The Dark Crystal

The Dark Crystal
by Henson, Jim, Oz, Frank

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DVD details

Actor: Jean-Pierre Amiel, Malcolm Dixon, Mike Edmonds, Peter Burroughs, Robbie Barnett
Director: Henson, Jim, Oz, Frank
Brand: SONY PICTURES HOME ENT
Primary Contributor: Henson, Jim
Primary Contributor: Mullen, Kathryn
DVD: 2 Layers, Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled)
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 2.35:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-10-05
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures

DVD Reviews of The Dark Crystal

DVD Review: Good Product Excellent service
Summary: 4 Stars

I saw the Dark Crystal when it came out. I always wanted to have it for my collection, and now it is. It arrived in a padded envelope with the security seals intact. I can always count on good service with these people. They have my endorsement

DVD Review: Henson's genius lives on!
Summary: 4 Stars

This is another retro-review featuring movies/DVDs that have been out for quite some time but I have never critiqued.This one I recently revisited for the first time since its' first release in theatres back in /82;and gladly it has not lost any of its'power to fascinate.
Inspired by fantasy characters from the works of Brian Stroud,Henson came up with a plot which involves the Crystal of Truth.The Urskeks were once the guardians of this huge crystal but cracked it,thus splitting their race into the gentle Mystics and the evil Skeksis(symbolic of the evil/good in all creatures).
The Skeksis are large,ugly bird like creatures who rely on the power of the now Dark Crystal to dominate their world.However prophecies fortell of a Gelfling who is to recover the broken shard from the broken Crystal of Truth and restore the Urskeks race.The Skeksis try to make sure this never happens,but fate is in motion and a Gelfling by the name of Jen is the chosen one.Along his journey he meets another Gelfling(elf-eared creatures),called Kira.The knowledge of one compliments the other and together they journey back to the Dark Crystal and restore the shard and the Urskek race.
A totally engaging and imaginative tale,The Dark Crystal was a perfect vehicle in which Henson would display his numerous talents as a puppeteer.As the founding father of the Muppets,he and his close collaborator Frank Oz created a unique world here and the myriad of creatures brought to life on screen,big and small,is astounding.For instance,watch the scene where Jen is sitting in the swamp.As the camera pans left to right watch for all the critters that emphasize just how alive the swamp really is.And little touches like Kira's dog when it barks/whines when it fears it's getting left behind;very visible are its' tonsils.The details make the film that much more enjoyable,and Henson was a stickler for details.
The picture was produced with the minimum of computer help.While his Labyrinth was mostly humans,humans in costume and muppets,The Dark Crystal features mostly men in costumes and muppets,no humans.It was quite an undertaking but Henson pulled it off brilliantly.Henson left us too soon and it makes you wonder just how much he would have been able to accomplish with today's technology had he survived.
As an aside I do not know if this is the original print of the movie.I seem to recall that some creatures spoke their own language and it was subtitled.I recall that that slowed the pace of the movie somewhat but this print actually enhances it without it so,unusually,I'm not complaining.Although it would be nice to have the original print and this one to compare them.
Technically the back jacket on this particluar release(2005) says it has been mastered in Hi-Def but the print,while clear,still shows a little too much dirt specs.A recent remastered release is much better picture wise but it lacks all the special features existing on this release.Those include a documentary on the films making,deleted funeral scenes,original language work print scenes,drawings and profiles and the original trailer.Maybe one day they will release all of these features on one disc.
For now however this film/DVD is certainly a keeper.This wonderful film will amuse and facinate both the young and young at heart.While we have relatively little of puppet master Henson's works on celluloid,there is much to savour in every one of his works and The Dark Crystal is no exception.

DVD Review: Great DVD Product!
Summary: 5 Stars

Great job by the seller! Package arrived as described and professionally wrapped. The DVD was in perfect working order with no flaws! Would definitely order again from this seller!

DVD Review: classic luminary family entertainment
Summary: 5 Stars

I never realised it took five years to make this movie. Puppets and scenes hand made not computer generated. Worth the money.

DVD Review: An old memory
Summary: 2 Stars

I was there in theater when this movie came out. I ordered it to see why it had not caught on the old movie channels, now I know. I remembered it as more interesting. Service on getting the movie was excellent.

Description of The Dark Crystal

GELFINGS ATTEMPT TO SAVE THE WORLD FROM EVIL IN THIS ELABORATEFANTASY. SPECIAL FEATURES: DUAL LAYER WIDESCREEN VERSION, SUBTITLES: ENGLISH, SPANISH, THE WORLD OF DARK CRYSTALDOCUMENTARY, CHARACTER PROFILES AND DRAWINGS, DELETED SCENES, ALTERNATE LANGUAGE SEQUENCES, TALENT FILES AND MUCH MORE.

Jim Henson's fantasy epic The Dark Crystal doesn't take place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but like Star Wars it takes the audience to a place that exists only in the imagination and, for an hour and a half, on the screen. Recalling the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, Henson tells the story of a race of grotesque birdlike lizards called the Skeksis, gnomish dragons who rule their fantastic planet with an iron claw. A prophecy tells of a Gelfling (a small elfin being) who will topple their empire, so in their reign of terror they have exterminated the race, or so they think. The orphan Jen, raised in solitude by a race of peace-loving wizards called the Mystics, embarks on a quest to find the missing shard of the Dark Crystal (which gives the Skeksis their power) and restore the balance of the universe. Henson and codirector Frank Oz have pushed puppetry into a new direction: traditional puppets, marionettes, giant bodysuits, and mechanical constructions are mixed seamlessly in a fantasy world of towering castles, simple huts, dank caves, a giant clockwork observatory, and a magnificent landscape that seem to have leaped off the pages of a storybook. Muppet fans will recognize many of the voice actors--a few characters sound awfully close to familiar comic creations--but otherwise it's a completely alien world made familiar by a mythic quest that resonates through stories over the ages.

The DVD features the 50-minute documentary The World of the Dark Crystal, with interviews and illuminating behind-the-scenes glimpses. The VHS edition includes a shortened 15-minute version of the documentary. --Sean Axmaker

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