Let's Talk Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

Hey Guys and Gals!

It came to my attention recently (via the medium of Facebook) that the movie Pan's Labyrinth turned ten this year.

I for one, can't believe this darkly magical masterpiece is ten!

It only seems yesterday that I saw trailers for it, thinking, 'MAN I need to see that!'

I'f you haven't seen the trailer and/or the movie, here you go!

Just look at the pretties!

Apart from Pale Man - he kinda scary.

But anyway, I love fantasy movies - you kow the type, The Lord of The Rings etc... So to mix two of my favourite movie genres, Guillermo del Toro has created the perfect movie for me.

It's mine.

I'll let you watch it though because I like you.

I know it seems like a cop-out but I know if I don't have some structure to my blog posts I ramble on and on and on and on... so without further ado here are my top 5 favourite things about Pan's Labyrinth:

1. Ofelia

The young actress who plays Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is such a stunning little beauty, she really encapsulates how the young mind works in such troubling times. The movie is set in 1944 in Spain which is in the just post civil war; which in itself would be traumatising for such a young girl. Her mother is heavily pregnant and is suffering badly which is upsetting for Ofelia, she just wants her mother and younger sibling to be ok. This is most prevalent in the scene where Ofelia puts a mandrake root bathing in milk underneath her mother's bed.

It's that cute thing in the bowl in case you're wondering.

This of course was never going to work, but this young girl is willing to try ANYTHING to make her beloved mother better.

Another thing about Ofelia that I love is her fear - and how she puts it aside to complete the tasks that the Faun has set for her. She has seen terrible atrocities in her real day to day life, her step father is a totally evil and brutal man - and yet she STILL has to courage to fight another day. I cannot stress enough how much I love this character and how she is brought to life by Ivana.

2. Doug Jones

The guy is a total and utter acting legend. That NOBODY knows about.

If you've seen the movie and you're thinking - well sh*t I don't remember this pasty son of a gun in the movie... The reason is that he plays these two characters.

The Pale Man

The Faun

And you may have guessed by this guy's name, he ISN'T Spanish - so on top of having to go through hours upon hours of makeup for the Pale Man costume, having to learn to walk in the faun costume (if you want the magic spoiled, there is a picture of how he had to wear this costume here); he had to learn HIS lines and also Ivana's lines so that he knew when it was his turn to speak.

Pretty darn impressive if you ask me.

Even though one of the characters is non-verbal, he holds himself completely different to the other, so until I looked into who the actors were in this movie when it first came out (which is something I do with every film that I watch and enjoy) I was absolutely flabbergasted to find that this was THE SAME DUDE.

3. The Bottle Scene

If you have a weak stomach, look away when you see the bottle come out.

This scene is so incredibly violent, gory and shocking that my breath was simply taken away.

My morbid sense of humour also made me chuckle a little after thinking that some parents (who DID NOT READ what the movie rating was) took their children to see this. Fools.

Basically the Captain is brought some guerillas who are fighting against oppression, and one of them unfortunately gets a face lift á la beer bottle.

I was totally unprepared for the unbridled voracity in which his face was so easily caved in, and the guy who plays the Captain, REALLY went for it. (See GIF below, don't worry it's just the Captain).

4. The Pale Man

I have not seen in a long time a monster who has made my skin crawl and made me think about it waaaay after I've finished watching the movie.

The Pale Man did just that.

He was just so... hideous.

If you want to know the whys and wherefores about this predator, please go to this link

I really don't want to spoil the scene for you, but the link above goes into great detail what the scene is all about etc so if you don't want to watch the movie but want to know what happens... You're welcome.

I do however want to go into why I love the Pale Man

1. His grotesque skin is so unnatural - the Faun warns Ofelia that the thing that lurks where she is to go isn't human - and when he stands up you see the sagging and streched skin which is just... Gross. He looks like he is wasting away due to malnutrition - I think maybe he is having trouble finding food which leads me to my next point...
2. HE EATS CHILDREN.
3. His gosh darn SCARY ASS eyes. You must have seen the below picture:
   
   
   

5. Mercedes (The Character, not the car.)

Mercedes is an ally to the resistance that is trying to attack where Captain Face-Smasher is based, but she is a mole as she is working for the Captain. How very courageous of her!

She looks out for Ofelia and she can see the good in the little girl's heart and soul.

She has got a lot of fight in her and she is so feisty!

I would like to think that although she may be seen as a 'secondary' character I think her role is pivotal in showing that people who believe in what is right will be at the forefront and will do anything for the struggle for justice.

I watched this film again whilst writing, and I must admit, it is still as beautiful as ever - and if you have a strong stomach and a great imagination, then I would definitely give this a watch!

And remember, 

Have a Scary Movie Sunday!