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A review by twilliamson
Pan's Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of the Faun by Guillermo del Toro, Cornelia Funke
3.0
El laberinto del fauno is one of the finest films ever made, and certainly my favorite film from director Guillermo del Toro. In this novelization of the film, del Toro teams with renowned fantasy writer Cornelia Funke to deliver the story.
There is very little deviation from del Toro's script, though Funke imbibes the story with a sense of simple beauty. Her prose feels authentic to folktales and faery stories, such that the novel feels every bit as magical as the film. Moreover, what Funke does best is take much of the film's subtext and make it into text, thus contextualizing many of the most important themes of the film.
That said, Funke's prose and the novel's plot don't lend themselves particularly well to its medium, and since so little is changed from the film, I really question the necessity of a book like this. While I undoubtedly cherish del Toro's film and adore the love Funke gives to this adaptation, I just don't see the adaptation as being necessary. Perhaps it was always part of del Toro's vision to novelize his film, but I think the film's art stands enough on its own, such that the adaptation adds very little to its existing merit.
Those who have never seen the film or find the film's themes too obscure for their liking might find this novelization to be of use in helping break down del Toro's art; the likely audience for this novelization, though, already know the story and are already intimately familiar with the film, rendering this lovingly-told story fairly redundant.
There is very little deviation from del Toro's script, though Funke imbibes the story with a sense of simple beauty. Her prose feels authentic to folktales and faery stories, such that the novel feels every bit as magical as the film. Moreover, what Funke does best is take much of the film's subtext and make it into text, thus contextualizing many of the most important themes of the film.
That said, Funke's prose and the novel's plot don't lend themselves particularly well to its medium, and since so little is changed from the film, I really question the necessity of a book like this. While I undoubtedly cherish del Toro's film and adore the love Funke gives to this adaptation, I just don't see the adaptation as being necessary. Perhaps it was always part of del Toro's vision to novelize his film, but I think the film's art stands enough on its own, such that the adaptation adds very little to its existing merit.
Those who have never seen the film or find the film's themes too obscure for their liking might find this novelization to be of use in helping break down del Toro's art; the likely audience for this novelization, though, already know the story and are already intimately familiar with the film, rendering this lovingly-told story fairly redundant.