STACK #163 May 2018

DVD & BD FEATURE

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GATEWAYS

Guillermo DelToro

"T here are things that go bump in the night… make no mistake about that. And we are the ones who bump back.” This line from Hellboy , one of Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s Hollywood forays, speaks volumes of this visionary director’s modus operandi. The things that go bump – whether we can see them, understand them, fight them or even love them – permeate his cinematic world. And often, the evil or unknown that snakes its way into our realm shines an unforgiving light on humanity’s dark nature, making it plainly obvious that whatever horrors his creations, creatures and spirits throw at us, the true darkness lies within our own souls; we are the real monsters. The masterful The Shape of Water , del Toro’s latest opus which won him Best Director at the 2018 Oscars, sees both his obsession with the Other, and his ornate vision, in full bloom. The story of the mute cleaner that falls in love with a mysterious sea creature – against the now suddenly relevant backdrop of the Cold War – is a wondrous, artful culmination of a world he’d created and honed since his debut, Cronos (1993). But del Toro’s towering themes – the unseen, the iron grip of the oppressor, the beauty in horror, the power of physical objects and decay on a grand scale – have boiled away quite masterfully throughout his work for years before this film. The auteur is a film obsessive of the old school, maintaining entire houses to accommodate his collection of memorabilia – and he’s as admiring of the Coen Brothers as Akira Kurosawa, Luis Buñuel or David Lean. If The Shape of Water has piqued your curiosity about this true craftsman of the cinema, you’ll find his broad obsessions are as present in Hollywood-amplified adventures like Hellboy or Pacific Rim as they are in the psych-horror magical realism of Pan’s Labyrinth or Crimson Peak . In the wake of his recent triumph with The Shape ofWater, STACK profiles the Oscar-winning Mexican auteur. Words: Jonathan Alley

Hereare STACK ’s picks

Cronos (1993) Del Toro’s debut was a quiet cult hit in 1993. Cronos telegraphs so much of the dark magic del Toro would weave later on: the power of time, physical objects, and the unknown. A vampire story of one man’s obsession and battle to control eternal life, the film brought del Toro well-deserved attention. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Invoking everything from the Greek myth of Orpheus to Lewis Carroll, Luis Buñuel and The Brothers Grimm fairytales, this towering piece of wonder and fantasy is set against the fascism of ’40s Spain, as a young girl is led into a netherworld by fantastical monsters to achieve immortality (a theme recurring from Cronos ). Imbued with rich, bold colour and design, this brilliant work remains a tribute to an imagination unleashed on screen. Crimson Peak (2015) Again, the unseen breaks its bounds only to show us that our true nature is darker than anything the underworld can throw at us. Set in a cavernous house atop a crumbling red clay mine in late 19th century America, it’s one of del Toro’s finest ensemble pieces, with Mia Wasikowska, Tom Hiddleston and Jessica Chastain. The stunningly vivid costumes designed by New Zealander Kate Hawley accentuate the film’s broad aesthetic quite beautifully.

Ron Perlman One of the most distinctive-looking actors in the movies, Perlman has appeared in six of del Toro’s films (notably Hellboy and Cronos ). To say he’s an onscreen alter ego for del Toro (as perhaps Chow Yun Fat was for John Woo, or Martin Donovan for Hal Hartley) is overstepping things, but his remarkable visage and gruff delivery is a consistent feature of del Toro’s work. The Orphanage Del Toro produced, rather than directed, this moody and affecting ghost story by Spanish director J.A. Bayona. By ensuring it got made, he gave the world a dark and rewarding tribute to the Spanish cinema of the ’70s. See the original, not the US remake.

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MAY 2018

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