Pan’s Labyrinth
I have to say, after seeing del Toro’s ‘The Devil’s Backbone’, I totally changed my expectation of what this movie would be like.
I now ‘knew’ it would be a dark phantasy (sic deliberately), and nothing like Harry Potter. I now ‘knew’ that it would probably deal with real world issues and events in a phantastical manner.
I did not expect to be so moved by the unfolding story, and definitely did not expect the ending, although I did.
The perfect quality of each actor’s performance within the story was enhanced by the fact that I did not know any of them, by name or reputation. So with no opinions on their skills or abilities to involve me or move me, I was able to immerse myself in the story almost immediately.
Having more than a passing familiarity with folklore and mythology, (and a tendency towards escapism in the real world, truth be told), I was nevertheless moved by an apparent contradiction: his traditional use of traditional motifs, and his sometimes sinister twisting of those same motifs against themselves in the service of the storytelling. (I say sometimes sinister because sometimes it’s not.)
If I am at all ambivalent about whether or not I like a movie, I can always tell I definitely liked it when the imagery keeps floating around my mind or bursting out unexpectedly when I am thinking about or working on something else.
I like this movie.
I wonder what a remake of ‘The Seven Faces of Doctor Lao’ would be like under the direction of Guillermo del Toro…
July 20th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
Castillian Spanish used to be my second language and I am way out of practise but I don’t think that any character in this film, at any time, used the name Pan in any context. The Spanish name of the film means simply ‘The Faun’s Labyrinth’ and the character of the Faun never gives himself a name, even when describing himself to Ofelia.
‘Ofelia and the Sorceror’s Labyrinth’, anyone?