These elements may be enough on their own, but superb performances from every major cast member make it that much more realistic and enthralling. Baquero shines especially bright in the role of Ofelia, a young girl who has to grow up very fast in order to become the being she believes herself to be. She’s met with adversity at every turn and manages to make it through regardless. It takes a very gifted actor to portray a character like her at such a young age. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of her in the future.
So let’s get to the DVD, shall we? New Line made the wise decision to pick the film up for home video release and the even wiser decision to load it with features, all of which Guillermo had a hand in personally.
Most significant and engrossing is the man’s commentary over the movie which, as stated before, gives insight into levels and layers of Pan’s Labyrinth that likely even the most well-versed and scholarly film critics will be unable to see on their own. He also uses the time to discuss his beliefs on religion, politics and the overall business of what it means to truly create something with film. If nothing else, Pan’s Labyrinth has established Guillermo as a true, serious artist, a fact that becomes even more clear as you listen to him discuss his magnum opus.
Disc Two contains many features, though none of them are particularly time consuming so don’t let them intimidate you. The best of the bunch is “Pan and the Fairies”, which delves into the creation of the faun, the Pale Man (both played to perfection by Doug Jones), as well as the fantastically done computer-generated effects. Though there’s not a lot of input from Guillermo, the 30-minute running time goes by very quickly thanks to the subject matter and the talents behind these creations.
For more from the man, you’ll want to check out the 17-minute "The Power of Myth" featurette in which Guillermo talks about his influences and the process of creating the movie. He also gives extensive details regarding the use of fairy tales to make the story behind Pan’s Labyrinth come to life.
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