OK, train of thought: when I read the title to my last post, I Thought That I Was Strong, it made me think (I know, this is random) of the Rock Biter from The Neverending Story in that totally melancholy scene towards the end where he says, "They look like good, strong hands, don't they?" And it got me thinking about The Neverending Story (yes, I own it on DVD) and how much I loved that movie as a kid. And how tragic and intense some kids' movies were back then. Or were they really no more intense than modern kids' movies and I just remember them that way 'cause they seemed intense when I was in preschool? Hm.
So then I wasted a bunch of time watching clips on YouTube, which I of course have to share for the sheer nostalgia of it all. So I've embedded several clips from kids' movies that I figure must've warped an entire generation of children. The mature themes, the dark styles, the cheap effects, the gender ambiguity... They're the kind of movies that you only love, it seems, if you saw them as a kid. And if you didn't see them as a kid, you probably think, "No wonder my friends who watched these as kids seem a bit...off."
Let's begin with the twisted world of The Dark Crystal:
You know the part where the mystics do their "Aaawww" chant? I always think of watching this with Lynette, Miriam, and gang, and Miriam saying it's like the High Priests' group. And of course, Javier and I are convinced one of the men in the ward we've occasionally attended is a mystic. The resemblance is striking.
The next clip I'm including just for any of you who are wondering where one of my peculiar sounds comes from. Gotta love the skekses--these things freaked me out:
Next we have the saucy little jaunt, The Labyrinth:
I'll begin with one of the most endearing characters:
And of course, who could forget this catchy ditty by David Bowie in those shudder-inducing tights?
And who could forget these seriously unsettling beasts? Like Fraggles on acid:
And then possibly my favorite movie of my childhood, post-Wizard of Oz, The Neverending Story. This movie freaked me out, made me sad, and inspired me. It's funny how many little lessons I gleaned from this beautifully 80s fantasy.
First, possibly the saddest scene I remember watching as a kid. I'll get it out of the way first:
And the scene with the Gmork in which we learn of the importance of dreaming and imagining. I didn't realize, at the time, that the Gmork had such a flare for the socio-political:
And finally, the scene that started this whole waste of time on YouTube. The Rock Biter after losing his friends:
I could show others, like the Ivory Tower, or the Southern Oracle (who could forget those huge blue bosoms?), but I think I'll sign out with a video I hadn't seen before now but which is so wonderfully, terribly 80s I have to share it. Behold a music video for the song from The Neverending Story:
6 comments:
Wow, that music video was pretty awesome...when they showed stuff from the movie. I think that mega-mullet is going to haunt me for a while *shudder* There are reasons we left the 80's I guess ;)
I noticed a muppet theme in all of these movies. Were we really that influenced by puppetry? Wow, the things you never realize at the time, eh?
I think your mother should have been more careful with what she let you watch . . . there was a really dark side to those stories, and some heavy downers for a sensitive kid to digest. But then, sometimes parents forget to see these things through a child's eyes . . .
No way, those were my favorites, and I think in certain ways, today's movies most often don't give kids enough credit and pander or talk down too much. But then again, I'm one of the warped ones. :-)
Tonksfam, as for the muppet theme, I just loved muppets. Labyrinth and Dark Crystal are both Jim Henson creations, aren't they? And back then, puppetry and animatronics were the only way to get real-life looking creatures interacting with humans, so I guess it makes sense. I kind of miss that, actually.
Upon further thought, I'm going to disagree with myself. Just depends on what movies you're watching. There was no shortage of shallow, patronizing movies in the 80s, and not all kids' movies today are talking down. Pixar flicks, Bridge to Terabithia, Spiderwick Chronicles, etc don't pander, I don't think. Though I can't think of any modern kids' movies that quite compare in darkness with the ones I blogged about. :-) Except maybe Spiderwick...I wonder...
I watched Spiderwick Chronicles on an airplane ride recently. When I got home, I bought it. I gave it to my granddaughters in Seattle and bought myself another one. It's a great movie. Maybe your mother was right to let you watch those 80s flicks . . . they were fascinating, and I can understand how they could challenge a young mind without warping it . . . especially if it's warped naturally anyway :-)
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