Film: Fables and Foibles

Fables and Foibles

A FAIRY tale for adults. According to the wizards at Google, this phrase has been used 474 times to describe Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy of fascist-era Spain, in the month since it made its American debut. I suppose I know what they mean: The film has fauns and fairies and magical kingdoms hidden away underground, but it’s also rated R for graphic violence, and deservedly so. Yet at the same time it’s hard to imagine a less appropriate description for del Toro’s movie, which for all its gore is a children’s story through and through, dependent on atmosphere and archetype for its power, and deliberately designed to skirt adulthood’s complexities and shades of gray. Like the (equally bloody) fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, Pan’s Labyrinth is potent enough to be appreciated by grown-ups, but only if they approach it through the eyes of a child.

About the Author

Ross Douthat

Ross Douthat is a former National Review contributing editor.

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Fables and Foibles

A FAIRY tale for adults. According to the wizards at Google, this phrase has been used 474 times to describe Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy of fascist-era Spain, in the month since it made its American debut. I suppose I know what they mean: The film has fauns and fairies and magical kingdoms hidden away underground, but it’s also rated R for graphic violence, and deservedly so. Yet at the same time it’s hard to imagine a less appropriate description for del Toro’s movie, which for all its gore is a children’s story through and through, dependent on atmosphere and archetype for its power, and deliberately designed to skirt adulthood’s complexities and shades of gray. Like the (equally bloody) fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, Pan’s Labyrinth is potent enough to be appreciated by grown-ups, but only if they approach it through the eyes of a child.