You remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power. What power? The power of voodoo. Who do? You do. Do what? Remind me of the babe.
Have you ever noticed that the movie Labyrinth is a lot like The Wizard of Oz?
Let’s do a comparison:
- Munchkins = Goblins (avoids the issue of how PC the term “Munchkins” is)
- Dorothy = Sarah (except brattier and more dramatic)
- “There’s no place like home.” = “You have no power over me.” (more feminism)
- Yellow Brick Road = Labyrinth (The road was too easy.)
- Wicked Witch of the West = David Bowie (except more fashionable)
The similarities are amazing, aren’t they?
It’s a tale as old as time. Girl ends up in a strange land. She makes some new friends. They travel to the Emerald/Goblin City. Someone melts or turns into an owl. Happens all the time.
Rewatching this movie just proved how oblivious innocent I was as a child. As an adult, I kept staring at David Bowie’s…pants.
Dude...Stop looking at my...pants!
I did manage to take some notes about what I learned from the movie:
- If you want goblins to take away your baby brother, just say, “I wish the goblins would come take you away.”
- An oubliette is a place you put people…to forget about them.
- Watch out for poison
applespeaches. - Fairies bite; they don’t grant wishes.
- The only person who grants wishes is Bowie in crotch-hugging pants.
- Slapping babies will make them pee.
This movie should have included a tutorial on how to do that crystal ball spinning thing. But since it didn’t, the most important thing I learned is David Bowie may be Macaulay Culkin’s inspiration.
The Originator of the Home Alone Face
January 18th, 2012 at 8:40 am
I never saw Labyrinth as a kid but I watched it grown up and my opinion was – WTf? Which really, is the same reaction to Wizard of Oz so I concur!
January 18th, 2012 at 8:52 am
Oh my gawd. His pants!!!
January 18th, 2012 at 8:59 am
I remember when it came out. On paper, it’s the kind of movie I’d go see. It had David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly and Muppets. Not a bad ingredient in the bunch, but stir them together, and it just looked, I don’t know, really, really weird.
January 18th, 2012 at 9:12 am
Not such a fan of Oz, Labyrinth or Bowie.
So I’ll just say that I like chocolate ice cream with rainbow sprinkles, just to get the comment in.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:12 am
You can never go wrong with an ice cream comment on this blog.
January 18th, 2012 at 9:21 am
Dude. He’s old enough to be your grandfather. Stop looking at his package!
Labrynth is a huge acid trip kind of movie. I haven’t seen it in years (although, coincidentally, we were just watching Oz this last weekend), but I remember it being tres odd. And that Sarah was a total brat. I think I remember liking the songs, though.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:14 am
But in the movie he wasn’t old enough to be my grandfather!
And seriously, how can you not look at it? It’s right there. In your face. All the time.
David Bowie was born in 1947…he’s not quite old enough to be my grandfather but too old to be my father. I’m not sure why I feel the need to defend my package scoping…it’s Bowie. Nuff said. =)
January 18th, 2012 at 10:18 am
I love this movie…as a kid and an adult. Guilty pleasure I guess. And I even looked at his “pants” as a kid….just can’t help it…its right there!!!
January 19th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Exactly! It’s right there! I love the movie, too.
January 18th, 2012 at 10:55 am
Mmmmm, Bowie. It was a very strange era, with Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, etc. But good times as a kid. Personally, I’d love to have the soundtrack.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Dark Crystal is another good movie!
January 18th, 2012 at 11:02 am
NO SERIOUSLY, WHAT IS IN HIS PANTS. Probably a really big Pop-Tart.
January 18th, 2012 at 1:57 pm
Another muppet is in there. The magic of Jim Henson Studios!
January 19th, 2012 at 10:16 am
Lorraine, a Pop-Tart? That’s really tempting for me…yet so wrong.
Carrie, BWAHAHAHA!
January 18th, 2012 at 11:10 am
I went back to watch this movie a few years ago, and had the hardest time finding it. Finally, I went up to the cashier in the movie store and they pointed me to the children’s section.
“David Bowie in tights is in the children’s section?!?” I asked.
I do know all of these songs, though. A friend of mine had the sound track in high school and played it CONSTANTLY.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:17 am
I was that friend. Ok, not really. I have the soundtrack, but I never played it around other people.
January 18th, 2012 at 11:45 am
I’ve never seen Labyrinth , and if it includes slapping babies, I think I might have to pass. I’ve only seen disjointed segments of The Wizard of Oz. So why comment? Because your post reminded me of this:
I once knew a true Southern belle, who said to me (in the context of a conversation) in her beautiful Georgia drawl, which I continue to envy more than you’ll ever know, “Well, we all know there’s only a dozen original stories in the world and we’ve all heard THAT one, now, haven’t we?”
One of the dozen is the basic plot of Star Wars. Another (I suppose) is The Wizard of Oz.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:18 am
Don’t worry there aren’t any babies actually slapped. It’s just a song lyric so it had to rhyme with something.
January 18th, 2012 at 11:58 am
LMAO @ Lorraine.
I love this movie and since I haven’t watched it in forever…. I think I’ll be watching it tonight! Thanks!
January 19th, 2012 at 10:18 am
Hurray! Enjoy the Bowie package!
January 18th, 2012 at 12:22 pm
David Bowie was the highlight of that movie. He’s all I remember of it.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:19 am
So true….
January 18th, 2012 at 1:46 pm
I remember watching this when I was little because my Mom loves David Bowie and being disturbed/mesmerized by him. I think it was a combination of the pants and the hair. But this reminds me, I have to ask my mom what’s wrong with her.
-Gizzy
January 19th, 2012 at 10:19 am
The hair is flippin’ crazy. I don’t care that he is the Goblin King.
January 18th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
I’m frightened…..
January 18th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
Now I can’t stop staring at his…pants.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:20 am
Exactly.
January 18th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
True story: I used to walk back and forth, staring at this video in the Video Store (back when there were video stores. And videos), and as an 8 year old child felt so, SO weird bc I couldn’t decide if he was a man or a woman.
Then of course you take a look at those riding pants.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:21 am
The hair is a little deceiving.
January 18th, 2012 at 4:52 pm
I agree, it is a movie that makes you feel like you smoked pot. Talking nonsense…having difficulty understanding and all the singing and theatrics of Bowie. It would probably make more sense stoned. But you know, I had to own it and my 6 year old daughter, then 5 watched it quite a few times. I might have to pull that from the archives.
it’s right up there with the other dark/fantasy movie LEGEND with Tom Cruise. Again, I had to own…took me a bit to find that one, but we did! Then we added Never Ending Story, which has a certain familiar darkness/fantasy to it, as well. THE NOTHING! ooooo.
Sandi
http://www.ahhsome.wordpress.com
Lake Forest, CA USA
January 19th, 2012 at 10:22 am
I love Legend and Neverending Story!
January 18th, 2012 at 5:39 pm
I am torn as to whether I should watch this movie or not..
It sounds interesting, yet it also sounds like I should be on something while I watch it.. Hmm… I guess I will have to figure it out by finding out if I can get it from somewhere or borrow a copy of it…
if not, it may not be a huge disappointment?!
January 19th, 2012 at 10:22 am
You don’t have to be on anything. It’s entertaining all by itself.
January 18th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Eweeeeee (covering my eyes!) That picture is just painful!
January 18th, 2012 at 8:21 pm
I have long underwear kinda like his pants…people stare too when I wear them in public,
January 18th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
I always say those circular lines “You remind me of the babe…” to my wife but she can never quite place them. I’m glad to read they made an impression on someone else.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:32 am
I bet Zooey Deschanel would know that quote. Just sayin’. Don’t tell your wife I said that.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:52 am
When that movie came out, I was still freaked out by Tina Turner in Mad Max and I think I thought David Bowie WAS Tina Turner, which did not alleviate my consternation when I found out that was a GUY and I think around the same time Ozzy did his thing where he bit off a bat’s head and that was the beginning of puberty for me, thank you.
January 19th, 2012 at 10:33 am
Bowie’s hair is a little Turner-esqe.
January 21st, 2012 at 6:27 pm
Never saw it but I like the picture of the pants. Hubba, hubba.