Review of Pan's Labyrinth (2006) by Ciaran B — 24 Jan 2019
Pan's Labyrinth is the disobedient fairy tale.
Del Toro's fantastical rendition of classical fairy stories for adults culminates into a visually stunning, melancholy and tragic story mapping the lives of children in a harsh and difficult world. This masterpiece brings European folk tales and fair stories to life in a wondrous world that maps the incredible through the mundane. Del toro brings us many references to the harming of children such as Kronos devouring his children (The Pale Man) and the pile of shoes referencing the piles of children shoes found after the liberation of Nazi Concentration camps and thus highlights Ofelia (a reference to Shakespeare's Hamlet) and her need to avoid rationalising the world around her.
Del toro gives us a beautifully crafted insight into the world of fairy tales and how they can be used by children to craft a new reality of a utopian and perfect world, as they world they live in cannot be.
This review of Pan's Labyrinth (2006) was written by Ciaran B on 24 Jan 2019.
Pan's Labyrinth has generally received very positive reviews.
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