Pan's Labyrinth is a Spanish language movie, written and directed by Mexican born Guillermo del Toro, who's other directorial work include Hellboy and Hellboy II. The movie, also known as El Laberinto del fauno in it's native language, has been a massive success worldwide, and was nominated for 5 oscars, of which it went on to win 3. The movie was first released in 2006, and the DVD was susequently released the following year. A 2 disc dvd set has also since been released, with additional extras.
The movie centres around a little girl named Ofelia, who moves to the country with her pregnant mother, to live with her new step-father during the post-civil war era in Spain. As her evil stepfather, Captain Vidal, struggles to overpower the Spanish Marquis, querilla fighters who oppose the new Spanish regime, Ofelia finds herself drifting between a magical fantasy world and the harsh realities of the real world around her. Whilst her mother grows increasingly sick, and her step-father's cruel behaviour escalades, Ofelia escapes to the surreal fantasy world at every opportunity, to complete a number of tasks given to her in order to become the immortal princess of the underworld, as the legend
goes.
Cast List -----------
Ofelia ..................... Ivana Baquero Carmen Vidal ......... Ariadna Gil Captain Vidal ......... Sergi López Mercedes ............... Maribel Verdú Fauno / Pale Man ... Doug Jones
I don't often watch sub-titled movies, as I find myself missing half the movie whilst trying to keep up with the sub-titles, but on this occassion, having heard so much good things about the movie, I dedided to give it a go. I was very impressed with the movie, and found myself engrossed in the plot from start to finish. I personally found that on this occassion, the sub-titles has no negative effect on the film, and after just a short while viewing, found that I'd almost forgot about the normal 'hassle' of the sub-titles.
There are 2 basic plots to the movie. In the real world, Ofelia's cruel step-father, Captain Vidal, hunts down the rebel fighters living in the woods surrounding his home and barracks. And the other plot of course is the surreal fantasy underworld that Ofelia often escapes to. Both plots are thoroughly engrossing, and full of exciting and often tense scenes. I personally found the real world story to be better than the fantasy one, simply because I felt that we didn't get so see enough of the fantasy world, and if anything, the majority of the movie is actually set around the running battles between the Spanish army and the rebels, and about the ailing phealth of Ofelia's pregnant mother.
The fantasy world scenes are great, and the characters are wonderful. I feel that it's just a shame that we don't get to see more of them. The real world is very honest and often brutal, with no holding back with the brutality in many a scene. There is a stark contrast between the fairytale fantasy of the film, and it's sheer brutality, which is evident throughout. The movie may seem like a children's fantasy from the outside, but let me tell you that it most certainly isn't. The movie has a certificate rating of 15, and I would certainly recommend that it is not shown to children.
The film has an excellent cast, although I'd never actually seen or heard of most, the performances throughout were quite superb. Ofelia, played by Ivana Baquero, was brilliant in the movie, and is certainly an actress destined for a great future. Her portrayal of the painfully sad Ofelia is special, and her pain comes across on screen to great effect. My favourite performance was by Sergi López, who played the dark, heartless, brutal Captain Vidal. I found his performance to be completely mesmarising, and so much so that it was difficult to know what to expect next from him, each time he appeared on screen.
If the movie does have a weakness, it is probably in the ending. This isn't a great weakness, but I just found the movie to be over somewhat abubtly, and toughtt that the ending could have been slightly better. This did not in anyway ruin the film, as it has so much more going for it. The movie is very much a dark fantasy, maybe not quite what you would expect from the movie poster or dvd covers, but certainly is a movie that keeps you watching with anticipation throughout.
Overall, I found the movie to be excellent, although I do wish that there would have been more emphasis on the fantasy world, without taking nothing away from the rest of the film. The mocie was thrilling, suspenseful and often very thought-porovoking. Don't be put off by the sub-titles, like I very nearly was, this is a great film that has something for everyone, and is a movie that I thoroughly recommend.
The movie can be bought as a single disc dvd for just £3.99 on Play.com, however if you are a special features fan like myself, then I would thoroughly recomment the 2 disk spedial edition set, at £7.99, also on Play.com, for a wealth of additional extras.
DVD Features ---------------------
- Main Language: Spanish - Available Audio Tracks: Dolby Digital 5.1 - Sub Titles: English - Director's commentary - Introduction by director - Guardian interview at the National Film Theatre - Featurettes - Director's notebook - Storyboard and notebook video prologue - Storyboard / thumbnail comparisons - Trailers - Galleries
DVD Details --------------
- Format: Anamorphic, PAL - Language Spanish - Subtitles: English - Region: Region 2 ( DVD formats.) - Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 - Number of discs: 2 - Classification: 15 - Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment - DVD Release Date: 12 Mar 2007 - Run Time: 119 minutes
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Production Year: 2000 - Horror - Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans - Original Language: English - Classification: 18 years and over - Starring: Carmen Electra, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, James Van Der Beek, Keenen Ivory Wayans
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