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The Dark Crystal | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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he Dark Crystal completely immerses the viewer in a deeply mythic fantasy world. One thousand years ago, the Pure Crystal was shattered, dividing the world into two factions, represented by the decadent, villainous Skeksis and the peaceful, contemplative Mystics. The crystal was reassembled, but one shard was lost. The result was the Dark Crystal, a flawed version of the original that empowers the tyrannical rule of the Skeksis.
An ancient prophecy states that if the crystal is to be healed and the Skeksis overthrown, it will be done by a member of the race of Gelflings. For 1,000 years, the Skeksis have ruthlessly hunted and destroyed the Gelflings. But one orphaned Gelfling, young Jen, has been taken in and protected by the Mystics.
Both the Skeksis and the Mystics have become weak and dissipated over time. Now, only 10 of each race remain. But the three suns are coming into conjunction once again, and the crystal must be healed now, or else it never will be. Jen must leave the protection of the Mystics to search for the missing shard of the crystal.
And so Jen sets off across a bizarre world, populated by creatures beyond even his expectations. With the help of Aughra the seer, he recovers the shard and heads for the Dark Crystal Castle. He also discovers, to his astonishment, a female Gelfling named Kira, who joins his quest.
But the world outside the Mystics' valley is a dangerous place. The banished Chamberlain of the Skeksis shadows Jen for his own dark purpose, and Garthim shock troops dog his every move. Along the way Jen will discover some of the lost history of his people, party with a village of Podlings (whose design was based on the potato) plus discover a very useful difference between boys and girls. Pursued by enemies, and racing against time, Jen struggles to meet his destiny, and to choose the fate of his world.
A unique but flawed masterpiece
An entirely created vision with no humans onscreen, The Dark Crystal's most recent cousin is the computer-animated Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. But The Dark Crystal was made without computers, in 1982, by an army of craftsmen, puppeteers, acrobats, dancers and artists who labored for some five years under the guidance of Jim Henson.
The Dark Crystal is the late Henson's masterpiece. And, since Henson was essentially a visual artist, The Dark Crystal is at heart a feat of visual creation. Henson and illustrator Brian Froud started by working out the look of the world in intimate detail. The story was patched together later, and it shows.
Even in its visuals, minor flaws keep the film from achieving perfection. The problem is the Gelflings. The audience is meant to identify with Jen, and so the filmmakers designed the Gelflings as little humanoids.
The other creatures are like nothing seen before, and realized so brilliantly that they literally fool the viewer into believing they're actual creatures. However, by trying to look like people, the Gelflings simply call attention to the fact that they aren't. The eye immediately recognizes them as puppets, and they shatter the film's illusion whenever they're onscreen.
It's notable that, in the DVD's "making of" documentary, Henson and others repeatedly mention that the Gelfings were the hardest part of the film to design and perform for this very reason.
The documentary is a fascinating look at how the effects were achieved, and is the crown jewel of a slate of extras that includes a deleted funeral sequence, along with alternate versions of several scenes recorded in the characters' "native language." (It should be noted that the additional scenes are from workprints and the picture quality is quite bad.) There are also sketches and character bios that reveal bits of backstory which might have served the story well if they'd been included.
Despite its flaws, The Dark Crystal is an amazing experience, and this disc is well worth a look.
The Dark Crystal is such a towering achievement that noting areas where it falls short seems almost petty. The film must be seen to be believed—and in a world with increasingly sophisticated computer animation techniques and, sadly, without Henson, we'll probably never see its like again. — John
Also in this issue: Firestarter: Rekindled and In Service to the Dream
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