Apathetic Thursday

A few months back I passed up the opportunity to see Pan’s Labyrinth in the theater. It was too expensive, a long trip, and I had other plans for the night the group was going, but I knew I wanted to see it. So the first movie I put on my Netflix Queue when I started Netflix back up this summer, was Pan’s Labyrinth.

For those who don’t know, Pan’s Labyrinth is a foreign film, set in Spain during one of the wars. As a result, the film is in some form of Spanish, so I was forced to read subtitles for the duration. I am curious as to how accurate the translation between the Spanish and the English is, there were a few exclamatory lines where in I wondered if the English was more of a loose translation of the Spanish, but besides that I assume it was fairly accurate.

I  was extremely impressed by the cinematography of the movie. Unlike American films, where the camera changes angles ever two seconds whether it needs too or not, this film was nothing but long shots, and the majority of the shots were panning or moving. As a result, the shots never felt too long, and between the amazing camera work and the intriguing story-line, the movie flows along smoothly, and almost too quickly. It was a two hour movie, and when it was done, I could hardly believe that two hours had passed.

There were a few instances where the music was very touching, but overall the soundtrack was not very noticeable. Which gives you a bit of an idea how everything really just blended together.

It is also a very sad movie, and although it is described as a fairy tale for adults, it
might not be the fairy tale ending you initially expect.

Overall, I think it’s a really amazing movie, and superbly executed. It deserves the awards it has achieved. Highly recommended for those who don’t mind the violence that is portrayed.