pan's labyrinth [Archive] - Notes from Spain and Spanish Forum

que

20th November 2006, 11:52 PM

Looks like this could be a good film, and something to help the Spanish. Jonathan Ross gave it a good review:

http://www.panslabyrinth.com/

Check it out. Unfortunately the trailer doesnt contain any Spanish! They've edited in away that no dialog needs to be used.

omeyas

21st November 2006, 08:42 AM

I never watch films and would never have heard about it, but someone was interviewing De Torres on the radio whist I was driving around in the car, and they seemed full of it. Some reviewer reckoned it's the best film of the year, by miles. and enthused about the acting of the 12 (??) year old girl. Certainly doesn't sound like my type of film though! People with eyes in their hands, lost soul of a princess etc!:'(

rod

29th November 2006, 11:49 PM

Just got back from seeing this at the cinema this evening. Its absolutely superb!!!! Normally, I'd run a mile from fantasy films but the unique thing about this film is the way that the fairy story bit is woven into a very realistic narrative about the aftermath of the guerra civil. Superb acting performances all round, great special effects and direction, completely unique. Go see (except if you're very squeamish).

Jules

30th November 2006, 08:11 AM

Guillermo de Toro, the director & screenplay writer of the film (El Laberinto del Fauno) was part of the production team in Amorres Perros & Y tu mama tambien - both superb Mexican films - this on its own is enough incentive to go see it.

thismortalcoil

30th November 2006, 11:16 PM

I completely agree with Rod...it is a GREAT movie! And I normally hate fantasy-type stuff, but this was really spellbinding. I saw the original Spanish version "El Laberinto del Fauno."

timg

4th December 2006, 09:37 AM

Really enjoyed this film. In our local cinema (a Cineworld in the UK), it was shown via digital projection, and the picture was pin sharp. I often find child actors quite painful in films, but the lead girl was excellent. Another interesting observation - most other Spanish-language films we see there tend to have a mainly hispanic audience, but this time I didn't hear a single Spanish voice.

que

4th December 2006, 09:53 AM

I saw this film last night.
i agree with mortalcoil, im not usually a fan of fantasy type films, but i did enjoy this one.

I also noticed that the Spanish they used was different. Probably matching the time it was set in.

If you havent seen it, its worth a watch

timg

4th December 2006, 02:46 PM

I also noticed that the Spanish they used was different. Probably matching the time it was set in.

Certainly it seemed that the faun was using older-style Spanish (vuestra merced - type usage), I guess to give it an ancient other-world feel.

ValenciaSon

6th December 2006, 03:53 AM

I think I will have to catch this flick soon, maybe this weekend. I don't shy away from fantasy films and am curious of how they rendered the Franco era in this film.

que

6th December 2006, 01:28 PM

I think I will have to catch this flick soon, maybe this weekend. I don't shy away from fantasy films and am curious of how they rendered the Franco era in this film.

They didnt shy away from the brutal side, thats for sure! :o

ValenciaSon

6th December 2006, 01:30 PM

They didnt shy away from the brutal side, thats for sure! :o

It be hard to do the Franco era without doing brutal, unfortunately.

ValenciaSon

24th December 2006, 08:47 PM

que

7th January 2007, 01:10 PM

I know the film gets released on the 30th of December but I can't find a theater in the DC area that will be showing it:'(

Anyone know of one? I tried the AFI Silver Screen, Bethesda Landmark and Google and no such luck.

Any luck in finding a showing?

I believe the release date for dvd in uk is March, but can't find a date for US.

ValenciaSon

7th January 2007, 01:18 PM

Any luck in finding a showing?

I believe the release date for dvd in uk is March, but can't find a date for US.

I have to wait until January 12th to see it in theaters in the DC area. Here is the schedule (http://www.panslabyrinth.com/tickets/).

Dave_K

14th January 2007, 01:25 AM

Just got back from seeing it. I thought it was just "OK". 1/2 Harry Potter, 1/2 Spanish Civil War movie -- a weird combination (and in this respect, and others, too similar to "Devil's Backbone", in my opinion).

I do agree with the previous poster who said that the 12 year-old was good and not like usual annoying child characters in movies. And Sergei Lopez was a very good villain.

ValenciaSon

14th January 2007, 02:13 AM

Dave_K

14th January 2007, 03:14 AM

Where did you see it? Which theater?

Landmark's E Street theater (same chain as the one in Bethesda). It's 2 blocks from the Metro Center stop and is a pretty nice facility. They're also currently showing Volver, so you could do an all-Spanish double feature. Afterwards, if you're not too Spain-ed out, you can walk the few blocks over to the downtown branch of Jaleo to complete the Spain extravaganza;D .

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/WashingtonDC/EStreetCinema.htm

Jules

19th January 2007, 08:27 PM

Finally saw it last night. It was a far darker and more brutal film than I was expecting. The animation was outstanding. A very well crafted.
Looking forward to the DVD - I hope it will have Spanish subtitles.

eldeano

19th January 2007, 09:36 PM

I've not seen it yet, it wasn't on round here. I'll wait for the dvd. However, for what it's worth, the mighty doctor Mark Kermode rated it his best film of 2006. If our colonial cousins have not heard the good doctor, he's really worth a listen and his weekly (rant) podcast can be downloaded off iTunes or visit BBC Radio 5 Live (http://www.bbc.co.uk/fivelive/entertainment/kermode.shtml). You won't be sorry.

ValenciaSon

19th January 2007, 10:48 PM

You still have colonies?

cubix

20th January 2007, 05:16 AM

I saw this tonight with some friends at my local theater. I checked the listings this morning and was totally blown away to find Pan's Labyrinth. This was awesome, I was expecting some violence but it was quite(my squeamish friend)

I also noticed that some of the spanish was different, though I was suprised how little of the subtitles I had to read. Any other reccomendations for Guillermo de Toro movies.

One thing I also noticed, the trailer and ads in the US didn't contain spanish, when the title and subtitles came on there was a huge sigh and people complained and such..

eldeano

20th January 2007, 10:15 AM

You still have colonies?

Er, not really. I think Hong Kong was one of our last before it was handed back to the Chinese. We do still have 'Dependent Territories'. Colonial cousins is still an expression used in the UK but I apologise if it caused offence.

ValenciaSon

20th January 2007, 12:35 PM

Er, not really. I think Hong Kong was one of our last before it was handed back to the Chinese. We do still have 'Dependent Territories'. Colonial cousins is still an expression used in the UK but I apologise if it caused offence.

No offense taken. I'm not so much offended as I am surprised at the anachronistic reference. Curious, are we still viewed as colonies? I guess some expressions remain, despite changes in society.

Alan

20th January 2007, 12:54 PM

I don't view the US, Australia etc as colonies... but maybe that's because I view myself as Scottish and not British. Not that the Scots weren't completely complicit in the British Empire. We were responsible for as many horrible things per capita as the English :|

Some Brits don't like to admit they don't rule the world any more :)

eldeano

20th January 2007, 06:50 PM

Curious, are we still viewed as colonies?

Nope. However, in my line of work, colleagues that work in those countries that historically formed part of our colonies, such as the US, Australia, Indian sub-continent etc, will still refer to the locals as 'colonial cousins'. I'm British, part English, part Scottish.

A quick Google search came up with a couple of references;

'It's just another unfortunate misuse of English by our colonial cousins over the pond, that has turned a perfectly respectable word into something rude.' Here (http://www.adnd.com/Forums/viewtopic/p=23351.html)

'and have done a bit of trawling to see if we could find any online resources to help out our linguistically-impoverished colonial cousins.' Here (http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/11/30/proper_english_guide/)

I've also heard Australians use it about New Zealanders and Brits.

Anyway, swiftly changing the subject, it's still worth listening to Mark Kermode. ;D

rod

20th January 2007, 10:36 PM

Anyway, swiftly changing the subject, it's still worth listening to Mark Kermode. ;D

Agreed. I lived in Spain for eight months over 2005-6 and while I was trying to avoid listening to too much English anyway, to be honest there was hardly any British media I missed. Out of all of the various podcasts etc I could have downloaded, the one and only indulgence I allowed myself was Mark Kermode's film reviews.

ValenciaSon

4th February 2007, 10:32 PM

Landmark's E Street theater (same chain as the one in Bethesda). It's 2 blocks from the Metro Center stop and is a pretty nice facility. They're also currently showing Volver, so you could do an all-Spanish double feature. Afterwards, if you're not too Spain-ed out, you can walk the few blocks over to the downtown branch of Jaleo to complete the Spain extravaganza;D .

http://www.landmarktheatres.com/market/WashingtonDC/EStreetCinema.htm

I saw Pan's Labyrinth yesterday evening at the AFI Silver (http://www.afi.com/silver/new/). I thought it was well done. My wife didn't like the violence and is admittedly not interested in fantasy films but appreciated the cinematography and the acting. I however do not shy away from fantasy and was comfortable with the interweaving of history and fantasy. The settings were lush. The Segovia forest with its earthiness and rain was almost a character itself as it helped tpo convey the gloom of those days in the Franco era. Though the acting was superb, I have to say, I found the roles were a little 2-dimensional, lacking depth. I thought the sub-titles showed an adequate effort in translation. I hummed that lullaby the rest of the evening. I would give the movie an 8.8/10 score.

Next week we will go see Volver (http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mid=23562&mode=0&pmmsid=1759358)which is playing at Bethesda Row Cinema (http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/WashingtonDC/BethesdaRowCinema.htm)

Dave_K

5th February 2007, 01:24 AM

I saw Pan's Labyrinth yesterday evening at the AFI Silver (http://www.afi.com/silver/new/). I thought it was well done. My wife didn't like the violence and is admittedly not interested in fantasy films but appreciated the cinematography and the acting. I however do not shy away from fantasy and was comfortable with the interweaving of history and fantasy. The settings were lush. The Segovia forest with its earthiness and rain was almost a character itself as it helped tpo convey the gloom of those days in the Franco era. Though the acting was superb, I have to say, I found the roles were a little 2-dimensional, lacking depth. I thought the sub-titles showed an adequate effort in translation. I hummed that lullaby the rest of the evening. I would give the movie an 8.8/10 score.

Next week we will go see Volver (http://us.video.aol.com/video.index.adp?mid=23562&mode=0&pmmsid=1759358)which is playing at Bethesda Row Cinema (http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/WashingtonDC/BethesdaRowCinema.htm)

I liked Volver better. If you see it in Bethesda, you can also work in a trip to the Bethesda branch of Jaleo. The head chef/proprietor of Jaleo apparently is somewhat famous in Spain. Even my suegra saw him on Spanish TV for some feature on Spanish celebrity chefs.;) My wife doesn't like it though because she says you can get the same food in any Madrid bar for 1/4 the price.

ValenciaSon

5th February 2007, 03:08 AM

I liked Volver better. If you see it in Bethesda, you can also work in a trip to the Bethesda branch of Jaleo. The head chef/proprietor of Jaleo apparently is somewhat famous in Spain. Even my suegra saw him on Spanish TV for some feature on Spanish celebrity chefs.;) My wife doesn't like it though because she says you can get the same food in any Madrid bar for 1/4 the price.
That was my plan, to go with my wife to Jaleo after we watch the 4:30 show. I've been and I like and I recognize they can be a bit pricey but as you know, Bethesda has less tapas competition than Madrid;)

Have you been to La Taberna Del Alabardero on 18th and I?

Dave_K

5th February 2007, 01:39 PM

That was my plan, to go with my wife to Jaleo after we watch the 4:30 show. I've been and I like and I recognize they can be a bit pricey but as you know, Bethesda has less tapas competition than Madrid;)

Have you been to La Taberna Del Alabardero on 18th and I?

I have not been there, but my wife has. She says it was very fancy. We used to go to a place in Bethesda down the street from Jaleo called Andalucia de Bethesda. It's closed down now (an Irish bar is in its place), but we've heard that Andalucia de Rockville is still in business.

For Spanish food that's at the opposite end of the spectrum (i.e., greasy "meson" type quality), there's a hole in the wall just a couple of blocks from where I live called Churreria Madrid. You can get bocadillos de tortilla, calamari, chorizo, a bowl of cocido, etc., plus athentic churros. I like it a lot, but my wife says that it's food that anyone can make at home, so why go to a restaurant for it?:rolleyes:

eldeano

5th February 2007, 01:47 PM

Notes from Bethesda :confused:

ValenciaSon

5th February 2007, 01:59 PM

I have not been there, but my wife has. She says it was very fancy. We used to go to a place in Bethesda down the street from Jaleo called Andalucia de Bethesda. It's closed down now (an Irish bar is in its place), but we've heard that Andalucia de Rockville is still in business.

For Spanish food that's at the opposite end of the spectrum (i.e., greasy "meson" type quality), there's a hole in the wall just a couple of blocks from where I live called Churreria Madrid. You can get bocadillos de tortilla, calamari, chorizo, a bowl of cocido, etc., plus athentic churros. I like it a lot, but my wife says that it's food that anyone can make at home, so why go to a restaurant for it?:rolleyes:

Can you give me the address or location to the Churreria Madrid place? I think I heard of it. Is it near Dupont Circle?

lwjl

5th February 2007, 02:23 PM

i'd give it a 6 though i'm not a big fantasy movie fan.

Dave_K

5th February 2007, 04:31 PM

Can you give me the address or location to the Churreria Madrid place? I think I heard of it. Is it near Dupont Circle?

It's in Adams-Morgan at 2505 Champlain St. About 2-3 blocks north of 18th & Columbia Rd (on Columbia). Next to City Bikes. Here is a Wash. Post review, though it seems about 10 years old (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=797000)