Enchanting, beautiful and cruel

Rating: 6/10 (21 October 2006)

Spain elected a socialist-leaning government after the departure of King Alfonso XIII, The Spanish Civil War began on 19 July 1936, when General Mola issued a proclamation of revolt against the elected socialist government.
General Francisco Franco, known to hold right wing, monarchist views, began the conquest of Spain and in September 1936, other generals named him Chief of State. The war officially ended on 1 April 1939, but persecution of political opponents continued for years. An estimated 200,000 political prisoners probably died of starvation, overwork or execution. The Fascist regime ruled Spain until Franco died on 20 November 1975.
El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) is a fascinating but surprisingly black fairy tale set in 1944, when Franco's army was energetically eradicating pockets of resistance to the Fascist government. A widowed mother and her daughter join the mother's second husband, an Army Captain, in his cold and austere post in northern Spain. The surrounding forest hides a cadre of resistance fighters and their encounters with the army are brutal and unsuitable for children.
The mother's pregnancy is difficult, the surroundings are frigid and the Captain is cruel. The little girl escapes into a magic world in which she has a chance to save her mother and herself. The story is original, enchanting and beautifully filmed, but ultimately tragic.