A to Z Challenge post – P is for a Lake in Canada and Pan’s Labyrinth

Hidy-ho all! Today is Saturday and I have a ton of stuff to do. My truck is overflowing with trash and recyclables – mostly fast food wrappings/bags and soda bottles – and is in desperate need of a wash. I’m kind of afraid to wash it; I fear the dirt and road grime is all that is holding my dear Rodeo together! Wish me luck that it doesn’t disintegrate in the car wash. I need to do laundry as I am out of fresh knickers and socks (but you probably didn’t need to know that), and I need to strip the bed and wash all of that. Last weekend I had to take laundry down to Mom’s in Portland because we had TWO live mice in the washing machine. Teddy sat on the edge of the wash tub looking at them for about an hour but never got up the courage to get in there with them. Les finally went in there and dispatched them with his heavy wooden walking stick, but by then I had already loaded the laundry in the truck.

Anywhoozles, today’s “P” word is: Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik Lake. This is a lake in northeastern Manitoba, Canada, near its border with Ontario. The name is Cree for “where the wild trout are caught by fishing with hooks”, which is a lot easier to say than Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik. At 31 letters long, it is the longest place name in Canada. I couldn’t find any good pictures of it, but you can find it on Google Maps. Apparently, the satellite picture of the lake was taken in the winter, as it appears to be completely frozen over.

So, onto today’s film selection: Pan’s Labyrinth. This 2006 film was directed by Guillermo del Toro and stars Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi Lopez, and Doug Jones to name a few. Try to find the movie that is in the original Spanish with English subtitles (if you don’t speak Spanish); I find dubbed versions to be wooden, flat, and distracting.

Here is the storyline from IMBd: In 1944 Falangist Spain, a girl, fascinated with fairy-tales, is sent along with her pregnant mother to live with her new stepfather, a ruthless captain of the Spanish army. During the night, she meets a fairy who takes her to an old faun in the center of the labyrinth. He tells her she's a princess, but must prove her royalty by surviving three gruesome tasks. If she fails, she will never prove herself to be the true princess and will never see her real father, the king, again.

This movie is beautiful, yet very brutal. It is quite violent, but none of it is gratuitous; each moment, though graphic, has a purpose. The photography is brilliant; the score is hauntingly beautiful and perfectly woven through the film. I loved it, and it haunted my thoughts for several days after watching it. Although you would think this is a film directed at children (since the heroine of the tale is only 12 years old), this is by no means a children’s movie. I highly recommend it.

This film won 102 awards and was nominated for a further 72. The movie took home three Oscars in 2007: Best Achievement in Cinematography (Guillermo Navarro), Best Achievement in Art Direction (Eugenio Caballero – art director, Pilar Revuelta – set decorator), and Best Achievement in Makeup (David Marti, Montse Ribe). It also won three BAFTA awards for Best Film not in the English Language, Best Costume Design, and Best Make Up and Hair.

Well, that’s it until Monday (well, Sunday for me, since I can’t post anything on Mondays while I’m at Mom’s). Have a smashing weekend!

TTFN.