Laberinto del fauno, El (2006)

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writer:

Guillermo del Toro (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 October 2006 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

Tagline:

What happens when make-believe believes it's real?

Plot:

In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Plot Keywords:

Good Versus Evil | Hammer | Burned Alive | Faun | Brutality

Awards:

Won 3 Oscars. Another 64 wins & 58 nominations

Cast

Ivana Baquero	...	Ofelia
Sergi López	...	Captain Vidal
Maribel Verdú	...	Mercedes
Doug Jones	...	Fauno / Pale Man
Ariadna Gil	...	Carmen Vidal
Álex Angulo	...	Doctor
Manolo Solo	...	Garcés
César Vea	...	Serrano
Roger Casamajor	...	Pedro
Ivan Massagué	...	El Tarta
Gonzalo Uriarte	...	Francés
Eusebio Lázaro	...	Padre
Francisco Vidal	...	Sacerdote (as Paco Vidal)
Juanjo Cucalón	...	Alcalde
Lina Mira	...	Esposa del alcalde

Also Known As:

Pan's Labyrinth (International: English title)
The Labyrinth of the Faun (International: English title) (informal literal title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic violence and some language.

Runtime:

Finland:120 min | Canada:112 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | UK:119 min

Country:

Mexico | Spain | USA

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Spain:18 | Brazil:16 | Italy:VM14 | Portugal:M/16 | France:-12 | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Taiwan:R-12 | South Korea:15 | Malaysia:18PL | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | Singapore:NC-16 (cut) | Argentina:18 | Ireland:16 | USA:R | Sweden:15 | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Belgium:KNT | Mexico:C | UK:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Singapore:R21 | Norway:15 | Germany:16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Australia:MA | Hong Kong:IIB | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Belchite, Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain

Company:

Tequila Gang

Trivia:

Doug Jones stated on disc 2 of the DVD that the Pan suit was the most comfortable, and well made suit he had ever been cast to wear. Thanks in large part to the suit being divided into many sections, having the legs anchor to his hips and not his shoulders distributed the weight better, and having the stomach section separate from the shoulder section gave him better range of motion.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ofelia goes down the stairs in the labyrinth and is talking to the faun, his shadow still shows Doug Jones' legs while they are in the stilts. The special effects crew took out his physical legs, but the shadow still exists.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Pan: A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamed of the human world. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside...

Movie Connections:

References Mimic (1997)

Soundtrack:

Soy un pobre presidiario

Unexpected brilliance.

This is a movie with a simple and straightforward plot which contains layers and layers of intelligent writing, metaphors and message.

To speak further about the script will end up in spoilers and that would be pointless since my very purpose writing this review is to encourage people to see it.

This is no small feat, interpreting fantasy as something of a product of a real world, cross-referencing how the child acts to her real surroundings and the "other world", metaphors that describe the accelerated state of growing up some of us are put through... Incredible. Simple, straightforward yet there is so much to be appreciated.

Those who are saying how it's predictable and thus not enjoyable, I ask of you, which movie nowadays aren't predictable? Hell, even 21 grams was predictable but so damned good. It's not about how it ends, you can always predict how a movie would end if you've ever taken a half-decent script writing class or have some common sense. It's always about how well you tell a story.

I'm grateful there are still directors who aren't tied down to this new epidemic of including a plot twist simply because they need a plot twist.

Pan's Labyrinth features some of the best storytelling and attention to detail without being affected by the now ever-popular opinion of cameras having to be put through several technical difficulties to make the shots eligible to be called a brilliant shot.

I am also grateful for them not dubbing it. Watching it in its' original language is much, much more rewarding even if I had to rely on the subtitles for most of the time.

This is a brilliant movie. Watch it.