A famous song that plays three times in "The Shape of Water." What are Guillermo del Toro's thoughts? ※note! Contains spoilers.

Hellboy directed by Barry Manilow

As you can see, film directors are very particular about the music they use, but the most impactful song in Guillermo del Toro's past works is Barry Manilow's " Tearful Smile " from " Hellboy: The Golden Army ." This is a film adaptation of a comic book featuring a demon character called Hellboy and a horde of strange creatures, and at first glance, this song by Barry Manilow does not seem to fit the style of the film at all.

However, when del Toro was young and fell in love with someone, he listened to "Tearful Smile," and he decided that it was the perfect song to express the "gap" between the tough guy Hellboy and the song. Wanting to portray the hero's true face, he really wanted to include a scene in which Hellboy talks about women and life with Abe Sapien, a half-fishman, over a beer, and this was the first image he came up with when making this film. Apparently, there was strong opposition to this song from those around him at first, but del Toro went ahead and used it. As a result, it became the most memorable scene in "Hellboy: The Golden Army."

Guillermo del Toro is known as a director of fantasy films with strange creatures, but looking back at his choice of music, it is clear that he is also a very romantic person. That is why "The Shape of Water," which depicts the fate of a strange love story, also makes the viewer feel romantic.

Text: Hiroaki Saito

Became freelance in 1997, contributing movie reviews and interview articles to various media such as movie magazines, theater pamphlets, and movie sites. The column is constantly updated on Yahoo! News. Star Channel's program "GO! Theater" introduces the latest released works.

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