Pan's Labyrinth
El laberinto del fauno
Mexico, Spain, United States
2006
112 Min
Color
1.85:1
Spanish
Synopsis
Spain, 1944. Officially, the Civil War has been over for five years, but a small group of rebels fights on unbroken in the northern mountains of Navarra.
Dreamy 10-year-old Ofelia moves to Navarra with her delicate, pregnant mother Carmen, to become acquainted with her new stepfather, Captain Vidal, a Fascist officer under orders to rid the territory of rebels.
Captain Vidal has billeted himself inside a crumbling mill; imperious and intimidating, he makes no effort to befriend his stepdaughter. Lonely, the child turns to Mercedes, a young cook working for Vidal’s troops, for companionship.
Ofelia, who is fascinated by fairy tales, discovers an overgrown, tumble-down labyrinth behind the mill. In the heart of the labyrinth she meets Pan, an ancient satyr who claims to know her true identity and her secret destiny. —Cannes Film Festival
Director
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo Del Toro was born October 9, 1964 in Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico. Raised by his Catholic grandmother, Del Toro developed an interest in filmmaking in his early teens. Later, he learned about makeup and effects from the legendary Dick Smith (The Exorcist, 1973) and worked on making his own short films. At the age of 21, Del Toro executive produced his first feature, Dona Herlinda and Her Son (1986). Del Toro got his first big break when Cronos (1993) won nine academy awards in Mexico, then went on to win the International Critics Week prize at Cannes. Following this success, Del Toro made his first Hollywood film, Mimic (1997), starring Mira Sorvino. Next for Del Toro, was El Espinazo del diablo (2001), a Spanish Civil War ghost story. The film was hailed by critics and audiences alike, and Del Toro decided to give Hollywood another try. In 2002, he directed the Wesley Snipes vampire sequel, Blade II (2002). —World Cinema Foundation
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Anna Apperley
1Apr12
Unsure how I felt about this. I definitely appreciated the special effects and acting, the girl who played Ofelia was BRILLIANT, however it left me a bit queasy and stunned. I felt it was more about the evil Capitan getting his come-uppance than being a story about Ofelia. It was, in a way, a happy ending, but it not leave me feeling like it was. The flipside is that those reasons are what makes it brilliant.
AE Service
22Mar12
I think it's a great film. The actors play very well and the special effects are really great. For me personally this is really in the top 10!
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Lists and Awards #5. Critics Circles and More
By David Hudson on December 14, 2009
The fourth roundup of year-end and decade-end lists and awards was updated through Sunday morning (previously: 1, 2, 3). Now, a new week
Pan’s Labyrinth REVIEW
By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
With so much having already been said about this film, on this site in particular, it’s easy to feel very redundant offering up yet another critical take on “Pan’s Labyrinth.” However, with the film only
TIFF Report: Pan's Labyrinth Review
By Twitchfilm.com on May 17, 2011
[ TIFF info page here.] For all the acclaim director Guillermo Del Toro generated with Hellboy the high point of his career to that point was very definitely The Devil’s Backbone. Though underseen Backbone
TIFF Report: Pan's Labyrinth Review
By Twitchfilm.net on July 16, 2010
[ TIFF info page here.] For all the acclaim director Guillermo Del Toro generated with Hellboy the high point of his career to that point was very definitely The Devil’s Backbone. Though underseen Backbone
Pan’s Labyrinth REVIEW
By Twitchfilm.net on July 16, 2010
With so much having already been said about this film, on this site in particular, it’s easy to feel very redundant offering up yet another critical take on “Pan’s Labyrinth.” However, with the film only
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And Now For Something Very Much The Same
By Roscoe on March 26, 2010
As long as this film centers on the vicious sadistic military Captain (a splendid performance by Sergio Lopez) and his relationship with his housekeeper, who has connections with the rebels who want… read review
Untitled
By gyroplaya on September 3, 2009
I loved this movie. The visual effects were beautiful and the story was compelling having a story within a story. Of the many great scenes in this movie I will always remember seeing that one officers… read review
Untitled
By SoftAfro Sirad on August 9, 2009
I disagree – though there is no point in arguing about this.. Either you were captured by the film or you didn’t- Sorry, I rate the movie as one of the ultimate classics, and sure one of my fav of… read review
Untitled
By Anthony on July 30, 2009
Perhaps it was overhyped by the time I saw it, but I was totally overwhelmed. The non-fantasy parts were not particularly interesting (despite the excessive and unnecessary violence) and the fantasy… read review
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