Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

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

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writer:

Guillermo del Toro

Stars:

Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi López

Top Rated Movies #129 | Won 3 Oscars. Another 99 wins & 105 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ivana Baquero	...	Ofelia
Sergi López	...	Vidal
Maribel Verdú	...	Mercedes
Doug Jones	...	Fauno / Pale Man
Ariadna Gil	...	Carmen
Álex Angulo	...	Doctor Ferreiro
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

Storyline

In 1944 falangist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.

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Plot Keywords:

fairy | hiding | maze | spain | labyrinth | 

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Taglines:

Innocence is stronger than evil! [Sweden]

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic violence and some language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Pan-Européenne [France]

Country:

Spain Mexico USA

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

19 January 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pan's Labyrinth

Filming Locations:

Spain

Box Office

Budget:

€13,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€1,545,313 (Spain), 15 October 2006, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$779,427, 31 December 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$37,634,615

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$87,041,569

Company Credits

Production Co:

Estudios Picasso,Wild Bunch,Tequila Gang

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min 112 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Guillermo del Toro conceived the Pale Man as an allusion to the perverted image of stigmata - ghastly wounds that are supposed to signify grace and piety.

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Goofs

Vidal is using a Luger P-08 pistol. When he "fires" it, although smoke can be seen coming out of the barrel, the distinctive cartridge eject mechanism of the P-08 doesn't move, nor do any spent cartridges eject. This is due to a prohibition on pyrotechnics in the forest used for filming and the sound of gunfire and muzzle flash having been added later.

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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, the brightness blinded her and erased every trace of the past from her memory. She forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness, and pain. Eventually, she died. However, her father, the King, always knew...

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Crazy Credits

The two "Stick Insects" are credited as Cheech and Chong, after which it says "MAY THEY REST IN PEACE".

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The Painted Veil/Miss Potter/Perfume: The Story of a Murderer/Notes on a Scandal/The Curse of the Golden Flower/Pan's Labyrinth (2007)

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Soundtracks

A Tale/Un cuento
Written by Javier Navarrete
Produced by Emmanuel Chamboredon Ian P. Hierons
Courtesy of Milan Entertainment

User Reviews

Innocence and brutality

I saw the movie yesterday in the Spanish premiere and I confirm: it's one of the best Guillermo del Toro's films (if not the best ever). Innocence and brutality, fantasy and reality, together in a wonderful fairy tale about the power of magic in dark times. The performances are great, mainly from Sergi López, Maribel Verdú and the big revelation of the film: the 12 years girl Ivana Baquero. Del Toro repeats the context of the film "El Espinazo del Diablo" ("The Devil's Backbone"), the Spanish Post-Civil War, with the same philosophy: the supernatural invading the daily life in a depressive environment and the innocence of children trapped between both world. But "El Laberinto del Fauno" is most compact, most mature and best done in very aspects, and perhaps it's the most personal movie from Del Toro.