Amazing 'Labyrinth' ; "Pan's Labyrinth" has

depth, horror and humanity in a stunning tale

that blends fantasy with brutal reality.
Covert, Colin; Staff Writer 1 1 Staff Writer . Star Tribune ; Minneapolis, Minn. [Minneapolis, Minn]19 Jan
2007: 9F.

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ABSTRACT (ABSTRACT)
"Pan's Labyrinth" uses the final days of the Spanish Civil War as the nightmarish backdrop for a fable involving an
evil step-parent, occult beings and a heroic, innocent child. The Fascist forces are exterminating the final remnants
of the resistance in the countryside, and Capt. Vidal, the new stepfather of 11-year-old Ofelia, is one of the
government's most merciless brutes. His callous treatment of Ofelia's ailing pregnant mother, his new bride, is the
mildest manifestation of his cruelty; his atrocities against captured partisans are outbursts of truly diabolical
sadism.

If Vidal is the daytime face of infernal forces, Ofelia's dreamlike adventures among the fabulous creatures of the
forest represent its nighttime opposite. Wandering the grounds near the old mill house where Vidal has relocated
the family, Ofelia encounters fairies, an underground netherworld, and its towering, horn-headed lord, the faun Pan.
The ugly creature is suspect, sometimes expressing concern for Ofelia, calling himself "your most humble servant,"
sometimes harsh or deviously manipulating. He tells her she is a re- incarnated princess of the underworld, and
that if she completes three dangerous quests she will regain her powers; with no other options to escape her
painful life, she agrees. She must believe. He's all she has.

FULL TEXT
Guillermo del Toro's business card should read, "Fantasy Films for All Audiences and Occasions." A few years ago
he worked the raw materials of Nazis and demons into the formulaic, shamelessly entertaining comic-book
adventure "Hellboy." Now he has tapped the same ingredients for a serious art film that is at once deeply personal
and touchingly universal.

"Pan's Labyrinth" uses the final days of the Spanish Civil War as the nightmarish backdrop for a fable involving an
evil step-parent, occult beings and a heroic, innocent child. The Fascist forces are exterminating the final remnants
of the resistance in the countryside, and Capt. Vidal, the new stepfather of 11-year-old Ofelia, is one of the
government's most merciless brutes. His callous treatment of Ofelia's ailing pregnant mother, his new bride, is the
mildest manifestation of his cruelty; his atrocities against captured partisans are outbursts of truly diabolical
sadism.

If Vidal is the daytime face of infernal forces, Ofelia's dreamlike adventures among the fabulous creatures of the
forest represent its nighttime opposite. Wandering the grounds near the old mill house where Vidal has relocated
the family, Ofelia encounters fairies, an underground netherworld, and its towering, horn-headed lord, the faun Pan.
The ugly creature is suspect, sometimes expressing concern for Ofelia, calling himself "your most humble servant,"
sometimes harsh or deviously manipulating. He tells her she is a re- incarnated princess of the underworld, and

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that if she completes three dangerous quests she will regain her powers; with no other options to escape her
painful life, she agrees. She must believe. He's all she has.

Del Toro links Pan's dark, brooding magical realm to the sunny real world, creating a story that can be understood
from several points of view. Ofelia might be taking refuge in her imagination. Pan may exist, but his promises could
be lies. Or the frightening creature may really be Ofelia's guardian spirit. The film retains its enticing ambiguity until
the final shot, a scene as heart- wrenching as anything in the original, unfiltered Brothers Grimm. Del Toro
understands that the correct, cathartic and emotionally satisfying ending to a fairy tale isn't necessarily a happy
one.

"Pan's Labyrinth" is beautifully shot and designed, but it's the acting that makes it a remarkable emotional journey.
Talented mime artist Doug Jones plays Pan so compellingly that you lose sight of the prosthetic limbs and
demonoid makeup that have transformed him into a demigod. It's Pan's mercurial nature rather than his grotesque
form that rivets your attention. He's an Alice-through- the-looking-glass reflection of the malicious and arbitrary
Capt. Vidal, a child's conception of unfathomable, alien adult power.

Sergio Lopez makes Vidal a searingly memorable villain, morally subhuman yet with a godlike power of life and
death and an apparent invulnerability to pain. A scene in which he stitches up his freshly scarred face will give
some viewers sleepless nights for months to come. Of course, the film's success hangs on its brave, suffering
heroine, and Ivana Baquero plays the lead impeccably, offering the kind of textured, imaginative performance seen
in the best work by the young Jodie Foster or Dakota Fanning. Even when the story is deep in the realm of the
fantastic, she remains rivetingly realistic.

Colin Covert - 612-673-7186

PAN'S LABYRINTH

Four out of four stars

The setup: During the Spanish Civil War, an 11-year-old girl takes refuge in a world of legendary creatures.

What works: The tonal balancing act between extravagant fantasy and compelling wartime realism.

What doesn't: The ending will be too much for some viewers, but this is a fairy tale more for adults than children.

Great scene: A banquet scene that draws unsettling correspondences between grapes and eyeballs.

Rating: R for graphic violence and some language. In Spanish with English subtitles.

Where: Uptown.

Illustration
Photo: PHOTO

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DETAILS

Publication title: Star Tribune; Minneapolis, Minn.

Pages: 9F

Number of pages: 0

Publication year: 2007

Publication date: Jan 19, 2007

Section: SCENE

Publisher: Star Tribune Media Company LLC

Place of publication: Minneapolis, Minn.

Country of publication: United States, Minneapolis, Minn.

Publication subject: General Interest Periodicals--United States

ISSN: 08952825

Source type: Newspapers

Language of publication: English

Document type: NEWSPAPER

ProQuest document ID: 427856891

Document URL: https://exeter.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/amazi

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Copyright: (Copyright 2007 Star Tribune)

Last updated: 2017-11-15

Database: ProQuest Central Student

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