Pans Labyrinth starring Ivana
Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López,
Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones
Solid On Blu Ray
Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Jorge Luis Borges, and Guillermo del
Toros own unlimited imagination, Pans Labyrinth is a fairytale for adults.
Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) may only be 12, but the worlds she inhabits, both
above and below ground, are dark as anything del Toro has conjured. Set
in rural Spain, circa 1944, Ofelia and her widowed mother, Carmen
(Ariadna Gil, Belle Epoque), have just moved into an abandoned mill with
Carmens new husband, Captain Vidal (Sergi López, With a Friend like
Harry). Carmen is pregnant with his son. Other than her sickly mother and
kindly housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú, Y Tu Mamá También), the
dreamy Ofelia is on her own. Vidal, an exceedingly cruel man, couldnt be
bothered. He has informers to torture. Ofelia soon finds that an entire
universe exists below the mill. Her guide is the persuasive Faun (Doug
Jones, Mimic). As her mother grows weaker, Ofelia spends more and more
time in the satyrs labyrinth. He offers to help her out of her predicament if
shell complete three treacherous tasks. Ofelia is willing to try, but does this
alternate reality really exist or is it all in her head? Del Toro leaves that up
to the viewer to decide in a beautiful, yet brutal twin to The Devils
Backbone, which was also haunted by the ghost of Franco. Though it lacks
the humor of Hellboy, Pans Labyrinth represents Guillermo Del Toro at the
top of his considerable game. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Features:
* Following a bloody civil war, young Ofelia enters a world of unimaginable
cruelty when she moves in with her new stepfather, a tyrannical military
officer. Armed with only her imagination, Ofelia discovers a mysterious
labyrinth and meets a faun who sets her on a path to saving herself and
her ailing mother. But soon, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to
blur, and before Ofelia can turn
"Pan's Labyrinth" was written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, and
made its debut at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. It has been very highly
regarded since its release, and the awards it has won include three Oscars
and three BAFTAs
"Pan's Labyrinth" opens in 1944, and is set in Spain. Five years have
passed since the Spanish Civil War "officially" finished, although there is
still a Resistance fighting against the Franco's Falangists. As part of the
state's solution, military outposts have been established to deal with the
"problem." The film's main character is Ofelia, a young girl who is devoted
to reading. As the film opens, she is travelling with her heavily pregnant
mother to at one of these military outposts. Captain Vidal, the outpost's
commanding officer, is Ofelia's stepfather and the outpost will become her
new home. Vidal is as cruel, vindictive and selfish as you'd expect from a
Fascist and Ofelia (unsurprisingly) grows to hate him. With her mother
desperate to please him and provide a `safe' home, Ofelia's only real ally is
Mercedes, the housekeeper. Mercedes, however, is anything but a
collaborator : her brother is in the Maquis, and she helps them in any way
she can.
Luckily, there is the chance of an escape. A long time ago in a wonderful
underground kingdom, a young princess dreamt of blue skies and bright
sunshine. One day, she managed to escape her guardians and found a
way to the human world "up above". Unfortunately, the brightness of the
sun blinded her and wiped her memory. She suffered pain and sickness
and, in time, she died. Her father, however, knew her soul would return at
another time and in another place and he would wait for her return. When
Ofelia follows a fairy into the labyrinth close to her new home, she meets a
faun...who tells her she is the princess returned. Unfortunately, she must
first complete three tasks before she's allowed to return to her former
home. However, from the film's opening scene, you know things are not
going to be easy for Ofelia.
Despite the fairytales and mythical creatures, I wouldn't really say "Pan's
Labyrinth" it a movie for children - it is quite dark and a couple of scenes
are really very unpleasant. In fact, despite the fantasy e lement, the film's
biggest monster is Vidal : poisonous, nasty, vicious and brutal, he barely
tolerates Ofelia and views her mother as little more than a walking womb.
Mercedes, on the other hand, is everything Vidal isn't - protective,
honourable, loving and kind. However, it is an excellent movie overall and -
so long as you don't mind subtitles - is totally recommended.
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