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BONUS REVIEW
Movie Review for: Pan's Labyrinth (2006) [R] 112 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $14.00
Where Viewed: Starz FilmCenter at the Tivoli, Denver, CO
Denver Film Festival
Language: Spanish
Spanish Title: Laberinto del Fauno, El
When 1st Seen: 10 November 2006
Time: 11:55 p.m.
Film's Official Website
DVD Release Date: unscheduled
Review Dedicated to: MODs of CC Store Suite #292, Denver, CO
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy)
Written by: Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy)
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Ivana Baquero (Frágiles) • Sergi López (Peindre ou faire l'amour) • Maribel Verdú ("Ellas son así") • Ariadna Gil (Estrella y dos cafés, Una) • Doug Jones (Hellboy) • Álex Angulo (Bosque de sombras) • Roger Casamajor (Locos por el sexo) • César Vea (Amor en defensa propia)
Soundtrack: order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
If you saw Hellboy and wrote off Mexican writer/director Guillermo del Toro, you will need to give him another chance this December when his new film, Pan's Labyrinth comes to theaters across the USA. With an incredible and heartbreaking story, elaborate mythology, and historical significance, this bold, visionary film is the stuff Academy Awards® were made for. Set in Spain near the end of WWII, the story concerns the recent second marriage of Carmen (Ariadna Gil) to Capitán Vidal (Sergi López) who has been stationed in a mill house in an unstable, well-forested region full of rebel insurgents. His job is to catch and kill the leaders of this insurgency. Carmen just hopes for a stable father figure for her pre-teen daughter, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and his baby she still carries in her womb. Along the winding road for their first visit to the mill, Ofelia entertains herself reading her books of fairytales and magic. Upon arrival in the region, the caravan of military escort vehicles is stopped suddenly at the request of Carmen. Ofelia bolts from the car to stretch her legs whereupon she stumbles and finds a curiously carved stone that just happens to fit perfectly into the eye socket of an ancient statue. Her placement of the stone unlocks an ancient magic of a long-forgotten kingdom where a the soul of a beloved princes was thought to be lost for eternity. Escaping a chamber in the stone statue, a long, praying-mantis like insect crawled out and flew to see Ofelia. She believes him to be a fairy. The caravan continues on its journey to the house, with the insect in hot pursuit. Once at the mill house, Ofelia is introduced to her new father, and the Capitán welcomes them to their new home. He shows them Mercedes (Maribel Verdú) who will serve as their cook and servant, and they get settled. The tension between Ofelia and the Capitán is obvious. She clearly doesn't like him. Her mother convinces her things will get better. Of course, they do not. The creaky mill house, however, serves as a constant source of fright for Ofelia, with her mother explaining the sounds away. Things are ok, then on a routine investigation of the ground, Ofelia discovers a labyrinth made of stone walls. Naturally she is curious. As time progresses, the praying-mantis turns into a real fairy, and she is visited by Pan (Doug Jones). While frightened at first, he explains that she is the reincarnated soul of the princess of a vast underground kingdom and that she must pass three tests to be welcomed back. So, in between Ofelia trying to perform monumental tasks to prove worthiness, rebels secretly being aided by Mercedes (whose brother is one of the leaders), are making mincemeat of the army, and Carmen is getting sicker and sicker with her pregnancy. The lack of military success brings out the ugly side of Capitán Vidal who begins to care less and less for anything but the son he believes Carmen is carrying for him.
"…a remarkable film where fantasy and reality…blend blurring and creating a macabre world where only blind faith in humanity and the strength of a child can set one free."
All the way around, Pan's Labyrinth evokes gut wrenching emotion and fear. With fantastic sets, excellent characters each with dark and light sides, tremendous performances from the leads, intriguing mythology, and the backdrop of war, the film lures you into its complexities just as Ofelia is drawn to the labyrinth herself. For such a young actress, Ivana Baquero handles the complexities of her role where she teeters between wanting the life of the princess, wanting to save her mother and her new sibling, wanting to just sit and read fairytales, battling the will of Capitán Vidal all the while guarding the secret alliance of Mercedes with the men in the woods. She is definitely Academy Award® supporting actress worthy. Also outstanding were Sergi López and Maribel Verdú. Sr. López's performance could easily be compared to Ralph Fiennes portrayal of Amon Goeth in Schindler's List.
Guillermo del Toro has crafted a remarkable film where fantasy and reality, fiction and non-fiction, history and imagination blend and cycle back onto themselves blurring and creating a macabre world where only blind faith in humanity and the strength of a child can set one free.
Guillermo del Toro has crafted a remarkable film where fantasy and reality, fiction and non-fiction, history and imagination blend and cycle back onto themselves blurring and creating a macabre world where only blind faith in humanity and the strength of a child can set one free.
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Cast Members
Ivana Baquero
• Sergi López• Maribel VerdúAriadna Gil
• Doug Jones• Álex AnguloRoger Casamajor
• César VeaWriter / Director
Guillermo del Toro
| Soundtrack | DVD | VHS |
Pan's Labyrinth (2006) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Viewers of Hellboy, please give Mexican writer/director Guillermo del Toro another chance when Pan's Labyrinth comes to theaters in December. With an incredible and heartbreaking story, elaborate mythology, and historical significance, this visionary film is the stuff for which Academy Awards® were made. Set in Spain 1944, the story concerns the second marriage of Carmen (Ariadna Gil) to Capitán Vidal (Sergi López) who has been stationed at a mill house in a region full of rebel insurgents he's to capture and kill. Carmen just hopes for a stable father figure for her pre-teen daughter, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) and her unborn baby. Guillermo del Toro has crafted a remarkable film where fantasy and reality, fiction and non-fiction, history and imagination blend and cycle back onto themselves blurring and creating a macabre world where only blind faith in humanity and the strength of a child can set one free.
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