"Pan's Labyrinth"

Film Review # 103862

Film > Analysis, Criticism, Etc.

"Pan's Labyrinth"

A review and discussion of Guillermo del Toro's film "Pan's Labyrinth".

813 words () | 2 sources | APA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" assesses the violence and tyranny of the period immediately after the Spanish Civil War through the use of several film genres, including fantasy and drama.

From the Paper:

"Many film critics and perhaps even Del Toro himself consider the story to be a parable, influenced by fairy tales, and that it addresses historical themes in a way which allows one to gain a better sense of the true magnitude to which the emotional and often physical world of the Spanish people has been disrupted by the Franco leaders. The original Spanish title refers to the mythological fauns of Greek mythology, while the English title refers specifically to the faun-like Greek god Pan (intended to help English-speakers differentiate the title from the term fawn). However, the faun in the film is not Pan. Pan's Labyrinth unfolds through the eyes of Ofelia, a girl who is relocated to a rural military outpost commanded by her new stepfather, fascist Captain Vidal. Powerless and lonely in a place of unfathomable cruelty, Ofelia lives out her own dark fable as she confronts monsters both otherworldly and human."

Sample of Sources Used:

Del Toro, G. Pan's Labyrinth 2-disc DVD set (2006), Optimum Home Entertainment.
Smith, P. (2007, Summer). Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto del fauno). Film Quaterly, 60(4), 4-9. Retrieved April 27th, 2008 from Academic Search Premier database.