I have a theory. I think that many years ago, at the height of both of their careers, Tim Burton and Isabel Allende had a lovechild (if you don’t know who Allende is, maybe you should read more books). They had this child in Mexico, and left him there to be raised by mythical creatures until he found his calling. That is the only explanation I can come up with for why Guillermo del Toro is such an amazing director.

 

His American films are somewhat restricted so far to the comic book genre. Blade II, Hellboy, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army. If you’ve read my review of Hellboy II, you know that I didn’t care for it, but I don’t blame del Toro; it was out of his hands. Hellboy was a solid adaptation of an obscure character, and del Toro displayed his usual dark flair for fantastic visuals. Blade II is widely held as the best in the trilogy, largely due to the deeply complex characters, consistent story, and amazing action sequences.

 

As with many foreign directors, del Toro’s US debut was almost self-defeating. Mimic came out in ’97, when weird horror films like The Relic and Phantoms were a dime a dozen. He still had his style, but had to bend to the will of Hollywood (the film spawned two straight-to-DVD sequels; not the best way to cross the border).

 

Hopefully, though, American audiences have appreciated what he can do in his native environment. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) was nominated for six Oscars, winning three. It was an amazingly beautiful mix of history, character development, emotional conflict, and fairytale surrealism. The war taking place in the background not only established the tone and environment, but it played an integral part in the plot. The dynamic between the little girl and her mother, her nurse, and her borderline evil new stepfather was well developed, but never cumbersome, which is impressive when you’re throwing fairies and talking faun in the mix. 

 

That is del Toro’s style in a nutshell. He has the panache for dark fantasy very reminiscent of Tim Burton’s work, but he places it in the real world, and makes it part of the characters and the political and social climate. He shares a passion for sweeping historical pictures and interconnected characters with Isabel Allende, whose well-realized novels like Eva Luna and House of Spirits, are socially broad and personally specific at the same time.

 

El Laberinto del fauno may be his best, but definitely not his first. Del Toro’s film debut was Cronos in 1993. An old man caring for his granddaughter, worried about his deteriorating health, finds a golden scarab from the early 1500’s. The mechanism cuts into his arm, latching on with its barbs, and grants him increasing youth and eternal life. However, it brings with it a thirst for blood, and a conflict with a dying tycoon looking to cheat death with the help of his son (Ron Perlman speaking Spanish…odd). The characters weren’t boring, and the supernatural wasn’t distracting; even in his first venture, del Toro was juggling knives with ease.

 

Mimic was only four years later, but del Toro waited eight years for another Spanish language film. In 2001, he released El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil’s Backbone). It is about a child who arrives at an orphanage at the tail end of another war. A bomb had been dropped in the courtyard, but buried without detonating. This sets a tone of apprehension about the possibility of explosion, and is compounded by visions of another boy’s ghost leading him to a darker buried secret. It is tense and eerie, but again sweeping and historical, patient in its development.

It may be a while before Guillermo del Toro returns to Mexican cinema as a director, but last year he proved that even as a producer, his style and visions can be noticed. In 2007, he produced El Orfanato (The Orphanage). I was skeptical that del Toro’s name was attached to a film directed by Mexico’s newcomer Juan Antonio Bayona, but was pleasantly surprised that I could see del Toro’s hand in the whole thing: the tone, the conflict, and the elements. None were fully realized by the director, but I could feel the man behind the curtain.

 

Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe he wasn’t the lovechild of Tim Burton and Isabel Allende. Maybe he wasn’t raised by mythical creatures. Maybe he’s just a normal guy; a great director with his own amazing style. But my theory is more interesting, and I guarantee he would agree.

Guillermo del Toro’s next direction is rumored to be a two-part adaptation of The Hobbit sometime in 2011 (someone needed to relieve Peter Jackson, might as well be this guy).

 

Guillermo del Toro Filmography:

 

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Hellboy (2004)

Blade II (2002)

The Devil’s Backbone (2001)

Mimic (1997)

Cronos (1993)

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