the humanities film series presents our opening night feature

PAN’S LABYRINTH or El Laberinto del Fauno

Friday, August 24 at 7 PM

ETC Lecture Hall

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the cinema’s great fantasies, rich with darkness and wonder. It’s a fairy tale of such potency and awesome beauty that it reconnects the adult imagination to the primal thrill and horror of the stories that held us spellbound as children. If you recall the chills that ran down your spine and the surreal humor that tickled your brain in the presence of “Alice in Wonderland,” “Little Red Riding Hood” or “The Wizard of Oz” when you were a child, you’ll discover those sensations once again, buried deep in the heart of Pan’s Labyrinth.”  -Jim Emerson, RogerEbert.com

Set in the years immediately following the Spanish Civil War, Pan’s Labyrinth (or El Laberinto del Fauno) is a Spanish language film by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro. It follows the story of 11 year old Ofelia who struggles with the new life her mother has created for her family by marrying a Captain in Francisco Franco’s Fascist regime. Has Ofelia’s imagination offered her surcease from the cruelties of the real world or has she really escaped into a magical realm in which she may be the long-lost princess?

Students attending the screening will search for parallels between Ofelia’s magical world and the world of 1944 Spain.

Pan’s Labyrinth is Rated R for some language and violence related to its setting in Fascist Spain.

View the trailer: