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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready.... |
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Pan's Labyrinth Stars: Maribel Verdu', Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Ariadna Gil, Alex Angulo, Doug Jones, Eusebio Lazaro and Paco Vidal Director/Scriptwriter: Guillermo del Toro Music: Javier Navarrete Cinematography: Guillermo Navarro, ASC Picturehouse/Time-Warner Rating: R Running Length: 114 minutes Spanish language with subtitles Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy and Blade II) has taken Spain's Civil War and written how the anguish and violence of war would be seen through a child's eyes. In this case, the child is a young girl, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero looking for all the world like Anne Frank) who travels through guerilla country with her pregnant mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil) to stay with her new step-father, a military captain (Sergi Lopez). Pan's Labyrinth concerns a labyrinth that is on the estate where the captain has his headquarters. The definition of "labyrinth" is a place constructed of confusing and intricate spaces. There is always a center to such a creation and labyrinths are now in vogue on many church properties. The hedges aren't as high as in this film, but such a maze is now looked upon as a place of peace and contemplation. This is where Ofelia often comes. Del Toro's original story begins with Ofelia and her mother traveling through a forest region to reach the captain's headquarters. One of the items Ofelia holds dear is a collection of fairy tales, in which she believes. Mother would have her leave these ideas behind, but Ofelia still clings to childhood. Mother is pregnant and ill. As we see, the captain is a vicious man, who barely conceals this trait from his family. His methods of torture are gruesome. The only thing that makes the captain remotely normal is that he is certain his wife is carrying a son. We see his true colors when, in a private conversation, the captain tells the doctor, "If there is a problem, save the son." Ofelia wanders into the forest region and meets various imaginary creatures, including a faun (Doug Jones) who have duties for her to perform. Each time, she ends up being late at home, with mud on her clothes, and gets on the adult's nerves. The head housekeeper, Mercedes (Maribel Verdu') is kind to Ofelia, but Mercedes has her own agenda and as the guerillas get closer to headquarters, the captain is sure there is a spy in their midst. Who? In the meantime, the baby's birth is imminent. There are two storylines going on. Ofelia's friendship with the woodland creatures and the captain and guerilla raids. Special effects are fairly good when Ofelia is with the fairies, and the "real life" scenes are well lighted and photographed. Here is a beautiful country torn by civil war and everyone is suspect. The class system is in place and when a member of the aristocracy gives an order, it is to be obeyed immediately. Ofelia is lonely in this new family-type environment. It is a remote area with no children for companionship. Does she dream the fairies or do they come to help a troubled girl out of her element in a war? For Anne Frank, it was being hidden for years in an attic while soldiers were all around. The family literally had to watch every step.You can decide for yourself what is happening in "Pan's Labyrinth." People have different coping abilities, such as total withdrawal or physically running away, while others may dream themselves into another place. Anne Frank had the talent of writing to help her describe the attic while Ofelia mentally creates her own escape from reality. I thought the casting of Ivana Baquero as "Ofelia," was not the best choice. Though the young actress has expressive eyes, she acts like a statue and in some scenes as though someone prodded her from behind. On the other hand, Sergi Lopez relishes the role of the captain who must have been born with "evil" stamped on his diaper. When he eats dinner, it's as though he is trying to figure out another way to torture someone. Maribel Verdu' is an expressive housekeeper (Mercedes) who is torn between one special loyalty and caring for Ofelia. Ariadna Gil is the helpless Carmen, whose only use to the captain is to bear his son. This tragedy goes on in the middle of a beautiful forest where gunfire should come from a hunter, but here there is hunting of a different kind. Pan's Labyrinth is quite the original story and don't be surprised at Oscar nomination time if the film is mentioned for Best Foreign Language Film or Best Original Screenplay. Subtitled. Copyright 2007 Marie Asner Submitted 1/16/07
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