Book Review - Pan's Labyrinth by Cornelia Funke, Guillermo Del Toro

Title: Pan’s Labyrinth
Author: Cornelia Funke, Guillermo Del Toro
Genre: Fantasy/ Horror/ Young Adult
Published: 2019
 
Description: Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro and bestselling author Cornelia Funke have come together to transform Del Toro’s hit movie “Pan’s Labyrint” into an epic and dark fantasy novel for readers of all ages, complete with haunting illustrations and enchanting short stories that flesh out the folklore of this fascinating world.
 
This spellbinding tale takes readers to a sinister, magical, and war-torn world filled with richlt drawn characters like trickster fauns, murderous soldiers, child-eating monsters, courageous rebels, and a long-lost princess hoping to be reunited with her family.

Review: It does not happen often that I prefer the movie over the book, but in this case I did. But there is a reason for it. “Pan’s Labyrinth” was a movie before it became a novel. Director Guillermo del Toro asked author Cornelia Funke to translate his masterful film to a book. Not for all ages in my opinion, like the synopsis says, but middle-grade or young adult would be more appropriate.
 
We meet Ofelia, a young girl who loves fairytale stories. Together with her mother Carmen she moves into a house in the woods, with her mother’s new husband Vidal, who Ofelia calls “the Wolf”. Carmen is expecting a baby with Vidal, but Ofelia believes Vidal doesn’t really love her mother and only wants a son to carry on his bloodline. Because Ofelia never feels welcome in her new home, she starts exploring her new ‘neighborhood’. Where she meets Pan, a Faun and the keeper of a secret labyrinth. He believes Ofelia is the long-lost princes Moanna and he gives her task, so she can return to her family. And so a journey begins.
 
The story is beautifully written and it’s accompanied by amazing illustrations. Because I have already seen the movie, it was easy for me to imagine all the creatures, the surroundings and characters of the book. But I felt like the book was missing something that the movie did have and I cant quite put my finger on it. Even though I still believe this book is fantastic and a wonderfully written tale, I believe the film conveys the right atmosphere to the audience better than the book did.
 
I would definitely recommend this book to fantasy lovers, this is the type of fantasy that even I love.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

What's in a Movie year - 2006

Taking a look at the year 2006, picking my 10 favorite movies from that year in random order.
 

Casino Royale
James Bond takes on the evil underworld banker Le Chiffre at Casino Royale. Not in a firefight, but at the poker table. The producers of the film series have seized the opportunity of the 21^st Bond film to re-model and knead their unyielding hero. And with success, because I believe it’s the best Bond film to date. It’s less ironic, more serious, with more emotions and nuances. Daniel Craig was also a very good choice for the role, which he came to reprise four times.
 

Babel
A rich American couple is on vacation in North Africa when a couple of shepherd boys playing around with a gun do something unfortunate. The nanny of the Americans wants to got to her son’s wedding in Mexico, but cannot leave the children on their own. And the daughter of a Japanese tourist gets tangled up with herself. Clever mosaic film by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, that links the fate of people all over the world, with fascinating results. The film got seven Oscar nominations and I think this is a movie that a lot of people forget about. Which is a shame.
 

The Departed
With “The Departed” Martin Scorsese returns to his best, grim film from the seventies, such as “Mean Streets” and “Taxi Driver”. In modern-day Boston, agent Billy Costigan infiltrates the criminal Irish-American world. Mafia boss Frank Costello has an informant with the police. So, two moles, but who makes the first mistake? “The Departed” is a remake of the Hong Kong film hit “Infernal Affairs” and at the same time a rough portrait of contemporary America.
 

The Last King of Scotland
After graduating in the seventies, the Scottish doctor Nicholas Garrigan leaves for Uganda to work in a small clinic. Then he is approached by the charismatic and charming brand new president Idi Amin, who persuades him to become his personal physician, also because he seems to love Scotland enormously. A bond develops between the two, but gradually Nicholas gets to know the true nature of President Idi Amin. Powerful tour de force of Forest Whitaker, who makes a brilliant transformation. He quite rightly won an Oscar for it.
 

The Painted Veil
The marriage between the spoiled Kitty and the workaholic doctor Walter is not exactly happy. When Walter catches Kitty in the arms of someone else he makes a drastic decision. They go to a remote Cihnese village, to fight cholera, but also to teach Kitty a lesson. A beautiful adaptation of the novel written by M. Somerset Maugham. With great performances by Naomi Watts and Edward Norton.
 

V for Vendetta
In the future Great-Britain will be a dictatorship, the restriction of freedoms will be justified by the government by pointing out the danger of terrorism. The young woman Evey stumbles upon the masked V, the only one who seems to resist oppression. Evey is captured, tortured, bald and has to choose whether to take sides with the rebel. The Wachowskis, previously responsible for “The Matrix”, adapted Alan Moore’s graphic novel into a scenario. Moore’s political message was severely watered down, yet this is an intriguing film that still captured the message.
 

Little Miss Sunshine
A dysfunctional American family goes on a road trip in an old, yellow Volkswagen van. They are on their way to California. The sweet, seven-year-old daughter Olive has made it into the finals of the “Little Miss Sunshine” competition. It’s a sweet story, that will guarantee to put a smile on your face. A great ensemble cast in a heartwarming movie.
 

The Descent
A group of six young women go, to help one of them deal with a trauma, on an expedition in a cave system in a gloomy, dark, remote forest. Caving is a dangerous activity, but the dark, narrow spaces are the least of the girl’s  worries. Because hidden within the caves are some unknown creepy crawlers that have adapted to the darkness. This is one of the scariest movies, not only because of the critters, but also because of the constant claustrophobic atmosphere this film caries.
 

The Prestige
One evening in late nineteenth-century London a performance by illusionists Robert Angier and Alfred Borden goes horribly wrong. This is followed by a quarrel, bitterness and rivalry. From now on, the two are rivals a complex film by director Christopher Nolan in which the viewer, just like the magician’s audience, is constantly misled. Great performances by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as the two rivaling illusionists, and also a good supporting role by Michael Caine.
 

Pan’s Labyrinth
The eleven-year-old girl Ofelia moves to the house of her new stepfather, a high fascist army officer, with her very pregnant, sick mother in 1944. While he ruthlessly hunts down resistance fighters, she discovers a hidden, magical world, where she meets, among other things, a dragonfly with a human head, an enigmatic Faun n a labyrinth and a gigantic, evil path. It’s a gruesome and dark fairy tale for adults. It won Oscars for make-up, art direction and camera work, which is all obviously well-done.
 

00s Movie Review - Pan's Labyrinth

Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Genre: Drama/ Horror/ Thriller/ Fantasy
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2006
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Sergi López, Ariadna Gil, Maribel Verdú, Álex Angulo, Roger Casamajor, César Vea, Íñigo Garcés, Sebastián Haro, Eusebio Lárazo, Mina Lira, Federico Luppi, Ivan Masagué, Chema Ruiz, Ana Sáez, Manolo Solo, Milo Taboada, Fernando Tielve, Francisco Vidal

Description: In the falangist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter (Ivana Baquero) of a sadistic army officer (Sergi López) escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

Review: “Pan’s Labyrinth” opens with the heavy breath of a young girl, Ofelia. When we see her lying down on the grown she is dying. Her eyes are watery and blood comes from her nose. While the camera shows us Ofelia, the blood goes back into her mouth and life comes back in her eyes. A new introduction. A voice tells us a fairytale about a princess from an underground kingdom who ran away and went into the human world. When she got there, she was blinded by the lights and lost her memory. Eventually she dies, but the king always believed her soul would return. The two different introductions are the heart of “Pan’s Labyrinth”.
Reality is tough for young Ofelia. Her mother’s health is bad, because she is pregnant. We meet them on the day they move in with mother’s new husband: a terrible army captain with an obsession for punctuality and discipline. Ofelia flees into her own fairytale, which isn’t that safe either. An intrusive Faun is waiting for her, giving her dangerous tasks. The tasks reflect the problems Ofelia is dealing with in real life. It’s a revelation to see the main characters not fleeing from reality to a dream world, but learning from that dream world about reality. Ofelia learns to make the right decisions in a mad world, the world of her stepfather, a world of fascism.
This takes us to a strong point in the film. The fascism also exists in the fairytale world. Take the scene where Ofelia is confronted with the ‘pale man’. He’s pictured as faceless, abstract, punctual, subordinating the individual. The message of the movie could be: dare to be disobedient. Dare to fantasize. Dare to live in your own world.
The montage is phenomenal, it’s fluent. And the art direction, cinematography, make-up, acting, music and script are all perfect. Together it makes one of the most beautiful films in movie history.

Rating: 5/ 5