Pan's Labyrinth (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Doug Jones

Product Description

An Academy Award winning dark fable set five years after the end of the Spanish Civil War, Pan s Labyrinth encapsulates the rich visual style and genre-defying craft of Guillermo del Toro (The Devil s... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: DVD
• Language: English
• UPC: 715515186919
• Release Date: January 2016
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Publisher: Criterion Collection
• Director: Guillermo del Toro
• Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi López, Doug Jones
• Number of Disks: 2
• Other Video Info: ntsc
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.4" x 7.5" x 0.7"

Customer Reviews

In your hands is your destiny

Director Guillermo del Toro outdid himself by creating a film that surpasses all previous works. Although he intentionally layered both technological and psychological elements, the final product is more profound and multifaceted. This may be due to leaving loose ends and only hints. What appears to be two stories is actually one story where one reality intertwines with another until they eventually merge. It is 1944 in Spain, five years after the Civil War, and ten-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is about to meet her new stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi López). Vidal is a fascist pro-Franco officer. Ofelia is about to encounter more than that as she meets potential friends from another world. We also see how touchy and fantastical elements are contrasted. One of the main questions is whether the magical creatures are real and can only be seen because you have to have the right gaze, or if they are just figments. You need to watch the movie several times to catch the nuances and notice the surrounding environments you miss when focusing on the dialogue. See how the two worlds are parallel in furniture. Notice that both works share similar tasks, as both include a key and a knife. Additionally, there are always more surprises ahead. The acting is superb, especially in Ofelia’s death scene. Ivana Baquero won the Imagen Award for Best Actress, Premio ACE for Best New Actress, the Newcomer Award Female (Categoría Femenina), Turia Award for Best New Actress, and was nominated for the Young Artist Award for Best Performance in an International Feature Film - Leading Young Actor or Actress. The Blu-ray I watched had English subtitles available, but I found them to be slightly inaccurate and missing some background conversations. However, the director’s voice-over option helped highlight what wasn't obvious until he pointed it out. As the director mentioned, the violence was not just for shock value, and they didn't use cowboy-style breakable props. This is one of the films that makes great use of Blu-ray resolution and clarity.