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Movie Junkie
By Jesse Bullington
Critics and film buffs often have a tendency to snub the fantasy, science-fiction and horror genres, labeling such fare as simplistic and unworthy of the same analytical approach given to "serious" genres. Granted, many of the films that fall into those categories are juvenile and boring, but to appreciate anything one should focus on the exemplary offerings rather than the mundane majority. Such genres allow filmmakers a rare opportunity to cut loose with their creativity, as Terry Gilliam and David Cronenberg have long been aware.
Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno), Guillermo Del Torro's newest film, is fantasy at its most cinematically fulfilling. Yet the very qualities that make it so enriching - namely its genre and content - threaten to cripple it at the U.S. box office. An R-rated fantasy film would be difficult enough to sell to most Americans; considering the film is in Spanish with English subtitles it is doubtful it will gain the recognition it deserves.
Del Torro has, to date, released an equal number of Spanish and American films. His Spanish films are atmospheric art-pieces - both his debut film, Cronos, and the later The Devil's Backbone - proving how effective and original genre movies can be without ever straying too far from thematic conventions. His American films are worth mentioning only to contrast his foreign (to us) ventures: the giant cockroach thriller, Mimic, and the comic book adaptations, Blade II and Hellboy.
Violence is as prevalent and gratuitous in Del Torro's American films as one expects given the premises, but his Spanish films utilize violence in a way all but abandoned by American directors - realistically. Violence in Del Torro's Spanish films is as horrifying and shocking as it should be, rather than being used for cheap thrills or excitement. There is nothing exciting or funny about a broken bone or a gunshot wound, and Del Torro knows it. It is a sad indication of American mores that PG-13 films such as Mission Impossible III can have non-stop shoot-outs, torture and explosions provided the action is sufficiently distanced from the consequences while films that accurately portray such horrors, regardless of the context, are deemed inappropriate for children under 17.
Another aspect of interest is Del Torro's entomological fascination. Regardless of what country or plot he is working with, the bug-obsessed director manages to work insects into the mix. That he captures and conveys the beauty of creatures normally relegated to gross-out duty is indicative of not only his power and uniqueness as an artist but also the child-like wonder he brings to his work. Children figure heavily into his Spanish films, and his youthful protagonists are both exceptionally well written and cast, unlike the majority of films featuring child actors.
With Pan's Labyrinth Del Torro returns to the Spanish Civil War backdrop of The Devil's Backbone and again flawlessly incorporates history into his story. In both films the plot and the historical context provide allegories for each other, but with Pan's Labyrinth the director has surpassed himself in every way. Billed as a fairy tale for adults, Del Torro succeeds in a way unmatched by any director or writer since Angela Carter and Neil Jordan's collaboration The Company of Wolves. All the fairy tale archetypes are present, yet the viewer will constantly be amazed by the various mythologies that surface. Unlike the laughable Lady in the Water and other recent attempts at fantasy, Del Torro is wise: he made a film that children may enjoy, but only adults will truly appreciate the seamlessly layered nuances. Javier Navarrete's soundtrack complements the film perfectly, alternating between sinister and soothing at the drop of innocent blood.
Along with The Proposition and The Libertine, Pan's Labyrinth was easily one of the three best films of 2006, although it was not released in Tallahassee until January 2007. Del Torro's crowing achievement is the best fantasy film since The Return of the King. Snatch the opportunity to watch it on the big screen; movies where stunning visuals and an engrossing story meld with such precision are rarer than a benevolent step-parent in a fairy tale.
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