Hey folks, Harry here... Guillermo called me from London after this screening, very happy about how it went. Next he's headed to Venice to be a juror at the Venice Film Festival - and our man Quint will be seeing PAN'S LABYRINTH in Los Angeles later this weekend. As Quint's there for another TRANSFORMERS behind the scenes report. However, SMALLS, as this spy likes to be called, loves PAN'S LABYRINTH - which is a common ailment that seems to be befalling all those that come within its spell. I'm DYING to see it.
Hello,
I've read the site for so long and never posted a
review, but after seeing Guillermo del Torro's Pan's
Labryinth last night, I felt moved to send you this. I
know its long, so if you want to edit it by all means
do so (I'll trust you!).
Without further ado...
It’s the morning after the night before and having had
time to reflect, I had to share my thoughts with you
about Gillermo del Torro’s latest, Pan’s Labyrinth. I
went to London’s Frightfest horror festival last night
and the film’s first public screening since Cannes,
where it was introduced by the man himself.
Before I entered the cinema I’d heard of the 25-minute
ovation at Cannes and read Frank Darabont’s gushing
feedback on the web, and after seeing the trailer I
was cynical it could be that good. I knew it would be
good, but surely not? My doubts disappeared when the
enthusiastic Guillermo and Alfonso Cuaron (They
co-produced it) introduced it. According to Guillermo,
this film is a true labour of love – he deferred his
fee, significant parts of it are autobiographical and
he even described Pan’s Labrynth as a ‘piece of my
soul’.
Well, what a soul that man must have! Like his
previous film (and companion piece to Pan’s Labrynth)
The Devil’s Backbone, this is set around the time of
the Spanish civil war. Like the former film it has a
child main protagonist (In DD it was a boy, in Pan’s
it’s a girl), both have an evil fascist (or
proto-fascist) as the main antagonist, and both have
an ethereal dream-like quality that make fairy tales
so appealing to all ages.
However, whereas Backbone is more of an old-fashioned
ghost story, Pan’s Labyrinth is like the best
children’s fairy tale. The key to fairy tales is that
they work as allegories about the end of childhood,
coming of age and the loss of innocence. That’s why
they resonate with generation after generation. Pan’s
Labrynth is the 21 Century’s fairy tale, to be shown
again and again to generation after generation.
The story is quite simple – a young girl, Ofelia (The
awesome Ivana Baquero), is forced to live with her
mother and new stepfather, a sadistic Fascist Captain
hunting ‘reds’ in remote mountains. Her mother is ill
with her unborn son and Ophelia is left to explore the
woods around the army camp. It’s here she finds the
Labrynth in question and meets a Faun, who tells her
she is the princess of a magical underground kingdom
and to get back, she must complete three tasks.
It sounds simple, but like The Devil’s Backbone and
all the best films, Pan’s only unravels its secrets in
the hours and days after you’ve seen it. It stays with
you, sticking under your skin, unveiling more and more
to you, letting you slowly understand and appreciate
its message of hope and the retaining of childlike
innocence, no matter how much evil there is in the
world around you.
Speaking after the screening, del Torro mentioned the
9/11 as a reference point to Pan’s Labrynth, and the
ruthless attempts of the pitiless Captain Vidal (Sergi
Lopez managing to top his performance in Harry, He’s
Here To Help) to crush the socialists’ resistance and
his use of torture resonates in our times. But it’s
the girl’s innocence and hope in her quest to return
home and find happiness is a message of hope to us
all.
Like journalism, you cannot hide in filmmaking. If
you’re heart’s not in your work, the audience will see
it up there on the screen. That’s why so much
Hollywood product feels soulless and vacuous, because
people are making the film to make money not because
they have a story to tell. On the other hand, when a
filmmaker is passionate about his work and puts his
(or her) heart and soul into a film, then it shines
through and stays with you. Pan’s Labrynth is like the
most passionate love affair – what you see on screen
is Guillermo and his love of film. The story is so
rich and textured, with not a false moment or
one-dimensional character – everyone is real and
complicated with their own hopes, fears, faults and
sympathetic traits – well, apart from Captain Vidal.
Visually the film is like a lush Rembrandt masterpiece
or Monet watercolour – the colours leap out at you and
command your rapt attention, and the directorial
flourishes are not the gimmicks of someone showing
off, but the sign of a director fluent in cinematic
language and deeply, deeply in love with it.
From the incredible opening shot, to an ending that
has the perfect blend of pathos and a sense of hope
that lifts your spirits, Pan’s Labrynth is the perfect
film that constantly surprises, always intrigues and
never fails to hold your attention. If like me you’ve
become increasingly cynical about films and cinema in
recent years under the bombardment of unimaginative
dross from Hollywood, Guillermo’s Pan’s Labrynth will
restore your love of film and storytelling.
Introducing the film, Guillermo said his film wouldn’t
receive a massive marketing push and wouldn’t be in
thousands of multiplex screens but he said this film
is the one he’s most proud of, most in love with. He
implored the audience to go out and evangelise this
film to friends, family, strangers on the streets.
Well I implore you to do the same – everyone must see
this film - and Guillermo, I hope by posting my humble
opinion this will do what you asked.
Harry, if you use this, call me Smalls!
