THE DARK CRYSTAL (1982)

Guest writer Phil Congleton returns with a new film containing expert craftsmanship…

Photo by Chris Mich

My film choice for September comes at a time of the year when many things begin again. The beginning of Fall, the start of the new television season and school returns again, just to name a few. What better way to capture that feeling of autumn, TV and kids returning to school, than with Sesame Street and the Muppets? The main face of that important part from TV history was Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets, who was born on September 24, 1936. This blog is a film blog, so we won't discuss television, we will discuss movies. So, for these purposes, we will tackle the film, The Dark Crystal (1982), for our film for this month, which was one of Jim Henson's three theatrical film, directorial efforts. The Dark Crystal (1982), opened up in theaters at the end of 1982 to mixed reviews. The film may have been ahead of its time, because in subsequent years afterwards, the film has gained acclaimed acceptance and cult classic status with younger generations. It is so respected today, that it got its Blu-Ray release on September 29th, 2009 and a prequel TV series on Netflix arrived in 2019. 

Let's enter the incredibly creative world of The Dark Crystal (1982).

The Dark Crystal (1982)

From the 1960s to the 1980s, the practice of using practical visual effects took many interesting turns and many different directions when it came to styles of effects. You had the Japanese doing their unique brand of effects with miniatures and monster suits. In England you had the special effects artists experimenting with marionettes. You had Ray Harryhausen continuing his work with stop-motion photography. As the 1980s dawned, famed make-up and horror effects master, Rick Baker began his transformation techniques with the film, An American Werewolf in London (1981). There was a lot of new techniques created outside of your typical, practical effects of the time. Jim Henson had been doing his work with puppetry since the 1960s. He was instrumental in the creation of Sesame Street (1969 - present) and had been working on the classic television show, The Muppet Show (1976-1981), when the opportunity arose for him to do The Dark Crystal (1982).

It's a unique story about a world, completely opposite of the one we live in. It could be thousands of years in the future or tens of thousands of years in the past. We do not know, nor do we care. It's the world on the screen and the inhabitants of that world, which make the story unfold. The main story line is a little bit average, but that is not a problem, because the visuals are what keep you in the film. The unique side of the story, separate from the average basic plot, stems from what the special effects wizards do with the characters from there. There are a lot of interesting moments and scenes, that Henson, Oz and the film's creators display across the screen. It is a groundbreaking event. Some may say it's just "Muppets in Space", but there is a lot more to it than that.

Photo by Chris Mich

In the age of CGI special effects, we need to always remember what it was like to make films before CGI. Everything the computer does for you now, was done with the artist's hands. Everything was made with tangible, physical materials, which had to be shot in a studio or soundstage, with green screens in the background. This is what I really liked about this film. The amount of manpower time needed to create all these characters, dwellings and lands was immense. Every detail was painstakingly created in order to make this fantasy come to life. The art direction sets and lighting techniques all had to be controlled by human beings. It is that dedication to the craft and the desire to tell a story, which makes this an extraordinarily strong film to see.

7.2 (C My Grade) = 7 IMDB, 3 1/2 Stars Letterboxd

And now, Star Wars...

Usually, we try to compare a classic movie from film history, with inspiration towards the Star Wars saga. In this case, it's more of a mutual inspiration between two parties, beginning with the legacy of Jim Henson and his longtime collaborative partner Frank Oz. Henson started things off in the mid-1960s with the Muppets, who became part of the acclaimed PBS television show, Sesame Street (1969-present). As every film or tv buff knows, this would lead to Henson meeting Oz and eventually doing the Muppet Show (1976-1981), on the ABC Network. It was Oz's participation in The Muppet Show that landed him the job of bringing Yoda to life in The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Also, Jim Henson was too busy working on other projects, including The Dark Crystal (1982), so he recommended Oz to George Lucas to be the puppeteer and voice for the Jedi knight, Yoda. 

It was the amazing success of  The Empire Strikes Back (1980) that showed to the world that a Jedi master could be a puppet. 

When this film debuted in 1980, no one had a problem with Yoda being a puppet. It worked for the film, and it worked for the character. Sure, the puppetry has been replaced by CGI today, but that is the great part about the evolution of film. Seeing characters successfully transcend the different eras of film, is a good thing. It's important to film history as well. Many characters, throughout film history have disappeared or come to an end due to changes in technology. It is always good to see those characters return in a new form. The success of Yoda opened the door for The Dark Crystal (1982). It reassured the creators of the film, that audiences were ready for a Muppet film, which had a serious side to it. This was a film that wasn't made for children. It was a huge departure from Sesame Street and the Muppet Show. Frank Oz would return for The Dark Crystal (1982), along with Jim Henson and create a groundbreaking film about courage, adventure, fantasy and prophecy. It was all done with puppets. 

About the Author

Phil Congleton is a lifelong, but retired, film buff, who worked in television for 30 years and produced some small independent films in the 1990s. He just loves the art of film. You can read more of Phil's film reviews on Letterboxd.