Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Labyrinth arrived in 1986 as a Jim Henson production released through TriStar Pictures, a fantasy adventure blending puppetry, Muppet-style creature work, and musical set pieces from David Bowie. It underperformed on initial release but grew into a beloved cult favorite through home video, prized for its practical effects, its dreamlike storybook logic, and Bowie's singular presence as a rock star crossing into family fantasy. That legacy has made it a durable object of collector interest, with 35mm material from the production remaining scarce and desirable decades on.
This cell centers on Jareth the Goblin King, the film's antagonist and central draw, played by David Bowie in one of his most iconic screen roles. Collectors seek Jareth material precisely because he is inseparable from Bowie's own celebrity, making any surviving frame a crossover piece between film history and music history. As a straightforward character cell, it commemorates his presence in the story itself, the ruler whose labyrinth and whose bargain drive the entire plot, without tying the image to any single scene or line.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of Labyrinth (1986).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both visible edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges; spacing appears even and the punched holes appear cleanly cut with no visible tearing.
Soundtrack
Two variable-area optical tracks run along one edge beside the picture area, 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
Base shows a warm yellow-amber tint typical of an acetate safety stock; dye image appears moderately saturated with no obvious red shift or fading.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines are visible running the length of the strip, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the subject matter is consistent with the fantasy production listed on record.
Era check
Dual variable-area optical tracks on a warm-base acetate stock are consistent with a theatrical release print from the mid-1980s, matching the 1986 release date on record.
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 000063040
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
