Pan's Labyrinth

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

"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.

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

*******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=" - " />


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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/

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

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?

"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."

Exactly. Not pretty but probably accurate. Much like the war scenes/torture scenes in Pan's. Worse things than those shown happen every day across the planet. Thus the need for fairy tales & magic places.

To clarify, I certainly enjoyed The Proposition. I was quite bored during the first half, but the second half helped me put the first half in better perspective.

It was an effective movie, I just can't personally call it a great movie.

It's pretty much the same for Pan's Labyrinth for me.

I have so wanted to see this movie ever since I first heard about it, which was some time ago. I'm a longtime member of a forum with members from all over the world, especially the UK and Australia, and movies are one of the main things we talk about. So they were raving about films like Children of Men and Pan's Labyrinth long before they hit the States. And when they finally did open over here, no theatres near me got them. I'm used to that, but it always pisses me off. I live up in PA, by the way. I've done a bit of traveling before simply to see movies. But now it looks like a few theatres pretty close by are finally showing Pan's Labyrinth, so I'll have to go see it this week. Children of Men apparently caught on (a "surprise hit", they're calling it), so even my hometown theatres are showing that one now. So there's another one to catch this week, before it disappears. Now if only a theatre within a reasonable distance would show The Fountain…

I did manage to catch Curse of the Golden Flower, though, so I feel a bit lucky about that (even though it wasn't all that great).

And I keep hearing about The Proposition, so I guess I should make a note to see that when I have the chance.

just came back from see the movie. i liked it, didn't love it. it was well done, and within 20 minutes i was thinking "there is no chance in hell an american would ever do this"-ie, the idea of a fantasy or escape world for a child facing the horrors and aftermath of a war. even for an "indepedent" director or screenplay writer, i just don't think any american has done this approach. i could be wrong though. definitely it has oscar potential in some areas, not all 6 that's its nominated for. violence didn't bother me at all-it was appropriate, if not muted, for the subject matter. what oddly, i found american about it though, was how everything was tied up in a bow at the end and i found the ending very simplistic and predicatable, or at least more so than usual for a non american film.

didn't realize that mercedes character was played by the lead actress in yu tu mama tambien. now that was a great movie.

what oddly, i found american about it though, was how everything was tied up in a bow at the end and i found the ending very simplistic and predicatable, or at least more so than usual for a non american film.

The ending is far more complicated that your initial interpretation, I think. There's a considerable amount of ambiguity to the ending, with at least three possible interpretations that I can think of, all equally valid in my opinion. Too bad this forum doesn't have spoiler tags. I'm hesitant to discuss too much of the ending for fear of ruining it for anyone who hasn't seen it. Feel free to send me a PM if you are interested in my interpretations of the ending. Grotty alludes to a couple of them in a post above.

dc is really lucky to have 2 (mark cuban owned) landmark theatres plus cinema arts + shirlington and even afi. only LA and NYC have more indy film theatres and more choices of movies. plus the landmark theatres are in good shape in dc. the projectors don't scratch the films and the theatres are new. most other landmarks in other cities are older theatres like cinema arts or shirlington.

don't forget about the avalon theatre as well way up on connecticut. so yes, we are very lucky that we get such a wide range of films. also the goethe institute, library of congress mary pickford theatre, and the italian cultural institute show foreign/vintage/indie films.

Why are we "very lucky"? We live in one of the most expensive areas in the country, and have some of the most educated people. Why wouldn't we have the best selection of movies?

didn't realize that mercedes character was played by the lead actress in yu tu mama tambien. now that was a great movie.

knew she looked familiar–she's a really good actress, and yu tu mama tambien was an excellent movie

I saw it a week ago at Georgetown, and it's at E Street and Shirlington and Ballston… ???

I agree with bearman and others who liked it, but I was not blown away as in one of the best movies ever (which is what some of the buzz is – if you read about movies, there has been a lot of coverage of it on Top 10 lists, etc. And I'd seen the Metacritic score of 98 before I saw the movie).

I know there are a lot of violent movies, but it's been a long time that I had my eyes covered for more than a full minute – extremely violent (the face slice and sew up scene went on forever).

But, it was also great to see an adult movie that brings in elements of fantasy and allegory.

For 2006, "Little Children" has been my favorite so far. Apples and oranges, I know.