(no subject)

[ealgylden]

You know it's a good birthday when you get a passel of the new Playmobil Vikings and the Holy Grail.

My Grail, of course, is disguised as the soundtrack for The Dark Crystal, one of my all-time favorite, best-beloved, essential-to-a-happy-life film scores. A beautiful piece of work (I'm a big Trevor Jones fan), but one that hasn't been available since the original LP release, back in the early 80's, and I couldn't justify spending a huge amount of money for an album that I couldn't even play. But Numenorean Music (great name, considering) just came out with a limited edition 2-disc set, with the original release score on Disc One and the complete score on Disc Two, and copy #14 of 5000 is now my new favorite thing. It's so wonderful. I've decided that all I'm going to do today is lie around listening to it, yelling out things like "The Great Conjunction is at haaaand!" and scaring the cats. Eeeee! I'm giddy!

There's a whole group of early to mid-eighties fantasy films- Dark Crystal, Ladyhawke, Neverending Story, Labyrinth, Last Unicorn, Princess Bride (even though that has a different, lighter feel to it), maybe a few others- that I love beyond all reason and am completely unable to watch critically. I know that Dark Crystal has been criticised for having a generic plot, that Ladyhawke's Alan Parsons Project score is considered a horror show (hey, I like it, synthesizers and all), that supposedly Neverending Story is dull and too far removed from the book... but these movies are my It's a Wonderful Life or Gone With the Wind. Even their flaws are wonderful to me. I mean, I once torpedoed an hour's busy flirting with a pretentious but gorgeous film geek by naming not Das Boot as my favorite Wolfgang Peterson film, but The Neverending Story (oh well, he wasn't that cute). Other young fantasy geeks had their synapses molded by the good Professor and his elves and orcs and Maiar; I've always been happy with Gelflings and the Southern Oracle and the Goblin King. Especially the Goblin King. Rrowr.

Eeeeee! I love my CD!

Oh, and since this post isn't spammy enough yet:


You are Mulier badasstica pseudofeminista,
the Grrl Sue. Your aggressively bitchy
"feminist" stance only causes men /
boys / male elves to posture the more, and you
fall for it. And them. Surprise, surprise.


What Species of Mary Sue Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Of course I am. Funny thing is, I even have the Chicks in Chainmail book that the picture is from.

Comments

Labyrinth

[kathlaw.livejournal.com]

While I don't share your love of "Dark Crystal" perhaps because I was too old to truly appreciate it, but I totally share your love of "Labyrinth." As a bit of trivia, I talked to Jim Henson's assistant, Mira Velamirovic, shortly after it was released and asked her about the jeans beneath the white gown in the beginning. Turns out that was Jim's own idea, as director. I absolutely loved it as it set up the character perfectly. Have both the souondtrack and DVD and it's one of my "comfort movies." Even though Bowie as Jareth is anything but comfortable. :-)

Congrats on a cool birthday!

Re: Labyrinth

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Dark Crystal came out when I was about seven/eight (I forget what month I saw it), so I was at the ideal age to get grabbed and Kira was the ideal character to do the grabbing. Pretty, elfin and vaguely consumptive-looking? Check. Talks to animals? Check. Handy and romantic healing powers? Check. Exotic even among her own kind? Check. She was the perfect Mary Sue for me at the time, and I spent insane amounts of time running around in our woods in a cape, making weird noises at the wildlife and calling my cat Fizzgig. What's kept me addicted for these years is the detail and completeness of the movie's world, but I blame my getting addicted in the first place entirely on Kira.

As a bit of trivia, I talked to Jim Henson's assistant, Mira Velamirovic, shortly after it was released and asked her about the jeans beneath the white gown in the beginning. Turns out that was Jim's own idea, as director.

Really? That's wonderful. I knew I loved Jim Henson for a reason. That's such a perfect detail; it's exactly what I would have (and did) wear at that age, while doing pretty much the same ridiculous, romantic stuff that Sarah does. The Ren Faire shirt-and-vest combo, too. Definitely a man with daughters.

Re: Labyrinth

[ide-cyan.livejournal.com]

What's kept me addicted for these years is the detail and completeness of the movie's world, but I blame my getting addicted in the first place entirely on Kira.

I'm with you. I'm soo with you. Same boat. Same cabin row. I got hooked on The Dark Crystal on TV and in French, but it means the same to me.

And I really like all those mid-80s movies you listed too. The Neverending Story especially (those crumbling fairy-dust-sprinkled stone sphinxes! the book-throwing! the horse-riding boy hero who looked just like me as a girl!). The Goblin King's mad crystal-ball-twirling skillz. The biting fairies. The ROUS. The wolf and hawk at twilight. The Mandragore in its cage.

I am broke. When I find the money, I'm so buying the Dark Crystal soundtrack. I'd only seen bootleg CDs of it before. I Googled Numenorean Music and bookmarked their site, so a million thanks for the heads-up. :-)

Re: Labyrinth

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Right, exactly! Those are exactly the things I love about these films! The ideas and images like the Goblin King's crystal ball (that was so cool) and the Helping Hands, the crumbling sphinxes and Artax in the Swamps of Sadness (wah!), Aughra's eye and the Landstriders, and the Bishop of Aquila, who was my favorite villain for years and years... oh man, I'm going to have to have a film-fest this weekend.

And now I feel silly that I didn't think to put Numenorean's link in my post. Sorry about that, though yay for Google.

Re: Labyrinth

[kathlaw.livejournal.com]

Dark Crystal came out when I was about seven/eight

Okay, now I'm really feeling old. I was 30 or 31. =:-O

So now you have a friend more than whimper 20 years older than you are. Ah, so now I know what age you're approaching.

Yeah, Jim was way cool. I'm so awfully lucky to have worked with him, even if mostly long distance. I was assistant to the producer/story editor on "Jim Henson's Muppet Babies" back in the mid-80s and we worked with Jim a lot as he had approval on every script. I'll always remember hearing that bit of "Kermit" in his voice when he'd call, and that he took his tea with two sugars, no milk.

After the show wrapped, HA! hosted a party for all of us who'd worked on the series, at a Beverly Hills restaurant, Ed Debevik's and we got a private performance from Jim and Frank Oz. It was amazing, the way both of them didn't disappear, and we were always aware they were there, but they made Fozzie, Miss Piggy, and Kermit absolutely real too. One of my most precious memories. I keep the small Kermit clock that was part of my gift package on my desk, remembering the "old days."

Re: Labyrinth

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Ah, I'm so jealous of that job (though I'm sure it wasn't easy). I've never gotten to work with anyone that great, long distance or not. And to get a live, private performance... wow, what great bosses. So very cool.

Re: Labyrinth

[kathlaw.livejournal.com]

It was one of those classic Hollywood jobs, where you end up doing things that push the ethics line far beyond the comfort level, at least for me. But I learned a lot, it gave me my first break, and I got to meet Jim Henson, and a bunch of the voice actors I liked and admired enormously (my boss was also voice director for the network shows from the studio). So I consider it a "learning experience." And always remember how very lucky I was. Then again, I worked for a year to get ANY job at Marvel, so luck only played a small part. :-)

Somehow when I was younger I wanted things more than I do now. Just realized that.

Another Grrl Sue here

[kathlaw.livejournal.com]

That's a total hoot! Love the other species too. Thanks!

Re: Another Grrl Sue here

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

I took it again, switching in a couple of second choice answers, and ended up as an elf. Eep! Gimme back my broadsword!

[cruisedirector]

Happy belated birthday! Sorry I suck! *g* I do adore Dark Crystal though!

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Oh pshaw, don't be silly. You totally don't suck (yikes, I even sounds 80's now!). You're one of the busiest people I know. Honestly, I don't know how you do it.

Anyway, thanks muchly! It was a much less horrible b-day than I was expecting.