Of all the elements of the film that I love, and there are many, believe me, the one thing I can't get enough of is the whole will-they, won't-they thing. Of course, having watched the film more times than Wizard Of Oz has been on at Christmas, I now know that it's more likely to swing in the won't-they direction, but I can dream, can't I? Follow me on a journey through the labyrinth of emotions (oh, I like that), that is THE BALLAD OF JARETH AND SARAH.
Sarah's got a lot of explaining to do, hasn't she? What with all her games and costumes, she's only gone and created the most loved-to-be-hated (or hated-to-be-loved) villain in fanatsy film history. That girl's got a lot of baggage, with an estranged mother here, an evil stepmum there and an annoyingly nonedescript father thrown in for good measure. Something like the creation of the evilest man in the Underground was just a crisis waiting to happen. And happen it did. When her imagination and hopes and dreams and immaturities were just that, Sarah could, just about, deal with them. But then they started thinking. And talking. And struting about like they were, well, David Bowie. And then they were. Skip the chorus, enter verse two...
VERSE 2): THEIR FIRST MEETING -
Jareth may be a villain, but come on, he only did what was asked of him, right? Well, be that as it may, did he really have to be so frightening? Sarah IS scared, but can she resist his charms - surely that's Jareth's main asset. Well, at this point, falling in love with the human form of her childhood fantasies isn't exactly the the first thing on her mind. She's kinda caught up with the whole 'my baby brother's about to be turned into a goblin' thing. So, for this verse at least, I think fear's the overriding emotion. Not for long...
VERSE 3): SO THE LABYRINTH'S A PIECE OF CAKE?
So, at this point, Sarah's doing quite well. She's found her way in and out of the oubliette, and has now, surprise surprise, bumped into Jareth. Coincidence? I think not. Jareth''s on top 'I'm the bad guy' form at the moment, and so he does a bit of meddling with time and sets the cleaners on her and Hoggle. Yeah, he tries to play it cool, but look how close he gets to her. Is it really necessary? And in any case, 'Nothing tra-la-la' is hardly the best chat up line in the Underground, now is it?
VERSE 4): THE BALL -
Jareth's advances just aren't being responded to, so he decides to drug her. A little drastic, I know, but he hasn't got long, remember, just thirteen hours. (Though he did set that, he's only got himself to blame). Now, the ball. This is huge. This is every little girl's dream. Okay, falling in love with your nemesis might not be every little girl's dream, but look at what Sarah get's to wear! Hmm, I digress. Here, we think Sarah wight just be falling for Jareth (who could resist that purple eyeshadow?). But, to the disappointment of fans everywhere, nothing can come of it. Sarah has grown much too strong, even for Jareth...
VERSE 5): THE UPSIDE-DOWNSIDE ROOM -
(Firstly, can someone remember the name of the poster this room is based on, it's killing me! Email me!)
Anyway, this scene, to me, shows that Jareth has kind of already admitted defeat. He just sits back and watches. Just as Sarah had known that facing Jareth alone is just the way it is done, Jareth knows that it is the villain's destiny to fail, and the heroine's to succeed. That doesn't mean he's not up for a last ditch attempt, however...
VERSE 6): THE SHOWDOWN -
It's nearly thirteen o'clock, and Sarah's desperate to prevail, but Jareth's desperate to have Sarah. He tries to be honest - although he never actually says he loves her, he does say he wants her to love him. And in the twisted mind of Mr. Jareth, that's almost the same thing, right? Maybe. He offers her everything; all she has to do is fear him, love him, and do as he says. Mmmm, hard choice. I think I'd like my brother back, thanks very much. No, I'm over-trivialising it, she does have to be strong to overcome him, and she even reaches out for the crystal. But it's too late. We think Jareth's gone forever, until...
VERSE 7): THE END -
So, Sarah's back home, she's grown up and left all that toys and costumes nonsense behind her right? Wrong. In fact, she says that, every now and again in her life (hold on love, you've only been home 5 minutes) she needs them. And that's when we see the snowy owl. Jareth's not dead, and he'll be back......
