Labyrinth
Labyrinth is one of the most ambitious of all the projects. It is an interpretation and consummation of Expo's unique Theme program. The intention of the Labyrinth - prepared by the National Film Board of Canada - is to tell significantly in a 45-minute film the essential Story of Man. The Labyrinth Pavilion is in Cité du Havre, a short walk from Expo's main entrance. A dictionary definition of "labyrinth" is "a place constructed of or full of intricate passageways and blind alleys."
Labyrinth at the Universal and International Exhibition of 1967 is a contemporary adaptation of the Minotaur legend of ancient Greece. The Minotaur was a monster, half bull and half man, living in a labyrinth. Each year tribute was exacted of Athenian maidens and youths whom the Minotaur devoured. Then the hero Theseus slew the Minotaur.
Relating this idea to the Theme of Expo - Man and his World - the film makers draw an analogy. As Theseus the hero advanced through the mysterious passageways of the labyrinth, so Man throughout time has been exploring the planet earth and his environment - from cave man to spaceman.
Labyrinth is intended to bring the viewer intimate insight into the fundamental significance of Man and his World. Man, the universal Theseus of this 1967 tale, performs his deeds in a remarkable theatre of three chambers. Such physical innovations as use of flooring for the screen have made it essential that the theatre be tailored to fit the film. Architecture becomes as significant a factor as sight and sound.
The pre-stressed concrete building of five stories can accommodate 720 people at a time. They will be distributed in groups through the three chambers, and at one stage will be surrounded by reflected images on all sides. At another point, they will gaze down from ramps on a huge screen 40 feet below and be subjected to sensations "so strong that some will want to grip the handrail." (CD #1 Set 2 #13)
Film for the Labyrinth has been specially shot by cameramen in many countries. There are no name stars to this movie - the dominant character is Man!
This collection of ancient mazes was featured in the entrance hall. (CD xx Set 43 #AX-C5)
In the first long, high chamber spectators experience a sense of participation comparable to dropping out into space, with the world left far below. In the second chamber, visitors move along walkways set between mirrored glass prisms. In the final chamber, the audience faces a multiscreen battery of unparalleled scope - using five screens, so that areas of the mind are exercised that almost have not been exercised before.
To appreciate this size of this screen, look at the red lights off to the left side. Each of them is an exit sign on a level of the massive main hall. (CD xx Set 309 #12)