Pan's Labyrinth: Priceless Fantasy

Pan's Labyrinth is a dark fantasy film written, directed and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro. It is set in 1944, five years after the end of the Spanish Civil War. The film follows a young girl, Ofelia, who escapes her grim reality into a captivating fantasy world.

The film is considered a masterpiece and one of the best fantasy films ever made. It has grossed $83 million at the worldwide box office and won numerous awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.

With its unique blend of fantasy and reality, Pan's Labyrinth is definitely worth watching and has stood the test of time.

The film's critical reception

'Pan's Labyrinth' received widespread critical acclaim. It was nominated for and won numerous awards, including three Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, the Ariel Award for Best Picture, and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form. It was also Metacritic's best-reviewed film of the 2000s decade, with a score of 98/100.

The film received a 22-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, the longest in the festival's history. It also received a standing ovation at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, its first release in the Americas.

Mark Kermode, in The Observer, labelled 'Pan's Labyrinth' the best film of 2006, describing it as:

> [a]n epic, poetic vision in which the grim realities of war are matched and mirrored by a descent into an underworld populated by fearsomely beautiful monsters.

Stephanie Zacharek wrote that the film:

> works on so many levels that it seems to change shape even as you watch it.

Jim Emerson of the Chicago Sun-Times called it:

> a fairy tale of such potency and awesome beauty that it reconnects the adult imagination to the primal thrill and horror of the stories that held us spellbound as children.

In his review, Roger Ebert deemed it:

> one of the greatest of all fantasy films, even though it is anchored so firmly in the reality of war.

The New Yorker's Anthony Lane took special note of the film's sound design, saying it:

> discards any hint of the ethereal by turning up the volume on small, supercharged noises.

However, not all critics were entirely positive about the film. Writing for The San Diego Union-Tribune, David Elliott opined that:

> [w]hat it lacks is successful unity... Del Toro has the art of many parts, but only makes them cohere as a sort of fevered extravaganza.

The film's box office performance

'Pan's Labyrinth' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 27 May 2006, receiving a 22-minute standing ovation. The film was then theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in Spain on 11 October 2006 and in Mexico on 20 October 2006. It was later released in other countries, including the United States, where it had a limited release starting on 29 December 2006.

During its first three weeks at the United States box office, the film made $5.4 million. As of 2021, it had grossed $37.6 million in North America and $46.2 million in other territories, totalling $83.9 million worldwide. In Spain alone, it grossed almost $12 million, and it is the fifth highest-grossing foreign film in the United States.

The film has also been successful in DVD sales and rentals, generating $55 million in the United States alone. In the United Kingdom, it was the eighth best-selling foreign-language film on physical home video formats in 2011 and the tenth best-selling in 2012. On UK television, it was the second most-watched foreign-language film in 2013, with 200,700 viewers on Channel 4.

The film's production

The production of 'Pan's Labyrinth' was a complex and challenging process that involved many talented individuals. The film was written, directed, and co-produced by Guillermo del Toro, who is known for his meticulous note-taking and world-building. In fact, the idea for the film came from del Toro's notebooks, which he had been filling with "doodles, ideas, drawings and plot bits" for twenty years.

One notable incident during production occurred when del Toro left his notebook in a taxi in London, only to have it returned to him by the conscientious driver a couple of days later. This incident seemed to fuel del Toro's determination to complete the film.

The film's cast included Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, Doug Jones, and Ariadna Gil. Notably, del Toro was nervous about casting the lead role of Ofelia, but he was blown away by Ivana Baquero's audition and knew she was perfect for the part, despite being a little older than the character.

The film's special effects were a combination of computer-generated imagery, complex makeup, and animatronics. The makeup process was particularly time-consuming, with Doug Jones, who played the Faun and the Pale Man, spending an average of five hours in the makeup chair.

The film's score was composed by Javier Navarrete and was entirely structured around a lullaby. Del Toro was so pleased with the score that he included the entire thing on the soundtrack album, even though much of it had been cut from the film during production.

'Pan's Labyrinth' premiered on 27 May 2006 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 22-minute standing ovation. It was then theatrically released by Warner Bros. Pictures in Spain and Mexico in October of the same year. The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing $83 million at the worldwide box office and winning numerous awards, including three Academy Awards and three BAFTA Awards.

The film's themes

The central theme of Pan's Labyrinth is choice, specifically the choice between good and evil. Ofelia, the film's protagonist, is given three tasks by the faun, a creature she meets in a labyrinth. These tasks force her to make difficult decisions, such as choosing between her own life and that of her baby brother. The theme of choice intertwines with the coming-of-age theme, as Ofelia is reaching an age where she must make her own decisions, and these decisions have consequences.

The film also explores the theme of disobedience and resistance. Ofelia's choices are often acts of disobedience against authority figures, such as her evil stepfather, Captain Vidal, and the faun. Her tendency to follow her own choices instead of blindly following orders reflects the importance of standing up against fascism, one of the film's key messages.

Another prominent theme in the film is coming-of-age, or the onset of puberty. Ofelia's journey through the labyrinth and her encounters with fantastical creatures represent her progression towards adolescence and her attempts to cope with the adult world. The forest, a typical fantasy setting, is symbolic of this progression, as it offers a child a place to hide but also a place to get lost.

The interplay between history and fantasy is another important aspect of the film. Set in Francoist Spain after the Civil War, the film reflects on the trauma of war and the rise of fascism. Ofelia's fantastical journey can be seen as her way of making sense of the dark and complex world around her.

Finally, the film explores the idea of immortality and the different shapes it can take. Despite the tragic deaths of almost all the main characters, the film suggests that eternal life can be achieved through acts of compassion and self-sacrifice.

The film's influences

The influences behind Guillermo del Toro's 2006 dark fantasy film, 'Pan's Labyrinth', are varied and fascinating. The film is set in 1944, in the early Francoist period, three years after the Spanish Civil War. Del Toro has stated that the film is a "parable", influenced by fairy tales and addressing themes of fascism, choice, and the interplay between fantasy and reality.

Del Toro drew on a range of sources for inspiration, including literature, art, film, and mythology. Here is a closer look at some of the film's key influences:

Literary Influences

Del Toro cited Lewis Carroll's 'Alice' books, Jorge Luis Borges' 'Ficciones', Arthur Machen's 'The Great God Pan' and 'The White People', Lord Dunsany's 'The Blessing of Pan', Algernon Blackwood's 'Pan's Garden', and Clive Barker's 'The Skins of the Fathers' as literary influences. Edwin Sidney Hartland's 'The Science of Fairy Tales: An Enquiry into Fairy Mythology' was also a key source, with del Toro drawing on its classification of fairy tales and their oral origins.

Artistic Influences

The film's fantastical creatures and monsters were influenced by the paintings of Francisco de Goya, particularly his ''Black Paintings' series, which dealt with dark themes such as death and insanity. Goya's painting 'Saturn Devouring His Son' is said to bear a resemblance to the Pale Man, with both depictions being decrepit, old, skinny, pale, and long, and engaged in the act of eating a child.

Film Influences

Del Toro has mentioned 'The Spirit of the Beehive' and 'Cría Cuervos' as Spanish films that deal with similar themes of the Civil War and horror. He also noted similarities between 'Pan's Labyrinth' and 'The Chronicles of Narnia', particularly in terms of setting, characters, and themes of disobedience and choice. Other films that have been mentioned as influences include 'Labyrinth', 'MirrorMask', 'Spirited Away', and 'Bridge to Terabithia'.

Mythological Influences

The faun in the film draws on Roman mythology and Greek mythology, specifically the faun-like deity, Pan. However, del Toro has stated that the faun in the film is not meant to be Pan. The Pale Man, with eyes on its hands, is influenced by the Japanese mythological monster, the Tenome.

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