Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

PAN'S LABYRINTH == Intro == El laberinto del fauno, or Pan's Labryinth, as it is also known, is the dark fairytale from Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. His other works had previously included Hellboy and Blade II, as well as a variety of lesser known Spanish films, but it was only with Pan's Labyrinth that del Toro began getting the respect he deserved as one of the most creative and imaginative director's in the business. Pan's Labyrinth currently ...
...character slotted in perfectly in Pan's Labyrinth. Not being a fluent Spanish speaker, I can't pretend to know how well exactly she delivered her lines, but what I could make out impressed me. But above all else, she delivered a very mature performance whilst still easily maintaining a feel of youthful innocence, and to summarize, it was a great performance. === Sergi Lopez as Captain Vidal === Once every so often, you see a performance that completely ...

midpikyrozziy 15.07.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

...well as anyone in film, Pan's Labyrinth (Laberinto del Fauno) made its debut at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, and was released later that year. Set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, the film centres around a young girl, Ofelia, who is embarking upon a new chapter in her life, moving with her mother to her new stepfather's isolated retreat. As a general in his country's Fascist movement, he is entangled in a bloody battle with the guerrilla ...
...the new moon. Pan's Labyrinth has all the aspects of a classic fable - from Ofelia's intimidating but kindly mentor, the Faun of the title, through the fairy-tale domains she must enter, to the terrifying creatures that lurk within. What sets it apart is the visual flair with which Del Toro delivers the story. This is carried not only in the rich, seductive fantasy-world scenes that Ofelia enters, but also in the stark, monochrome reality she comes ...

Puggers 03.03.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

~~~Prelude~~~ Pan's Labyrinth is a beautiful film: dark and at times terrifying. It mixes folklore and fantasy with the brutal reality of Fascist oppression post the Spanish Civil War. Centred on a young girl who finds a dark refuge from her surroundings in a fairy world whose monsters are not so unlike those from whom she is hiding. The film won Mexican film maker Guillermo del Toro three awards at the Golden Globes. ~~~Plot~~~ A young girl and ...
...great basis for cinema. In Pan's Labyrinth he uses this influence not to contrast with the real world, but to mirror and underline the horror of reality. ~~~Review~~~ This film is very powerful, to the extent that it had me engaged from start to finish. The fear and tension of the story is palpable throughout and I found myself at times quite literally (to the amusement of my husband) watching through my fingers. The film is at times gory, but ...

sonic0209 27.12.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

At the tail-end of the Spanish Civil War, young Ofelia and her pregnant mother go to live at an isolated army camp with her new stepfather. He is the sadistic Captain Vidal, who is determined to destroy the last vestiges of the guerrilla forces in the woods around his outpost. Ofelia’s most treasured possessions are her books of fairy tales, even though she is told she is too old for them. Deeply unhappy in her new home, she escapes into a garden ...
...There she meets the faun Pan, who tells her she is heiress to a secret world and all she has to do to claim her birthright is complete three simple tasks… Mexican writer-director Guillermo del Toro is a filmmaker with a singular vision. He is involved in all parts of the creative process, from designing the characters to writing the script and his devotion shows itself in every lovingly crafted frame. If you’re looking for a comparable visual style, ...

afy9mab 03.06.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

This is the first effort by acclaimed director Guillermo Del Toro that i was luck enough to see, which is ironic in that it is his most recent work. Bowled over by its spell, i think that it is a film to be shouted about, so here i am, shouting. Director - Guillermo Del Toro Born on October 9th 1964, Del Toro was brought up by a strict catholic grandmother in Guadalajara Mexico. He realised his love of film in his teens, and learned about make-up ...
...1973. He worked in make-up for many years, but finally got the break he yearned for in 1993, directing Cronos. This won him 9 academy awards in Mexico, and launched him on his way. His background links him to his work. He often uses religious imagery and always mentions Catholicism in his films. Also he quite often uses insects or insect imagery. This insect imagery is noticeable in pans labyrinth.it is an insect that finds the little girl, ofelia, ...

giksy21 22.11.2007 (24.11.2007) · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

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 ...
...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 ...

danmclovin 10.10.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

My first appeal to Pan's Labyrinth was the sight of the creatures, especially the creature with eye balls in his hand. I was expecting to see a long entirely fantastical with no real life story line. I was then told shortly after it came onto the big screen that it was not what I had imaged and was put off watching it until recently. Firstly let me warn you its in Spanish with English subtitles - but you can quickly get over that. The plot is complex ...
...but are excited about finding out how del Toro will guide us there. The main character, a young girl named Ofelia moves with her pregnant mother to stay with her new step father, an army captain during the Spanish Civil War. She moves into a mill, quite self contained with other characters around. A kind maid, a doctor, many other Soldiers and a few other servants make up the cast along with ocassional rebels from the mountains. Ofelia begins to ...

jimboy81 05.05.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

...Civil War, Guillermo Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a wonderful, dark fairy tale that, in a metaphor for Spain itself, teeters on the edge of nightmare dreamscapes of corruption, violence and the death of innocents. This film is definitely not for young children. Although the fantasy sequences are gorgeously realised, and are fairy tales in the truest sense (in that they are dark, fey, dangerous and violent), most of the story (about three quarters ...
...and frightening world of the Pan's Labyrinth. As the twin plots progress, they intertwine, with the tasks of Ofelia becoming the choices faced by a Spain at the crossroads. The poignancy of the film lies partly in the fact that the victories of the child are reflected so starkly by the failures of the adult world. Apparently Pan's Labyrinth won a 20-minute standing ovation at Cannes, when it was shown. This may be a little bit over the top. I suspect ...

j30bell 13.08.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

Pan's Labyrinth is essentially a dark twist on a fairy tale. The story follows a young girl, Ofelia, who goes to live at a military outpost in 1940's Spain during a civil war. Her mother is taking her there because her husband-to-be is a general in the army stationed at this outpost. She needs to marry due to financial and health reasons. While at the outpost, Ofelia discovers an old, disused labyrinth in the grounds. Here, she meets a faun (Pan) ...
...whether dubbed or subtitled but Pan's Labyrinth was a pleasant surprise. I soon forgot the subtitles and was quickly engrossed in the story. Going into it, i didn't really know what to expect. It is hard to at first tell whether the film is about a civil war or a dark fairy tale. In all honesty, this feeling never subsided but instead of being a confusion, it was what made the film so compelling! It is a truly unique and original story that far exceeded ...

hypnoticstate 29.09.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

An incredible tale from a visionary director. Guillermo Del Torro introduces a fantasy land like no other with creatures designed to astound and amaze you. Forget thoughts of fluffy muppets and the David Bowie musical film Labyrinth: this Labyrinth is a dark anti fairytale where the hopes and dreams of one young girl are set against the private terror of having a new step father and a sick mother, and the wider terror of Franco's Army and the Spanish ...

sfxartist 29.08.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

Pan's Labyrinth or to give it it's Spanish title El Laberinto del fauno Directed by Guillermo del Toro (Director of Hellboy), who also wrote the screenplay. Cast: Ariadna Gil ... Carmen Vidal Ivana Baquero ... Ofelia Sergi López ... Capitán Vidal Maribel Verdú ... Mercedes Doug Jones ... Pan/Pale Man Álex Angulo ... Dr. Ferreiro Manolo Solo ... Garcés César Vea ... Serrano Roger Casamajor ...Pedro This movie has the unusual mix of ...
...viewing. I would not say it is suitable for a child to watch, as there are many brutal scenes in it. The story centres around a young girl (Ofelia), who believes in fairytales and while travelling with her heavily pregnant Mum (CarmenVidal) to meet her new Stepdad, she meets a fairy, who follows her into the rural village where Captain Vidal commands his troups. The period of the movie is set at the end of World War 11. Captain Vidal is a crual ...

lona 25.03.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

This is one of my favourite films of all time. Films with subtitles always interest me simply because they are something different to every other film we get advertised in our face. I had never heard of this film until Christmas last year, my cousin informed me about it and urged me to check it out. Luckily the film was on the television so I didn't have to go and rent it. I wasn't expecting much, it didn't really sound like my kind of film. But ...
...go. I don't know what it was but I was attracted to the fact it sounded like a drak and horrifying fairy tale. It was totally different to any other film I had seen and I loved it for that. It starts off with a girl called Ofelia moving to the 'country' part of Spain, after her father has died and her mother is now married to a Captain that is extremely horrible. We see this little girl, full of imagination and life refusing to let her frightening ...

Lauren007 25.05.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

This is an absolutely amazing film! I was looking for a film in Spanish, as I really love the language, and desperately missed my Spanish speaking friends! After I'd watched it I was so amazed at how good it was, and started nagging my mum to watch it! She wasn't so keen, due to the fact that it has English subtitles, which she believes takes your concentration from the film. However, she watched it and immediately started raving about how fantastic ...
...are great, although in some places they are too good and the effects can be quite gory and may make you cringe! The melody that is used throughout the film is extremely haunting and will stay with you for days afterwards. So, if your looking for an excellent film, but are put off by the fact it is in a different language, or the subtitles, then DON'T BE!!!! The fact it is in a different language just makes it better and far more entertaining! ...

lbott 07.07.2008 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

I love this film so much! The story is the perfect mix of genres and it took me back to the world of fairytales in an instant. The scens of the labyrinth are so strangly beautiful and wonderfully wierd and the little girl is fantastic. What I found exceptional in this film is how you are feeling nice and secure and wondering why on earth this film is a fifteen and lets just say that after a few screams and a splash of blood suddenly you realise why. ...
...strong you physically hate the main villain and each and every time I watch this I am willing for something bad to happen to him. Even though the violence is not that bad in itself the build ups make the tension almost unbearable and in one scene you actually see nothing but by the end you feel you have watched a murder. But don't think that this is some meaningless film where everyone dies for no reason, becasue it isn't. The storyline is fantastic ...

lovelife123 25.09.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)

Pan's Labyrinth is what can only be described as a fairy tale for adults. A well portrayed plot that ventures into a world filled with pain and sorrow, with a magical twist that changes everything. Having heard about this film for weeks before it came out I couldn't wait to go and see it. The trailers gave teasers which hinted at a film that would take us into the life of a girl who ventured into a mystical life. Based at the end the Spanish civil ...
...her mother and unborn brother, moves to an army base to live with an army Captain. As things begin to look grim for the film's protagonist, Ofelia, who feels overwhelmed with her new life, she stumbles into a world that parallels everything that she has come to know. But it leads to surprising consequences. She meets magical creatures and has to endure tasks to escape from the life that she has become trapped in. When it seems that all hope is gone, ...

satyricon 05.01.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Pan's Labyrinth (DVD)