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| HOLLYWOOD (AP) -What happens when the creator of the Muppets and the
producer of "Star Wars" combine their talents? The result Is "The Dark
Crystal," a movie with non- human actors in a strange, unworldly land.
At Christmastime, filmgoers will be able to see the collaboration of Jim Henson, the man who made puppetry a major industry, and Gary Kurtz, partner of George Lucas in "Star Wars" and "The Empire Strikes Back." They have been joined by Frank Oz, the voice of Miss Piggy and Yoda, and Brian Froud, co-illustrator of the best-selling book, "Faeries." THE STARS of the $20 million movie are newcomers: Jen, Aughra, Kira, Fizzgig. urZah and a variety of Gelflings, Skeksises and Urrus. They live In a world "out of time and place, with a secret, sometimes frightening am-biance … a world of fantasy and imagination, where forest and swamp breed danger and uncertainty. Creatures strange beyond experience hop, crawl and skitter, singing sweetly or shrieking in unfamiliar languages." Universal Pictures is hopeful that the unknown cast and the imaginative plot and locales will capture today's youth-oriented movie market. Kurtz, Henson and Oz were in Los Angeles recently to open an exhibit of "The Dark Crystal" artifacts at the Craft and Folk Art Museum. Henson, a lean, full-bearded man of 46, said "The Dark Crystal" evolved from characters once shown on television's "Saturday Night Live. " "THEY WERE puppets, but they were unlike the Muppets and because the show was on late at night, we were able to do some questionable material," he said. "For the first time we used taxidermist's eyes in the puppets, making them seem like living creatures. Then it became a challenge to take them a step further. Could we create another world in which there were no people?" Henson sketched out the story of Jen, an elf-like creature from an ancient race who pursues a quest through fantastic lands to fulfill a prophecy. The script was written by David Odell, who had worked on "The Muppet Movie" as well as the television shows. Brian Froud's visualizations provided the early impetus for the project, Henson said. "But I never knew It was going to take five years," he adds. The 42-year-old Kurtz joined the project when he asked Henson's help in creating Yoda, the sage of "The Empire Strikes Back." "AT THAT time Jim had a few people working in the lab," Kurtz says. "He showed me the problems they were having with the latex molds, and we talked at length about the project. I was intrigued with the idea of doing a film with no human beings." After "Empire," Kurtz devoted full time to research and development of the "Dark Crystal" characters. Some are 30 inches high, some are six feet. They move and talk and express feelings through complicated machinery: mechanical, hydraulic, radio control, cable linkage, etc. "The film is live-action throughout, no animation," Kurtz emphasizes. "Sometimes we studied the storyboards and said, 'This character is not capable of performing that action.' At times like that, we thought how much easier it would have been to hire Barbra Streisand and Robert Red-ford. Live actors only have to step onto the set and do their work." WITH REAL actors, the producer reasoned, the budget would have been one-third less. But actors would have created an anthropomorphic effect. "We didn't want an imitation of human beings," Kurtz said. "We did a lot of animal studies, especially of dogs and the way they ex-press themselves with their ears and eyes." Henson directed "The Dark Crystal" along with his lonqtime partner Frank Oz. a bald, angular man of 46. They also provide voices for three of the characters. "I do so many recognizable voices so I limited myself," Oz says. "We were looking for good, textured voices and found most of them in England. All of the recording was done after the completion of production." "The Dark Crystal" was filmed in 26 weeks at EMI Studios in London and on locations in England. Now comes the trick matter of selling a film with no stars -In fact, no human beings. "WE'RE SELLING it as a fantasy film," said Kurtz, "It's difficult to explain what it is; it has to be seen. Then we're counting on people talking about it. Will there be a "Dark Crystal II"? "If it's a success, I think the subject can be explored further," Henson says. "If it's a bomb, I'll drop it." |
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Updated 4/7/97 by Monica J. Roxburgh |
