DVDS 'PAN'S LABYRINTH' STAR'S CREATURE COMFORT.

Byline: Rob Lowman

Entertainment Editor

Even if you don't recognize him on the street, you might take a second look.

"When you show up in Hollywood and you're almost 6-foot-4 and weigh 140 pounds, and you move well with a mime background from college, the creature-effect people catch wind of you when you start auditioning," says Doug Jones.

That was back in the '80s, and almost immediately Jones was a national figure. That was him as the crescent-moon-headed piano player for 27 McDonald's commercials in the Mac Tonight ad campaign.

Over the years, Jones has become the go-to guy when it comes to the otherworldly, appearing in television series like "Buffy The Vampire Slayer, more commercials, music videos with the likes of Madonna, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Marilyn Manson -- and, of course, the movies, including his elegant performance as Abe Sapien in "Hellboy" from director Guillermo del Toro. Upcoming is "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army," in which he reprises the role -- and, more immediately, "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," where he plays-- much to fanboys' delight -- the legendary comic-book figure of the title.

But another place you might recognize Jones is in the title role of Pan in del Toro's Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth," as well as the film's menacing Pale Man.

And even though the two roles required 5 hours of makeup time each, there was something more daunting about taking on "Pan" -- or in his words, "terrifying."

"When I finished reading the script, I was wiping a tear away from my eye, and I was thinking, 'Oh my gosh, I have to be in this movie.' That's when I remembered 'Oh, no, it's in Spanish.' "

Spanish as, Jones noted, wasn't even a second language for him, and there were tons of it -- paragraphs of exposition.

When he called del Toro expressing his concerns, the director -- whom Jones describes as a fanboy himself who was fascinated with the actor's resume when they first met -- told him, " 'Don't worry, my friend, if you (can) count to 10, that's OK. We can double it later.' "

But Jones, who has always thought of himself as an actor and not simply a mime, learned Spanish for the film. The results were spectacular. The film took home three Oscars out of six nominations.

Had there been any justice, this dark fairy tale should have taken home a lot more. Luckily the special-edition DVD serves up a number of intriguing extras, including an extensive interview with del Toro, who helps deconstruct many of the myths and symbols in the film.

You will also see Jones as he sits patiently in the makeup chair while layers of painted rubber are glued to his body.

Even after all these years, Jones, who at 46 is still nimble enough to put his leg behind his head, says at best he's gotten "used to" wearing all those layers of rubber.

"When I take a job like that, I know what I'm getting into.

"I have to think like an athlete, as well as an actor, in being able to push through any pain or discomforts."

You'll be able to see and hear Jones in two upcoming DVDs. "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," (June 5) is a fascinating semi-remake of the classic 1919 German film, in which director David Lee Fisher has scanned the original backgrounds from an old print and, using green-screen magic, put live actors, including Jones as the somnambulist Cesare, into them.

And you'll hear Jones as Abe in "Hellboy: Blood and Iron" (June 12), the animated version of the comic book. While David Hyde Pierce did the voice in the first "Hellboy," (the studio wanted a name), Jones has been doing it since on the TV show and will continue voicing the character in the next feature, which del Toro is about to direct. Jones is hoping the 7-hour makeup session he did for Abe in the first "Hellboy" can be trimmed a bit, but he's not complaining.

Right now, he's excited by being the Silver Surfer, who he calls the "heart and soul" of the film. "I really, really love that character."

'THE FOUNTAIN'

True love is eternal -- or something like that in Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain." In it, Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz play star-crossed lovers in three different times. In the first, during the 16th century, Weisz is Queen Isabel and Jackman a Spanish conquistador searching for the Tree of Life in the Central American jungles in order to save his queen.

Jackman is also -- in the present -- a scientist searching for a cure to save his wife, Izzie, from a fatal disease. She, meanwhile, may be close to finding the secret to life in an old manuscript called "The Fountain."

In the future, the bald Jackman is some kind of astronaut hanging around what he thinks is the Tree of Life.

All of this is swirled together in some kind of metaphysical soup. Some will find this dizzily boring, but if you make some allowances, there are moments in "The Fountain" that are worth it. Jackman brings an intensity to his characters that helps tie the film together, and if only by its puzzling nature, it may may make you wonder about the nature of love. Or not.

OLDER FILMS

The sparks between Richard Burton and Peter O'Toole fly off the screen in the restored 1964 "Becket." The story of Sir Thomas Becket (Burton) a buddy of England's King Henry II (O'Toole) who is appointed bishop of Canterbury -- and much to the monarch's displeasure takes the job seriously -- is one that still resonates for anyone who thinks standing up for principles is important. O'Toole's roar, though, as Henry is what gives the film fire.

Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 "Army of Shadows" made a number of critics top-10 lists last year because it had technically never been released in the U.S. before. It is indeed a memorable film, the story of a member of the French resistance in World War II. A masterpiece, as some have said, it's not. Melville's pessimism -- probably borne from his own experiences in the resistance -- weighs too heavily. But "Army of Shadows" is quite a good thriller -- and in many places quite moving.

Rob Lowman [phone]

[e-mail]

THE PRICES

NEW FILMS

"Pan's Labyrinth" (New Line; $29.98 for single disc and $34.98 for special two-disc edition)

"The Fountain" (Warner; $27.95 DVD, $34.99 for Blu-ray and $39.99 for HD)

"Stomp the Yard" (Columbia; $28.95, $38.96 for Blu-ray)

"Seraphim Falls" (Columbia; $26.96)

"The Last Sin Eater" (Fox; $26.98)

"The Dead Girl" (First Look; $24.98)

"The War Tapes" (Docurama; $26.95)

TELEVISION

"Frasier -- The Ninth Season" (Paramount; $38.99)

"Martin" (HBO; $29.98)

"The Rockford Files: Season Four" (Universal; $39.98)

"ER -- The Complete Seventh Season" (Warner; $49.98)

"Wings -- The Fourth Season" (Paramount; $38.99)

"Home Improvement -- The Complete Sixth Season" (Buena Vista; $24.99)

"Banacek -- The First Season" (Universal; $29.98)

"Coach -- The Second Season" (Universal; $26.98)

"The Last Detective -- Series 3" (Acorn; $39.99)

"American Dad! -- Vol. 2" (Fox; $39.98)

"Monarch of the Glen -- Series Six" (BBC Warner; $49.98)

"Wanted -- Dead or Alive, Season Two" (Brentwood; $39.98)

"M*A*S*H -- Goodbye, Farewell & Amen" (Fox; $29.98)

"Masters of Horror -- Right to Die" (Anchor Bay; $14.98)

"Creepshow, Vol. 3" (HBO; $19.98)

"The Red Green Show -- 1998 Season" (Acorn; $39.99)

"The War at Home -- The Complete First Season" (Warner; $39.98)

"Playboy After Dark, Vol. 2" (Morada; $39.98)

"A Duke Named Ellington" (Council; $29.95)

"Alexander Hamilton" (PBS; $24.99)

"Casi Casi" (HBO; $19.98)

OLDER FILMS

"Becket" (MPI; $24.98)

"Army of Shadows" (Criterion; $39.95)

"The Road Warrior" (Warner; $28.99 for Blu-ray or HD)

"Vengeance Is Mine" (Criterion; $29.95)

"Michael J. Fox Comedy Favorites Collection" (Universal; $29.98)

"The Siege -- Martial Law Edition" (Fox; $19.98)

KIDS

"Arthur and the Invisibles" (Weinstein; $28.95)

Curious George -- Rocket Ride and Other Adventures (Universal; $16.98)

MUSIC

"My Fleeting House -- Tim Buckley" (MDV; $19.95)

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

Doug Jones endured hours in the makeup chair -- and learned how to speak Spanish -- to play the Pale Man, above, and the title role in "Pan's Labyrinth."