Pan's Labyrinth/ Mongol: DVD Review

Pan's Labyrinth/ Mongol: DVD Review

Pan's Labyrinth/ Mongol
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Sergi Lopez, Tadanobu Asano
Roadshow Entertainment
Rating 16
Two of the very finest films of the last few years get a luxurious three disc release in this "Academy Award Collector's Edition".
Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro is the tale of Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) who against a backdrop of fascist Spain is sent to the countryside with her mother as they begin a new life.
But Ofelia's new life with her step father, the military Vidal (Sergi Lopez) is anything but idyllic - and as she struggles to fit in, she finds an escape through a mysterious faun, Pan, who believes her to be the long lost princess of a magical kingdom.
Mongol is the tale of Genghis Khan - the young Khan who had a mammoth destiny ahead of him - as well as personal tumult.
Nine year old Temudgin sets off with his father to search for a wife - but his destiny is brought sharply into focus when his enemies steal his bride to be.
Both of these films are masterpieces (a word so rarely bandied around) and are firmly deserving of the box set treatment - both engross you and envelop you in a world which it's a pleasure to be immersed in.
It's an interesting pairing but what they both have in common is the humanity of the central characters - Ofelia's quest is natural for one surrounded by so much violence; and young Temudgin's life shows the human side of the man seen by many as one of the most violent the world ever saw.
Both are essential viewing and are timeless - every time I watch them, despite knowing the plots, outcomes and twists, I am agog with wonder.
Recommended without a shadow of a doubt.
Extras - Mongol - The Making of Mongol; Pan's Labyrinth - director's commentary, Featurettes, Director's Notebook

Rating: 9/10