What current day flops
do you think
are going to
become future classics?
I’m currently reading Brian Jay Jones excellent Jim Henson: The Biography and just finished the section devoted to Henson’s ambitious 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth, starring David Bowie and a young Jennifer Connelly. Though it was something I already knew, it still surprised me to recall how poorly the film had fared when it was released–both critically and financially. It was especially odd to read as his peers gave their reasons for why it failed and listed what they perceived were its many flaws.
The reason this struck me as strange is because today I know many people who passionately love this film and regard it as a classic. I’ve been in bars where people in their 20s have performed spontaneous word for word renditions of Bowie’s “Magic Dance” and have had more than one female friend admit that the musician’s portrayal of Jareth the Goblin King remains one of their most potent sexual fantasies. Despite only having a Metascore rating of 50/100, its current IMDb score–based on popular vote instead of critical consensus–is a very respectable 7.4/10 from over 69,000 votes.
It’s a reminder that just because an artistic work fails today, it doesn’t mean it’s destined to be forgotten. In fact many of our most beloved classics were met with indifference or worse when they were first released. It’s a Wonderful Life actually became an annual holiday must-see because its studio thought so little of it that they failed to renew its copyright, which allowed TV stations to air it for virtually nothing. I remember once going to a The Princess Bride party in university and being the only person in attendance who had actually seen it in the theatre. Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo was named the greatest film of all time in the most recent Sight & Sound poll, but it’s failure almost wrecked his career and forced him to regroup first with the much less personal North By Northwest and the much smaller scale Psycho.
So, the question is, what recent artistic flops do you think have a chance of being rediscovered and embraced as future classics? Could be a movie, TV show, book, play, anything.
My pick is one I myself ignored when it was initially released, but decided to give a chance when a group of younger friends enthusiastically recommended it to me and that’s the Wachowski Brother’s 2008 megaflop, Speed Racer. I think it has all of the elements that generally allow a flop to be reborn–it was ahead of its time in terms of both style and technology (see Blade Runner), it’s perfectly designed for young audiences to watch over and over again (hello Labyrinth and Princess Bride!) and it was made by filmmakers who a lot of people wanted to see fail at that moment to prove they were mortal (not only Vertigo, but also Citizen Kane–number 2 on the Sight & Sound list).
I could be wrong, but that’s the fun part of culture–you never know what will stay with us or what will fade away.
Honestly, I think I was sitting on the fence sexually as a 9-year-old until I watched The Labyrinth. Jareth most certainly cinched my heterosexuality. In fact, I bonded with a good friend over this movie. We took two days creating a whole Labyrinthine obstacle course in her backyard that, unfortunately, only took us about 15 minutes to complete. But our reward for completing it was watching The Labyrinth again. I think I have seen this movie at least 12 times. But not recently. I wonder if anyone can recommend this as an adult; does it hold up? Is it just… Read more »
I actually watched it a few days ago. I understand some of the criticisms (the plot is too episodic) but disagree with the idea that Sarah was too unlikeable. I personally found her to be strong, kind and clever, while also showing the stubbornness found in many kids her age. A lot of critics also hated the musical sequences, which is insane since they are objectively awesome.
Even more so because grown-up now and can recognize all the seduction going on.
I am now almost a decade behind in my film watching, I think. Advent of kid means you only see maaaaybe 3-4 movies a year (while they are in theaters) tops? So that means I save up my movie time for things I’ve heard much buzz about or for directors/stories I already love (and usually already have acclaim, etc.) So I’m gonna get in my WABAC machine for this and ask why no one loves this 90s gem as much as I do… http://youtu.be/sw397jw4hPE http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102035/?ref_=nv_sr_1 Also? I can’t believe Labyrinth was a flop! Jareth can fly through my window anytime,… Read more »