Ola Listeners, I'm Arthina Cactero and I'm so happy to welcome you to the newest season of the Duolingo Spanish Podcast Duolingo Film Club. This season we have hand-picked our favorite movies to help boost your language learning. With film critics as our guides, we're going to dive into some of the most treasured films from the Spanish-speaking world. Whether you've seen the movie or not, by the end of each episode, you're going to get a sense of what makes each movie so special.
Of course, we'll have our signature bilingual format so you can enjoy the episode all while practicing your Spanish listening skills. Here's how it's going to go. First, we'll review the basic part of the film, then we'll share one of our favorite scenes. And to wrap up, we'll get into some fun facts that might surprise you. And for those of you who've already seen the film, we're going to reveal an extra bonus fun fact. Except, it's a spoiler.
Don't worry, we'll give you fair warning if you want to skip it. Okay, let's get started. My name is Ophelia. Who are you? I... I've been here so many times. Our first movie pick is Pan's Labyrinth. It's known across Latin America and Spain as El Labetinto del Fauno. And it's a masterpiece by the Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro. He's from Mexico, but the movie is set in Spain. And it's a masterpiece by the Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro.
He's from Mexico, but the movie is set in Spain back in the 1940s. It was released in 2006 and it didn't take long for it to become a cult classic. Mostly because of its stunning visual effects and its fantastical storyline. I'm... I'm... I'm... I'm a fauno. I think it's a very important movie. Because I mix imagination and a very dramatic historical event. And that creates a unique and fascinating story. That's Analada Beides Flores and she's a film critic in Mexico City.
She's joining us for this episode to tell us why El Labetinto del Fauno should be at the top of your movie list if you're learning Spanish. And if you're planning on watching this film, keep in mind that it's rated R. But don't worry, our episode today is completely family-friendly. Alright, grab some popcorn, our your favorite snack, and get comfy. The show is about to begin. Okay, for everyone who hasn't seen the movie, let's start with a quick review of the plot.
The movie tells the story of Ophelia, a very imaginative and curious girl who loves fairy tales. At the start of the film, Ophelia's mother is pregnant. And she has recently married Capitan Vidal, a ruthless captain in the Spanish army, or Ejército. So Ophelia and her mother are on their way to move into his country estate. And it's clear pretty quickly that the captain is the antagonist or antagonist in the movie. The Capitan Vidal is the antagonist of the movie.
It's a very cruel and cold character who works for Ejército. She's obsessed with power, control, and only defends the fascist regime. To escape her difficult new home, Ophelia starts to explore the grounds of the estate. And during one of her explorations, she meets a creature that looks like it's half human, half goat. I didn't know this before, but this creature is actually called a fawn. And it tells Ophelia that she's the long-lost princess of the underworld.
This mysterious creature declares that if she wants to reclaim her place there, Ophelia must complete three tasks. At the beginning, the faunos give a little fear. Because it has two different personalities. On one hand, she knows a lot of things, it's mysterious and protects nature. But on the other hand, she has a dark side, and to enter her magical world, you have to complete three tasks. Ophelia wants to enter this world to escape from the terrible reality around her.
The war ended, but she left many wounds. OK, let's hit Pazreal Quick, maybe some of you already know this, but there's some important historical context to this movie. The Civil War that Ana Laura mentioned was started by Jenerai Francisco Franco in 1936. Franco led a group of fascists and other conservatives against the Spanish Republicans who wanted to keep an elected government. Franco ended up winning and ruled Spain as a dictator for four decades.
The faunos' war occurred few months after the Civil War in the first years of the Franco regime. In that period, Ovo was a strong repression, especially against the Spanish Republicans. In the movie, these people hide their voices and fight against the Captain and the other fascists. And there are two different worlds, the real world, with the soldiers of the Spanish of Franco, and the world of the Ophelia fantasy, with monsters and secret doors. Discover those two worlds very interesting.
So to recap, a young girl in Franco's pain, coops with her brutal stepfather by escaping into an eerie fantasy world. Now let's get into why El Abirinto del Fauno is on our must watch list. To start, it showcases the sheer artistry and creativity of the director, the one and only Guillermo del Toro. Guillermo del Toro is one of the most famous directors in the Mexican cinema. He won three awards, one as a director and two as a film director.
He is an incredible man and we could talk hours and hours about his films. Guillermo del Toro is obsessed with the monsters and the mythical creatures. This began when he was a child and saw the Franco regime. And like Franco's time, El Abirinto del Fauno explores monsters and the complexities of human nature. What's amazing about Del Toro is how he combines fantasy and horror to tell this story. It's what keeps fans like Analada delighted and spooked, sometimes all at once.
Here she tells us about the first time she watched the film. I remember very well the first time I saw this film. When I put the DVD on the TV, I couldn't believe it. I loved Guillermo del Toro's style and the story is strong. The images of the film are intimidating and that's why when you see them for the first time, it's surprising. From that moment, Guillermo del Toro uses fantasy to show horrible things in life.
This is the only way to show a story that was an enormous impact on Latin American cinema and the whole world. The film occurs in Spain after Civil War, but I think it could also happen in a Latin American dictatorship. For example, in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay or Paraguay. Because in these countries, there were also terrible regimes. Del Toro explores more social issues, complicated and hard in his films.
He tries to show the difficult decisions that many people take to defend his ideas and to survive. The movie was a huge hit in Mexico and Spain and won prestigious awards in both countries. But what makes it essential to Spanish language cinema? Here's Analada again. The film was a great success in Mexico and Spain and helped recognize Guillermo del Toro as one of the most talented and creative directors of the industry.
I also think it's a very important film because it mixes fantasy and a very dramatic story. And that creates a unique and fascinating story. For example, in a part of the film, Ophelia is in a horrible character, with eyes on her hands. She is called the man of the worst and represents how some people are taking advantage of others, something that happened a lot during the war. As you can imagine, the man of the worst looks terrifying on screen.
But even when the movie gets scary, every frame feels like a work of art. Del Toro uses rich and vibrant colors to create a sense of wonder and magic. It's like he's using every tool he has as a director, make up, costumes, visual effects to completely transport us to his fantasy world. It's because of all these reasons that El Averinto del Fauno is one of our favorite movies. In his movies, there are incredible images.
The first time I saw El Averinto del Fauno, a man with eyes on his hands, or when Ophelia knows El Fauno, was very surprising. I think of a spectacular movie. And what does it mean to me to be spectacular? I understand and see the techniques of Del Toro to show us a fantastic world. And when you see that world, you're completely in your cinematographic universe. Now we'd like to bring you a learning moment from the film, where you're going to hear the character's Spanish accent.
It's a segment we're calling Bon Le Plé, press play. Today we're going to feature a clip from one of the opening scenes of the film. When our heroine, the young innocent Ophelia, meets the fond for the first time. We chose this clip because you'll hear that the fond doesn't use du or Usted to address Ophelia. He uses the pronoun Vos, which is rooted in a much older and more formal use of Spanish. Nowadays you'll hear a version of this Voseo in Argentina, Uruguay, and parts of Central America.
Okay, here we go. In this clip, the fond introduces himself, and he goes on to declare that Ophelia is a princess from this underground realm. But she's not so convinced. She says her dad was a tailor. Not a daughter of the other. The light or the light in your own left, you'll find a brand that you like. The actor who played the fond worked so hard to bring him to life. He not only wore fake horns and fake teeth, but also heavy makeup and prosthetics. He even learned a whole new language.
Annalaura has more details that might inspire your own language journey. The actor is called Duke Jones and he was in six movies with Guillermo del Toro. But there's something very curious. He was born in the United States and before working with the Toro, he didn't know how to speak Spanish. He learned the language to be the fauna in the movie. Now that you've listened to a clip, I'm sure you'll want to watch the whole movie.
But before we let you go, we asked our film critic Annalaura to offer us three fun facts about the film. For a segment we're calling Datos Curiosos. These are fascinating trivia for behind the scenes that will surely intrigue your friends and family when you bring up this movie. Number one, it turns out that Del Toro got his inspiration to make a labarinto del fauna from a dream that he had when he was a kid. Del Toro imagino esta película mucho antes de saber que iba a ser director de cine.
Él dice que el fauna era un personaje que estaba en sus sueños cuando era niño. Fun fact number two, when Del Toro grew up and started developing the concept into a film, he almost lost it in a taxi. Guillermo del Toro empezó a trabajar en la idea, pero casi pierde todos sus apuntes. Él iba en un taxi en Londres y cuando se bajó, olvidó las notas en el taxi. Pero del Toro tuvo mucha suerte y nosotros también. Porque el taxi estaba en el papel de los papeles importantes y se los devolvió.
Fue un milagro. Number three, Del Toro almost didn't get to make this movie in Spanish. He was offered a major deal to make it in English, but he insisted on creating it in his mother tongue. Le preguntaron a Del Toro si quería hacer el labarinto del fauna en inglés y él dijo que no. En Hollywood podía tener el doble de presupuesto, pero Del Toro quería hacer la película en español. Y eso hizo. Ah, Guillermo del Toro decidió traducir personalmente los subtítulos en inglés.
Porque no confiaba en otras personas y quería estar seguro de transmitir su mensaje correctamente. And for those who've seen the movie, we have one more takeaway. But it's a spoiler. So if you don't want to hear this part, skip ahead to the end, or come back when you've watched the movie. Are you ready? Okay, so the movie wraps up with a scene that leaves audiences hanging.
Ophelia finds herself in the long-lost kingdom, where she's reunited with her mother and father, dressed in royal robes, and the faun is still by her side. Many people wonder, was this all real? Or was it all in her head? Many people believe that the faun and all the magical creatures are part of the imagination of a girl, who tries to escape her terrible reality. But the director of Del Toro says it's not a fantasy of Ophelia.
The magical world exists with the real world, and this is another reason to watch this movie many times. And that's a wrap for today's episode. Thank you to our special guest, Ana Laura Perez Flores. She is written about movies for some of the top magazines in Mexico. You can follow her work at AY underscore, Anna underscore, Laura on social media. Gracias, duo. Hasta luego. This episode was written by Thali Goldman, a journalist and writer based in Buenos Aires.
And if you want to get a head start for our next episode of duos film club and watch the movie before it's released, we'll be exploring Relatos Salvajes, a thrilling dark comedy from Argentina. As always, we would love to know what you thought of this episode. Let us know by email at podcastatduolingo.com, or you can send us an audio message on WhatsApp at plus 1-703-953-9369. Don't forget to say your name and where you're from. If you liked this story, we would love it if you share it.
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The Duolingo Spanish podcast is produced by Duolingo and other media. I'm the executive producer and your host, Martina Castro. Thank you for listening.