Film

Pan’s Labyrinth

43 Comments

From the moment I first caught a glimpse of Pan’s Labyrinth, many, many months ago, the die was cast. The trailer made me catch my breath and that part of me that still believes was stirred. This was a movie I had to see in the theatre and it simply had to come to our city. Kansas City did not let me down and neither did Guilermo del Toro.

Pan’s Labyrinth is the story of young Ofelia. Forced into an unsafe world , as young heroines in fairy tales often are, Ofelia finds herself simultaneously caught between the terrifying reality of war and the equally unsettling realm of fantasy. Set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, this is a film that both drives home the brutality of facism and the power of believing in magic.

Pan’s Labyrinth has been described as a fairy tale for adults and that is indeed an apt description. There are some very violent, brutal scenes in the ‘real’ world and the creatures that inhabit the fantasty realm are not the cozy, cuddly creatures of some fairy tales. One of the most fascinating things about the film is the ongoing ambiguity of Ofelia’s fairy tale companions. This is a very suspenseful film with an ominous sense of dread that pervades most of the film. That sense of dread literally makes you hold your breath during certain scenes. It is a dark and powerful movie. In the ‘About the Film’ section of the main website, a section that I highly recommend reading for more about Guilermo del Toro’s inspiration for the film, it is written “del Toro has mined horror and fantasy for entertainment and for insight into the human condition, our primal fears, and our own capacity to inflict terror”. Though spoken in regards to more than just this film that quote is a very succinct assessment of Pan’s Labyrinth.

I have been a fan of Guilermo del Toro since the first time I saw the amazing film, The Devil’s Backbone. In that film, his collaborative effort with Mike Mignola on Hellboy, and now Pan’s Labyrinth, del Toro proves that he is a seminal writer/director whose unique brand of filmmaking has resulted in true masterpieces. Watching Pan’s Labyrinth is as much a joy to behold for the engrossing story as it is for its cinematic brilliance. Guilermo del Toro has taken a tale rich with history, mythology and folklore and created a world that is at once starkly horrifying and magically inspiring. The special effects are such a seemless part of the story that it never once feels out of place when the fantastical world encroaches upon the real world. The creatures evoke the kind of childhood nostalgia that makes their presence seem plausible. The setting of the film is both beautiful and claustrophic in the way that only a remote woodland setting can be. The labyrinth itself is a wonderfully decayed, gothic ruin whose look not only fits my imagination of what a labyrinth should look like but also visually ties into the structures and ruins present in Hellboy. There is a definite homage to Mike Mignola in the look and feel of the crumbling remnants of a once thriving magical realm.

The acting in this film is incredible. Ivana Baquero gives not only the best and brightest child stars a run for their acting money, but many a seasoned actress as well. She is Alice in Wonderland made real, and I do not mean the Disney version. Within moments she captivates you and you are with her all the way. Even in those times in the film where she annoyingly acts like a child she is perfect. Sergi Lopez as Capitan Vidal is possibly one of the cruelest and most quietly sinister villians I have ever seen on film. From the first shot he is menacing and the evil he emanates when onscreen is relentless. The other fantastic performance in the film is put in by Maribel Verdu playing the role of Mercedes, a servant in Capitan Vidal’s home. She is beautiful in an earthly way and the dangerous role that she plays in the events of the film produces some of the most heart-pounding suspense.

There is so much to potentially get out of this film that it is difficult even to guess what someone else might see while watching it. Pan’s Labyrinth was inspired by the effect that refugees from the Spanish Civil War had on Guilermo del Toro’s life as well as his deep and abiding love for fantasy and fairy tale. The horror of fascism is a big part of the message of this film. Guilermo del Toro has said, “For me, fascism is a representation of the ultimate horror and it is, in this sense, an ideal concept through which to tell a fairy tale aimed at adults. Because fascism is first and foremost a form of perversion of innocence, and thus of childhood”. And while there could easily be comparisons to the political climate this generation lives in, there are much deeper messages about man’s potential for self-destruction, the importance of a childhood belief in fairy tales, and the sadness inherent in letting go of one’s belief in magic.

In many, many ways this film is not what I expected. While the fairy tale elements and the violence were things I was aware of, the way they were tied together in the overall plot of the film was very interesting to me. I see a lot of comparison in my feelings about Pan’s Labyrinth to the way I responded to Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film A Very Long Engagement. Both are fantastic films that have similarly effective methods of showing the horrors of war while maintaining a magical element that offers the potential for hope throughout the film.

This is my opening theatrical experience for 2007 and it was a good one. An amazing, first-rate, engaging film.

43 thoughts on “Pan’s Labyrinth”

  3. I felt a bit stark raving mad, getting home after midnight! 😉

    Thanks Fence, glad I did as well. Wish I could get on your site to comment!

  5. I don’t know Angela…I think the violence of el Capitan would probably bother you more than any horror element, but that’s just a guess.

  6. Hmmmm….I don’t like scary movies either. Is it too scary?

    (Eg, the Sixth Sense scared the crap out of me….)

    I’m glad you weren’t disappointed, and based on the trailers and the stills you’ve posted, it looks like a visually beautiful film.

  7. I really can’t wait to see this. I am sadly probably going to have to wait until the DVD release in March, but I am very much looking forward to it and have been since Neil Gaiman mentioned it on his blog.

    I also loved The Devil’s Backbone. Guillermo del Toro is very talented indeed.

  9. The more I hear about this movie, the more I want to see it. It really sounds excellent. Thanks for the review.

  10. I don’t know, it looks kind of scary. At least for me. I’m not too good in scary movies. I tend to cling on to the person sitting next to me. Will you go see it again with me? Is that short for Peter Pan’s Labyrinth? Are there lost boys in it?

  11. I’m going to see it tonight, I can’t wait. Work is going to drag on forever today.

  13. 🙂 I thought you’d dig it, Carl! Glad it went over so well. Wasn’t the design of those fantasy set-pieces just awesome? That gruesome room where the Pale Man was…with the shoes!…

  14. Excellent review, Carl. I really liked your thoughts.

    Man, my bro-in-law and I are pumped to see this! Unfortunately, the bum is out of town. He better not see it without me! Mark? You hear me?

  15. Tom, you crack me up…and no, I won’t see it with you if you are grabbing me! 😉

    Colleen, no its not too scary, at least not in the horror sense. The true ‘horror’ of the film is just how deeply sadistic the Capitan is. The creatures are a bit creepy, no doubt about it, but they aren’t meant to out and out terrify…it is meant to be a fairy tale though one in the darker traditions of the originals.

    I look forward to your thoughts about it Carrie.

    Hopefully it’ll come your way, Wayne. I am still very disappointed that Mirrormask did not play in theatres here.

    Thanks Neth, JenClair, Rob.

    Devil’s Backbone is great, Quix. Sorry you can’t see this one in the theatre.

    RB, yes that seen was indeed a creepy one and is probably one of my favorite sequences in the film.

  16. Ah! I can’t wait to see this one. I think I’m due for a trip to the movies this weekend!

  17. Great review Carl. I echo your thoughts on this movie. I always judge a film by how long it stays with me after I’ve seen it and I will say I’ve thought about it multiple times again today. In fact I’ve had that lullaby go through my thoughts twice today (It was so haunting). The sets, the stories, the acting, all wonderful. I hope everyone gets a chance to see this at the theatre. Films like this are why I love movies. I know that sounds cheezy but this films truely worthy of the accolades it’s receiving.

  18. I wanted to see this as soon as I read Butler’s review. Yours was even better than his, by the way. I’m eager to see it and this definitely sounds like a movie that need to be seen on the big screen. Is this from a book or is it an original screenplay?

  19. It is up for best original screenplay at the Academy Awards I believe, Pat. My review is only better than Butler’s because I didn’t give it all away like he sometimes does.

    Yes, Jeff. That was a very haunting melody. Loved it. If you click on the website link in my review and turn your speakers on that is what you will hear.

  20. SPOILERS IN THIS COMMENT

    I love Pan’s Labyrinth too, but there was something else I got from the movie. When the credits started rolling, I turned to my friend and asked if she recalls the quote by Terry Pratchett:

    “Believing in Father Christmas is important. It trains our imaginations on the little lies so we can believe the big lies like justice [and] truth.”

    In a way Pan’s Labyrinth is similar – the power of fairy tales and what we need to learn from them. The way the movie teaches something about the need for disobedience – Ofelia’s disobedience when she was sent to the lair of the month. Told not to eat anything, her life will depend on it, and she disobeys., thus causing the death of 2 of the fairies. But later, the doctor who would not obey the Captain, and dies for it — there is a difference between willfulness and independent thought, and we need to learn to differentiate between the two.

    We think fantasy and fairy tales are irrelevant in real life, but by using the adult world as background, del Toro makes a very good point – that the problem with the world is often because we don’t learn from these stories.

  21. Good thoughts Dark! I think part of the reason I enjoy books and films based on fairytales, folklore, and mythology is the fact that the reason these things have survived is because they always remain relevant. The lessons that can be gleaned from them are timeless.

  24. I hate to say it, but I was disappointed. It wasn’t a bad movie. I just expected more fantasy, less real world. The special effects were wonderful. I truly loved the labyrinth, but overall I thought the movie was rather one dimensional.

  25. I’m dying to see “Pan’s Labyrinth”! I don’t usually get excited about movies–I’m the kind of guy who thinks, “I’ll just wait a few months for the DVD”–but I’ve been obsessed with this movie since I first saw the trailer in December.

  26. I hope you get to see it soon Brandon. I do get very excited about movies. The theatrical experience is as magical to me now as it was when I was a kid…except on the occasions were some ass won’t stop talking during the film, but that is thankfully rare.

  27. Opps, just saw this in my last comment: “SPOILERS IN THIS COMMENT”

    Keep forgetting these netiquette. Bad blogger. ;p

    Thanks, Carl.

  28. I am so glad for your review of Pan’s Labyrinth!
    I have wanted to see it since the teaser trailer.
    We are going to see it next week! I am more excited now after reading your review.

    P.S. Go Bears!

  29. No big deal Dark O. I really enjoyed your comments and just thought I’d throw that in there for those who haven’t seen it.

    Hope you enjoy it Paula!

  30. Very good review, Carl! I was wanting to see it enough BEFORE reading this and now I really can’t wait! But due to the references in my brother-in-law’s comment, I may just see it 5x today…

  32. I, like you, loved devils backbone and have been waiting for this film for about two years. I was captured from the 1st second. I had no idea how serious this film was going to be though, or how violent but I still loved it. My only disappointment is that I wanted more of the fantasy…I’m still eight years old at heart.

  33. You’re not alone in being a child-at-heart Krista. Glad you enjoyed the film.

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  35. Great review Carl! I just saw it over the weekend and wanted to come by and comment on it. I didn’t really know anything about the movie before going in (I didn’t even realize it was going to be subtitled) so I think that helped a lot with being swept up into the storyline. Wasn’t that monster at the banquet one of the most evil looking things? Yikes.

  36. Yes Iliana, that whole scene was deliciously creepy! Glad you enjoyed it.

  37. Sounds like an excellent movie! The first poster image is wonderful, the second is horrifying – which I guess aptly describes the film?

  38. Yes. That second character isn’t in the film long but his time is very effective!!!

  39. Hi Carl, When I saw the trailer for this I almost started to cry. Jenn would have LOVED IT!!!! I hate the fact she is missing it. Maybe, hmmmm. Cyn

  40. Yes, this is definitely a movie Jenn See would’ve loved and would have done a fantastic post on. She would’ve no doubt gotten to it before me and made me extremely jealous! How was your New Year’s hiatus Cynthia?

  41. Hi, Go on the fish and check out my post about Montana ( its on Mysfits’s latest). New Year’s was fine. Old Ben might have a tougher time since that was the time they celebrated their anniversary. He was in Colorado with Mysfit so that might have eased the pain. Take care, will keep you updated about the scholarship fund and our first fundraiser. Cynthia

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