or "urRu".[1] The World of the Dark Crystal explains that the UrSkeks, the mystical anagram of both races, in a failed attempt to purify themselves, split into the two races. One of the Skeksis cracked the Crystal, causing it to be transformed into the Dark Crystal.[1]

Jen is the last of the elf-like race, the Gelflings. His master tells him a prophecy: Jen must find the crystal shard before the three suns meet to prevent the Skeksis' rule. Before his death, he also informs Jen that the crystal shard can be found in the home of Aughra. After the Skeksis' emperor skekSo dies along with Jen's master, a confrontation ensues between skekSil the Chamberlain and skekUng the General, master of the Garthim, who both desire to succeed him. skekUng becomes emperor and skekSil is exiled. The Skeksis also learn of Jen's existence.

Jen reaches Aughra and is taken to her observatory. There he discovers the crystal shard, which is hidden among others resembling it, by playing music on his flute to which it resonates. Jen also learns of the upcoming Great Conjunction, but learns little of its connection to the shard before the Garthim destroys the observatory. Jen flees, but Aughra is captured and taken to the Castle of the Crystal. Meanwhile, the Mystics hear the calls of the Crystal and leave their valley to travel to the Castle. Jen meets Kira, a Gelfling; and Fizzgig, a dog-like pet. They stay for a night with the Podlings who raised Kira after the death of her parents. However, the Garthim attacks the village and Kira, Jen, and Fizzgig flee when skekSil prevents one of the Garthim from attacking them. Many Podlings are captured and enslaved. Blaming himself for the Garthim raid, Jen tries to throw away the crystal shard, but Kira reassures him that it was not his fault and recovers the crystal shard.

The trio discover a ruined Gelfling city, and Kira retrieves the shard. They also find a relief where Jen reads the prophecy of the Crystal. They discover that the shard is part of the Dark Crystal and must be reinserted to restore the Crystal's integrity. SkekSil unsuccessfully attempts to convince Jen and Kira that he wishes to help. Riding on Landstriders, the Gelflings arrive at the Castle of the Crystal, where they see the Garthim that attacked Kira's village. Kira and Jen unsuccessfully attempt to free the captured Podlings. Kira, Jen and Fizzgig jump off the cliff and infiltrate the lower parts of the Castle. skekSil confronts them again and tries to convince them to make peace; however, Kira is captured and Jen strikes skekSil on his hand using the crystal shard. urSol, the Chanter of the Mystics, suffers a spontaneous wound in the corresponding location. Enraged, skekSil seemingly kills Jen and takes Kira to the Castle. For his capture, skekUng restores skekSil to his former position. On the suggestion of the Skeksis scientist, skekTek, the General decides to regain his youth by draining Kira's life essence,[2] recalling that its potency allows a Skeksis emperor to maintain his youth for longer periods than that of the Podlings on whom they have been forced to rely since the Gelfling genocide. Kira maintains a telepathic connection with Jen, and calls out to the animals imprisoned in the laboratory. They break free from their cages and send skekTek to his death. Kira, Jen, and Aughra flee, but they are separated from Fizzgig during a confrontation with the Garthim.

Thra's three suns begin to align as the two Gelflings reconvene in the Crystal chamber. The Skeksis arrive to prepare for the immortality that they will gain from the Conjunction if the Crystal is not restored. In the chaos, the High Priest skekZok kills Kira. Jen inserts the shard in its appropriate place, unifying the Crystal just as the Mystics enter the chamber. The Mystics and Skeksis merge into the UrSkeks. The leader speaks to Jen of their history, revives Kira, and departs, while Thra rejuvenates itself.

Cast

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See also: Characters and races of the Dark Crystal
Kiran Shah as the body of Jen
Stephen Garlick as the voice of Jen
Kiran Shah as the body of Kira
Lisa Maxwell as the voice of Kira
Kiran Shah as the body of Aughra
Billie Whitelaw as the voice of Aughra
Percy Edwards as the voice of Fizzgig
  • Frank Oz as SkekSil/The Chamberlain
Barry Dennen as the voice of SkekSil/The Chamberlain
  • Dave Goelz and Rollie Krewson as SkekUng/The Garthim Master
Michael Kilgarriff as the voice of SkekUng/The Garthim Master
  • Jim Henson as SkekZok/The Ritual Master and SkekSo/The Emperor
Jerry Nelson as SkekZok/The Ritual Master and SkekSo/The Emperor
Thick Wilson as the voice of SkekAyuk/The Gourmand
John Baddeley as the voice of SkekOk/The Scroll Keeper
David Buck as the voice of SkekNa/The Slave Master
Charles Collingwood as the voice of SkekShod/The Treasurer
  • Brian Muehl as UrSu/The Master and UrZah/The Ritual Guardian
Sean Barrett as the voice of UrSu/The Master and UrZah/The Ritual Guardian
  • Tony Philpott as UrTih/The Alchemist
  • Dave Goelz, Jim Henson, and Frank Oz as the Podlings
Barry Dennen, Patrick Monckton, and Sue Weatherby as the voices of the Podlings
  • Robbie Barnett and Hugh Spight as the Landstriders

Production

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The film was shot at Elstree Studios, and exterior scenes were shot in the Scottish Highlands; Gordale Scar, North Yorkshire, England; and Twycross, Leicestershire, England.

The characters in the film are elaborate puppets, and none are based on humans or any other specific Earth creature. Before it's release, The Dark Crystal was billed as the first live-action film without any human beings on screen, and "a showcase for cutting-edge animatronics".[3]

Originally, Jim Henson wanted the Skeksis to speak their own constructed language with the dialogue subtitled in English. This idea was dropped after test screening audiences found the captions too distracting, but the original effect can be observed in selected scenes on the various DVD releases.

The hands and facial features of the groundbreaking animatronic puppets in the film were controlled with relatively primitive rods and cables, although radio control later took over many of the subtler movements.[4] Human performers inside the puppets supplied basic movement for the larger creatures, which in some cases was dangerous or exhausting; for example, the Garthim costumes were so heavy that the performers had to be hung up on a rack every few minutes to rest while still inside the costumes.[5]

Release

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Box office and reception

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The Dark Crystal was released in 858 theaters in North America on December 17, 1982. In its initial weekends, it had a limited appeal with audiences for various reasons including parental concerns about its dark nature, creative connections with Henson's family-friendly Muppet franchise and because it was overshadowed by the film's competition over the Christmas of that year, including Tootsie and the already massively successful E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[6] Although it never topped number one, the film managed to present lasting power in its following weeks, even past the new year of 1983. By the end of its box office run, it made $40,577,001 dollars, profiting over its $15 million dollar budget.[7]

During its international release in 1983, The Dark Crystal was the highest-grossing box office release for the year in both France and Japan. [citation needed] and outgrossed E.T. as the most successful foreign film in Japan until Titanic took over the spot 14 years later. The film has gained a cult following over the years since its release.

The film was also a success among critics, winning a Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film and earning the grand prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival. The film was also nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and a BAFTA Award for Best Special Visual Effects. Vincent Canby negatively reviewed them film, saying that it is a "watered down J.R.R. Tolkien... without charm as well as interest."[8] In general, reviews were positive, with the film holding a 71% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[9]

Home media release

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The Dark Crystal was first released on DVD on October 5, 1999, and has had multiple re-releases since including a Collector's Edition on November 25, 2003, and a 25th Anniversary Edition on August 14, 2007. It was released on Blu-ray on September 29, 2009.

In other media

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Sequel

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During the development phase of The Dark Crystal, director Jim Henson and writer David Odell discussed ideas for a possible sequel. Almost 25 years later, Odell and his wife Annette Duffy pieced together what Odell could recall from these discussions to draft a script for The Power of the Dark Crystal.[13] Genndy Tartakovsky was initially hired in January 2006 to direct and produce the film through The Orphanage animation studios in California.[14] However, faced with considerable delays, the Jim Henson Company announced a number of significant changes in a May 2010 press release: It was going to partner with Australia-based Omnilab Media to produce the sequel, screenwriter Craig Pearce had reworked Odell and Duffy's script, and directing team Michael and Peter Spierig were replacing Tartakovsky. In addition, the film would be released in stereoscopic 3D.[15] During a panel held at the Museum of the Moving Image on September 18, 2011 to commemorate the legacy of Jim Henson, his daughter Cheryl revealed that the project is yet again on hold.[16]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Llewelyn 1982.
  2. ^ Henson Productions 2008; "The wicked Skeksis live off of the essence of others..."
  3. ^ Wright 2005.
  4. ^ Rickitt 2000. p. 225.
  5. ^ Bacon 1997, p. 24.
  6. ^ Scheib 2010.
  7. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=darkcrystal.htm
  8. ^ Canby 1982.
  9. ^ The Dark Crystal Reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
  10. ^ Archaia Entertainment.
  11. ^ ICv2 2011.
  12. ^ Richardson 2011.
  13. ^ Carroll 2006.
  14. ^ Henson Media Relations 2006.
  15. ^ Henson Media Relations 2010.
  16. ^ Hill 2011.

References

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Books
  • Bacon, M. (October 16, 1997). No Strings Attached: The Inside Story of Jim Henson's Creature Shop. New York City, NY: Macmillan. ISBN 0-02-862008-9.
  • Bass, D. (October 1, 1982). The Tale of The Dark Crystal. B. McNally, illus. New York City, NY: Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 0-03-062414-2.
  • Conley, T.; Cain, S. (June 30, 2006). "The Dark Crystal". Encyclopedia of Fictional and Fantastic Languages. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 0-313-33188-X. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  • Dobrin, S. I. (April 30, 2004). "'It's Not Easy Being Green': Jim Henson, the Muppets, and Ecological Literacy". In Dobrin, S. I.; Kidd, K. B (eds.). Wild Things: Children's Culture and Ecocriticism. Detroit, MI: Wayne State University Press. pp. 244–247. ISBN 0-8143-3028-2.
  • Finch, C. (July 28, 1983). The Making of The Dark Crystal: Creating a Unique Film. Brian Froud, illus. New York City, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. ISBN 0-03-063332-X.
  • Finch, C. (October 12, 1993). Jim Henson: The Works—The Art, the Magic, the Imagination. New York City, NY: Random House. ISBN 0-679-41203-4.
  • Grant, John (March 15, 1999). "The Dark Crystal". In Clute, John; Grant, J (eds.). The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (Rev. ed.). New York City, NY: St. Martin's Griffin. p. 249. ISBN 0-31219869-8.
  • Llewellyn, J. J. (October 20, 1982). Brown, R (ed.). The World of The Dark Crystal. B. Froud, illus. New York City, NY: Alfred A. Knopf / Henson Associates. ISBN 0-394-71280-3.
  • Parish, J. R. (April 1, 2006). Jim Henson: Puppeteer and Filmmaker. New York City, NY: Ferguson Publishing. pp. 74–76. ISBN 0-8160-5834-2.
  • Rickitt, R. (October 1, 2000). Special Effects: The History and Technique. New York City, NY: Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-7733-0.
  • Smith, A. C. H.; Odell, D. (October 1, 1982). The Dark Crystal: A Spellbinding Novel of Fantasy and Adventure. New York City, NY: Henry Holt & Co. ISBN 0-03-062436-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |lastauthoramp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  • Von Gunden, K. (January 7, 1989). "The Dark Crystal: Other Worlds, Other Times". Flights of Fancy: The Great Fantasy Films. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. pp. 30–44. ISBN 0-7864-1214-3.
  • Willis, D. C. (September 12, 1984). Horror and Science Fiction Films III. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. pp. 57–59. ISBN 0-8108-1723-3.
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