This article comments on the dual role of David Bowie in the film Labyrinth (1986) as actor and singer, in addition to Bowie’s star persona, puppets as a means of alienation, and the narrative world of Labyrinth
in the realm of fantasy and fairy tale. However, the main focus of the
article is on the role the songs play in the film’s narrative. In
musicals, songs usually interrupt the narration, or narrative
progression of the film, while expanding on emotional content or
depiction. In Labyrinth, the sections of dance and song are not
regarded as separate by the characters within the narration, although
they might appear separate to the viewer. The film Labyrinth takes a different approach to the musical tradition, because it intertwines narration and songs. Labyrinth
breaks away from the dual-focus mold of American film musicals (Altman
1987), as only the man in the main character pair sings. It utilises the
traits of musical, but is it a musical? I aim to determine this by
reviewing the genre of the film and analysing the roles and the meanings
of the songs using audio-visual analysis and close reading (see Bal
2002; Richardson 2012).