Yeah, Dark Crystal is one of those things, where, much like with Kubrick's films, it's hard to tell whether the fiction is meant to implicitly reveal the malevolent things that are covertly going in our societies, or whether the fiction is meant as a tip-of-the-hat by creators who are active participants in those malevolent things. Or both.
Dark Crystal was one of these movies that fascinated me as a kid, because they were more alike traditional mythology and fairytales than the sterile ''kid safe'' stuff that eventually took over, and even these today seems to be ''wild'' through the PC culture tinted glasses. There was darkness in Dark Crystal and the a sense that what you saw was part of a far bigger world. And thats where my mind was starting to take off. What about before the times were there were more gelflings, how did they live? Were there other creatures too? Many of those questions were answered in the series. I must say that i was really afraid that they would ruin it. But imo they did a great job. They respected both the visual style and most of all the spirit of the narrative. I hear all the time people saying ''i dont want politics in my comics/movies''. Well if you dont want politics, you get Mickey Mouse. A bland vanilla smilling, all kind, always well meanning boring rat. Its not about incorporating politics, but how you do it and how that resonates with the majority of the public who basically boil in the same pot despite their superficial differences and beliefs. The Dark Crystal franchise manages to connect with what we have in common. As you remember there were many tribes and tribal factions of Gelflings. One could imagine them debating their respective positions all day, calling names the other side etc. In the end they all got fucked by the Skexis. Thats timeless. Its not about the political scene of 2020 and the american cartoony two party (that is basically one) system. Its about the human condition and its the reason why many movements were created trying to fix it and failing in various degrees.
your comments about trump derangement syndrome were on point. im not a political person so i don't really care when that stuff pops up, but the idea that it won't be timeless is so true. people will look back on this time and see a shitload of donald trump artwork and not give a shit about it. i think my fav world building actually comes from anime, like attack on titan, hunter hunter, berserk, one piece
Thank you for this. Kids go through that phase where they fixate on a movie and watch it over and over and over. For me that was the Dark Crystal when my family got our first VCR. I could recite that movie by heart, and it's an open question whether my aesthetic is the way it is because of the Dark Crystal or I loved the Dark Crystal so much because it connected to something already alight inside me as a small child. A few years later when I could read, The Neverending Story (I loved the movie first, but the book instantly swept away any care I had for the movie) had a similar impact on me. Both stand out because they can stand alone. They don't need sequels or Wikipedia to make sense of them. I have both the first edition and the edition you discuss here of The World of the Dark Crystal and it's a good book because it enriches the world without burdening it the way the Netflix miniseries does; or in the way that any sprawling franchise is drowned in alternate timelines and retcons, etc. The Dark Crystal effectively brings in the audience by having the main characters share the audience's ignorance of what is going on. The good and evil of the Mystics and the Skeksis masks a deeper tension between the chthonic Aughra and other inhabitants of the world and the Apollonian UrSkeks who (re)transcend to a higher plane (after going "beyond good and evil") at the end of the movie. Add the artistry of the puppetry and the sublime soundtrack and we have a masterwork. Thanks for letting me geek out.
Yeah. Let's hope he was revealing Epstein-style stuff, rather than participating in it. Arthur C. Clarke is a fiction author who was doing the latter, rather than the former.
I was really drawn into The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake; Dune by Frank Herbert, and The Divine Comedy by Dante (I have just started Purgatorio so I don't know about Paradiso yet). Honorable mentions for Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe, and Edward Carey's book Heap House (Iremonger Trilogy).
Yeah, Dark Crystal is one of those things, where, much like with Kubrick's films, it's hard to tell whether the fiction is meant to implicitly reveal the malevolent things that are covertly going in our societies, or whether the fiction is meant as a tip-of-the-hat by creators who are active participants in those malevolent things. Or both.
Dark Crystal was one of these movies that fascinated me as a kid, because they were more alike traditional mythology and fairytales than the sterile ''kid safe'' stuff that eventually took over, and even these today seems to be ''wild'' through the PC culture tinted glasses. There was darkness in Dark Crystal and the a sense that what you saw was part of a far bigger world. And thats where my mind was starting to take off. What about before the times were there were more gelflings, how did they live? Were there other creatures too? Many of those questions were answered in the series. I must say that i was really afraid that they would ruin it. But imo they did a great job. They respected both the visual style and most of all the spirit of the narrative. I hear all the time people saying ''i dont want politics in my comics/movies''. Well if you dont want politics, you get Mickey Mouse. A bland vanilla smilling, all kind, always well meanning boring rat. Its not about incorporating politics, but how you do it and how that resonates with the majority of the public who basically boil in the same pot despite their superficial differences and beliefs.
The Dark Crystal franchise manages to connect with what we have in common. As you remember there were many tribes and tribal factions of Gelflings. One could imagine them debating their respective positions all day, calling names the other side etc. In the end they all got fucked by the Skexis. Thats timeless. Its not about the political scene of 2020 and the american cartoony two party (that is basically one) system. Its about the human condition and its the reason why many movements were created trying to fix it and failing in various degrees.
your comments about trump derangement syndrome were on point. im not a political person so i don't really care when that stuff pops up, but the idea that it won't be timeless is so true. people will look back on this time and see a shitload of donald trump artwork and not give a shit about it. i think my fav world building actually comes from anime, like attack on titan, hunter hunter, berserk, one piece
I LOVED ssoc. Earliest issue I had as a teenager was #34.
Thank you for this. Kids go through that phase where they fixate on a movie and watch it over and over and over. For me that was the Dark Crystal when my family got our first VCR. I could recite that movie by heart, and it's an open question whether my aesthetic is the way it is because of the Dark Crystal or I loved the Dark Crystal so much because it connected to something already alight inside me as a small child. A few years later when I could read, The Neverending Story (I loved the movie first, but the book instantly swept away any care I had for the movie) had a similar impact on me. Both stand out because they can stand alone. They don't need sequels or Wikipedia to make sense of them. I have both the first edition and the edition you discuss here of The World of the Dark Crystal and it's a good book because it enriches the world without burdening it the way the Netflix miniseries does; or in the way that any sprawling franchise is drowned in alternate timelines and retcons, etc.
The Dark Crystal effectively brings in the audience by having the main characters share the audience's ignorance of what is going on. The good and evil of the Mystics and the Skeksis masks a deeper tension between the chthonic Aughra and other inhabitants of the world and the Apollonian UrSkeks who (re)transcend to a higher plane (after going "beyond good and evil") at the end of the movie. Add the artistry of the puppetry and the sublime soundtrack and we have a masterwork. Thanks for letting me geek out.
Seeing an artist say TDS is absolutely refreshing. Lol. It’s easy to see that stereotypes aren’t your thing. Stay unique. 🤝
Wow thank you for this... I love The Dark Crystal aaaaand yeah the parallels are disturbing. I hope Jim Henson was not a bad guy.
Yeah. Let's hope he was revealing Epstein-style stuff, rather than participating in it. Arthur C. Clarke is a fiction author who was doing the latter, rather than the former.
I was really drawn into The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake; Dune by Frank Herbert, and The Divine Comedy by Dante (I have just started Purgatorio so I don't know about Paradiso yet). Honorable mentions for Lovecraft's Cthulhu universe, and Edward Carey's book Heap House (Iremonger Trilogy).
I found this really interesting, thanks for the video. ( :
why do i have to see your name in every moment of the video, very distracting.
You're probably right - Thanks for the feedback - appreciated.