Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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Monsters within, monsters without: a review of Pan’s Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth, El laberinto del fauno, is the second movie I’ve seen by director-writer-producer Guillermo del Toro. His El espinazo del diablo (The Devil’s Backbone) was an extraordinary allegory on the Spanish Civil War told as a ghost story. Both films are true works of art. Like The Devil’s Backbone, Pan’s Labyrinth is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but I loved it.

First and foremost, it is a feast for the eyes. The natural settings are beautiful, the sets and special effects are sumptuous, and every period detail is authentic and exactly as it should be. The photography, lighting, design and composition further contribute to a masterpiece. This is what cinematography should be: truly an art. While most of the action takes place in darkness, it is darkness that is clear and beautiful. Indeed, the trailer says, “in darkness there can be light”, and the film delivers. (I could only wish they’d use these artists in the Harry Potter movies.) The score uses a traditional lullaby theme evocative of sorrowful longing and lost love.

Art history majors will have a great time comparing the images with Spanish art, from Goya to Un Chien Andalou. The motifs of ruins of Celtic Spain are integral part of the highly stylized fairy tale setting.

While there are a lot of symbolic elements (a blank book, a broken watch, a mandrake root, and so on) and a plethora of fairy tale imagery, the movie is not bogged down with them, unlike Children of Men. Elements of magical realism, and children caught up in the emergence of a fascist society reminiscent of The Tin Drum are handled deftly and do not obscure this marvelous tale.

Another good thing: the movie is not dubbed, and the actors’ voices are extraordinarily rich and beautiful, with no exception.

While on the surface there appear to be two story lines, there is in the end only one, involving the central character, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), a beautiful 11-yr old girl living in 1944 post-Civil War Spain. Olivia’s mother is suffering from life-threatening pregnancy complications as the two of them head to her mother’s new husband’s headquarters. Ofelia’s too old for dolls but holds close to her heart the fairy tales of her childhood as she meets her stepfather, the sadistic Capitan Vidal (Sergi Lopez), who might have killed her father or might possibly even be her natural father.

As her mother becomes more ill and the environment gradually reveals itself to its true cruelty, Olivia becomes a princess embarking on three quests. In addition to the fairy tale princess and the monstrous stepfather, there is a heroic woman and a courageous doctor. Mercedes the housekeeper (Maribel Verdu) nearly steals the movie but all the actors rise to the challenge. The movie increasingly develops tension and suspense: you care for these people.

I must emphasize that this is not a film for children because of violence, language, and adult themes. The fairy tale indeed is the way this helpless child can cope with the horror around her, and it’s up to you to decide if it exists or not. Thinking of this movie as exclusively a fairy tale is missing the point.

I know of no other Spanish film that has dealt as graphically with Spain’s descent into 20th Century totalitarianism. The ruins shown during the initial sequence are what remains of the town of Belchite in Zaragoza, which was destroyed during the Spanish Civil War and never rebuilt. As the descendant of Spaniards who swore never to return after the Civil War, the plot packed a big emotional punch for me.

(Update: I’m discussing the propaganda aspect with Spanish bloggers and will post on this at another time)

While Peter Paul Martin found Pan’s Labyrinth “primarily a fantasy film with a human story woven into it”, I consider it the reverse: a human story with a fantasy element woven in. It has great emotional depth.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said,

Del Toro never coddles the audience. He means for us to leave Pan’s Labyrinth shaken to our souls. He succeeds triumphantly.

I was completely spellbound by this film and hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a masterpiece.

Don’t forget to bring Kleenex – you’re going to need it.

PS, my apologies to Paul Martin for the error.

Rated R for violence, disturbing images, and language.
In Spanish with English subtitles. The subtitles were easy to read, and accurate.

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Volver, Sarkozy, Beeb memos, and Che Cola

Volver de nuevo (To return again)
Paul Martin of Melbourne Film Blog has misgivings similar to mine in his review of Volver. He explains,

Almodovar has been lauded by prominently putting women in strong roles, supposedly reversing stereotype. While it’s highly desirable to see women in good roles, I find Almodovar’s depiction the opposite side of the same sexist coin. The polar opposite of the Arctic is still ice. The opposite of exclusion of one is not the exclusion of the other – it is inclusion.

If Hollywood is sexist and misogynistic, then Almodóvar’s work may also be seen as sexist – not misogynistic, but misandrist. His work doesn’t counter a gender imbalance – it merely adds to it. Bear in mind that I believe there is an ubiquitous and overlooked attitude of misandry in western society.

You must read the rest, and all the other reviews at his excellent blog.

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Will Cindy stop drinking the Kool-Aid now that Che Cola‘s out? Or will she stick to Jamba Juice? Do I sound catty if I ask, will the Jamba Juice continue to stick to her?
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New additions to the blog roll:
Melbourne Film Blog
The Daily Ablution
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Sarkozy’s goal: For the centre-right’s choice there are pitfalls on the road to the Elysee

A third risk is that Mr Sarkozy frightens even his own voters. When polls dissect his image, his strengths are his energy, courage, dynamism and determination. By contrast, he scores less well when rated against adjectives such as nice, reassuring and seductive. The French plainly admire Mr Sarkozy, but they do not warm towards him, and seem to find him a bit scary.

Me, I like the guy exactly because of that.

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Read about the internal BBC memo Stephen Pollard read,

If this is what passes for high-level analysis at the BBC, is it any wonder its reporting is so poisonous?

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Maria sent this picture,

and Janette tells me they have a Owen and Mzee’s Web Log. How cool is that!
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“Put down your weapon!”
Countdown to 24
You know where I’ll be Sunday and Monday from 8 to 10PM … you can safely guess that I won’t be answering the phone…
Blogs 4 Bauer has the kill counter ready. Update Not only does Blogs 4 Bauer have the kill counter ready, it has the kill counter challenge.

I miss George Mason. If only they’d ressurect him.

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Phallic academia, stolen ideas, and Hugh at the beach

Quackery in Academia: The Phallus and Paul Krugman

When economists claim that they have special competence to discuss the implications of income inequality toward social attitudes or progress, they are behaving as quacks. Paul Krugman apparently has done alot of this. There is no reason that anyone should take his credentials as evidence of his competence to discuss the implications of income inequality for progress. The fact that he has gotten so much media attention is but one more example of liberal media bias and incompetence.

(h/t larwyn)
Via Maria, Another Academic Shuns Carter and His Center Update A friend just emailed this, via LGF, Carter Center Board Members Resign Over Palestine Book

Fourteen members of an advisory board at the Carter Center resigned today, concluding they could “no longer in good conscience continue to serve” following publication of former President Jimmy Carter’s controversial book, “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.”

(end update)

Bremmer, Rumsfeld, and others in the Bush administration have been discussing an oil trust for years. Now Hillary’s trying out the idea.

Saddam’s Execution Causes Surge… In Iraqi Economy
Pajamas Media has a round-up on Pres. Bush’s speech.

Hardselling the Dems
From Grandma in charge of the Nanny State (h/t Larwyn)…
Changing Diapers, Serving Leftovers, and Caring for the Country in a Single Bound: Nancy Pelosi Capitalizes on Motherhood and Apple Pie
… to Obama on the beach. Betsy asks

People Magazine sports a picture of the Senator swimming in Hawaii. He’s right up there with pictures of Penelope Cruz and Hugh Jackman in their bathing suits. Does this qualify as overexposure of Obama or new method of getting the women’s vote?

Not this woman’s vote. And in any case, Hugh’s way ahead of Obama in the swimsuit issue. Way, waaay ahead. Compare and contrast:

Obama ……………….. Hugh

I blog. You decide.
I just hope we won’t be getting any more candidates playing football. Sooner or later, those candidates lose the burger vote.

Nidra Poller reports on The latest from Paris (France, not Hilton): Homeless chic

One hundred days from the presidential elections, what is on the mind of an aspiring world power like France? The nuclear threat from Iran? The Hizballah putsch fomenting in Lebanon? War between Fatah and Hamas? The defeat of Islamists in Somalia? The rise of populism in South America? The impending death of Castro in Cuba? The ongoing massacre in Darfur? The future of the European Union?

I always liked Morticia better, but Yvonne de Carlo was a wonderful actress. She was great in The Captain’s Paradise (and Alec Guinness can cut a rug – who knew?)

If you’re looking for the latest Rosie-The Donald news, you’re at the wrong blog.

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Tagged! Five things you don’t know about me…

Academic Elephant tagged me, with five things you don’t know about me:

1. The only people that call me by a nickname (at least to my face) are my brother and my sister. Everybody else calls me Fausta.
Thank you for calling me Fausta.

2. I love cats but I’m very severely allergic to them.

3. I hate steak and kidney pie. Why do they ruin it with kidneys?

4. My stage debut was as a dancing lobster with my ballet school’s theatrical version of Pinocchio. I was four years old and eight of us danced to “Pop goes the weasel”. To this day I remember the steps. The costume was made of bronze silk brocade and I wish my Mom had kept it. It was beautiful.

5. My favorite movie’s Jules et Jim. I first watched it when I was 12, the first time I stayed up real late to watch the Late Show, and fell in love with everything French.
I’ve been falling out of love with everything French ever since.

I’m tagging Beth, The Anchoress, Siggy, Jeremayakovka and Neo-Neocon.

Update 5 things you don’t know about Neo-neocon.
5 things you don’t know about Beth, who actually did this last month.

Update, Monday 8 January
5 things you don’t know about Jeremayakovka

Update, Tuesday 9 January
5 things you don’t know about Sigmund, Carl and Alfred
5 things you don’t know about The Anchoress

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Movie review: Children of Men

O ye children of men blesse ye the Lord : praise him, and magnifye him for ever.

So reads the Book of Common Prayer’s Order for Morning Prayer.

I’ve read most of PD James’s books over the years and if memory serves me, all of her books’ titles are from the Book of Common Prayer. The movie Children of Men, very loosely based on her novel of the same title, is no exception.

(Please note that if you have read the novel there are only a few, very few, similarities between it and the film. I had read the novel years ago and didn’t remember anything in the movie; after I looked it up on line I realized why.)

I saw this movie in the afternoon of January 5, the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the adoration of the Magi, the Three Wise Men. In the Gospel According to Matthew, it was the Magi who told King Herod of the birth of the King of the Jews. Herod then decreed the killing of all children under the age of two. An angel had alerted Joseph, and he took his family to Egypt, where they lived until Herod’s death.

In the movie it’s the year 2027 and mankind has reached the point where there is nothing to live for, as all women are barren and no children have been born for eighteen years. In that world there are no children of men left to praise the Lord and bless Him. Mankind debauches itself into a cataclysmic spasm of violence, ecological disaster, war, anarchy, totalitarianism, and despair. The biggest billboards constantly advertise Quietus, a drug for self-euthanasia – to borrow Peter Singer‘s euphemism for suicide – so “you decide when”.

The movie’s protagonist, Theo (from the Greek name Theodoros, which meant “gift of god”) played by Clive Owen, lives a life of quiet despair and low-grade alcoholism in the middle of a London that has descended to Third-World filth and chaos. He’s then recruited by his former wife(?)/girlfriend(?) (Julianne Moore), the mother of their only child (who died during the flu epidemic of 2009) to bring to safety the only pregnant woman in the world, a teenager named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey). Along with them comes a new-age midwife, played by Rita Davis.

Theo is Joseph to Kee’s Mary. There the resemblance ends. While Mary conceived through a miracle, Kee conceived while indulging in unprotected sex with many men.

I’m not over stressing the symbolism and religious imagery because they are an integral part of this plot.

The original soundtrack music written by contemporary religious music composer John Tavener further underlines that.


In addition, there are dozens of cultural points of reference (I’m sure viewers more familiar with London and the other locations will find even more) along the way – from Michelangelo’s David and Pink Floyd’s pig on the wing

You know that I care what happens to you
And I know that you care for me
So I don’t feel alone
Of the weight of the stone
Now that I’ve found somewhere safe
To bury my bone
And any fool knows a dog needs a home
A shelter from pigs on the wing

to concentration camps and Bosnia-like war-scarred streets. Bosnia comes to mind also because of the illegal aliens helping Theo at that locale.

The overall effect is quite powerful. At times, however, it’s excessive and farcical – one moment you have jihadists marching down the street carrying machine guns and chanting Allah Akbar, and a minute or so later a herd of bleating sheep roll down the same street. Director/screenwriter Alfonso Cuaron really did throw in everything and the bullet-ridden kitchen sink, and then some – Theo’s destination is the good ship TOMORROW, just in case you don’t get it.

The only relief in this apocalyptic scenario is Theo’s friend Jasper (Michael Caine, brilliant as always), a former cartoonist. Michael Caine’s hairdo looks suspiciously like Tavener’s. Jasper, a throwback to the 1960s, lives in a secluded idyllic setting in a house which even today is an anachronism, outdated solar panels and all, with his catatonic wife who apparently became so from being tortured by MI5. Jasper loves his homegrown pot, but keeps a box of Quietus handy.

One gets the feeling that Jasper and the midwife (Rita Davis) would have participated in the Global Orgasm – Jasper for the fun, and the midwife for the peace. These two New Age characters are the only ones not corrupted by the state of their society.

Theo embarks into a mission fraught with peril and hope – hope being what he had lost years ago. Clive Owen successfully brings the character to life. His Theo is overwhelmed and beaten, but he still presses on to the very end. He will not be defeated.

I won’t explain the plot further, but the overall effect on me was one of bafflement and mild exhaustion. The movie got really good reviews, but except for Clive Owen and Michael Caine, I would have preferred if they had spared me a current-event issue or two, along with the sheep.

Rated R for violence, nudity, language, and disturbing images.

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The killer princesses: Volver

A movie review of Volver

***************SPOILER ALERT***************

Pedro Almodovar brings to the screen a heartwarming chick-flick about murder and incest.

The movie starts at a cemetery where dozens of a town’s widows laboriously clean the tombstones of their dead husbands’ graves; “Men don’t live as long as women in this town,” we are told. The only exception are Raimunda (Penelope Cruz), her sister Sole (short for Soledad, which means loneliness, which indeed the character is, played by Lola Duenas) and Raimunda’s daughter Paula (Yohana Cobo), who are cleaning the grave of their mother and father who died three years earlier in a fire.

Their town in La Mancha (home of both Don Quijote and Almodovar) is named Alcanfor de las Infantas (the camphor of the princesses) and indeed the town is steeped in the mothballs of yesteryear – the widows wear black, the houses are classic courtyard houses, the dolls are made of porcelain, the traditions are part of everyday life, and the city is far away, separated by a modern windmill farm.

Theirs is a world without men.

It is a world of hard work and clean, modestly pleasant and very colorful surroundings, but, as I said, a world without men. The only men in Alcanfor de las Infantas show up at a funeral, and at that point one wonders if they are ghosts.

There is a great deal of symbolism in the film but I won’t focus on that. This is a movie about relationships. Bear with me for a moment.

Penelope Cruz does a terrific job in this film. All that remains from her Hollywood bimbo years is the breast surgery, and even that becomes a minor joke when her mother, played by the always great Carmen Maura, asks her

“Weren’t your t**s smaller? I don’t remember their ever being so big”.

Penelope’s acting reminded me of Sophia Loren in Sunflower. Like Sophia, Penelope credibly portrays a woman in her thirties coping with exhausting work and a hard life. Sophia’s part in Sunflower was a woman who was truly in love and whose commitment to her man was complete.

No such thing can exist in Volver. The men at the margins of these women’s lives might be helpful or considerate but the men with whom these women are involved are the worst of the worst – Raimunda’s ugly husband was a lazy drunk, and a pig. The message of the movie is that the only way these women can live in peace is by killing them.

I read the NYT review after watching the fim, and A. O. Scott said,

Men, for Raimunda and her circle, tend to be malevolent, irrelevant or simply absent: straying husbands, predators, dead bodies. They cause a fair amount of trouble, but the point of “Volver” is that it’s not about them.

It is about what American feminists of an earlier era called sisterhood, and also about the complicated bonds of kinship and friendship that Mr. Almodóvar observed as a child growing up among women in traditional, patriarchal, gender-separated (and fascist) Spain.

The American feminists have, in all their sisterhood, routinely defined relations between men and women as inherently adversarial. Complicated bonds of kinship and friendship can and should exist between the sexes, but in this movie what Almodovar tells us is that women can’t live in peace if there are men around. That’s why those widows were completing their wifely duties by keeping those tombs immaculate.

In previous films Almodovar’s women were completely subjugated to men (to the point where they were near-dead, like the women in the perverse Talk to Her). In Volver, the women just kill them off. Obviously this is not any improvement.

Volver is a chick-flick for the Oprahfied. There’s even a talk show scene to boot. This movie has its good moments, particularly because of the actresses, but its message is clear.

Almodovar writes in the film’s official website,

Volver destroys all the cliches about “black” Spain and offers a Spain that is as real as it is the opposite. A Spain that is white, spontaneous, funny, intrepid, supportive and fair.

Supportive and fair, as long as you kill off those bad men. Once the men are out of the way, the women can become whole and mend each others’ hearts.

While the NYTimes reviewer says,

Very few filmmakers have managed to smile so convincingly in the face of misery and fatality,

Mr. Almodovar is to be pitied for never having had a father to show him how to be a good man.

Rated R because of adult situations and language. In Spanish with English subtitles. The subtitles were clear and accurately conveyed the meaning of the dialogue.
(Tango purists might not be too happy that Carlos Gardel’s classic tango Volver has been changed into a flamenco song, but it’s a really lovely rendition which is one of the highlights of the story.)
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