Pan's Labyrinth with Wine at The Mockingbird
- Tony Elvin
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
It's dark, it's haunting, it's niché .. it's a foreign language subtitled movie, but it still worked with wine! Fellow resistance fighter's thank you for joining us!! You were amazing.
Read on for our movie trivia, resistance gallery and details on the delicious wines from Captain Vidal's cellar (conveniently available at an outlet near you!).
Vidal's Vivacious Cuvées
That classic combo of Cava grapes; Macabeu, Xarel-lo and Parellada deliciously entwined to deliver a fresh expression of Spain's OG traditional method sparkling wine. Baked apples on the nose, luscious apple and citrus notes on the palate.
A rather specific price for a mouthwateringly delicious white wine from 'Green Spain'; Rias Baixas / Galicia. For me, the signature white wine grape of Spain.
Subtle stone fruits and white flowers on the nose, followed by a crescendo of peach, citrus and Atlantic salinity on the palate.
Iconic Beronia, flagship Rioja producer with a second winery dedicated to the other top Spanish wine grape, Verdejo (widely considered ahead of my favourite Albarińo), in Rueda. Fresh, citrusy notes, melon as well as ripe exotic and stone fruit character.
This could be useful to the resistance .. a bomb .. a fruit bomb! 100% Tempranillo, 14 months in American oak. Aged in oak for eight months longer than required.
Black fruits like blackberries and plums. The ageing comes through in subtle notes of liquorice, vanilla, coconut and baking spices. Muy juicy palate.
Another Tempranillo, but from the upcoming Ribera del Duero. This is more refined and structured .. bring on the tapas! Grapes fermented in stainless steel, aged for five months in a combination of American and French oak. If the last wine was luscious black fruit, this is fresh red fruit.
The Resistance - The Gallery
Hand selected trivia from The Faun himself
The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 27 May 2006, where it reportedly received a 22-minute standing ovation — one of the longest in the festival’s history.
Wikipedia
Its original Spanish title is El laberinto del fauno, which literally translates to “The Faun’s Labyrinth”.
Wikipedia
The film is set in 1944, in the early post-Civil-War Spain, under the repressive regime of Francisco Franco.
BFI
It blends a dark fairy-tale narrative (via the character Ofelia) with harsh historical realities — a hallmark of director Guillermo del Toro’s style.
BFI
Del Toro described the movie as a “dark fairytale about choice”, contrasting Ofelia’s agency with the authoritarian world around her.
BFI
The film’s budget was modest for the scale of its visuals and effects — about €15 million.
BFI
The creature known as the Faun (played by Doug Jones) was designed to look ancient, ambiguous (neither purely good nor evil), and rooted in wood-and-forest textures — rather than a classic goat-leg “satyr”.
Screen Rant
To become the Faun, Doug Jones underwent a daily makeup and prosthetics routine of around five hours.
Critic Film
Many of the film’s practical sets were real, rather than purely digital: e.g., the stone labyrinth set is physical, in the Spanish forest.
Critic Film
Del Toro used the motif of the labyrinth as a metaphor on multiple levels — not only as a fairy-world portal, but as a symbol of the moral and political maze of Spain at the time.
BFI
The film juxtaposes the cruel, real world of Captain Vidal (Captain Vidal) and the fascist regime, with the lush, mysterious fantasy world that Ofelia enters — emphasising the loss of innocence.
Movie Time Today
One of the most haunting creatures is the Pale Man — a gaunt, eyeless monster seated before a feast of children’s food, who only awakens when Ofelia eats a grape. That scene is often cited for its horror-fairy-tale power.
Far Out Magazine
The Pale Man’s feast scene subtly references real-world horrors (a pile of shoes in the background evokes imagery reminiscent of Holocaust memorials).
The notion of “three tasks” is central: Ofelia must complete three dangerous tasks to prove herself worthy of her princely identity. Classic fairy-tale structure embedded in the story.
Wikipedia
The ambiguity — is the fantastical world “real” or is it a coping mechanism for Ofelia? — is deliberately left open by del Toro, giving the film its haunting dual life.
Collider
The film incorporates references to classic fairy tales yet subverts them: it’s been likened to “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland for grown-ups”.
Rotten Tomatoes
The movie uses very few real fire or explosion effects in forest scenes because the region was in drought; many effects were added digitally later.
Del Toro said he “hates horses” because of difficulties working with them on this film. A quirky behind-the-scenes detail.
The house of Captain Vidal (including his study with the clock/watch motif) is filled with symbolic detail — for example, Vidal keeps repairing his father’s watch, representing his need to continue his father’s legacy.
Wikipedia
The make-up and effects won several awards — for example, the film took home three Academy Awards (Oscars) including Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Makeup.
Wikipedia
The film grossed around US $83.9 million worldwide, a strong return given its budget and foreign-language status.
Wikipedia
It’s been hailed as one of the greatest fantasy films of the 21st century and is often cited as del Toro’s magnum opus.
Wikipedia
Ofelia’s mandrake root under her mother’s bed is a curious mythic detail: she nurtures a root that’s meant to protect her mother and unborn sibling — blending folklore with real trauma.
Critic Film
The film’s musical score (by Javier Navarrete) contributes heavily to its mood, weaving together innocence, dread, and wonder. While less often noted in “fun fact” lists, it is an essential element of the film’s impact.
The make-up application for Doug Jones as the Faun involved remote-controlled flapping ears and blinking eyes — a merging of prosthetics and subtle animatronics.
Wikipedia
The theme of choice versus authoritarian control is central: Ofelia is offered the chance to kill her brother to enter the underworld — but she refuses, showing her moral agency even in a world of monsters.
Collider
The labyrinth sequences (and the idea of being “lost” vs “transit” through a labyrinth) mirror Spain’s own transition from fascism to the uncertain post-war era. Del Toro uses historical metaphor.
BFI
The film was classified by the UK British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) as a “15” rating, due to its strong violence and horror elements despite being a fantasy tale.
BBFC
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