Guy Maddin, a Canadian film maker who is interested in melodrama, made a film loosely based on Knut Hamsun's "Pan", Twilight of the Ice Nymphs." The question is, why has Maddin changed the setting from the relatively real setting of Northern Norway to a fantastic fictional place? There must be an intention that Maddin has in setting "Pan" in this manner.

In the story of "Pan", the main character, Glahn, tells a story. Within this story, there are various other stories. Some of these stories happen in reality, and some of these stories occur in a fantasy world. Whether or not a story is in the reality or fantasy state, it is difficult for the reader to differentiate between the two. By reading the book, it is very hard to tell when it is a fantasy or reality, but this setting fits very well in the movie. Not...