I personally interpret the ending as what it visually looks like. She died but got to be a princess in the fairy world. Showing how good people go to the best places in death
It's purposely left to the viewer to decide for themselves whether the magic is real or all in her head. Though DelToro himself says he has yet to hear a better explanation for how Ofelia gets out, and how the chalk ends up in the Captain's desk drawer.
The great thing about this movie is that there are different ways to interpret the ending: everything could have been in Ofelia’s mind because she needed the magical escape so much, or everything was real but people like Capitán Vidal couldn’t see the faun (the magic) because there was no innocence or wonder left in him. It’s an amazing film, definitely Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece.
I think the movie kind of leans more towards the latter because it showed the fairy in it's bug form at the end. But I guess it could have also just been a really weird bug. Oh shit. Lmao
Fun fact: Del Toro has actually said he put 3 main clues to show and prove us that none of it happened in Ofelia's mind, when in fact, everything was actually real: 1) The fact that a flower bloomed on a "dead" branch 2) When Ofelia put the Mandrake root under her mother's bed, her body responded that and she started to recover immediately 3) The chalk. When Ofelia was locked up in her room by captain Vidal, there was no other way to get out so she used the chalk and could manage to escape. After that, when Mercedes entered the room to get Ofelia, she turned around and saw that door drawing on the wall which proves the chalk was real.
Fun fact: Guillermo del Toro was offered to direct Narnia, but turned it down to focus on this. Imagine a Narnia movie with Guillermo del Toro's Direction, Creature and Set Design. 😁
i didn't know this and now im so sad! i loveeeee the narnia saga and now thinking how amazing he would've directed i got a little depressed, probably would be 100x better
He was also supposed to direct The Hobbit, with Ron Perlman playing Thorin. I was so excited when they announced it that I even bought and read the book. 😂
Pan is the Greek god of mischief. Del Toro has stated that the actual title is “The Labyrinth of the Faun” as, Pan is actually a satyr, not a faun, and as such, he’d be too sexual in nature to include in this story, but the studio chose that name as Pan is more well known to English speaking audiences.
Yeah, del Toro probably realized people would be analyzing the story with all the symbolism and whatnot, and didn't want anyone deciding there was a sexual element simply because a satyr was involved. I mistakenly keep calling him Pan and satyr but I know it's technically a faun
Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, after that, fascists took over the country. The "rebels" in the forest were called Maquis, they kept fighting Franco and the fascists for years. My grandparents fougth in this war (losers side, against fascists). Most actors here are from Catalonia (so am I) including Sergi López (the captain) who, believe it or not, is an amazing comedian (I've seen him a few times on stage, couldnt stop laughing). Oh, and fun fact: I met Guillermo del Toro once (Sitges Fantàstic Film Festival), I asked him for an autograph and he drew his portrait for me, such a nice guy!
One of the main problems with the Spanish civil war is the oversimplification of the franquoists as "fascists", it was far more complicated. The overwhelming majority of those fascists were just liberals who just happened to live at a time in which choosing a side was almost compulsory. Sure, there were fascists as well, but the gross of the "franqoist" side was not made of fascists, that was just war propaganda and discourse, just like franqoist would just call the other side comunists (though there was a serious threat with the URRS trying to make Spain a Russian satelite). The first part of Franco's dictatorship though, was indeed a Fascoist regime.
@@goodaimshield1115 Working with and fighting for the fascist cause makes you a fascist. Just because in your heart of hearts you wish it was another way it doesn't dtop jou from being one. This is like seeing someone stab and kill several people but saying they are innocent because they really feel they are.
@@nahuel3433 both sides had mud3rers and victims, it was brother vs.brother full force. Our civil war has been explained as a mini WWII why too many times. It was not. The fake maniqueism of "good vs evil" was created by people young enough to NOT have ,lived it and just want to use it for their political cause. I had family in both of the sides (something quite common) and we should listen to elders and just stop the bickering for something long past. It was witchhunting from both sides, it's past, learn from it, and let it be.
I am just so happy we are entering Del Toro’s universe! You can tell how much love Guillermo puts in his films. I want more reactions to his art. The shape of water and Crimson Peak are master pieces! Thanks for your beautiful reactions! Greetings from Costa Rica 🇨🇷
The Devils Backbone is another masterpiece of Del Toro that he did after his horrible experience making Mimic in 1997 for an American studio made him go back to Mexico for this 2000 somber, tragic ghost story. I would put Devils Backbone equal to Pan's Labyrinth. You should also watch his first theatrical feature, 1993s Chronos, Del Toros underrated vampire story.
"Crimson Peak" was *so* mis-marketed (as most of Del Toro's films have been) in the U.S. It is absolutely striking though. The same goes for "The Shape of Water," which is just a straight up loving tribute to old classic monster movies with Del Toro's own trademark touch. Oh god, "The Devil's Backbone" though is one of the saddest, most soul-stirring ghost stories put to screen. You thought the lullaby from this movie is haunting? I can't even think of the poem from "Backbone" without choking up. 🥲
31:50 That's part of the mythology of the Mandrake root. The root sometimes being shaped like a person has given rise to all sorts of mystical beliefs connected with fertility, etc.
I used to love it for the ambiguity too, Del toro actually verified in an interview that his intention was for it to be real not ambiguous (from the blossom at the end, and the fact that ofelia couldn’t have left her room without the chalk door), but I think that makes it even more fun. The whole time you’re bouncing back and forth unsure whether she’s imagining all of these things to escape from her reality, and getting bread crumbs that keep you on the hook of “well maybe it could be real?” from the root working, and Mercedes mentioning the faun. One of my absolute favorites.
One of the most beautiful and disturbing movies ever ... can't wait to see your reaction. I want to think that - fantasy or not - Ofelia is in a better place where she is happy ❤️
One of the things I love about del Toro's films (especially the originals like this, The Shape of Water, Crimson Peak, The Devil's Backbone), is that the creatures are so effectively unsettling, otherworldly, alien, and more than a little terrifying...but the *monsters* are always human.
Fun Fact: The guy playing the Faun *_didn't speak Spanish._* He had to learn his lines, without knowing the language-- AND do all the physical acting while saying them!
I'm so proud of Guillermo del Toro, as a fellow Mexican seeing his work and how he has stayed true to himself over the years is very inspiring. This is one of my absolute favorite films, I love the use of green in the color palette, the uncertainty of the Pan's true intentions, Mercedes's journey, honestly love how violence was used... and overall the unexpected story and turn of events, WOW. I recommend "El espinazo del Diablo" and "The Orphanage" by Guillermo. Hugs to both of you!
Hitler helped the Spanish Fascist regime come to power in the Spanish Civil War (often referred to as The Dress rehearsal for WWII). Hitler claimed he was sending “volunteers” to help Francisco Franco come to power, but in actuality, they were seasoned German military soldiers who were basically trying out their newly developed Blitzkrieg ideas to see how effective they’d be against the rest of Europe. Once Franco was in power, Hitler pulled out, leaving Franco to take care of the rebel partisans in his own country. He sat out WWII claiming neutrality, and only survived past the war by targeting Communists to stay in the good graces of the Allied Powers in Europe and the US.
Yeah, survived because by the time WW2 was over, the communists were the new big threat for the west and fascists were acceptable again in the "common cause".
Franco wanted a monarchy after his death. This why he named Juan Carlos I in 1969 his successor as king after his death. Carlos took over in 1975 and turned Spain into a n Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy in 1978.
@@gabrieleghut1344 Saturday Night Live did a segment celebrating his death on their news program about “Our top story tonight is that Francisco Franco is still dead.” That whole year as I recall. He was much reviled and deservedly so.
A lot of people don't like the portrayal of the fascists in this movie but there is something they don't know. Originally, "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth" were going to take place in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) but Del Toro did not find the financial support to make them in Mexico and finally he got Spanish studios to finance the films but they conditioned him that the films had to take place in Spain. And the scripts were adapted to the circumstances of Spain, with its failures and coincidences.
This movie makes you choose how you want to see it and I love that about it. If you are skeptical, then she just dies and it's all escapism from her horrible life, or you could view it all as real and her fantasy is real.
He is. The funny thing is that he is actuallly such a warm and funny guy. I've seen him acting on theatre plays and he is hilarious. One of my favourites actors and people.
He is! The movie tells us -- the only monster in this movie that does what movie monsters do (Hunting, tormenting, and brutalizing innocent people) is Vidal. All of the really awful gore in this movie is either directly inflicted by Vidal or the result of his actions. Del Toro uses the visual language of the horror genre to directly point a finger at Vidal so that even in a movie where the Pale Man could be real, we in the audience are the most afraid of the fascist.
This is probably one of the most beautiful and most heart breaking fantasy stories ive ever seen, and or witnessed. The story of the flower. Her ending... Breaks your heart everytime I swear. Great reaction.
this is one of my favorite movies of all time! I believe that although the ending is likely up to interpretation, the magic is real. here is my evidence: 1) the mandrake was beginning to help Ofelia's mother get better. when Ofelia's mother throws the mandrake into the fire, only then does she begin to have further complications in her pregnancy. up until that point, her health was beginning to improve. 2) Ofelia was supposed to be locked in her room. how, then, was she able to get into the Captain's office to drug him and take her brother? simple: she used the chalk to draw a door and escape. 3) when Ofelia is running from the Captain into the Labyrinth, the walls open up for her and she escapes to the center of the Labyrinth. moments later, the Captain runs by and the walls have mysteriously closed up and the Captain has lost her in the Labyrinth. now some may wonder how it is that the Captain cannot see Ofelia when she is speaking with the Faun. this is easily explainable: adults cannot see magic because they have lost their innocence and no longer believe. ❤️
Plus he is the villain, both in the fantasy world and the real world. Creatures and magic on the side of good are sometimes invisible to villains in these stories, since he is not only no longer innocent, but outright evil. They would not reveal their world to him. At least that is my interpretation!
ok, so i believe this movie is based on the spanish civil war, after the victory of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1939. A few things so you can understand a bit more of the historical context: the left side of the politics are called republicans (even when a lot of the members of that political wing weren't all republicans, they were anarchists and communists too) and the right side are called conservatives or fascists or anything like that
This Spanish fascism was called falangismo. The dictator was referred to as Generalísimo Franco. His regime is called franquismo. I think Franco died in 1979 and the heir to his rule was the King of Spain.
"What's Pan's Labyrinth?" Pan is the ancient Greek god of nature, shepherds. and flocks. He is also depicted with the Pan flute. The name "Pan" is a western interpretation of the title. That half goat/ram and human character in this movie is simply a faun. This movie is one of my favorites because I was heavily into ancient Greek and Roman pantheons when I was in high school, so it brought me back to that time.
The Devil's Backbone please. It's from the same director. It's both creepy and beautiful at the same time. fun fact: Did you know that Del Toro was offered to direct one of the Harry Potter movies? But I believe Del Toro was busy with another movie and encouraged his close friend Alfonso Cuaron (who was also offered) but was still pretty much resistant to be part of the wizarding world universe. Eventually he caved in and directed Prisoner of Azkaban.
Everything must have actually happened. Since people question if ofelia is an unreliable narrator, you have to look at life around her. 1. The dying tree is shown to be healthy again only after ofelia dealt with the giant toad. She was muddy which was seen by others meaning she actually went down there and no child would know how to cure a tree just by going down there. 2. An adult doctor couldnt figure out how ofelias mother was getting better and once she threw ofelias mandrake root into the fire she died. This is pretty clearly magical influence, ofelia would have no idea otherwise how to cure her mother in such a way and the timing of her death cant be coincidence. 3. The various things ofelia does with chalk. Getting out of rooms that are completely locked.
7:33 ok so the storm in the movie hit perfectly with the storm in the reaction that hit perfectly with the storm at my place at this friggin' moment. What are the odds?!
Fun little anecdote: Guillermo Del Toro attended the premiere with Stephen King sitting next to him. When they got to the infamous Pale Man scene, even Stephen freaking King shivered. The scene scared the king of horror! Del Toro said it was better than winning an Oscar.
del toro is known for his fascination in the retelling of fairytales! i love that, despite the many “typical” fairytale factors (like the 3 tasks, fairies etc), it still manages to subvert your expectations. from what i know, del toro aimed to make it a disobedient story, with ofelia denying what everyone asks of her throughout. his ability to combine history with fairytales is absolutely amazing!!! love this film :D
I love this movie, but I can’t really watch it anymore. The designs are beautiful and terrifying all at once, and I think that the idea of the movie is to navigate the question “Which do you believe?”
The thing that makes the ending so interesting is the fact that the captain is under the influence. We know Ofelia can see the faun, but we can’t really trust what the captain sees.
15:10 that dress is just the Green version of Alice’s dress in Alice in wonderland. It’s your first hint to the fact that much of the magic MIGHT just be in her head, especially after she climbs down a hole at the base of a tree.
If I recall my Shakespeare correctly, Ophelia was a character from Hamlet that was considered mentally ill and possibly insane, so I usually interpret this movie as a girls fantasy that, combined with her real life circumstances, became an escape that she got lost in. Pan was a character from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream (also known as Puck), and was a fairy and a mischief maker, and if you assume that the faun is in her mind, you can assume her last run through the labyrinth was her last stage of getting lost in her mind and her fantasy taking complete control of her reality. Thats just my take tho.
That thunder ASMR really added a whole new level XD I will say that I watched this movie for the first time at way too young of an age to understand what was "fiction" and what was "reality". It was a really entertaining movie, and I love watching it now that I am older. Thank you for getting into the world of del Toro! Perhaps "Pacific Rim" or "Crimson Peak" next? *oversharing below* I saw this movie when I was 9 or 10. As the eldest child of my family, Ofelia trying to comfort her pregnant mother and keep the baby safe at all costs messed me up. My mom was pregnant with her third child (my baby sister) when I saw the movie and she had a difficult pregnancy, so I was freaked out and tried to read stories to the baby while my mom was resting. Once my sister was born I had terrible separation anxiety because I was convinced my mom would "disappear" (how I reconciled dying at that age) and I would have to protect my sister as Ofelia did; from what I had to protect her, I'm not sure, seeing as my dad is amazing and is in no way like Captain Vidal. However, my mom and my sister were totally fine, and I calmed down after a month or so. I am glad that my parents didn't dismiss my fears, and like Mercedes did for Ofelia, tried to humor me by letting me stay home from school so I could be near my mom and moved my bed in the nursery so I could sleep near my sister. Anyway, I've always wondered if anyone else saw the movie when they were young and experienced similar impacts.
When I was in Grade 12 my Spanish class had twelve 18-year-old girls and one male Spanish teacher who was really nice, so we always convinced him to let us watch my copy of Pan's Labyrinth in class. I think we saw it maybe 5 times in one semester, he just made us watch it without subtitles sometimes. I also convinced him to let us watch The Orphanage, which we probably shouldn't have been watching in school lol. I love this movie.
One of the greatest fary tales of our age. Dude, the Pale Man might be the scariest monster of recent cinema, but Captain Vidal is far more evil and dangerous, at least the monster had a trigger, the captain is always on killing mode. Humans at war are scarier than any fantasy monster. This movie is amazing, the music, the practical effects, the storytelling, Del Toro at his finest. Please dive into his lesser known work, films like, The Devil's Backbone, Cronos and even Mimic. You're great, guys, keep it awesome!
OMG YES! One of my favorite movies from my childhood, although I remember being a little creeped out by the aesthetic 🤣 no matter how many times I watch this film I'm always at awe at the creativity and some of the topics it touches, I'm so glad you're reacting to it!!
Del Toro left it open to interpretation but he himself meant for the magic to be real, and in the movie there's a few clues to point at that. There's also a lot of details and references and if you liked this movie you should see the precuel, The Devil's Backbone, wich is even lesser known than this one and could really use the atention. Here's a video that explains it beautifully: th-cam.com/video/xbZNkMn3PvQ/w-d-xo.html
Thank you so much for mentioning the devil's backbone and the analysis videos. I wanted to comment on that as well. I saw the movie for the first time last year in a film class at school where we focused on films about the 20th century history. We started with the Spanish civil war and watched this beautiful film after "Land and Freedom". Later I watched every analysis video on the movie to gather more information and form my own analysis. It was possibly the most interesting and enticing process.
@@mariannepapapetrou1599 that sounds like a fun project! you will probably like this other video, tho you may have seen it already th-cam.com/video/XA4ERjS30y4/w-d-xo.html
@@theramdomchannel8329 oh my god yes !!!! I've been looking for this video for over a year and just couldn't remember the title. Amazing work. Thank you so much!!!
Fauno and Pale Man are played by the same actor, Doug Jones (AKA Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus, and Abe Sapien, The Angel of Death, and Chamberlain from the OG Hellboy movies. He and Del Toro have worked together several times, he's also the creature in The Shape of Water). Also, I'm pretty sure Corridor Crew did a break down on the face sewing scene.
@@whitenoisereacts There's more iconic roles, quite the long list really, he was also in one of the most iconic episodes of Buffy. If you want to see him out of makeup, he's in the Smash Mouth All Star music video as Eraser Head
It's so awesome that you guys are going through a lot of Del Toro movies. Pan's Labyrinth may be difficult to watch a second time but it's alright coz sticks in the brain anyway. BTW, the circular maze that was filled with blood in the end was also used in Hellboy when Ilsa brought Rasputin back to life.
Love this movie!! It's like an old Grimm fairy tale, including the ending being a bittersweet double edged sword of overcoming hardship and reaching a semi happy outcome. I'm actually watching this video while it's a thundering out where I'm at too.
To answer your question it's "Pan's Labyrinth" because the Faun was called Pan. It's a refference to greek/roman mythology where god of nature was a satyr/faun named Pan. Also you should watch "The Last Unicorn"!
Del Toro himself said that the magic was real, and she did go home, she was the princess. The chalk door was the most obvious magic in comparison to everything else, not having a logical answer to rationalize it. My brother and I both watched this, and he too saw the ending as very sad, thinking she died and there was no magic, until I told him what Del Toro had intended.
I didn't see the connection before, but now I see it. The pale-skinned monster sitting at a table full of food is literally the captain who was guarding his supplies. He is cruel, he eats fairies and kills the children in the painting. In life, the captain is the same cruel killer. The magical world, like the wrong side of reality. Even it is cruel, but reality is even more cruel. Therefore, Ophelia trying escapes from reality. But in both worlds she is enclosed in a labyrinth. It's very sad and geniously at the same time.
The Devil's Backbone is a prelude to Toro's fantasy-based childrens' story with a horror element like Pan's Labyrinth and that's a film I think you should also watch.
Like the doctor with the Captain, Ofelia chose not to listen to Pans orders for the sake of following orders. She used her morals, knowing it was not right and put herself in harm's way to save an innocent life. Unlike the Nazis who blindly followed orders without thinking if it was right or wrong. She chose not to obey. The last and ultimate test to see if she was worthy. Cool how the guy who played the doctor was her father, the King too. Adored this movie when it came out. Got a tat of the Pale Man. Del Toro's movies are always amazing.
Agreed overall and I like the symbolism and parallels, but: 1. They’re fascists*, not nazis. 2. The actor playing the doctor (Alex Angulo RIP, Spanish) is NOT the same who plays the king (Federico Luppi, Argentinian).
I first watched this in my AP high school Spanish class. There is a lot of deep meanings in this film. If you guys are interested in a T.V series to watch I highly recommend Gran Hotel 2011-2013 with Yon Gonzalez and Amaia Salamanca. Its a Spanish drama series, and I loved it. Its the kind of series where you constantly want to know what happens next, etc.
29:31 I was so frustrated with Ofelia eating the fruits when she had been distinctly told not to do so. She even repeated that specific rule to herself before entering the magic door and the fairies were keeping her from eating so she couldn't have forgotten that quickly. I don't know if there is a lore or if it was suggested in the movie that the food is too irresistable that it makes people stupidly forget the rule but it's so sad to see the fairies die because of her action.
You probably missed the part where one of the fairies also tricked her into opening the lock which the key didn't work. So after that, Ofelia became distrustful of them and she went to try one of the grapes. She didn't eat anything before that so she was too starving to thinking straight.
So glad you did a reaction to this one, it is one of my most favourite movies ever. It is so dark and melancholy yet still so beautiful and raw. Mercedes humming the lullaby whilst Ofelia is dying in the end always absolutely destroys me.
There's a French steampunk fantasy flick staring Ron pearlman called the city of lost children you might find interesting. Has some cool off kilter visuals and effects.
„I know there are creepy elements in it“ man getting his skull crushed in brutally with bottle in such an over the top graphic way🥹💀 but I think Guillermo del Torro did say that for him at least the magic was indeed real but he also said that he doesn’t want to explicitly say that’s definitely how it is and he really likes the idea of the viewer choosing which ending they prefer. I gotta say this movie has some of the best practical effects I’ve ever seen! That’s what I absolutely love Guillermo del Torro movies for! Using as little Cgi as possible gives his movies an extremely realistic look and an even more eerie feeling to it. That’s what for example made the Harry Potter movies so awesome and realistic as well and in comparison of visual effects better then the Fantastic Beasts movies. I really wish we could go back to that kind of „practical work“ because newer movies do lack authenticity more and more often in my opinion. And Doug Jones is just absolutely incredible! The performance he is always able to deliver in these crazy costumes (The Faun/ Pan as well as the Pale Monster) absolutely awesome! He is Hollywood‘s man behind the masks - it’s like no one knows his face but his performances stick with you and are iconic! He also played Abe Sapien in the Hellboy movies as well as the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four or the Amphibian Man in Shape of Water as well as many many other remarkable characters in various famous horror and fantasy movies 🙏🏻
@White Noise Reacts It just struck me, when you mentioned about Ofelia getting essentially the cheat code through the labyrinth at the end, and the stepdad finding his way to the middle, it made me wonder.....if he had been to the center of the labyrinth as a kid, believing in the myths and never saw anything when he got there. I might be overhumanizing a terrible character, which he certainly was, but it feels like there's something there. Regarding the mandrake root that Ofelia used under her mother's bed, there's a good bit of lore behind the root in folk magic. It's believed that if you uproot it, it will shriek. so powerfully, that the sound will kill the person trying to uproot it. That's why when it's mentioned in Harry Potter, the students have to wear earmuffs when handling it. According to a gardening site I found "Small quantities of mandrake may produce hallucinations or out-of-body experiences. However, this member of the nightshade family is highly toxic and all parts of the plant can be deadly.Centuries ago, however, women believed this bizarre-looking plant could induct conception, and baby-shaped roots were placed under the pillow. Uses for mandrake included predicting the future and offering protection for soldiers going into battle." Which makes it's use in this story all the more meaningful. Also, this story reminds me of the unabridged Grimm Fairy Tales, which are dark as hell. Those are the ones I grew up on, and they are a whole other level.
34:02 I don't know if it's been pointed out in the earlier comments but these 2 rebels were orphan characters from Guilllermo del Toro's earlier movie, The Devil's Backbone, suggesting that the two movies exist in the same universe. It's a fantastic ghost story that's also bleak yet beautiful with an orphanage as the backdrop. It's in Spanish too but this channel had been great in featuring and appreciating many non-English materials plus it's a Guillermo del Toro film so it might just be right up your alley.
I love watching your reactions to this movie, it’s one of my favorite foreign films. Also, love your shirt GO COUGARS! APU graduate of 2018 over here 😄
For sure, although there was some good moments with the time Peter was given. Such as the Bilbo and Gollum interactions and Bilbo and Smaug in the mountain. Overall. The movies were okay. We don’t talk about the dwarf and elf romance.
It's awesome how much you guys got into the film. I highly recommend some of Guillermo DelToro's older works in Spanish: El Orfanato (the orphanage, 2007) and El Espinazo Del Diablo (The devil's backbone, 2001). They're so good.
Del Toro left it up to a personal interpretation for themselves The rabbit trapper scene came from a personal experience from his childhood.... The Paleman comes from a mythical creature in Japanese folklore but it also took a spin from Saturn devouring his son.... Yes, it is set in Spain's civil war thus famine was widespread which is why the tablespread spread was a temptation . Del Toro wanted to make this movie for years. He lost his manuscript in a cab but thankfully the cabbie returned them to make this movie possible.... BTW, the mandrakes were also in Harry! Potter! 😃
It's kind of the perfect two-genre movie ever done. Lot's of movie have done it before but the reality of the francist era in war time in spain mixed with the visual dark fantasy is perfectly balanced in that one. And of course you got the crazy good style of Del Toro
I had a hard time deciding how to feel at the end which shows what a great movie this is. I ended up happy for Ofelia while crying like a baby... Love your reactions guys, great movie choices
Del Toro has always realised that the real monsters wear uniforms or suits and stand beside us in the supermarket…….the “monsters” of stories are just scary looking, the human ones will hurt you just………. because they can. This movie is unsettling, beautiful, and heartbreaking in equal measures.
Guillermo del Toro loves film and monsters so much and you can see it in all his works and how he talks about it. English speaking audiences should take a dip into his Spanish movies. The Devil's Backbone is my personal favorite and is set during the Spanish Civil War.
I love you guys watch the movie in spanish with subs, Guillermo del Toro is an artist, that's why this movie is so beautiful, every time i watch this movie i cry.
While the movie definitely leaves whether the fantasy world was real or not open to interpretation, there are quite a lot of signs that point to it being real. First, Vidal locked Ofelia in her room. There was no way she could access Vidal’s office if it wasn’t for “magic”. She used the chalk to draw a door and Mercedes saw those lines when she came back for her. Second, when Vidal was chasing Ofelia in the labyrinth, she actually reached a dead end and that’s why Vidal had to turn around. She was able to get away, because the walls magically opened and closed again after she got in. Third, the flower that blossoms at the end. According to the narrator, the princess left traces of her existence on Earth, but they were only visible to those who know where to look. In other words, not everyone is able to spot “magic” where it exists, that might also explain why Vidal was unable to see the faun.
Fun fact: the Spanish that Pan (the satyr) is speaking is a very old type of Spanish, like the kind you'd find in the bible. Thought that was a nice touch!
Well James looks like he needs a hug after watching this. I love stories with fairytale elements also if you have any book recommendations that would are fantastical and fairytale-esque I’m up for reading them.
I'm from Spain, and I'm glad you reacted to one of our amazing movies. There are a lot of treasure movies outside of Hollywood to discover like this. We create expensive and creative movies like this too.
I remember watching this when it came out. I remember just not feeling entertained. I felt that i saw something beautiful in all the elements. It changed the way that i saw movies from then on
If you guys like the movie, you should read the novelization that's written by Guillermo del Torro and Cornelia Funk. We get a lot more lore of the Labyrinth, the Underworld, and Vidal. It's a good, chilling read that once I finish the e-book, I may get a physical copy.
Such an incredible movie! It was one of those movies that you never forget how you felt the first time you watch it. The parallels to real life, heaven, hell,,earth.. the shoes stacked up looks so much like the shoes in concentration camp photos... ect.. I remember the first time I watched it, feeling so let down that I had to read subtitles, I thought it would take so much away bc I could focus, but no. It was amazing how beautiful it was to hear in the fawns language I didn't need understand his words o felt them! That for me made this one of the best movies of my lifetime. For me... :)
You guys should react to Night At The Museum, if you haven’t already! The editing is brilliant, and it’s such an interesting and fun story! I think you’d have fun picking how they do certain things apart! Love your reactions!
"Haunting" is a great way to put it! This one really sticks with you. I got another Del Toro produced Spanish-language horror for you guys. It's called The Orphanage. If you liked the vibe of this one, you'll love that one for sure. More along the horror genre too.
I love how the flower growing on the tree suggests that the magic was real. the tree could no longer grow because of the toad but ophelia killed it to get the key.
Even though different people can interpret the story in different ways, Del Toro intended for it to be real. One example would be the chalk. Ofelia manages to get her brother from the Captain's room using the chalk. And when Mercedes breaks into her room to save her, Mercedes sees the chalk markings on the wall.
Never noticed the shot at 40:30 she looked to the wheelchair and the birds flew by the window simultaneously Del Toro is god tier but of course everyone knows that already
One of my absolute favorite fantasy epics. Beautifully as it is tragic. There is some behind the scene featurettes from the DVD with Del Toro where he explains the origins of this movie basically paying tribute to all of the original European folktale stories of old such as Alice in the Wonderland, little Red Riding Hood, etc, etc, placing many traditional themes such as the rule of 3: 3 tasks, 3 fairies, 3 keyholes, 3 magical stones, 3 Fascist Officers. The characters in real life all represent a character from tales as well, The Captain is the Big Bad Wolf, the Rebels are the Huntsman, Mercedes as Fairy God Mother figure.
Hi friends, !! well I am from Chile and for me the cinema of Spain is very good, you have incredible series and also wonderful independent films, even many of its scripts have been adapted to world-class films that have triumphed at the box office .... I send you a big hug
The audience gets to decide if they want the fairy tails to be real or is it all in Ofelia’s head and it’s just her coping mechanism to make sense of the cruel rule she lives in. There is so much more depth in this movie but to explain it all would take so long
This film is one of the my absolute favourite movies ever. The real monsters dont always look like monsters, but can hide beneath the human skin. (That asshole Captain vs the "obvious" baddie Faun) I also love the ambigous ending, where you just cant tell if the magic part was real or just a way for a little girl escaping her obviously shitty life.
Thank you, this is my favorite movie of all the time. Im enter to this channel to practice my english... but its very interesting how you to analyze, and i love how this young generations react to movies of another time and from another cultures.
What do you think the ending means?? Is it a tragedy? Or a fantasy ending??
I personally interpret the ending as what it visually looks like. She died but got to be a princess in the fairy world. Showing how good people go to the best places in death
It's purposely left to the viewer to decide for themselves whether the magic is real or all in her head. Though DelToro himself says he has yet to hear a better explanation for how Ofelia gets out, and how the chalk ends up in the Captain's desk drawer.
Yes it is.
Thts tru…
I think she imagined the whole thing, although no one else saw the same as her, it was real enough for the girl in her mind
The great thing about this movie is that there are different ways to interpret the ending: everything could have been in Ofelia’s mind because she needed the magical escape so much, or everything was real but people like Capitán Vidal couldn’t see the faun (the magic) because there was no innocence or wonder left in him. It’s an amazing film, definitely Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece.
I think the movie kind of leans more towards the latter because it showed the fairy in it's bug form at the end. But I guess it could have also just been a really weird bug. Oh shit. Lmao
Fun fact: Del Toro has actually said he put 3 main clues to show and prove us that none of it happened in Ofelia's mind, when in fact, everything was actually real:
1) The fact that a flower bloomed on a "dead" branch
2) When Ofelia put the Mandrake root under her mother's bed, her body responded that and she started to recover immediately
3) The chalk. When Ofelia was locked up in her room by captain Vidal, there was no other way to get out so she used the chalk and could manage to escape. After that, when Mercedes entered the room to get Ofelia, she turned around and saw that door drawing on the wall which proves the chalk was real.
If it was all in her mind though, then how did she escape from her room? :)
Agreed. I love the ambiguity of it. I think it's one of the best movies in the last 20 years
@@bscllyalii thought people already know that he confirmed everything is real but well no
Fun fact: Guillermo del Toro was offered to direct Narnia, but turned it down to focus on this. Imagine a Narnia movie with Guillermo del Toro's Direction, Creature and Set Design. 😁
I would watch that for days
i didn't know this and now im so sad! i loveeeee the narnia saga and now thinking how amazing he would've directed i got a little depressed, probably would be 100x better
If he did narnia I would’ve LOST IT!
He was also supposed to direct The Hobbit, with Ron Perlman playing Thorin. I was so excited when they announced it that I even bought and read the book. 😂
Oh man. I wonder what the Ice Witch would've looked like in his style.
Pan is the Greek god of mischief. Del Toro has stated that the actual title is “The Labyrinth of the Faun” as, Pan is actually a satyr, not a faun, and as such, he’d be too sexual in nature to include in this story, but the studio chose that name as Pan is more well known to English speaking audiences.
This is pretty cool
In Spanish it is called 'The Labyrinth of the Faun': el Laberinto del Fauno, I was curious about the reason why in english it was called different.
Yeah, del Toro probably realized people would be analyzing the story with all the symbolism and whatnot, and didn't want anyone deciding there was a sexual element simply because a satyr was involved. I mistakenly keep calling him Pan and satyr but I know it's technically a faun
Yeah that’s good honestly
Also based on old depictions of fauns and satyrs. Only fauns has goat legs. Satyrs has horsetails.. Just wanted to mention it..
The Pale Man is probably the creepiest and most unsettling creature I've ever seen in a movie.
That’s for sure
Spanish Civil War ended in 1939, after that, fascists took over the country. The "rebels" in the forest were called Maquis, they kept fighting Franco and the fascists for years. My grandparents fougth in this war (losers side, against fascists). Most actors here are from Catalonia (so am I) including Sergi López (the captain) who, believe it or not, is an amazing comedian (I've seen him a few times on stage, couldnt stop laughing). Oh, and fun fact: I met Guillermo del Toro once (Sitges Fantàstic Film Festival), I asked him for an autograph and he drew his portrait for me, such a nice guy!
I met him,Ron Perlman and Selma Blair at WizardWorld LA.
I have ancestors from Revolutionary Catalonia.
One of the main problems with the Spanish civil war is the oversimplification of the franquoists as "fascists", it was far more complicated. The overwhelming majority of those fascists were just liberals who just happened to live at a time in which choosing a side was almost compulsory. Sure, there were fascists as well, but the gross of the "franqoist" side was not made of fascists, that was just war propaganda and discourse, just like franqoist would just call the other side comunists (though there was a serious threat with the URRS trying to make Spain a Russian satelite). The first part of Franco's dictatorship though, was indeed a Fascoist regime.
@@goodaimshield1115 Working with and fighting for the fascist cause makes you a fascist. Just because in your heart of hearts you wish it was another way it doesn't dtop jou from being one.
This is like seeing someone stab and kill several people but saying they are innocent because they really feel they are.
@@nahuel3433 both sides had mud3rers and victims, it was brother vs.brother full force. Our civil war has been explained as a mini WWII why too many times. It was not. The fake maniqueism of "good vs evil" was created by people young enough to NOT have ,lived it and just want to use it for their political cause. I had family in both of the sides (something quite common) and we should listen to elders and just stop the bickering for something long past. It was witchhunting from both sides, it's past, learn from it, and let it be.
I am just so happy we are entering Del Toro’s universe! You can tell how much love Guillermo puts in his films. I want more reactions to his art. The shape of water and Crimson Peak are master pieces! Thanks for your beautiful reactions! Greetings from Costa Rica 🇨🇷
He is so awesome!!! I love hime
Yesyes please The Shape of Water is amazing 🤩
The Devils Backbone is another masterpiece of Del Toro that he did after his horrible experience making Mimic in 1997 for an American studio made him go back to Mexico for this 2000 somber, tragic ghost story. I would put Devils Backbone equal to Pan's Labyrinth. You should also watch his first theatrical feature, 1993s Chronos, Del Toros underrated vampire story.
"Crimson Peak" was *so* mis-marketed (as most of Del Toro's films have been) in the U.S. It is absolutely striking though. The same goes for "The Shape of Water," which is just a straight up loving tribute to old classic monster movies with Del Toro's own trademark touch. Oh god, "The Devil's Backbone" though is one of the saddest, most soul-stirring ghost stories put to screen. You thought the lullaby from this movie is haunting? I can't even think of the poem from "Backbone" without choking up. 🥲
31:50 That's part of the mythology of the Mandrake root. The root sometimes being shaped like a person has given rise to all sorts of mystical beliefs connected with fertility, etc.
Oh jeez
@@whitenoisereacts yes some people who practice wicca and voodoo still used them till these days in their rituals :P
I am a Wiccan. Mandrake root has amazing healing powers and it is also used for attraction rituals.
The reason why she chose to eat the grapes was because the food was enchanted. And during that time period grapes were like a delicacy
Still heartbreaking
Fair, but even if I were a kid and I saw Pale Man chillin at the table, it ain't worth it 😂 Just take the whole grape cluster and RUN.
I used to love it for the ambiguity too, Del toro actually verified in an interview that his intention was for it to be real not ambiguous (from the blossom at the end, and the fact that ofelia couldn’t have left her room without the chalk door), but I think that makes it even more fun. The whole time you’re bouncing back and forth unsure whether she’s imagining all of these things to escape from her reality, and getting bread crumbs that keep you on the hook of “well maybe it could be real?” from the root working, and Mercedes mentioning the faun. One of my absolute favorites.
One of the most beautiful and disturbing movies ever ... can't wait to see your reaction.
I want to think that - fantasy or not - Ofelia is in a better place where she is happy ❤️
I agree!! Couldn’t have put it better myself
One of the things I love about del Toro's films (especially the originals like this, The Shape of Water, Crimson Peak, The Devil's Backbone), is that the creatures are so effectively unsettling, otherworldly, alien, and more than a little terrifying...but the *monsters* are always human.
Fun Fact: The guy playing the Faun *_didn't speak Spanish._* He had to learn his lines, without knowing the language-- AND do all the physical acting while saying them!
Doug Jones is a total glorious being, for real!
He was voiced over by a Spanish actor, though, since his pronunciation was too off for the Faun. But the lip synch is great!
@@keijunen Doug Jones has mastered the art of acting with his body since his face is covered in prosthetics in most of his roles. Great actor.
But the actor not only plays the faun, he also plays the pale man.
He is also in possibly the scariest episode of Buffy ever as one of The Gentlemen in Hush
I'm so proud of Guillermo del Toro, as a fellow Mexican seeing his work and how he has stayed true to himself over the years is very inspiring. This is one of my absolute favorite films, I love the use of green in the color palette, the uncertainty of the Pan's true intentions, Mercedes's journey, honestly love how violence was used... and overall the unexpected story and turn of events, WOW. I recommend "El espinazo del Diablo" and "The Orphanage" by Guillermo. Hugs to both of you!
Hitler helped the Spanish Fascist regime come to power in the Spanish Civil War (often referred to as The Dress rehearsal for WWII). Hitler claimed he was sending “volunteers” to help Francisco Franco come to power, but in actuality, they were seasoned German military soldiers who were basically trying out their newly developed Blitzkrieg ideas to see how effective they’d be against the rest of Europe. Once Franco was in power, Hitler pulled out, leaving Franco to take care of the rebel partisans in his own country. He sat out WWII claiming neutrality, and only survived past the war by targeting Communists to stay in the good graces of the Allied Powers in Europe and the US.
Yeah, survived because by the time WW2 was over, the communists were the new big threat for the west and fascists were acceptable again in the "common cause".
Franco wanted a monarchy after his death. This why he named Juan Carlos I in 1969 his successor as king after his death. Carlos took over in 1975 and turned Spain into a n Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy in 1978.
@@gabrieleghut1344 Saturday Night Live did a segment celebrating his death on their news program about “Our top story tonight is that Francisco Franco is still dead.” That whole year as I recall. He was much reviled and deservedly so.
A lot of people don't like the portrayal of the fascists in this movie but there is something they don't know.
Originally, "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth" were going to take place in Mexico during the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920) but Del Toro did not find the financial support to make them in Mexico and finally he got Spanish studios to finance the films but they conditioned him that the films had to take place in Spain.
And the scripts were adapted to the circumstances of Spain, with its failures and coincidences.
This movie makes you choose how you want to see it and I love that about it. If you are skeptical, then she just dies and it's all escapism from her horrible life, or you could view it all as real and her fantasy is real.
The Captain was the real monster of this movie.
You can't change my mind.
He is. The funny thing is that he is actuallly such a warm and funny guy. I've seen him acting on theatre plays and he is hilarious. One of my favourites actors and people.
And I'm not about to try. I fully agree!
He is! The movie tells us -- the only monster in this movie that does what movie monsters do (Hunting, tormenting, and brutalizing innocent people) is Vidal. All of the really awful gore in this movie is either directly inflicted by Vidal or the result of his actions. Del Toro uses the visual language of the horror genre to directly point a finger at Vidal so that even in a movie where the Pale Man could be real, we in the audience are the most afraid of the fascist.
This is probably one of the most beautiful and most heart breaking fantasy stories ive ever seen, and or witnessed. The story of the flower. Her ending... Breaks your heart everytime I swear. Great reaction.
this is one of my favorite movies of all time! I believe that although the ending is likely up to interpretation, the magic is real. here is my evidence: 1) the mandrake was beginning to help Ofelia's mother get better. when Ofelia's mother throws the mandrake into the fire, only then does she begin to have further complications in her pregnancy. up until that point, her health was beginning to improve. 2) Ofelia was supposed to be locked in her room. how, then, was she able to get into the Captain's office to drug him and take her brother? simple: she used the chalk to draw a door and escape. 3) when Ofelia is running from the Captain into the Labyrinth, the walls open up for her and she escapes to the center of the Labyrinth. moments later, the Captain runs by and the walls have mysteriously closed up and the Captain has lost her in the Labyrinth. now some may wonder how it is that the Captain cannot see Ofelia when she is speaking with the Faun. this is easily explainable: adults cannot see magic because they have lost their innocence and no longer believe. ❤️
Yeah that’s fair! I think I agree with u
Plus he is the villain, both in the fantasy world and the real world. Creatures and magic on the side of good are sometimes invisible to villains in these stories, since he is not only no longer innocent, but outright evil. They would not reveal their world to him. At least that is my interpretation!
@@walkerlocker6126 except Ofelia's mother couldn't hear the mandrakes screams either, so it wasn't only the captain.
Winner of 3 Oscars
Best Cinematography
Best Production Design
Best Make Up
In my opinion it could have taken director and movie as well.
ok, so i believe this movie is based on the spanish civil war, after the victory of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1939. A few things so you can understand a bit more of the historical context: the left side of the politics are called republicans (even when a lot of the members of that political wing weren't all republicans, they were anarchists and communists too) and the right side are called conservatives or fascists or anything like that
Fascists, rebels at firsr, since they started the war against the legit republican goverment.
This Spanish fascism was called falangismo. The dictator was referred to as Generalísimo Franco. His regime is called franquismo. I think Franco died in 1979 and the heir to his rule was the King of Spain.
"What's Pan's Labyrinth?" Pan is the ancient Greek god of nature, shepherds. and flocks. He is also depicted with the Pan flute. The name "Pan" is a western interpretation of the title. That half goat/ram and human character in this movie is simply a faun. This movie is one of my favorites because I was heavily into ancient Greek and Roman pantheons when I was in high school, so it brought me back to that time.
Spain is covered with lots of Pre-Roman Celt Iberian ruins, just like sites in the UK.
The Devil's Backbone please. It's from the same director. It's both creepy and beautiful at the same time.
fun fact: Did you know that Del Toro was offered to direct one of the Harry Potter movies? But I believe Del Toro was busy with another movie and encouraged his close friend Alfonso Cuaron (who was also offered) but was still pretty much resistant to be part of the wizarding world universe. Eventually he caved in and directed Prisoner of Azkaban.
Yeah, he was supposed to direct The Hobbit as well
I love this film and how both worlds mirror each other e.g. the frog died by releasing all her insides, just like the mom will die from giving birth.
Oh jeez....I didn't think about it like that
Everything must have actually happened. Since people question if ofelia is an unreliable narrator, you have to look at life around her.
1. The dying tree is shown to be healthy again only after ofelia dealt with the giant toad. She was muddy which was seen by others meaning she actually went down there and no child would know how to cure a tree just by going down there.
2. An adult doctor couldnt figure out how ofelias mother was getting better and once she threw ofelias mandrake root into the fire she died. This is pretty clearly magical influence, ofelia would have no idea otherwise how to cure her mother in such a way and the timing of her death cant be coincidence.
3. The various things ofelia does with chalk. Getting out of rooms that are completely locked.
Not nazis, but fascists just the same. The Spanish civil war, was just before the Second World War.
7:33 ok so the storm in the movie hit perfectly with the storm in the reaction that hit perfectly with the storm at my place at this friggin' moment. What are the odds?!
Fun little anecdote: Guillermo Del Toro attended the premiere with Stephen King sitting next to him. When they got to the infamous Pale Man scene, even Stephen freaking King shivered. The scene scared the king of horror! Del Toro said it was better than winning an Oscar.
I would recommend The Orphanage, another Spanish film that is not necessarily horror but the genre can be interpreted.
They watched it already! :p
@@kathyheavenly012 oh yeah. Thanks!
Ugh
Always cry with that movie
Un, dos, tres, toca la pared.
That movie was creepy af and boy did I laugh out loud when the reveal happened.
del toro is known for his fascination in the retelling of fairytales! i love that, despite the many “typical” fairytale factors (like the 3 tasks, fairies etc), it still manages to subvert your expectations. from what i know, del toro aimed to make it a disobedient story, with ofelia denying what everyone asks of her throughout. his ability to combine history with fairytales is absolutely amazing!!! love this film :D
I love this movie, but I can’t really watch it anymore. The designs are beautiful and terrifying all at once, and I think that the idea of the movie is to navigate the question “Which do you believe?”
Yeah it’s really fascinating!
The thing that makes the ending so interesting is the fact that the captain is under the influence. We know Ofelia can see the faun, but we can’t really trust what the captain sees.
The movie has a 'psychological' element. That's what makes it haunting or unsettling. Psychological movies play on the human mind well. Not sure why.
15:10 that dress is just the Green version of Alice’s dress in Alice in wonderland.
It’s your first hint to the fact that much of the magic MIGHT just be in her head, especially after she climbs down a hole at the base of a tree.
If I recall my Shakespeare correctly, Ophelia was a character from Hamlet that was considered mentally ill and possibly insane, so I usually interpret this movie as a girls fantasy that, combined with her real life circumstances, became an escape that she got lost in. Pan was a character from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Nights Dream (also known as Puck), and was a fairy and a mischief maker, and if you assume that the faun is in her mind, you can assume her last run through the labyrinth was her last stage of getting lost in her mind and her fantasy taking complete control of her reality. Thats just my take tho.
Interesting take. Ill run with my point of view because i had some very weird spiritual experiences.
That thunder ASMR really added a whole new level XD I will say that I watched this movie for the first time at way too young of an age to understand what was "fiction" and what was "reality". It was a really entertaining movie, and I love watching it now that I am older. Thank you for getting into the world of del Toro! Perhaps "Pacific Rim" or "Crimson Peak" next? *oversharing below*
I saw this movie when I was 9 or 10. As the eldest child of my family, Ofelia trying to comfort her pregnant mother and keep the baby safe at all costs messed me up. My mom was pregnant with her third child (my baby sister) when I saw the movie and she had a difficult pregnancy, so I was freaked out and tried to read stories to the baby while my mom was resting. Once my sister was born I had terrible separation anxiety because I was convinced my mom would "disappear" (how I reconciled dying at that age) and I would have to protect my sister as Ofelia did; from what I had to protect her, I'm not sure, seeing as my dad is amazing and is in no way like Captain Vidal. However, my mom and my sister were totally fine, and I calmed down after a month or so. I am glad that my parents didn't dismiss my fears, and like Mercedes did for Ofelia, tried to humor me by letting me stay home from school so I could be near my mom and moved my bed in the nursery so I could sleep near my sister. Anyway, I've always wondered if anyone else saw the movie when they were young and experienced similar impacts.
Jeez that is terrible. It just goes to show you the power and sometimes negative effect fiction can have on a young mind
When I was in Grade 12 my Spanish class had twelve 18-year-old girls and one male Spanish teacher who was really nice, so we always convinced him to let us watch my copy of Pan's Labyrinth in class. I think we saw it maybe 5 times in one semester, he just made us watch it without subtitles sometimes. I also convinced him to let us watch The Orphanage, which we probably shouldn't have been watching in school lol. I love this movie.
One of the greatest fary tales of our age. Dude, the Pale Man might be the scariest monster of recent cinema, but Captain Vidal is far more evil and dangerous, at least the monster had a trigger, the captain is always on killing mode. Humans at war are scarier than any fantasy monster. This movie is amazing, the music, the practical effects, the storytelling, Del Toro at his finest. Please dive into his lesser known work, films like, The Devil's Backbone, Cronos and even Mimic. You're great, guys, keep it awesome!
OMG YES! One of my favorite movies from my childhood, although I remember being a little creeped out by the aesthetic 🤣 no matter how many times I watch this film I'm always at awe at the creativity and some of the topics it touches, I'm so glad you're reacting to it!!
Del Toro left it open to interpretation but he himself meant for the magic to be real, and in the movie there's a few clues to point at that.
There's also a lot of details and references and if you liked this movie you should see the precuel, The Devil's Backbone, wich is even lesser known than this one and could really use the atention. Here's a video that explains it beautifully:
th-cam.com/video/xbZNkMn3PvQ/w-d-xo.html
Thank you so much for mentioning the devil's backbone and the analysis videos. I wanted to comment on that as well. I saw the movie for the first time last year in a film class at school where we focused on films about the 20th century history. We started with the Spanish civil war and watched this beautiful film after "Land and Freedom". Later I watched every analysis video on the movie to gather more information and form my own analysis. It was possibly the most interesting and enticing process.
@@mariannepapapetrou1599 that sounds like a fun project! you will probably like this other video, tho you may have seen it already
th-cam.com/video/XA4ERjS30y4/w-d-xo.html
The Devil's Backbone is amazing! So underrated!
@@theramdomchannel8329 oh my god yes !!!! I've been looking for this video for over a year and just couldn't remember the title. Amazing work. Thank you so much!!!
@@mariannepapapetrou1599 happy to be of help!
Fauno and Pale Man are played by the same actor, Doug Jones (AKA Billy Butcherson from Hocus Pocus, and Abe Sapien, The Angel of Death, and Chamberlain from the OG Hellboy movies. He and Del Toro have worked together several times, he's also the creature in The Shape of Water). Also, I'm pretty sure Corridor Crew did a break down on the face sewing scene.
He is an absolute master!!
@@whitenoisereacts There's more iconic roles, quite the long list really, he was also in one of the most iconic episodes of Buffy. If you want to see him out of makeup, he's in the Smash Mouth All Star music video as Eraser Head
This movie traumatised me in Spanish class when I was 13 but also lit the spark for my love of horror
It's so awesome that you guys are going through a lot of Del Toro movies. Pan's Labyrinth may be difficult to watch a second time but it's alright coz sticks in the brain anyway.
BTW, the circular maze that was filled with blood in the end was also used in Hellboy when Ilsa brought Rasputin back to life.
Love this movie!! It's like an old Grimm fairy tale, including the ending being a bittersweet double edged sword of overcoming hardship and reaching a semi happy outcome.
I'm actually watching this video while it's a thundering out where I'm at too.
To answer your question it's "Pan's Labyrinth" because the Faun was called Pan. It's a refference to greek/roman mythology where god of nature was a satyr/faun named Pan.
Also you should watch "The Last Unicorn"!
Del Toro himself said that the magic was real, and she did go home, she was the princess. The chalk door was the most obvious magic in comparison to everything else, not having a logical answer to rationalize it. My brother and I both watched this, and he too saw the ending as very sad, thinking she died and there was no magic, until I told him what Del Toro had intended.
I didn't see the connection before, but now I see it. The pale-skinned monster sitting at a table full of food is literally the captain who was guarding his supplies. He is cruel, he eats fairies and kills the children in the painting. In life, the captain is the same cruel killer. The magical world, like the wrong side of reality. Even it is cruel, but reality is even more cruel. Therefore, Ophelia trying escapes from reality. But in both worlds she is enclosed in a labyrinth. It's very sad and geniously at the same time.
Whoa...that is so cool!!!
The Devil's Backbone is a prelude to Toro's fantasy-based childrens' story with a horror element like Pan's Labyrinth and that's a film I think you should also watch.
Like the doctor with the Captain, Ofelia chose not to listen to Pans orders for the sake of following orders. She used her morals, knowing it was not right and put herself in harm's way to save an innocent life. Unlike the Nazis who blindly followed orders without thinking if it was right or wrong. She chose not to obey. The last and ultimate test to see if she was worthy.
Cool how the guy who played the doctor was her father, the King too.
Adored this movie when it came out. Got a tat of the Pale Man. Del Toro's movies are always amazing.
That's gotta be an awesome tattoo!!!
Agreed overall and I like the symbolism and parallels, but:
1. They’re fascists*, not nazis.
2. The actor playing the doctor (Alex Angulo RIP, Spanish) is NOT the same who plays the king (Federico Luppi, Argentinian).
I saw this alone, in a theatre. I cried. This is a motion picture masterpiece in my book!!!
53:12
Me: *nods tearfully alone in the dark at 3AM* 😭
I first watched this in my AP high school Spanish class. There is a lot of deep meanings in this film. If you guys are interested in a T.V series to watch I highly recommend Gran Hotel 2011-2013 with Yon Gonzalez and Amaia Salamanca. Its a Spanish drama series, and I loved it. Its the kind of series where you constantly want to know what happens next, etc.
29:31 I was so frustrated with Ofelia eating the fruits when she had been distinctly told not to do so. She even repeated that specific rule to herself before entering the magic door and the fairies were keeping her from eating so she couldn't have forgotten that quickly. I don't know if there is a lore or if it was suggested in the movie that the food is too irresistable that it makes people stupidly forget the rule but it's so sad to see the fairies die because of her action.
You probably missed the part where one of the fairies also tricked her into opening the lock which the key didn't work. So after that, Ofelia became distrustful of them and she went to try one of the grapes. She didn't eat anything before that so she was too starving to thinking straight.
She was sent to bed without dinner the day before. It was unclear in the film , but she had been a whole day without eating .
So glad you did a reaction to this one, it is one of my most favourite movies ever. It is so dark and melancholy yet still so beautiful and raw. Mercedes humming the lullaby whilst Ofelia is dying in the end always absolutely destroys me.
There's a French steampunk fantasy flick staring Ron pearlman called the city of lost children you might find interesting. Has some cool off kilter visuals and effects.
Next to watch is his "The Devil's Backbone," also set in the tailend of the Spanish Civil War.
„I know there are creepy elements in it“
man getting his skull crushed in brutally with bottle in such an over the top graphic way🥹💀
but I think Guillermo del Torro did say that for him at least the magic was indeed real but he also said that he doesn’t want to explicitly say that’s definitely how it is and he really likes the idea of the viewer choosing which ending they prefer.
I gotta say this movie has some of the best practical effects I’ve ever seen! That’s what I absolutely love Guillermo del Torro movies for! Using as little Cgi as possible gives his movies an extremely realistic look and an even more eerie feeling to it.
That’s what for example made the Harry Potter movies so awesome and realistic as well and in comparison of visual effects better then the Fantastic Beasts movies.
I really wish we could go back to that kind of „practical work“ because newer movies do lack authenticity more and more often in my opinion.
And Doug Jones is just absolutely incredible! The performance he is always able to deliver in these crazy costumes (The Faun/ Pan as well as the Pale Monster) absolutely awesome! He is Hollywood‘s man behind the masks - it’s like no one knows his face but his performances stick with you and are iconic!
He also played Abe Sapien in the Hellboy movies as well as the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four or the Amphibian Man in Shape of Water as well as many many other remarkable characters in various famous horror and fantasy movies 🙏🏻
love it and the asmr thunder perfect embiance XD
Glad you enjoyed it!
@White Noise Reacts It just struck me, when you mentioned about Ofelia getting essentially the cheat code through the labyrinth at the end, and the stepdad finding his way to the middle, it made me wonder.....if he had been to the center of the labyrinth as a kid, believing in the myths and never saw anything when he got there. I might be overhumanizing a terrible character, which he certainly was, but it feels like there's something there.
Regarding the mandrake root that Ofelia used under her mother's bed, there's a good bit of lore behind the root in folk magic. It's believed that if you uproot it, it will shriek. so powerfully, that the sound will kill the person trying to uproot it. That's why when it's mentioned in Harry Potter, the students have to wear earmuffs when handling it.
According to a gardening site I found "Small quantities of mandrake may produce hallucinations or out-of-body experiences. However, this member of the nightshade family is highly toxic and all parts of the plant can be deadly.Centuries ago, however, women believed this bizarre-looking plant could induct conception, and baby-shaped roots were placed under the pillow. Uses for mandrake included predicting the future and offering protection for soldiers going into battle." Which makes it's use in this story all the more meaningful.
Also, this story reminds me of the unabridged Grimm Fairy Tales, which are dark as hell. Those are the ones I grew up on, and they are a whole other level.
This is the third film in a trilogy, of Spanish language films by del Toro, including Cronos and Devil's Backbone.
34:02 I don't know if it's been pointed out in the earlier comments but these 2 rebels were orphan characters from Guilllermo del Toro's earlier movie, The Devil's Backbone, suggesting that the two movies exist in the same universe. It's a fantastic ghost story that's also bleak yet beautiful with an orphanage as the backdrop. It's in Spanish too but this channel had been great in featuring and appreciating many non-English materials plus it's a Guillermo del Toro film so it might just be right up your alley.
I love watching your reactions to this movie, it’s one of my favorite foreign films. Also, love your shirt GO COUGARS! APU graduate of 2018 over here 😄
this is one of my favorite movies and books ever! thank you so much for the reaction, i was so excited for you guys to watch it!!!
This movie makes me really sorry that we didn't get to see Del Toro's vision for the Hobbit.
For sure, although there was some good moments with the time Peter was given. Such as the Bilbo and Gollum interactions and Bilbo and Smaug in the mountain. Overall. The movies were okay.
We don’t talk about the dwarf and elf romance.
Fun Fact!
Del Toro invited Stephen King for a private screening of this movie and after seeing the Pale Man, he had nightmares for a long time
It's awesome how much you guys got into the film. I highly recommend some of Guillermo DelToro's older works in Spanish: El Orfanato (the orphanage, 2007) and El Espinazo Del Diablo (The devil's backbone, 2001). They're so good.
Yeah it’s great!
Del Toro left it up to a personal interpretation for themselves
The rabbit trapper scene came from a personal experience from his childhood....
The Paleman comes from a mythical creature in Japanese folklore but it also took a spin from Saturn devouring his son....
Yes, it is set in Spain's civil war thus famine was widespread which is why the tablespread spread was a temptation .
Del Toro wanted to make this movie for years. He lost his manuscript in a cab but thankfully the cabbie returned them to make this movie possible....
BTW, the mandrakes were also in Harry! Potter! 😃
It's kind of the perfect two-genre movie ever done.
Lot's of movie have done it before but the reality of the francist era in war time in spain mixed with the visual dark fantasy is perfectly balanced in that one.
And of course you got the crazy good style of Del Toro
The horror is what human beings do.
The Spanish at the end looks like 'The Labyrinth of the Faun'. The English name may be a translation choice.
I had a hard time deciding how to feel at the end which shows what a great movie this is. I ended up happy for Ofelia while crying like a baby... Love your reactions guys, great movie choices
This is my favorite Del Toro's movie and it was a joy to see you guys so invested in the story. Thank you for such an amazing reaction.
Del Toro has always realised that the real monsters wear uniforms or suits and stand beside us in the supermarket…….the “monsters” of stories are just scary looking, the human ones will hurt you just………. because they can. This movie is unsettling, beautiful, and heartbreaking in equal measures.
Guillermo del Toro loves film and monsters so much and you can see it in all his works and how he talks about it. English speaking audiences should take a dip into his Spanish movies. The Devil's Backbone is my personal favorite and is set during the Spanish Civil War.
I love you guys watch the movie in spanish with subs, Guillermo del Toro is an artist, that's why this movie is so beautiful, every time i watch this movie i cry.
While the movie definitely leaves whether the fantasy world was real or not open to interpretation, there are quite a lot of signs that point to it being real.
First, Vidal locked Ofelia in her room. There was no way she could access Vidal’s office if it wasn’t for “magic”. She used the chalk to draw a door and Mercedes saw those lines when she came back for her.
Second, when Vidal was chasing Ofelia in the labyrinth, she actually reached a dead end and that’s why Vidal had to turn around. She was able to get away, because the walls magically opened and closed again after she got in.
Third, the flower that blossoms at the end. According to the narrator, the princess left traces of her existence on Earth, but they were only visible to those who know where to look. In other words, not everyone is able to spot “magic” where it exists, that might also explain why Vidal was unable to see the faun.
The movie's theme is so fucking good...it always gives me the goosebumps
Fun fact: the Spanish that Pan (the satyr) is speaking is a very old type of Spanish, like the kind you'd find in the bible. Thought that was a nice touch!
The bible was written in Hebrew and aramaic.
Well James looks like he needs a hug after watching this.
I love stories with fairytale elements also if you have any book recommendations that would are fantastical and fairytale-esque I’m up for reading them.
I’ll always take free hugs :)
@@whitenoisereacts well you’re in luck I love giving hugs!
@@BookishGecko I remember a book called Eregon I read. That was good.
I'm from Spain, and I'm glad you reacted to one of our amazing movies. There are a lot of treasure movies outside of Hollywood to discover like this. We create expensive and creative movies like this too.
"Our" just because it's set in Spain doesn't mean it's "yours" Del Toro is Mexican lol
Del Toro is Mexican.
@@JC2023HD I know but the movie was made in spain and inspired in the spanish civil war.
I remember watching this when it came out. I remember just not feeling entertained. I felt that i saw something beautiful in all the elements. It changed the way that i saw movies from then on
I LOVE how invested you guys got with this one. Such a great movie.
If you guys like the movie, you should read the novelization that's written by Guillermo del Torro and Cornelia Funk. We get a lot more lore of the Labyrinth, the Underworld, and Vidal. It's a good, chilling read that once I finish the e-book, I may get a physical copy.
Such an incredible movie! It was one of those movies that you never forget how you felt the first time you watch it. The parallels to real life, heaven, hell,,earth.. the shoes stacked up looks so much like the shoes in concentration camp photos... ect.. I remember the first time I watched it, feeling so let down that I had to read subtitles, I thought it would take so much away bc I could focus, but no. It was amazing how beautiful it was to hear in the fawns language I didn't need understand his words o felt them! That for me made this one of the best movies of my lifetime. For me... :)
You guys should react to Night At The Museum, if you haven’t already! The editing is brilliant, and it’s such an interesting and fun story! I think you’d have fun picking how they do certain things apart! Love your reactions!
"Haunting" is a great way to put it! This one really sticks with you. I got another Del Toro produced Spanish-language horror for you guys. It's called The Orphanage. If you liked the vibe of this one, you'll love that one for sure. More along the horror genre too.
A masterpiece. A literal masterpiece. I seriously cannot see a single flaw in this movie.
I love how the flower growing on the tree suggests that the magic was real. the tree could no longer grow because of the toad but ophelia killed it to get the key.
The Shape Of Water...watch it ASAP! One of my all time favorite Del Toro films, along with Pan's Labyrinth of course. Both masterpieces!
Even though different people can interpret the story in different ways, Del Toro intended for it to be real.
One example would be the chalk. Ofelia manages to get her brother from the Captain's room using the chalk. And when Mercedes breaks into her room to save her, Mercedes sees the chalk markings on the wall.
Never noticed the shot at 40:30 she looked to the wheelchair and the birds flew by the window simultaneously Del Toro is god tier but of course everyone knows that already
One of my absolute favorite fantasy epics. Beautifully as it is tragic. There is some behind the scene featurettes from the DVD with Del Toro where he explains the origins of this movie basically paying tribute to all of the original European folktale stories of old such as Alice in the Wonderland, little Red Riding Hood, etc, etc, placing many traditional themes such as the rule of 3: 3 tasks, 3 fairies, 3 keyholes, 3 magical stones, 3 Fascist Officers. The characters in real life all represent a character from tales as well, The Captain is the Big Bad Wolf, the Rebels are the Huntsman, Mercedes as Fairy God Mother figure.
Hi friends, !! well I am from Chile and for me the cinema of Spain is very good, you have incredible series and also wonderful independent films, even many of its scripts have been adapted to world-class films that have triumphed at the box office .... I send you a big hug
Thank you for this reaction, this is my absolute favorite movie.
The audience gets to decide if they want the fairy tails to be real or is it all in Ofelia’s head and it’s just her coping mechanism to make sense of the cruel rule she lives in. There is so much more depth in this movie but to explain it all would take so long
Lord this one both traumatised and fascinated tf outta me
I didn’t know that this movie was in Spanish when I first watched it either
This film is one of the my absolute favourite movies ever. The real monsters dont always look like monsters, but can hide beneath the human skin. (That asshole Captain vs the "obvious" baddie Faun) I also love the ambigous ending, where you just cant tell if the magic part was real or just a way for a little girl escaping her obviously shitty life.
One of my favorites of all time! So visually beautiful, amazing characters, horrifying villains... so glad you've seen it!
Thank you, this is my favorite movie of all the time. Im enter to this channel to practice my english... but its very interesting how you to analyze, and i love how this young generations react to movies of another time and from another cultures.