pan

THE FLICK: There’s probably no harder trick to pull off than an adult fairy tale. The very nature of the format calls for the sort of delicate distortion of reality and fantasy that only children are able to buy into convincingly. As adults, we bring too much cynicism to the table to believe in princesses, sprites and talking tree men as anything more than cinematic escapism (Return of the King’s Oscar win is the exception that proves the rule). But Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth has a toe in both worlds, working real-world atrocities into the fabric of a dark storybook tableau right out of the Grimm Brothers’ black forest. Forced to live with her sadistic Spanish army stepfather, young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) escapes into a fantasy world based around an abandoned labyrinth populated by fairies, monstrous toads and a smooth-talking faun who claims she’s the reincarnation of an ancient princess. To reclaim her heritage, Ofelia must perform three dangerous tasks before the moon is full. Meanwhile, the cruel realities of the outside world are mounting as Ofelia’s mother suffers through a dangerous pregnancy that could cost her life. Of all the directors working in genre films today, Del Toro is likely the only one who deserves the title of “auteur.” His Spanish-language films Cronos and The Devil’s Backbone showed some depth, and even his Hollywood work (Mimic, Blade 2 & Hellboy) retained a voice that was distinctly his own. But nothing he’s done can compare to Pan’s Labyrinth, which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film and finds the director’s visual and storytelling skills fully matured. A great filmmaker works his own fascinations into every project; not corrupting the whole, but enhancing it. And Del Toro finds room for his pet obsessions with bugs, clockworks and other-dimensional beasties within Pan’s structure without spoiling the adult tragedy rapidly unfolding. Often difficult to watch with shocking moments of violence, Pan’s Labyrinth is nevertheless a stunning cinematic accomplishment. THE FEATURES: Arriving on hi-def almost a year-to-date since the standard-def version, this Blu-ray transfer is everything you might expect it to be. The lush photography and haunting musical score get a real boost on the new format along with all the extras ported over from the original 2-Disc Platinum Series release from New Line. You can access the director’s commentary and extensive featurettes individually or as part of the Enhanced Visual Commentary. Not a true Profile 1.1 experience, it serves the same function however by peppering Del Toro’s comments with material from the documentaries. For those watching the film for a second or third time, it’s a great way to get through the extras. If you still like to point-and-click old school then the copious amount of special features are listed below, the highlight of which is Del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Inarritu’s appearance on The Charlie Rose Show discussing the current revolution in Spanish filmmaking. *Marketing Campaign * “The Power of Myth” Featurette * “Pan and the Fairies Featurette” * The Color and the Shape * DVD Comics * Director’s Notebook * Multi-Angle Storyboard * Galleries