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• Watch our stream, in which director Guillermo del Toro discusses how real-world images reflect the fantasy world in Pan's Labyrinth:
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Inspired by the Brothers Grimm, Jorge Luis Borges, and Guillermo del Toro's own unlimited imagination, Pan's 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 Carmen's 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, couldn't 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 satyr's labyrinth. He offers to help her out of her predicament if she'll 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 Devil's Backbone, which was also haunted by the ghost of Franco. Though it lacks the humor of Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth represents Guillermo Del Toro at the top of his considerable game. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description
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 back, she finds herself at the center of a ferocious battle between good and evil.
DVD Features: Audio Commentary:Video Prologue by Guillermo Del Toro Audio Commentary by Director Guillermo Del Toro Featurette:The Power of Myth Featurette The Faun and the Fairies Featurette The Color and The Shape Featurette The Charlie Rose Show featuring Director Guillermo Del Toro The Director's Notebook Production Sketches Storyboards:Storyboard Video Prologue by Guillermo del Toro. Storyboard/Thumbnail compares Theatrical Trailer:Theatrical teaser, Theatrical trailer, TV spots
This is the way fairy tales used to be -- before they got bleached, pressed, and de-linted by half-wits trying to protect tender ears. Before they got Disney-fied. Sure, there's violence here, some of it shocking, but none of it gratuitous. Could it give a kid nightmares? Maybe. But given today's pablum stories, maybe it's about time.
Pan's Labyrinth takes us directly into the subconscious, and into the storyforms that infuse all of the great myths, fairy tales, and religions. It's a rich and satisfying stew of symbolism, mystery, and redemption. Multilayered and inspiring, it's a film you'll want to see again. It's hard not to gush, but it's been so long since a movie this good has made it into the quasi-mainstream.
What makes Pan's Labyrinth most effective is it's juxtaposition of harsh "reality" and the mysterious world that lives side by side with it. The heroine, a young girl who may carry a magical seed of immortality (the soul of god's only child who once ventured into the world of men, suffered, and died long ago), is contacted by shapeshifting fairies who lead her to a faun (much like the mythological Pan) who says she may reclaim her throne and escape the mortal world by performing three tasks. The faun in Pan's Labyrinth is every bit as complex as the mythological Pan, a creature perhaps older than the gods themselves. There's something sly, and perhaps even sexual about this elegant and almost alien faun, as he represents the forces at play inside this sensitive young girl. In fact, like every good fairy tale, all of the strange, wondrous, and chilling creatures represent facets of the subconscious, including baby-eating ghouls, flitting fairies, and gluttonous toads.
Pan's Labyrinth is a commentary on the resiliency and power of the human imagination, and takes us to the place where dreams are spun and the great heroic tale of overcoming (of the self and the world) takes root. That spark of the divine in all of us -- or at least the hope of it -- powers the great story of our lives, and we need tales like this to remind of us of the magic and transformative power of story telling. In the flickering light of the theater, like some great hearth around which we've gathered, Pan's Labyrinth took me back to my childhood, and made me think of so many of the great stories I'd read over the years -- of demonic dogs with saucer-sized eyes, of child-stealing trolls, and evil stepmothers. And, finally, of the champions who venture down into those great cracks in the Earth, where the roots of mythic trees twist and wind and the greatest treasure of all can be found: the noble, heroic, and undying spirit that lies within us.
128 of 158 people found the following review helpful:
In my opinion this is one of the most psychologically insightful films I have ever seen. This is truly an important film (DO NOT read that "feel good"). I cried at the end of this bravely honest, creative and yes, relevant adventure. THIS is the kind of film that SHOULD be getting MANY Academy Awards....but don't hold your breath. A WARNING: This IS NOT escapist fare.
Customer Reviews
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I heard about this and have seen the trailers. I'd figure I would pick up the DVD because of the trailers. I just finished watching it and I will say that it isn't good....it's GREAT!!! It does pay a slight homage to some of the fairy tales of the past (including Wizard of Oz) but it does take a slight twist. Del Toro's vision is truely unique on this project and I can see why it has gotten the the good reviews it has gotten.
From beginning to end, I found myself entranced with the story. A tad violent here and there (the Captain smashing in the one guy's nose with a bottle was a tad over the top) and aside from it being done in Spanish with subtitles (again....a minor oversight),....it is worth the watch. It was a bit of a sad ending,....but also somewhat happy when you watch it. It's good to know that a person of any age can have one foot in reality and one foot in fantasy. It's just a pain to figure out which foot goes where. But again.....this is one of those movies that you watch where it sticks with you and it is a joy to watch regardless of any age you are.
Pan's Labyrinth was the best film of 2006 (and I'm a big Scorsese fan). By combining good and evil, beauty and horror in both the real world and a fantasy world the viewer is transported into a stunning cinematic experience. Ofelia is a lonely young girl who must confront her fears in worn torn Spain (cicra 1944). She does this by entering a fantasy world. It is unclear if this is a real experience or imagined. That's the beauty of the film: it can be taken on many levels with a depth that's seemingly bottomless. Her stepfather is more vicious than any monster in a fairy tale. The tasks the characters (including Ofelia) must accomplish in the real world are comparable to a quest by a hero in a fantasy world. These world's are bridged flawlessly. To tell any more would spoil the adventure. This film is a moving experience that will stay with you. If you're a fan of fantasy (Lord of the Rings), war films (Saving Private Ryan) and fine foreign films (yes, it combines all three!) this DVD should be your next purchase. Highest recommendation.
Note: This is not a review of the movie, but the DVD Release.
One would think that as long as DVD has been out, issues with encoding would all be sorted out. Not so here, the last 25% of this movie is basically unwatchable (seriously) due to motion artifacting. Most people won't see this due to their DVD player doing automatch deinterlacing. (I use a seperate video processor)
I believe the movie was half encoded in standard film (24fps progressive) DVD transfer and half as 30fps interlaced. Even if you don't notice the INT combing, your losing lots of video quality for the most important parts of the film.
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• Watch our stream, in which director Guillermo del Toro discusses how real-world images reflect the fantasy world in Pan's Labyrinth:
high bandwidth | low bandwidth
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