Would it have been the same if it wasn't a musical and Bowie didn't sing his songs? He got a lot of crap from music critics and his older fans for writing the songs for Labyrinth. They thought the songs were terrible.
Also, it didn't have to be a musical, if they'd wanted to they could've still had Bowie without the songs and just have a straight fantasy movie. Would it have worked?
The music definitly helps a lot, i mean the whole purpose of the project was primarly based around music anyway- that was Jim Henson's initial idea. I like the story concept anyway, but i think the music definitly adds to the movie to set it apart from other fantasy films, it becomes unique for that purpose alone. Also the music, in particular the dialogue, really adds an extra dimension as well as more depth to the characters. For example the song "As The World Falls Down" is Jareth showing his romantic side and exposing his true inner feelings to Sarah which is probably more effective in music form then it would be in spoken dialogue (and indeed it becomes more magical when sung), and "Within You" perfectly shows the tragic angst that Jareth is going through which again is more effective as a song then it would be if he said it directly to Sarah. Of course he would never say any of these things to Sarah directly anyway so the songs are a way for us to understand Jareth as a deeper, more complex character- and it certianly breaks the initial preconception of him being a typical "villian", which of course he's not; and it's only through the songs that we really understand this. It's a fantasy "girl coming of age" Alice in Wonderland/Wizard of Oz journey film first and foremost but i think personally with the music it turns into a sort of pseudo-romance, especially with Bowie singing the latter songs in the film, more Phantom of the Opera ish. Jareth is definitly that type of character similar to Erik- more a tragic and misunderstood soul than a true-blue villian.
To be honest I don't even know if Sarah actually hears what Jareth is saying through his songs, maybe it's for the audience alone as she doesn't seem to be reacting to his words, but still it's great to have them in there as it shows us more to the characters that we wouldn't have got to see without the songs. Coincidently it wasn't the fantasy that attracted me to the film at first, nor the monsters or the goblins or the action (which, as a little boy, would have been the first thing to grab my attention and get me to watch it) but it was in fact the music itself that struck me. As soon as "Underground" played at the start it was hard for me not to look away as the music is wonderful and the lyrics really interesting. I didn't know Bowie got slated for his music here as i think it's a great soundtrack. The style is different from what wer'e used to hearing from him but still i think it's brilliant- with "As The World Falls Down" single-handedly being one of the best romantic ballads i've ever heard.
Of course the whole movie with music adds to that 80s MTV pop music charm as well, which is another reason why it's so popular with people. It's definitly a film of the era and the contemporary pop music (instead of full blown songs typical of most musicals) added a spin on the traditional fantasy film at the time. It's an old skool fantasy blended with modern day humour, dialogue, wit and music. I thought it was a Disney type movie at first- clean cut and traditional with nothing offensive- and then i hear the goblins talking modern day slang, saying words like "crap" (which back then for me was quite something as i was bought up watching very restricted material and hearing them swear like that was like, woah) and seeing Hoggle pissing in a pond and killing fairies and all of a sudden it's in a league of it's own- its traditional and modren, and takes the piss out of it's own genre at the same time. It's a fusion of old and new and i love it.
What about Bowie's acting? He has been slated for it in the past and when this came out, not many people thought he'd done particularly well. I for one think he is a good actor, not excellent, but he can act. And what more could one want? It's still a children's film, albeit with adult undertones.
I thought his acting was great to be honest, even as a child i was able to pick up the subtle details of his performance- his dry wit, his tounge-in-cheek humour, his over-possesive controlling side, his over-bearing seductive side, a tragic romantic, a strutting "rock star rebel" (especially with his cane that looks suspiciosly like a microphone) and as a frankly bored young man just putting on the villian act to pass the time (like he was only living up to his role as the bad guy as that was his duty, perfectly explained by Bowie in the making-of documentary where he says that he assumed Jareth reluctantly took on the job as Goblin King, and he would rather be in Soho or something having a drink and a laugh). And it's true that he rarely shows any expression for his emotions but this is what i think is truly classy about his performance- especially in the ballroom sequence where he instinctly wants to move closer to Sarah despite the whispered warnings by other jealous women there that forbid him to go- yet he looks at them and then looks at Sarah even more longinlgy and then goes and takes her by the hand, to the disaproval of everyone. I managed to catch this only becuase i used to watch the film so much everyday, it's a very deep performance but it's done very subtley and you have to focus on it to pick it up. If you've ever read artist Brian Froud's "Goblins of Labyrinth" artbook he goes into some detail about how he designed Jareth as a character and describes him as a sort of scarlett pimpernel Wuthering Heights-type "Lord of the Manor". I'd be happy to write the excerpt out for you if you haven't got the book.
And regarding his songs for the film, i completly agree with you. Each song perfectly encapsulates either the characters (the Fireys with Chilly Down), the scenario or both (as i explained in another thread, As The World Falls Down and Within You were a way to let Jareth let out his angst and inner feelings towards Sarah in a way he wouldn't be able to do in normal dialogue). "Magic Dance" is just a playful, fun-filled catchy tune which encompasses the relativly "simple" point of the entire film as a way to market it easily- a family friendly film for everyone to get up, dance to and enjoy. "Underground" however is a song which harbours the deeper meaning of the film, explaining what it's really all about for those who want to study it and learn from it's many morals and understand what Henson and Bowie really wanted to say- and that's all about Sarah (as well as us), learning and growing through metaphors and interpretations of journeys, revelations, sacrifices and redemptions regarding life itself.
So all in all every song has something relavent to say about the film, it's characters and to us in general regarding Henson's philosophy- and i find that not only intriguing but also fascinating in it's detail. I too hope that Bowie and Connelley aren't embarrased by the film though it has been well documented that Jennifer doesn't like talking about it, i remember she was on Tonight with Johnathaon Ross a few years ago and Ross bought the film up (as he would as he's a fan of it, showing a massive image of Jareth and Sarah on the screen) and Jennifer blushed, smiled and looked away in embarassment and asked if they move away from the subject as quickly as possible.
I'll leave you with some choice quotes from Jim Henson himself which i believe are completly relavant to what he was trying to say with Labyrinth, and with life in general:
"I believe that life is basically a process of growth - that we go through many lives, choosing situations and problems that we will learn through. I think there are lots of ways of leading very good lives and growing spiritually, and this process of growth goes on whether we believe in it or not."
"Life's like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending."
"As children, we all live in a world of imagination and fantasy. And for some of us, that world of make-believe contiunes into adulthood"
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