Scan and Pan
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth)
Northern Spain, 1944. Ofelia, an imaginative 12-year-old-girl, moves with her pregnant mother to live with her stepfather, an officer in the fascist government's army who's been assigned to the area to deal with an anti-fascist militia hiding in the hills. While exploring the woods, Ofelia discovers an ancient labyrinth guarded by a faun, who reveals that she is the long lost daughter of the King of the Underworld and she can return to her true home if she completes three tasks.
Del Toro's magnificent vision coalesces into a darkly poetic elegy to the end of innocence and childhood, framed as a psychological drama. As he did so well in The Devil's Backbone, which was set a few years earlier in Civil War-era Spain, del Toro grounds the fantastic elements in the very real horrors of the historical period, which provides an entrance to the magical power of another world. Like all great unexpurgated fairy tales, it doesn't shy away from the darkness of the world. The fantasy elements can be viewed literally or simply as the escapist fantasies of a lonely but imaginative girl. In common with magical realism, the film doesn't dictate to the audience which interpretation is correct, but rather allows each viewer to choose from two equally valid possibilities. The interpretation one chooses will also determine whether one sees the ending as tragic or happy.
Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, a longtime collaborator of del Toro's, and production designer Eugenio Caballero lay a sumptuous visual feast, contrasting the realism of the house with the vivid waking dreams of the fantasy realms. Composer Javier Navarrete's score weaves its own spell, working with the visuals to draw you into the story's worlds. The visual effects are seamless and a very organic part of the film, but they are few in number compared to the average fantasy film. Master storyteller that he is, del Toro doesn't lean on the effects like a crutch. It's all about how they serve his story.
Young Spanish actress Ivana Baquero delivers an excellent performance as Ofelia that's so natural that you never get the sense that she's acting as much as channeling the spirit of her character. Doug Jones (Abe Sapien in Hellboy and the Silver Surfer in the upcoming Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) is fabulous as both the faun and the Pale Man. As good as the makeup and effects are, it's his acting that makes us believe. Strong performances are also given by Sergi Lopez as Ofelia's stepfather, Ariadna Gil as her mother, Maribel Verdu as the housekeeper and secret supporter of the militia, and Alex Angulo as the local physician.
Mexico's official submission for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is a visually stunning and captivating dark fantasy film that's also one of a kind. It's not like anything you've seen before. Highly recommended as one of the best films of 2006 and an outstanding film in the fantasy genre.
This dark fantasy from producer Alfonso Cuaron (director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Children of Men) and writer/director Guillermo del Toro (The Devil's Backbone and Hellboy) owes much to the literary genre of magical realism and is truly a work of art.
Northern Spain, 1944. Ofelia, an imaginative 12-year-old-girl, moves with her pregnant mother to live with her stepfather, an officer in the fascist government's army who's been assigned to the area to deal with an anti-fascist militia hiding in the hills. While exploring the woods, Ofelia discovers an ancient labyrinth guarded by a faun, who reveals that she is the long lost daughter of the King of the Underworld and she can return to her true home if she completes three tasks.
Del Toro's magnificent vision coalesces into a darkly poetic elegy to the end of innocence and childhood, framed as a psychological drama. As he did so well in The Devil's Backbone, which was set a few years earlier in Civil War-era Spain, del Toro grounds the fantastic elements in the very real horrors of the historical period, which provides an entrance to the magical power of another world. Like all great unexpurgated fairy tales, it doesn't shy away from the darkness of the world. The fantasy elements can be viewed literally or simply as the escapist fantasies of a lonely but imaginative girl. In common with magical realism, the film doesn't dictate to the audience which interpretation is correct, but rather allows each viewer to choose from two equally valid possibilities. The interpretation one chooses will also determine whether one sees the ending as tragic or happy.
Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, a longtime collaborator of del Toro's, and production designer Eugenio Caballero lay a sumptuous visual feast, contrasting the realism of the house with the vivid waking dreams of the fantasy realms. Composer Javier Navarrete's score weaves its own spell, working with the visuals to draw you into the story's worlds. The visual effects are seamless and a very organic part of the film, but they are few in number compared to the average fantasy film. Master storyteller that he is, del Toro doesn't lean on the effects like a crutch. It's all about how they serve his story.
Young Spanish actress Ivana Baquero delivers an excellent performance as Ofelia that's so natural that you never get the sense that she's acting as much as channeling the spirit of her character. Doug Jones (Abe Sapien in Hellboy and the Silver Surfer in the upcoming Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer) is fabulous as both the faun and the Pale Man. As good as the makeup and effects are, it's his acting that makes us believe. Strong performances are also given by Sergi Lopez as Ofelia's stepfather, Ariadna Gil as her mother, Maribel Verdu as the housekeeper and secret supporter of the militia, and Alex Angulo as the local physician.
Mexico's official submission for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is a visually stunning and captivating dark fantasy film that's also one of a kind. It's not like anything you've seen before. Highly recommended as one of the best films of 2006 and an outstanding film in the fantasy genre.
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