Pan's Labyrinth

[obildy]

I saw the movie last night in Georgetown, and went with high expectations.  It turned out to be not what I had expected at all.  Like most of the others that posted here, I expected more of a fantasy and quest oriented plot- something akin to the 80's Labyrinth with Bowie.  At any rate, my expectations were met with excellent story telling and superb acting.  As with any great movie the story and characters linger with you long after you leave the theater.  As for the violence, I did not find it excessive.  In part it adds to character development, and it's central to plot.  It is after all about a real world at war, and an underworld offering hope.

[grotty]

***Spoilers!!!!****
 
 If you think back to the film - most of the violence was really in the anticipation/buildup. Almost all was just implied.
 
 Think about the tough scenes:
 amputation - cut away
 torture - none shown
 face cut - just a quick flash (tho the repair was pretty bad.)
 face pounding - it was VERY, VERY dark.
 
 Mostly - I think it's just your imagination confirming that it was really violent. What horrific scene was gratuitous?
 
 Creating the evil real world was essential to the plot.
 
 I can't believe we are even talking about Pan's Labyrinth with Little Miss Sunshine.

[bearman🐻]

Pan's Labyrinth and Little Miss Sunshine are clearly apples and oranges. It just boils down to personal preference, nothing more. I think that the violence seemed excessive in the sense that I was thinking this might be more the kind of movie that you could take a 12-year-old niece to, but clearly that's not the case. Don't get me wrong...it's a cool movie, but it didn't reach out to me the way that it has with some other folks.

[anarchist]

from the trailer this looked like a fantasy film.  i had no idea it revolved around the spanish resistance during ww2.  that definately made the plot alot better.  it was interesting how they meshed real life situations and fantasy.  given the violence most people see in mainstream movies this was not too bad.  i saw letters to iwo jima after that.  another good film.

[alex]

I also saw Letters from Iwo Jima the other night...good flick, except for the lady in front of us by herself, talking to herself the entire movie (not reading the subtitles out loud, she was actually giving her own commentary) and the ham-handed old people behind us eating their popcorn and shuffling the bag so loud they could probably hear it in the lobby.
 
 wtf is with Bethesda Row and crazy people?  It also happened when we saw Curse of the Golden Flower, some dude talking to himself the entire movie.

[Summerteeth]

Actually, the movie makes it clear that it takes place during the Eisenhower era, not WWII.
 
 I enjoyed how Pan's Labyrinth wrapped up, religious allusions and all.  However, I felt it dragged a bit throughout, much like The Proposition, another movie mentioned above.
 
 I have to ask, I love methodical movies as much as the next film geek, but is The Proposition getting so much love because Nick Cave wrote it?

[pela123]

it's actually set during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) so definitely not during the Eisenhauer administration.  It is a brutal movie, but as mentioned, it doesn't go much farther than other movies out there. Difference is that the brutality in this movie actually happened.  The Spanish Civil War was what inspired Picasso to paint Guernica.  That painting and Pan's Labyrinth complement each other nicely in terms of their commentary on the war.

[grotty]

Man...Different impressions are amazing.
 
 I can't remember one moment of the movie that dragged. I even once looked @ my watch hoping there was more time left. I'm going to see it again this weekend - haven't done that since Star Wars as a youngster.
 
 An interesting phenomenon about this movie is that it's a foreign film in limited release. So not a lot is known about it in advance. Look @ most of the criticisms above. They are all about not meeting expectations. I think the trailer is partly to blame but also the fact that not everyone is talking about it & we are not getting beat over the head by marketing for it.
 
 I liked that - It's not often that I see a movie & don't already essentially know the plot in advance.

[alex]

It's actually set just after the Spanish Civil War...Captain Vidal was sent to this outpost because there was still some rebel activity, even though the war itself was considered over.  To confirm this, in the movie they made a reference to the D-Day invasion taking place in France, in the present tense.

[pela123]

I'm not saying I didn't like it, it was a really good movie.  I think the previews are a bit deceiving though, because they make it seem like the fantasy element dominates the film.  I was expecting something more in the line of a City of Lost Children--which it definitely is not.  All of this discussion speaks to what a powerful film it was.  It wasn't what I expected, but I find myself still thinking about it several days later.

[grotty]

"a reference to the D-Day invasion taking place in France"
 
 yep - they were reading a newspaper or report that referred to Normandy: "a beach in France."
 
 The Spanish Civil War was 1936-1939.
 
 The timing makes sense. The film is set in the period when they are trying to eliminate the last bits of guerilla rebellion in Spain. And Normandy was 1944.

[pela123]

You're right, forgot about that early reference to d-day

[grotty]

*******SPOILERS********
 
 Ofelia's fairy tale world.
 
 Real or not so real?
 
 I think I could make a pretty good argument for either. Another reason I liked the movie so much...
 
    <img src="http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/gallery/1165265/photo_05_thumb.jpg" alt=" - " />
 
 
 *********************************************
 
 The score for the film is pretty good too. You can stream it all @ the official site. See top left corner:  http://www.panslabyrinth.com/

[Summerteeth]

I could be wrong then.  I thought I remembered a reference to Eisenhower as president, but perhaps it was as Commander Eisenhower.

[thirsty moore]

The Proposition depicted a life that was hard as nails and not very enticing.  Probably very close to what it was like in Australia when it was first being settled.  I'm sure superfans give it a nod because Nick Cave wrote it.  While I'm a fan of Nick Cave, that was not the reason why I liked it.
 
 

I have to ask, I love methodical movies as much as the next film geek, but is The Proposition getting so much love because Nick Cave wrote it?