Pan’s Labyrinth was robbed. It didn’t even get the nomination for Best Motion Picture of the Year it deserved, most likely because it was a foreign film, and it did not win Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, for which it was nominated. (It did, however, win Oscars for Best Achievement in Art Direction, Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Achievement in Makeup. There is some hope.)
Pan’s Labyrinth is what Disney’s pitiful version of The Chronicles of Narnia should have been: imaginative, breath-taking, fantastic, frightening, magical and interwoven deeply with themes of redemption. If you missed it in the theater, rent it the very week it comes out on video and watch it on the biggest TV you have access to.
The summary from IMBD reads: “In 1944 fascist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old fawn in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she’s a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.”
Ofelia, the girl, takes refuge in her fairy tale, wrapping herself inside the comfortable warmth of it to the degree that the viewer doesn’t really know where fairy tale ends and reality begins. Maybe it’s all Ofelia’s imagination. Or maybe not. The magic of this film lies exactly in this—that an adult would want to believe that maybe, just maybe, there really is a fairy leading Ofelia deep into a magical labyrinth where she meets a mysterious fawn.
I suppose one could overstate the incredible film-making accomplishment that Pan’s Labyrinth was, but it would be hard. See it. You’ll like it.
With foreign films so often pushed to the sidelines of Hollywood awards, I was thrilled that it was even nominated as many times as it was. I think it certainly deserved Best Foreign Film, as well, but the other three awards were also well-deserved and will hopefully garner more viewings of the film once it’s out on video.
You already know why I loved the movie, so I won’t say much more besides that I think it’s great to see it’s in your top 5 list. I can’t wait to see what #1 is!
left by alisa on 03.06.2007 at 11:50 am