Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Labyrinth arrived in 1986 from Tri-Star Pictures, a Jim Henson production made in partnership with George Lucas that fused practical creature work with musical numbers from David Bowie. It underperformed on release but found a devoted afterlife on home video, becoming a touchstone for fans of puppetry-driven fantasy filmmaking and cementing Henson's Creature Shop as a benchmark for tactile, hand built effects. Its reputation now rests on the strength of its supporting cast of goblins, beasts, and misfits who accompany Sarah through the maze.
This cell is identified simply as Ludo, the gentle rock caller Sarah befriends on her journey, one of the film's most beloved secondary figures thanks to the sheer craft of his costume and the warmth he brings to an otherwise perilous quest. Collectors seek him out because he represents the emotional counterweight to Jareth's menace, a reminder of the film's soft heart. A single character reel like this one preserves that presence in isolation, a fragment of celluloid tied to one figure's place in the story.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour optical release print of Labyrinth (1986).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced, cleanly punched with rounded rectangular profiles and no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the perforations, appearing as two parallel wavy lines consistent with a dual bilateral or stereo variable-area format.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read any key numbers or manufacturer text.
Base & colour
The base shows a warm golden-amber tint typical of an acetate safety stock; the dye image appears rich and not noticeably faded or red-shifted.
Projection history
Light surface lines are visible running longitudinally across the frames, consistent with projection wear.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, consistent with a release print of Labyrinth (1986).
Era check
The dual variable-area optical soundtrack, warm acetate base tint, and four-perforation 35mm format are all consistent with a mid-1980s theatrical release print.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000063039
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
