El Laberinto del Fauno [Pan's Labyrinth] (2006)

A fairy-tale for adults, indeed.

This film is alternately brutal and charming, horrifically violent and innocent, darkly gritty and... well, bright is the only thing the film isn't. One of the few things missing from this picture, imho, was splendor. If the premise of a movie is going to be the existence an alternate fantasy world filled with imaginary creatures and dangerous adventures, you would think that there would be a least a few grand, breathtaking, gorgeous scenes in that world... but no. Here we see the entrance, and a rather cold, empty court of the King of the Underworld at the very end. But, as I said, one of the few things missing.

Everything else - acting, sets, costumes, pacing, etc. - help make the duality at the heart of the film work very effectively. We can see the parallels (well, at times they are beaten into our heads) between the depressing and harsh Spanish Civil War era and Ofelia's secret kingdom. Whether the symbolic links are the result of Ofelia's unconscious processing and delusional recycling or not - that actually makes no difference to our enjoyment of these two intertwined stories. It's well done and smooth, and the Spanish dialogue (with intact Castellano ceceo) is soft on the ear, very captivating.

Questions: how immoral or moral a character is the Captain? After all, his does have great concern for his infant son, and of course his loyalty to his military duty.... On the other hand, he points out himself he is guilty of excessive pride. Is his concern for his son simply a concern for his bloodline and name to be continued? If the rebels had told him their final words earlier ("he [the son] won't even know your name"), would he have handed over the baby? Is his commitment to military duties, including the extraction of intelligence through torture, inexcusable?

Why, in the Hombre Pallido's chamber, did Pan's [Faun, actually] fairies indicate the wrong door for Ofelia to unlock? And was the fact that she corrected herself suppose to prove her royal heritage? (The 'proof of divine heritage' is an element which recurs throughout world myths.)

And why these choices for translations? Why not Faun's Labyrinth? And Ophelia? And the Pallid Man? By saying Pan, they draw associations with Greek mythology, but then seem to avoid Shakespearean analogies by using Ofelia instead of Ophelia. Boy, what if she had been Persephone instead? And was there some detectable influence from Nausicaa here as well - both from the Odyssey and Miyazaki's manga, which Del Toro is clearly familiar with?

This movie also reminds me of one of my recent favorites, 新造人間キャッシャーン [Shinzo Ningen Casshern], which is another fantastic, allegorical, and ultimately severely anti-war movie. Another example of the great efficacy of using the fantastic, weird, or imaginary (sci-fi, fairy tales, fantasy, horror, etc.) as a mirror through which we see the true nature of the 'real world.' *

Road Song - Wes Montgomery (1986)

orchestrated/arranged by *Don Sebesky*

This album is a really interesting combination of orchestra, medieval consort, and a jazz rhythm section. Sebesky's arrangements feature lots of recorder, cello, flute, oboe, and harpsichord for a very specific sound; he then alternates this classical yin with its yang antidote - namely, the 80s funkiness of Herbie Hancock, Hank Jones, and others in the jazz combo-within-orchestra.

Meanwhile Wes's double-octave melodies ring like crystals, and always manage to be lyrical, even despite the unchanging voicing. Covers include Fly Me to the Moon as well as Beatles hits. The title track is great with a Cal Tjader acid jazz (as in the Austin Powers soundtracks) bass trombone-heavy, flute-topped funky brass section along with congas, in addition to a string section which makes some surprise entrances. The last cover, Pete Seeger's Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, is cool, catchy, and relaxing. Another reason why it's a pity that this was Wes's last recording, one month before his death. Where have all the flowers gone, indeed....

Far Cry - Eric Dolphy (1960)

Booker Little - tp, Jaki Byard - p, Ron Carter - b, Roy Haynes - d

The track Serene conjures word associations closer to Weird. Dolphy's bass clarinet on this track is strange, expressive, and imitative of the odder inflections of the human voice. Dolphy's solo alto feature Tenderly is great - so expressive; his extensions of the melodies outline interesting reharms; towards the end he branches out into great sonic effects as well. His flute on Left Alone is virtuosic and exciting, although the opening melody itself is a bit sluggish and boring. The head of Miss Ann is wacked - it's very hard to discern what harmonies the rhythm section's playing behind it. Booker's clean tone pre-dates Wynton, with a nice clean execution. Far Cry is another strange and distinctive melody, as is Dolphy's solo (especially his ending, which seems to be arbitrary). Booker's sound on Ode to C. Parker is round and warm, even in higher register, and lyrical, although many of the standard chromatic decorations of Clifford's playing (which I don't care for) are obviously present. He was 22 at the time of this recording but unfortunately died the following year. His solo on Mrs. Parker of K.C. is breath-taking - virtuosic, stretching, with some of Clifford's dazzling lines, great tone, and even harmonic turns that prefigure Jon Swana and others.