Pan's Labyrinth DVD Review

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Title: Pan’s Labyrinth

Region: One

Genre: Fantasy Thriller

Stars: Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu, Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, and Alex Angulo

Writer: Guillermo Del Toro

Director: Guillermo Del Toro

Feature length: 119 minutes

Extras: Video Prologue By Director Guillermo Del Toro, Feature Length Audio Commentary By Director Guillermo Del Toro, Trailers, TV Spots, Previews, One-Sheet Gallery, DVD-ROM Extras

Languages: Spanish DTS Digital 6.1 ES Discrete Theatrical Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound and Dolby Stereo Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Closed Captions and English and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Keep Case

Chapter Stops: 22

Sound: DTS Digital 6.1 ES Discrete Theatrical Surround Sound and Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound and Dolby Stereo Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2006/DVD Release: 2007

Theatrical Distributor: Picturehouse

Home Video Distributor: New Line Home Entertainment

MPAA Rating: R

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

When I reviewed Universal Studios Home Entertainment’s Children Of Men on HD DVD and DVD combo format I noted how impressed I have been with the level of filmmaking talent that has emerged from Latin filmmakers, particularly Mexican filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and Guillermo Del Toro, but not exclusive to any one country or commonwealth. The styles of each of these filmmakers are quite different, but no two are any less talented. If anything it all boils down to what kind of films one prefers. At a time when a lot of films are designed to be more like celluloid or digital franchises or contests on who can put together the cleverest use of four letter words to mask a story of little substance, there are very few true Auteurs that are passionate about the films they produce and clearly display it in their work regardless if it is a franchise or adaptation or an original screenplay. The passion Peter Jackson had to bring The Lord Of The Rings trilogy to the big screen is just not seen very often. Sometimes it could simply be a case of a mismatch, but when everything turns out right, like was the case with Jackson’s big screen adaptation of The Lord Of The Rings it is as if the stars were in a perfect alignment and a divine blessing from God ordained it all to be so.

The sad truth is that the old pros either can’t get a feature film made and instead end up having their films remade for better or for worse by other filmmakers or the old pros are dead with very few exceptions. While George Lucas and David Lynch can finance their own films according to their own needs, the reality is even in the digital age, making movies can be hard as hell. However there are a few who are immensely talented and ethnically diverse too whether they are an Ang Lee, Steven Soderbergh or Latin filmmakers like Alfonso Curon, who helped Guillermo Del Toro see Pan’s Labyrinth, or as it is known outside the United States El Laberinto Del Fauno, come to fruition.

Pan’s Labyrinth takes place during the Spanish Civil War and centers upon Ophelia, a young girl whose mother has married the Fascist Captain of an outpost under siege frequently by Republican rebels. The Captain is a complete sociopath and displays no love for his stepdaughter and only really cares that his wife’s baby is born safely because he believes it is a son. Ophelia soon discovers remnants of a Celtic labyrinth on the grounds of where she is staying and encounters a faun that tells her that she is the mortal embodiment of the spirit of a princess who died long ago after being blinded by the sun of the world above. In order to be sure that Ophelia is indeed the reincarnation of the lost princess, the faun gives her three increasingly difficult tasks to perform that will prove whether or not she is the one. However there is a time limit attached for if the princess is not found by the full moon, then the underworld of magic will whither and die. So Ophelia is faced with the horror of being helpless in the world above and being responsible for the survival of the world below. Thus each action she takes becomes increasingly dangerous and yet empowers her on a journey toward a fateful confrontation.

Beautiful movie in every way and yet despite Del Toro’s reveal in the commentary that the magical world Ophelia is encountering is real, there is some ambiguity in the story that allows the viewer to decide for his or herself if everything that is happening is real or simply imagined. In an interesting way, Pan’s Labyrinth has that dual viewpoint open very much like another gifted Auteur; Darren Aronofsky has presented in his labor of love The Fountain.

In the absolutely fantastic feature length audio commentary Del Toro provides for the DVD, he goes into rich detail covering the sacrifices made to make the film, the history behind some of the graphic events illustrated in the film as well as the nods to various fantasies of literature and a keen attention to the details all about the film almost as if he were giving a vocal Doctorate’s dissertation rather than discussing how his movie got made and he is a good speaker so there are no dull moments either. Del Toro also provides a short 26 second video introduction to the film and New Line Home Entertainment has made the single disc release pleasing so even a casual viewer who might opt out of the two-disc set because the fear of not enjoying it because of the language barrier or simply because of the availability or pricing difference between the single and two-disc editions, will be very pleased with. The film is presented in a beautiful 16 by 9 enhanced widescreen (1.85:1) aspect ratio coupled with a superb Spanish DTS 6.1 ES Discrete Theatrical Surround Soundtrack as well as a Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Soundtrack and even a Spanish Dolby Stereo Surround Soundtrack too. English Closed Captions for the deaf and hearing impaired as well as English and Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded onto the dual layered DVD as options too. The theatrical teaser (1:08) and trailer (2:35) are presented in 16 by 9 enhanced widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and seven TV spots that can be viewed individually or through a “Play All” feature (3:52) are also provided along with a short one-sheet still gallery.

Windows based DVD-ROM users will also have access to the screenplay in either Spanish or English, synchronized storyboards, and photo galleries making this single disc version in my opinion a fully loaded dynamo all it’s own. Previews for El Cantante (1:29), A Prairie Home Companion (: 34), Fur (: 35), The Fountain (: 33), Sublime (2:01) and a soundtrack spot for Pan’s Labyrinth (: 34) appear before the main menu and can be accessed among the bonus materials too. The interactive menus are beautifully animated and easy to navigate.

After watching Pan’s Labyrinth I think if things cannot be resolved regarding a theatrical adaptation of Tolkien’s The Hobbit, I nominate Guillermo Del Toro as a possible contender to direct because I think he could do the job, stay true to the look of the previous films and spirit of the book while lending his own thumb print to the film if it ever gets made. Terrific movie and a terrific DVD, Pan’s Labyrinth is available now at retailers on and offline in either a single-disc or two-disc edition courtesy of New Line Home Entertainment.

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