Spring Break
Movie Reviews
David Coley
Issue date: 2/5/07 Section: Culture
The other performances range in their quality. Redgrave is good as usual, as are Phillips and Richard Griffiths as Maurice's friends. Whittaker has moments of inspiration, but at times she is a bit of a one-note. As good as some may be though, it is O'Toole's show, and the film's focus does not waver in that regard.
The part of Maurice's life depicted here is one of sadness with brief glimpses of humor. The characters are the same way, switching from kindness to cruelty. In order for the film to charm us, the film could have used more of the kindness. The cruelty makes a point, but it is not enough to make a profound connection.
In Theaters
'Pan's Labyrinth'
Everyone heard fairytales when they were young.
There is a centuries-old tradition of fantastical tales of heroes and magic. In the real versions of the stories, not the candy-coated Disney versions, there is usually an element of violence, involving eyes being pecked out or other bloody ends. It is this darkness that most heavily populates the world of "Pan's Labyrinth," a modern, mature fairytale from director Guillermo Del Toro.
There is magic and a heroine and exotic settings, but instead of dragons and unicorns there is a twisted leafy faun and a sagging withered man with eyeballs in his palms. The images are from the darker parts of our minds, spawning more fear and suspense than joy and happiness. Del Toro is concerned with the traumatic parts of childhood, and the impressions a world of violence can leave.
That is not to say it is not beautiful. The imagination displayed here is astounding, providing a mature audience with imagery that is foreboding, thought-provoking, and escapist all at the same time. That is because the world springs from a historical period that gives the visuals their poignancy.
That historical period is the Fascist period of Spain, focusing on the 1930s. The setting is a small mountain outpost where a Fascist captain and his men are battling the freedom fighters hiding in the surrounding forests and mountains. The captain's pregnant wife and stepdaughter arrive at the outpost. The stepdaughter is our heroine Ofelia (Ivana Baquero).
The part of Maurice's life depicted here is one of sadness with brief glimpses of humor. The characters are the same way, switching from kindness to cruelty. In order for the film to charm us, the film could have used more of the kindness. The cruelty makes a point, but it is not enough to make a profound connection.
In Theaters
'Pan's Labyrinth'
Everyone heard fairytales when they were young.
There is a centuries-old tradition of fantastical tales of heroes and magic. In the real versions of the stories, not the candy-coated Disney versions, there is usually an element of violence, involving eyes being pecked out or other bloody ends. It is this darkness that most heavily populates the world of "Pan's Labyrinth," a modern, mature fairytale from director Guillermo Del Toro.
There is magic and a heroine and exotic settings, but instead of dragons and unicorns there is a twisted leafy faun and a sagging withered man with eyeballs in his palms. The images are from the darker parts of our minds, spawning more fear and suspense than joy and happiness. Del Toro is concerned with the traumatic parts of childhood, and the impressions a world of violence can leave.
That is not to say it is not beautiful. The imagination displayed here is astounding, providing a mature audience with imagery that is foreboding, thought-provoking, and escapist all at the same time. That is because the world springs from a historical period that gives the visuals their poignancy.
That historical period is the Fascist period of Spain, focusing on the 1930s. The setting is a small mountain outpost where a Fascist captain and his men are battling the freedom fighters hiding in the surrounding forests and mountains. The captain's pregnant wife and stepdaughter arrive at the outpost. The stepdaughter is our heroine Ofelia (Ivana Baquero).
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