The Dark Crystal
It was another world, another time, in the age of wonder and enthusiasm, as pioneering creators and puppeteers Jim Henson and Frank Oz alongside illustrator Brian Froud with the backing of Lord Lew Grade via his company ITC Entertainment cracked open The Dark Crystal, a groundbreaking dark fantasy released in late 1982 and billed at the time as the first live action feature film to feature no human actors onscreen.
Written by David Odell based on a story conceived by Henson which evolved over the years before it came to the screen, the worlds of fantasy and the public perception of such had changed in the decades since J R R Tolkien and Robert E Howard had written The Lord of the Rings and Conan, with films based on these having been released in 1978 and earlier in 1982 alongside The Sword and the Sorcerer and The Beastmaster later the same year.
A complex world with ancient abandoned dwellings passed on the long way to the mystical and mysterious destination, the dark castle of the ruthless, evil and ever-squabbling Skesis, the deeper history of Thra is only touched upon but it is present, built over even as it is finds expression in the prophecy of the coming conjunction of the three suns a thousand years after the Dark Crystal was split in an act of violent hubris.
A production ahead of its time which looks fantastic over four decades later, despite or even because of the many inspirations, The Dark Crystal is very much its own thing, the simple narrative of quest and destiny but imbued with character and mystery, the gentle Mystics almost wordless in their harmonious ties with nature and acceptance of the world even as they try to change and improve it, but it is the Skesis who are most entertaining.
Cruel, conniving reptilian skeletons, aging intermediates between dinosaur and bird and long past their expiry date, there are variations in snout and teeth, some comical, some definitely threatening, the Emperor dying and the succession a challenge between the Chamberlain and the General, ultimately successful, his rival stripped and exiled to the wastes where he plots to reinstate himself by capturing the last Gelflings, Jen and Kira.
The intricate world and its variety of denizens created through a variety of techniques in close-up and long shot, puppetry, animatronics and costumes built around prostheses from the body-armour of the monstrous beetle guards of the Garthim, cousins to the much later Starship Troopers, to the endearing simplicity of Fizzgig, the complexity required to create the Skesis’ feast outweighs any narrative value but establishes them as odious opportunists with loyalty to no one but themselves.
Jen puppeted by Henson himself, his movements and pauses reminding of Kermit the Frog, he is voiced by Stephen Garlick while the Chamberlain and General are Barry Dennen and Michael Garlick and the tempestuous astronomer Aughra in her mountainside observatory is Billie Whitelaw, The Dark Crystal not a children’s film but a family one and, carried by Trevor Jones’ soaring score, one of enduring enchantment and magic.
Restored in 4K and available in a variety of formats, amongst the special features are a fan event Q&A with Jim Henson’s daughter Lisa, an audio commentary with Brian Froud, scenes featuring the original constructed Skeksis language with David Odell, multiple featurettes covering aspects of the creation, production and legacy of The Dark Crystal and, in the collector’s editions, a double-walled slipcase including a booklet of art and photographs.
The Dark Crystal will be released on 4K and Blu-ray Steelbook on Monday 22nd June, with Blu-ray and DVD to follow on Monday 20th July, and the deluxe 4K and Blu-ray Collector’s Edition from Monday 27th July; a standard edition 4K release will follow on Monday 2nd November
