The Cube is Jim Henson’s little-known proto-Black Mirror masterpiece
The Cube is a 1969 experimental teleplay directed by Jim Henson that explores surreal, mind-bending themes within a single-room setting. It is noted for its departure from Henson's typical Muppet-based work and its proto-Black Mirror narrative style.
Why it matters
It highlights a lesser-known, influential piece of television history from a legendary creator, offering insight into the evolution of psychological sci-fi.
I’m sure we’re all familiar with Dark Crystal, so we know that Jim Henson can be weird and tackle slightly more mature subject matter. But there is little in his oeuvre that is quite as mind-bending as the Muppetless The Cube. This 1969 teleplay was produced for an NBC anthology series called Experiment in Television, which featured, appropriately enough, various experimental films, plays, and documentaries. One episode even featured Marshall McLuhan explaining his oft-cited theory that “the medium is the message.”
The article is a cultural retrospective that maintains an objective, appreciative tone regarding a historical media work.
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