"A long time ago".......
With this line we are drawn straight towards into.....
Laberinto del Fauno, El(Pans Labyrinth)---2006
****1/2
Honestly speaking i have always found fairy tales absolutely childish
Although there remains some magic and cuteness in the flick but
there wasnt any fairy flick which satisfied me or kept totally engaged
Then i came across Pans Labyrinth trailer which caught me and excited me
But later i got disappointed to know that its an spanish flick and its
actual name is Laberinto del Fauno, El.
But again when i saw the reviews(84 positive reviews out of 85) which are
99% positive and also the movie climbed at #155 at Imdb top 250 i couldnot
controlled myself and downloaded this spanish flick
Pans Labyrinth is the story of a young girl who comes with her pregnant mother
to live with her step-father.Story is set in 1944,at the time when the country
was at war.But the girl gets caught in her own fairy and imaginative world
Prior to watching i thought that this flick will be very good but i ended
up watching a flick that is downright extraordirany in every aspect
Its a story which also compels that inspite of so much brutality going on in
world one tries to find peace and happiness by creating another world
There have been uncountable fantasy and fairy flicks but Pans Labyrinth beats
the hell out of every such flicks.This simply blows every others out of the water
Dark yet astonishingly beautiful...extremely brutal at times yet deeply
emotional and touching.Innocence vs brutality,dark vs light and
Fantasy vs Reality all interwooved together this is the fairy/fantasy flick
that i had always been waiting for or i had always dreamed of
Performance by Ivana Baquero(young gal) is nothing sort of extraordinary.
While her display of a gal caught between real and fantasy world left us stunned,
then her emotional display sent us on the verge of tears
Ably supported by Sergi Lopez and Maribel Verdu
But above all this is the flick of director "Guillermo del Toro"
He havent only succeded in making an astounding visually crafted flick
but also in unique style of storytelling.And all bow to him for making a fairy
flick that is for "grown ups".
And one must admire him for his unique vision and imagination and furthermore
finally being able to convert his vision into a masterpiece,
both as writer and director
Apart from the mesmerizing visuals,deeply touching storyline,extremely brtual
and dark scenes i would like to mention about its haunting and sad music.
Its one of the best i have heard in years if not the best.
kudos to Guillermo del Toro for creating a dark,beautiful,brutal and deeply
emotional fantasy flick which connects with our heart
Apparently Pans Labyrinth won over 20 minutes of standing ovation at Cannes,after
the flick ended.That says something
Finally,Pans labyrinth should definitely win Foreign language Oscar for best
flick if not the best Oscar in hollywood category
Stunning,amazing,spectacular,instant classic,extraordinary,masterpiece are some
of the proverbs that can be attached with Pans Labyrinth
Its sensitive as well as shocking
Pans Labyrinth is such a magical labyrinth which viewers dont want to leave
even after the flick gets over.
Bottomline:Its not only magical and visually appealing but it connects with our heart
and its deeply touching and emotional.A not to be missed by viewers who loves quality
cinema.A prime example of cinema which have got amazing direction,brilliant execution,astounding screenplay and a powerful script
A real cinematic masterpiece in true and every sense
4.5/5
