Netflix is jam-packed with new and original movies from the streaming platform, but it also has a hefty dose of classic movies too, including David Bowie’s iconic role as the goblin King in Labyrinth. How many of you remember Jim Henson’s weird musical fantasy film starring David Bowie? Labyrinth had compelled its viewers to enter a maze of emotions with a The Wizard of Oz-esque vibes.
The film revolves around the 16-year-old disillusioned Sarah who is tired of her life and unwittingly wishes her stepbrother Toby to be taken away by the goblins. After Toby does indeed disappears, Sarah is terrified and is ready to embark on an otherworldly quest to rescue her baby brother from turning into a goblin permanently. Aided by Hoggle and following the goblin king Jareth’s instructions, Sarah hopes to rescue Toby from the vicious clutches of the goblins on time.
David Bowie starred as Jareth in the film. He had to be persuaded for quite some time before he finally agreed. His presence altered the script’s course as a lot of singing improv in the film. As Henson has often been quoted saying, “I wanted to put two characters of flesh and bone in the middle of all these artificial creatures, and David Bowie embodies a certain maturity, with his sexuality, his disturbing aspect, all sorts of things that characterize the adult world”.
Bowie himself has spoken of his significant involvement in the film due to his desire of being involved in a project that would have an impact on “children of all ages.” He later elaborated: “I’d always wanted to be involved in the music-writing aspect of a movie that would appeal to children of all ages, as well as everyone else, and I must say that Jim gave me a completely freehand with it. The script itself was terribly amusing without being vicious or spiteful or bloody, and it had a lot more heart in it than many other special effects movies. So I was pretty hooked from the beginning.”
The film, despite being made for children, includes certain spooky and bizarre shots which left even some adult viewers to feel creeped out. There is one such incredibly bizarre hidden Easter egg peppered throughout the film which can only be noticed by hawk-eye viewers.
David Bowie’s face has been blended into various scenes throughout the movie. While first-time watchers might succeed in locating Jareth’s face only once, he actually appears a total of seven times.
Let us take a look at every single time David Bowie’s Jareth appeared in a scene.
- After Sarah enters the Labyrinth, the face appears in the right corner.
- Sarah and Hoggle climb a ladder right after the tunnel cleaners when Hoggle steps on and causes a weaker rung of the ladder to break. As the rung falls freely, Jareth’s face appears on the right amidst the rocks.
- Jareth’s face appears once again to the left of an obelisk on the floor. During this scene, Sarah and Hoggle are actually walking through a hedge maze after having a conversation with the wiseman.
- Jareth’s face again appears in the top left corner when Sarah frees Ludo, making Hoggle angry who mutters under his breath that Sarah will “never get through the Labyrinth”.
- When Jareth gives a poison peach to Hoggle, his face appears once again.
- As soon as the ledge crumbles down, Jareth’s face appears on the Bog of Eternal Stench’s walls.
- As soon as Sarah and her team leave the Bog of Eternal Stench, Jareth’s face re-appears once again amidst the trees.
See the images, below.
