Pan’s Labyrinth is all about the plight of Princess Moanna of the underworld to reach her home after having wandered to the surface and losing her memory. She dies as a mortal and is essentially lost, but her father believes that there is a way for her soul to reach the underworld again and begins to build mazes throughout the world that will help her to find her way back. The young girl, Ofelia, is given two of three tasks but shows an amazing amount of disobedience and is refused the third. However when she sheds her own blood upon an altar in order to reach the underworld, rather than her baby brother’s, her soul is released and revealed to be that of Princess Moanna reborn. She is allowed to return to her home in the Underworld, while in the maze above the young girl Ofelia lays dying. It’s a very odd film with strong themes throughout, but it is a gripping piece that is hard to resist.
The imagery is also intense, as it’s not a film for the light-hearted.
10. The director didn’t want any outside help with this film.
He didn’t want Hollywood doing anything that might have tweaked the movie in an effort to make it more marketable for their liking.
9. Guillermo Del Toro almost lost his notes for this movie in the back of a cab.
Thankfully the cab driver saw them and at great personal expense brought them back after assuming they were important.
8. Del Toro translated the film.
He didn’t place a lot of trust in translators at this time and wanted things to go the way he desired.
7. Stephen King squirmed when he saw the Pale Man.
To Del Toro this was the equivalent of winning an Oscar. Think of it, the master of horror squirming in his seat when he sees a fictional character. That’s when you know your story is good.
6. Del Toro gave up his salary to fund this film.
That’s how much he believed in this film, he wanted it to succeed at all costs.
5. The actor playing the Pale Man had to eat condoms filled with blood in the fairy-eating scene.
This is more of a rumor than anything but it kind of makes sense considering that it would give the proper look.
4. It took five hours for the Pale Man to suit up.
The costume was an extensive piece that had to be put on and applied carefully so that it would look and fit right.
3. A lot of parents brought their kids to see this movie.
Eventually theaters had to warn of the graphic violence since this was not really intended as a kids’ film.
2. The courageous disobedience by Ofelia is a major plot point in the movie.
It had a lot to do with the fact that she was being disobedient but for good reasons, such as when she refused to wound her baby brother to obtain a few drops of blood for the altar.
1. The horns for the faun character weighed about 10 pounds each.
They had to be applied at the very end since they were so heavy, and Doug Jones couldn’t keep them on for long periods of time.
It was an interesting movie, I would recommend it for anyone that likes a good fantasy story.
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