Del Toro's Next Film: Can He Top Pan's Labyrinth?

Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican filmmaker known for his imaginative and gothic storytelling that blends the personal and the historical. His dark fantasy film 'Pan's Labyrinth' (2006) is considered a masterpiece of fantasy cinema and has earned widespread critical acclaim. The film is set in 1944 Francoist Spain and follows a young girl, Ofelia, who escapes her harsh reality by venturing into a mythical labyrinth where she interacts with magical creatures and a mysterious faun. The film explores the duality of death and rebirth, intertwining the real world with Ofelia's fantastical interior world. Del Toro's unique brand of cinematic horror blends innocence and brutality, beauty and pain, resulting in a film that is both terrifying and beautiful. 'Pan's Labyrinth' has been praised for its visual style, makeup effects, direction, screenplay, cinematography, musical score, set design, and cast performances, winning three Academy Awards and three BAFTA Awards.

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The film's fantasy underworld: real or imagined?

The fantasy underworld in Pan's Labyrinth, a dark fantasy film written, directed, and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro, has been a subject of discussion among viewers and critics. Some believe it to be a product of the protagonist Ofelia's imagination, while del Toro himself has stated that he believes it to be real.

The film, set in 1944 Francoist Spain, intertwines the real world with a mythical underworld centred on an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth. Ofelia, a young girl, interacts with magical creatures and a mysterious faun, who tells her she is the reincarnated Princess of the Underworld, Moanna. The faun and the underworld are interpreted by some viewers as imaginary, a way for Ofelia to cope with the horrors of the Spanish Civil War and her abusive stepfather, Captain Vidal, who hunts down the Spanish Maquis resisting the Francoist regime. This interpretation is supported by certain scenes in the film, such as when the faun does not react to the presence of Ofelia's stepfather, possibly because Ofelia herself had not seen him approach and thus her imagined faun couldn't 'see' him either.

However, del Toro has pointed out clues in the movie indicating that the underworld is real. For instance, the faun and the labyrinth are not mere figments of a child's imagination but are rooted in mythology and folklore. The faun, for example, is not intended to be the Greek deity Pan, but it draws from Roman mythology and Greek mythology, where fauns are linked to the deity Pan. Additionally, the Pale Man, a creature with eyes on his hands, shares this feature with the Japanese mythological monster Tenome. Furthermore, del Toro intended the film to be a parable influenced by fairy tales, addressing themes of death and rebirth, good and evil, and the power of fantasy to prevail against fascism.

Ultimately, del Toro has stated that the interpretation of the film is a matter of personal discussion and that it should tell something different to each viewer. While some viewers disagree with del Toro's interpretation, the ambiguity of the fantasy underworld adds to the richness and depth of the film, allowing for multiple readings and sparking ongoing discussions and analyses.

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The influence of fairy tales

Guillermo del Toro's film 'Pan's Labyrinth' is a dark fantasy fairy tale that blends fact and fantasy, poetry and politics, pain and pleasure. The film is set in Fascist Spain in 1944, during the early Francoist period, and follows the story of a young girl, Ofelia, who explores a labyrinthine underworld. Ofelia's stepfather, Captain Vidal, is involved in policing the anti-fascist Maquis resistance, while her mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets magical creatures who guide her through the trials of the labyrinth, which may or may not be a product of her imagination.

Del Toro has stated that he considers the story to be a parable influenced by fairy tales. The fantastical elements that Ofelia witnesses can be interpreted as her way of making sense of the world and coping with her harsh reality, similar to how fairy tales simplify complex concepts. The characters in the film are also archetypes that correspond to their roles within folk tale traditions. For example, the Pale Man monster symbolizes predatory authority figures, alluding to the dangers of fascism and the Catholic Church's role in the fascist movement in Spain.

The film's narrative intertwines the real world with a mythical world centered on an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun with whom Ofelia interacts. The faun in the film is not Pan, despite the title's reference to the Greek deity. The original Spanish title, "El laberinto del fauno," refers to the fauns of Roman mythology. Del Toro's notebooks, filled with ideas and drawings, served as the inspiration for the film, including a story about a pregnant woman who falls in love with a faun.

'Pan's Labyrinth' employs complex makeup, animatronics, and CGI effects to bring its creatures to life, including the Pale Man with eyes on his hands, inspired by the Japanese mythological monster Tenome. The director's willingness to confront pain and create his own cinematic dictionary has resulted in a blend of innocence and brutality that is a trademark of his phantasmagorical cinema.

The film has been praised for its imaginative narrative, rich detail, and ability to reconnect the adult imagination to the primal thrill and horror of childhood fairy tales. It has been considered Del Toro's magnum opus and one of the best fantasy films ever made, receiving widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards.

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The absence of Catholic imagery

Guillermo del Toro's 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth is set in Spain in 1944 during the early Francoist period. The narrative intertwines the real world with a mythical world centred on an overgrown, abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun with whom the protagonist, Ofelia, interacts. Notably, the film almost completely avoids overt Catholic imagery, despite the Catholic Church's support of Franco in real life.

In an interview, del Toro acknowledged the absence of visible Catholic detail in the film, attributing it in part to the Church's complicity in and participation in the fascist movement in Spain. He also revealed that the words spoken by the priest at the dinner table in the film were taken from a speech given by a priest to Republican prisoners in a fascist concentration camp. This omission of Catholic imagery may be interpreted as a deliberate choice to distance the film from the Church's position during the civil war.

However, some have argued that the film is deeply interested in faith and religion, presenting a pagan ethos that seems to offer salvation in contrast to the Catholic Church's alignment with fascism. The faun, fairies, and a magic spell involving mandrake root, milk, and blood represent this pagan ethos. Additionally, the labyrinth itself can be seen as a symbol of the soul seeking spirit, embodying the contemplative journey of the devout.

While the film may seem to lack overt Catholic imagery, it has been interpreted as containing Catholic themes. As a fallen-away Catholic, del Toro's personal upbringing may have influenced the film's exploration of faith and dogma. Some Catholic viewers have identified themes in the film that align with their beliefs, such as the importance of looking past people's appearances and seeing their true nature, as exemplified by the contrast between the ugly but benevolent faun and the handsome but evil Captain Vidal.

In conclusion, while Pan's Labyrinth may not feature prominent Catholic imagery, it engages with themes of faith, dogma, and the Catholic Church's historical role in Spanish fascism. The absence of overt Catholic symbols may be a conscious choice by del Toro to critique the Church's position while still exploring broader spiritual and religious ideas through its pagan elements and exploration of good and evil.

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The eroticisation of cruelty

Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth is a dark fantasy film that intertwines the real world with a mythical world centred on a labyrinth. The film has been praised for its imaginative storytelling, but it has also sparked discussions about its depiction of violence and cruelty.

One aspect that has been noted by critics is the eroticisation of cruelty in the film. In an interview, del Toro was asked about this specific aspect, and he provided some insights into his creative choices. Del Toro acknowledged that his villains are "thrillingly virile", and he attributed this portrayal to his own experiences growing up as "a chubby, not-very-attractive guy". He explained that evil and fascism can be incredibly attractive, which is a danger that most people neglect. By making his villains handsome and charismatic, del Toro wanted to highlight the seductive nature of evil and the allure of fascism, which had a carefully crafted image and aesthetic.

Captain Vidal, portrayed by Sergi López, embodies the eroticisation of cruelty. His external brutality and sadistic scenes, such as bashing in a peasant's face with a bottle, are contrasted with his virile and charismatic persona. Vidal's character serves as a real-world villain within the film, mirroring the monstrosities of the mythical world. The film also explores subtle sexual imagery, such as Ofelia's encounter with the Monstrous Toad, which can be interpreted as a reflection of Vidal's monstrosity.

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The faun: Pan or a Roman deity?

In the 2006 film Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno), a faun guides the protagonist, Ofelia, through a series of tasks that lead her to a wondrous netherworld. The faun in the film is not Pan, according to del Toro, but the English, German, and French titles refer specifically to the faun-like Greek deity Pan.

The faun, a half-human and half-goat mythological creature, appears in both Greek and Roman mythology. In Roman mythology, fauns were originally ghosts (genii) of rustic places, lesser versions of their chief, the god Faunus. Faunus is often associated with bewitched woods and is the father of Bona Dea, sometimes identified as the goddess Fauna. Faunus was also closely associated with Silvanus and Inuus, a vaguely defined deity also sometimes identified with Faunus. Faunus was represented as a naked man, as seen in the Barberini Faun, a Hellenistic marble statue from about 200 BCE. By the Renaissance, fauns were depicted as two-footed creatures with the horns, legs, and tail of a goat and the head, torso, and arms of a human.

In Greek mythology, Pan is the god of shepherds, hunters, and the wilds. He is closely identified with several other rustic deities, including Aristaios (Aristaeus), the shepherd-god of northern Greece, and the Phrygian satyr Marsyas. Pan is represented as a voluptuous and sensual being with horns, a puck nose, and goat's feet, sometimes in the act of dancing or playing the syrinx. In art, he is often depicted in the act of dancing or playing the syrinx.

In Roman religion and myth, Pan was frequently identified with Faunus and sometimes with Inuus. Pan became a significant figure in the Romantic movement of Western Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and the Neopagan movement in the twentieth century. Many modern scholars believe that Pan is derived from the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European god *Péh₂usōn, an important pastoral deity.

In popular culture, fauns and Pan have appeared in various works of literature and film, including Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun, H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, C.S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth.

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