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 co-written with George Lucas, blending puppetry and practical effects with a rock star turn from David Bowie. It underperformed on release but found a devoted following through home video, becoming a touchstone of 1980s fantasy filmmaking and a showcase for Henson's Creature Shop. Bowie's performance as the Goblin King gave the film its cultural staying power, and the movie now holds a firm place among cult classics prized by collectors of practical effects era cinema.
This cell centers on Jareth the Goblin King, the character David Bowie brought to the screen, a figure collectors seek out precisely because the role fused his musical persona with fantasy cinema. Naming him directly, without a companion scene, points to a piece built around his presence alone, the kind of frame that stands as a character study rather than a narrative beat. For 35mm collectors, such a cell represents the Goblin King as an icon in his own right, a still fragment preserving the actor and role together.
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 no torn or deformed holes visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical soundtrack is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a dual-track variable-area format.
Edge print
Edge print reads mirrored as 'EASTMAN 1', consistent with Eastman stock edge coding.
Base & colour
Base shows a warm cream-yellow tint typical of acetate safety stock; the dye image appears cool-blue shifted with strong colour saturation still present.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with projection wear; no splices or cue marks seen.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot with minimal compositional change between them, consistent with a release print of the film on record.
Era check
The Eastman safety base, dual variable-area optical soundtrack, and colour dye structure are all consistent with a mid-1980s theatrical release print, matching the 1986 production date of the film 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 000063046
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
