L Haywood Coffey: Pan's Labyrinth

L Haywood Coffey

Pan's Labyrinth

I don't like sub titled movies, but I'd heard so much about this film, I decided to give it a shot and watch Pan's Labyrinth. The only other subtitled movie I've ever really watched was Colonel Chabert, about a returning solder from the Napoleonic Wars in France, which was good but would have been better for me in English. Still, Pan's Labyrinth is worth watching. It's a fantasy but not for children, even if the main character is a child, one who enters a labyrinth and finds a magical character who gives her three tasks to complete so she can return her soul to her real father because, well, the girl is a reincarnated princess who died some time ago and her father has been waiting for her souls return to some magical land. In this land, it's the era of Franco (the movie is set in Spain) and her evil stepfather is a truly evil Nazi Captain, and her mother is pregnant with the child of said Captain. Even without words at all, this movie is worth watching just for the effects and the "faun" that is the creature who assigns the main character her tasks. I don't know if the faun is computer generated, a real actor, or both (which I suspect is the case) but however it's done, it's great. I don't know why anyone would do a movie like this, it's not for children at all, but is a genuine fairy tale of sorts. No matter, the why isn't important, the final work is what's relevant and this work is fantastic.