Pan's Labyrinth [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro

Overview

Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro returns to the phantasmagorical cinema that defined such early fare as Cronos and The Devil's Backbone with this haunting fantasy-drama set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and detailing the strange journeys of an imaginative young girl who may be the mythical princess of an underground kingdom. Her mother, Carmen (Ariadna Gil), recently remarried to sadistic army captain Vidal (Sergi López) and soon to bear the cruel military man's child, shy young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is forced to entertain herself as her recently-formed family settles into their new home nestled deep in the Spanish countryside. As Ofelia's bed-ridden mother lies immobilized in anticipation of her forthcoming child and her high-ranking stepfather remains determined to fulfill the orders of General Francisco Franco to crush a nearby guerilla uprising, the young girl soon ventures into an elaborate stone labyrinth presided over by the mythical faun Pan (Doug Jones). Convinced by Pan that she is the lost princess of legend and that in order to return to her underground home she must complete a trio of life-threatening tasks, Ofelia sets out to reclaim her kingdom and return to her grieving father as Vidal's housekeeper Mercedes (Maribel Verdú) and doctor (Alex Angulo) plot secretly on the surface to keep the revolution alive.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/18/2016
UPC:	0715515186810
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	R
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	1:59:00
Sales rank:	2,726

Special Features

Newly graded 2K digital master, supervised by Director Guillermo del Toro, with 5.1 Surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack; Alternate 7.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack; Audio Commentary by del Toro from 2007; New interview with del Toro by novelist Cornelia Funke about fairy tales, fantasy, and Pan's Labrynth; New interview with actor Doug Jones; Four 2007 making-of documentaries examining the characters, special effects, themes, and music of the film; Interactive Director's notebook; Footage of actor Ivana Baquero's audition for the film; Animated comics featuring prequel stories for the film's menagerie of creatures; Programs comparing selected production storyboards and del Toro's thumbnail sketches with the final film; Visual Effects work for the Green Fairy; and elements of the film's score; Trailers and TV Spots; English subtitle translation approved by del Toro; Plus: An essay by film critic Michael Atkinson

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ivana Baquero	Ofelia
Sergi López	Vidal
Doug Jones	Pan/Pale Man
Ariadne Gil	Carmen,Actor
Manolo Solo	Garcés
César Vea	Serrano
Roger Casamajor	Pedro
Ivan Massagué	El Tarta
Gonzalo Uriarte	Francés
Eusebio Lázaro	Father
Paco Vidal	Priest
Juanjo Cucalón	Mayor
Lina Mira	Mayor's Wife
Mario Zorilla	First-Aid Boss
Mario Zorrilla	First-Aid Boss
Sebastián Haro	Civil Guard Captain
Mila Espiga	Doctor's Wife
Pepa Pedroche	Conchita
María Jesús Gattoo	Jacinta
Ana Sáez	Paz
Chani Martín	Trigo
Milo Taboada	Young Man
Fernando Albizu	Engineer
Pedro G. Marzo	Manager
Jose Torrijos	Sergeant Bayona
José Luis Torrijo	Sergeant Bayona
Fernando Tielve	Young Guerrilla No. 2
Maribel Verdú	Mercedes
Federico Luppi	King
Álex Angulo	Doctor
Chicho Campillo	Old Man
Francisco Vidal	Priest
Íñigo Garcés	Joven Guerrillero
Brittney Bush	Insect
Pablo Adán	Voz fauno / Narrador
Elizabeth Irastorza	Fairy/Ballerina
Javier Navarrete	Composer

Technical Credits

Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Belén Atienza	Executive Producer,Producer
Elena Manrique	Executive Producer,Producer
Alfonso Cuarón	Producer
Álvaro Augustín	Producer
Bertha Navarro	Producer
Frida Torresblanco	Producer
Martin Hernandez	Sound/Sound Designer
Miguel Polo	Sound/Sound Designer
Montse Ribe	Makeup Special Effects
Reyes Abades	Special Effects
Emilio Ruíz	Special Effects
Álvaro Augustin	Producer
Edmundo Gil	Producer
Lindsay Anderson	Special Effects
Jaime Baksht	Sound Effects
Dana Blanco	Sound Effects
Michelle Couttolenc	Sound Effects
Sergio Diaz	Sound Effects
Guiomar Alonso	Stunts
Jeff Barnes	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

While the darkness of Grimm's Fairy Tales has been gradually sanitized by both the passage of time and the growing desire to shelter youngsters from the cruelty of the outside world, Guillermo del Toro has cut away the safety net woven by the overprotective powers that be to craft an intoxicating and original fable with the power to simultaneously enchant and repulse. After seemingly perfecting the melding of historical fact and imaginative fantasy with The Devil's Backbone, a horrified del Toro realized that whatever he thought he knew about war and death had been immediately rendered void when, just two days after the film made its debut at the Toronto Film Festival, the world was forever changed along with the New York skyline. In the aftermath, the filmmaker would escape grim reality by crafting an entertaining pair of CG-heavy Hollywood actioners that, despite outward appearances, still weren't entirely devoid of the political commentary expressed in his most serious-minded work. Now, after proving that he is capable of producing a slick hit despite a frustrating false start in blockbuster-land, del Toro has returned with a companion piece to The Devil's Backbone (a "sister" film in the director's own terms) which delves headlong into the subjects of fascism, brutality, and innocence with an insight he simply didn't have before the modern world plunged into darkness. Just as a film such as The Devil's Backbone couldn't have existed with the Spanish Civil War, a film such as Pan's Labyrinth couldn't exist without the apocalyptically titled War on Terror. It would be impossible to tell a tale as brutal as Pan's Labyrinth without the balance of great beauty, and in the lens of cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, del Toro has found a collaborator capable of carrying his ambitious vision. The composition, color, and stylistic texture of Pan's Labyrinth suggest a fevered child's hallucinatory interpretation of an amalgamation of fairy tales. Of course, in order to achieve such a dramatic effect, the frame demands to be filled not only with phantasmagorical imagery but an exceptional selection of talent as well, and in Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Maribel Verdú, and Doug Jones, del Toro has found the ideal cast. The initial innocence and subsequent shattering of a young girl who gradually comes to comprehend the inhumanity that surrounds her is heart-wrenchingly realized by Baquero, while Lopez inspires fierce loathing from his initial appearance and Verdú beautifully embodies the spirit of furtive, gentle righteousness right up until the moment she unleashes the fury that has been silently building inside. In his duel roles as the playfully menacing titular faun and the downright terrifying Pale Man, formally trained mime and noted contortionist Doug Jones continues the collaboration with del Toro that began with Mimic to striking effect. If there is truly a modern heir to the Karloff throne, it is almost certainly Jones, whose chameleon-like ability to disappear into a character allows him to instill them the kind of depth and personality that would be near impossible to achieve with even the most advanced computer-generated creation. From del Toro's perfectly balanced screenplay to his assured skills as a visual storyteller, the fearless performances of an immensely talented cast, the sleepy lullaby that forms the foundation of Javier Navarrete's score, and special effects that have the power to dazzle and horrify, all the elements in Pan's Labyrinth fall beautifully into place to form an genuinely affecting adult fairy tale.

All Movie Guide - Jason Buchanan