Meaning making and mise en scene in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’

One example of how mise en scene creates meaning in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ directed by del Toro is the horrific and gruesome images around the paleman’s room. Not only does these images aesthetically encourage a gross and scared feeling in the audience, but they contextually link to Goya’s painting of Saturn eating his son, which links to how the film sometimes references world war 2. This is because Nazi’s often targeted children, as they believed this was cutting Judaism off at the source which some audience members might link to the context of Goya’s painting, as he ate his son at the fear of them growing up and overpowering him. This would make sense as it’s not the only world war two reference in the scene. The mise en scene of the pile of shoes can be interpreted as being a reference to the holocaust and the piles of clothes, as well as being symbolic of the incorrect princesses and evoking tension in the audience as it shows that Ofelia is in danger. Another way that mise en scene evokes the feeling of tension in the audience during the paleman scene is the red food. This is because red has the connotation of violence and anger. This is an example of del Toro’s common aesthetic choices, as he tends to use colour to create meaning in his films such as in ‘The Devils Backbone’, which he describes as the sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth, partly because they both explore the theme of how wat effects children. The sense of danger in the scene that is brought about through mise en scene such as the red food links to the representation of children, as Ofelia continues and completes the task despite it being scary, therefore representing children as strong and able to do difficult things.

Representation of Gender in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’

At the beginning of del Toro’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, the representation of women is that they need help from men. For example, Carmen, Ofelia’s mum, gets help from all males when she has pregnancy pains and problems. Plus, they are also shown as submissive through Carmen, as she sits in the wheelchair as it’s what Vidal, a male, wants her to do. This negative representation of women was built up to be brought down later in the film with characters like Ofelia and Mercedes. For example, Ofelia’s performance in the pale man sequence. The mise en scene of the blade that she finds, and the non-diegetic fantasy sharp sound that comes with it, aesthetically emphasises the danger of the situation to the audience. Other things that aesthetically bring tension and fear to the scene and audience are mise en scene like the red food, as red has connotations of danger and violence. Plus, the horrific images around the room which contextually link to Goya’s painting of Saturn eating his son. Ofelia, a girl, manages to survive this scary situation as well as not using violence, such as the dagger that she finds. This is a positive representation of women as they are shown as non-violent as well as brave and strong in a scary and tense scene that was also made tense with the action reaction shots of Ofelia and the paleman and the parallel action of Ofelia and the timer, creating time pressure and tension in the audience.

Meaning making and cinematography in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’

The cinematography in the opening of Pan’s Labyrinth creates meaning in many different ways. For example, the blue low-key lighting at the very beginning when Ofelia is shown dying in reverse has connotations of coldness and sadness. It’s also dramatic irony as we know as an audience that Ofelia is going to die. This links to the theme of how war effects children, specifically the Spanish civil war as the film was set shortly after it, as Ofelia is shot by Vidal which we learn later who is a fascist. This links to del Toro’ aesthetics, as he often uses colour in his work to make meaning and explores how war effects children, such as in his “sister film” to Pan’s Labyrinth ‘The Devils Backbone’. The blue low-key lighting’s aesthetically negatively feel is emphasised to the audience when contrasted against the high key slightly yellow lighting once we are above ground. The opening also includes close ups of the stairs that the princess climbs up, this links to the production context and how del Toro took inspiration from the initiation wells when designing this piece of mise en scene. After the fairy-tale voice over that links to these close ups, we get a close up of Ofelia’s fairy-tale book with the silhouette of a girl, suggesting to the audience that Ofelia is the lost princess.

Social/political contexts in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’

Pan’s Labyrinth directed by del Toro is a film set after the Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936 to 1939. Because the film is set shortly after the Spanish civil war, there are many explorations of politics and the war throughout the film. Such as, the symbolism of left- and right-wing politics throughout the film. Captain Vidal, a fascist, shown by the fascist symbol on the cars, favours his right hand symbolising right-wing politics. For example, his performance of shaking with his right hand, and telling Ofelia she should too. Too contrast, Ofelia favours the left symbolising left wing politics. Not only does she shake with her left hand, but during the paleman sequence, the mise en scene of the book she is given by the faun, shows her that she should open the middle lock, this is shown by an image of her left hand covering the middle lock. However, Ofelia ignores this and the fairy’s advice and opens the left lock which is the correct one and allows her to complete the second task. Not only does this add to the theme of disobedience but it also links to the representation of children as it’s showing hope in the future generation and hope that the children will grow up and fix the political problems. This links to how the effects of the Spanish Civil War lasted after it ended in 1969, it didn’t just all stop suddenly. This is explored in the film, as del Toro explores the theme of how war effects children which is a common theme that he explores, often through use of colour. He also does this in what he describes as the sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth, ‘The Devils Backbone’.

Aesthetic effects in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’

Colour is a technique that del Toro often uses in his movies to get across meaning aesthetically, it is an example of one of his auteur signatures. During the ending of Pan’s Labyrinth, the blue and low-key lighting when Ofelia dies has the connotations of coldness and sadness, aesthetically emphasising the cruelty of Vidal and the Spanish Civil War which the film was set shortly after to the audience, as well as aesthetically evoking sadness. This contrasts to the yellow and high key lighting in the fantasy world after she dies, which aesthetically has happy connotations that makes the audience feel as though she is safe and away from the effects of the war now, and the people involved. This is a common theme that del Toro explores in his movies (how war effects children), he also explored this theme in what he calls the “sister film” to Pan’s Labyrinth, ‘The Devils Backbone’. During the endings sequence, there are many references to other movies. Such as, the mise en scene and close up on Ofelia’s red shoes. Not only is red associated with the fantasy world throughout the movie, but it contextually links to ‘The Wizard of Oz’, and how tapping the shoes takes Dorothy home.  The performance of Ofelia tapping the shows aesthetically makes the audience feel like she is now at how and where she should be. The positive connotations of the cinematography such as the high key lighting also get across this feeling/idea.

4. Discuss some of the ways in which mise-en-scène and editing are used in your chosen film to present a key issue. Refer in detail to specific sequences. [20 marks] (Pan’s Labyrinth)

During the Paleman scene of del Toro’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, mise en scene is used to create meaning, and present key issues. For example, the close up of the pile of shoes. One way that an audience member can interpret this, is that they represent the shows of the incorrect princess’s, and that this mise en scene is used to evoke fear in audience, as it makes you worry that Ofelia will meet the same fate. Another way that the mise en scene of the shoes can be interpreted, is that they are a symbol of world war 2, and the holocaust; that they link to the pile of clothes in the concentration camps. This would link into more mise en scene during this sequence, the horrific images on the ceiling contextually link to Goya’s painting of Saturn eating his son. These two pieces of context link because Goya ate his son due to fear of him growing up and overpowering him, and the Nazi’s targeted children. These pieces of mise en scene and their contextual links evoke fear and panic in the audience for Ofelia. The editing is also used to do this. Such as, the parallel action of Ofelia and the timer creates fear and tension, as the time pressure makes the audience worry that Ofelia will be stuck with the dangerous Paleman. The action reaction shots of her and the Paleman when Ofelia is running away also causes tension, but also links into the representation of age. This is because Ofelia could easily overpower the Paleman, especially since she now has the sharp dagger. However, she chooses not to, therefore showing how children are less violent than some of the dangers adults like Vidal, possibly therefore also showing that children are the hope for the future after the effects of the Spanish Civil War, which the film was set shortly after.

Another example of meaningful mise en scene is the imagery of Ofelia favouring the left, such as the left lock and her left hand. For example, in the Paleman’s bool, Ofelia is shown using her left hand to cover up a lock. This symbolises her association with left wing politics rather than right wing, which Vidal associates himself with by favouring his right hand. When it comes to choosing a lock, despite the middle lock being shown in the book and the fairies indicating to the middle lock, Ofelia chooses the left lock. This helps to reinforce her association with left wing politics through symbolism, as well as adding to the theme of disobedience, as it was her disobedience that allowed her to succeed at the task, as she found the dagger. This is continued latter, when her refusal to cut her baby brother makes her succeed. This theme of disobedience links into the contextual exploration of fascism, as it symbolises how Ofelia will disobey against fascism. This would make sense as earlier in the film, the doctor told Vidal that obeying is something only people like him do.

Mise en Scene is also used in the Paleman sequence to explore the genre of bildungsroman. In the Paleman book, the mise en scene links to this genre as the Paleman’s arms form the fallopian tube shape, which is a motif and symbol throughout the movie, such as the mise en scene of the tree. The reminder of this genre during this scene is important, as it reminds the audience that Ofelia is growing up, and that she is still currently a child. This shows her strength as a child as she is able to escape from the Paleman, as well as reminding us of how the film is exploring how the war effects children which is a theme that del Toro often explores in his films, such as in ‘The Devils Backbone’.

Cinematography

• Book opening – light is on her face
• Gold/yellow lighting against the blue lighting – different worlds, separates them and the colour connotations
• Camera tracking out – separation
• Dramatic irony – Ofelia doesn’t know that the Paleman is awake
• Camera mainly focused on Ofelia
• Low key lighting to high key lighting
• Reverse tracking shot to see how big the space is

Mise en Scene

• Paleman’s arms in book (that shows task pictures)– fallopian tube shape – bildungsroman genre
• Stigmata in the Paleman’s hands
• Horrific images around the room – foreshadowing brother (?), link to Goya’s painting and Nazi’s, evokes fear and terror. Like church paintings (not the content, the style of painting)
• Shoe pile – war – Nazi, and/or false princesses
• Sharp dagger – danger
• Red food – danger
• Red in the Paleman’s room
• Hourglass
• In the book, Ofelia’s left hand covers the middle lock, she picks the left lock (symbolising left-wing politics and adding to theme of disobedience), intuitive
• Church like
• Fire – hell
• Floor lines don’t match

Performance

• Paleman walks rigid and stiff – like the faun, scary
• Paleman’s actions are elongated and exaggerated
• Ofelia – determination and cleverness
• Paleman is slower, Ofelia could easily overpower him especially with the dagger, but she chooses not to which opposes her to Vidal
• Both Vidal and the Paleman sit at the head of the table – Paleman is possibly a symbol for fascism
• Picks the left lock – intuitive, symbol for left wing politics
• Fairies laugh at the Paleman
• Ofelia climbs up to get out – hell
• Head and feet in separate worlds – makes it seem real (use of cinematography as well – coloured lighting)

Editing

• Action reaction shot when Ofelia runs away to heighten the tension
• Parallel action of the timer – tension

Sound

• Sounds like you can hear breathing
• Ofelia’s heavy breathing
• Loud bangs when the Paleman wakes up
• Cracking and strained breathing of the Paleman
• Animal sounds – Paleman
• Tense music?
• Drumming – heartbeat
• Exaggerated fantastical sounds – key, dagger
• Fairy sound like the insect
• Wind
• Fire sound
• Eye sound
• Screaming babies when we see the pictures
• Mechanical like sounds after Ofelia enters back – back to reality?

Genre

• Fantasy (e.g. sound of dagger and key)

Messages/Meanings/Response and Themes

• Fascist symbols/metaphors
• Fantasy/Fantastical
• Bildungsroman
• Gothic?
• Horror?
• How the war effects children (something del Toro often explores such as in ‘The Devils Backbone’ which he refers to as the sister film of Pan’s Labyrinth)
• Disobedience – disobeying is why Ofelia succeeds throughout the movie, and why she can enter the fantasy world at the end of the movie. It links to disobeying fascism and standing up for what is right, and how children are the hope for the future. It links to hoe the doctor told Vidal that obeying without questioning was something only people like him (Vidal) did.

Aesthetic Effects/Aesthetics

• Use of colour – red food, red room
• Use of coloured lighting – blue (low key) vs the gold/yellow

Representation (continues on the next page)

Age

• Paleman is old
• Ofelia is young and strong, a hope for the future (in terms of going against fascism, disobeying, etc)

Gender

• Ofelia breaks gender stereotypes and expectations
• Bildungsroman genre and fallopian tube imagery

Contexts

• World War 2, holocaust and Nazi’s
• Spanish Civil War and fascism
• Goya’s painting of Saturn eating his son

Paleman and Vidal Links

• They could both be a symbol for fascism, and how fascism effects children (Ofelia)
• Paleman is powerful but weak – this could be like Vidal
• They both sit at the head of the table

Cinematography

• Camera rotates to be the correct way around
• The violence and harm reverses
• Blue lighting
• Yellow lighting in car
• Over the shoulder shot of the fairy
• Close up of the fairy – important character
• Low key lighting to high key lighting in one shot
• Goes from underneath to above

Mise En Scene

• Watch – metonym for Vidal – Vidal is damaged, Vidal’s identity. Also, a symbol for death (fathers story associated with the watch – he smashed it when he died)
• Ofelia wears green
• Fascist symbol on the car
• “dead” – see a skull – symbol of civil war aftermath and Vanitas – skull as a symbol for mortality and death
• Fairy-tale book – Ofelia’s silhouette in the book
• Expensive car
• Underground is the ruined city (links to the Tower of Babel)
• Based off of the initiation wells (stairwell)

Performance

• Ofelia uses her left hand to shake, Vidal uses his right hand, symbol of left and right wing politics. Vidal is a fascist captain.
• Ofelia uses her right hand to hold her books, could suggest that they are more important to her
• “15 minutes late” – punctual person, captain
• Vidal takes his glove off when he speaks to the mum/touches bump, but has it on when it’s Ofelia
• “Do it for me” – bossy and controlling
• Vidal grasps Ofelia’s hand

Sound

• Lullaby (Mercedes lullaby) – we hear it before we see anything
• Hear the wind when you see the eye
• Insect/fairy is loud – exaggerated, appears close, important
• Hear the watch before the close up, – hard wooden percussive clicking – sound bridge and links to Pan, clunky movement natural (wood), unnatural (otherworldly), creepy, manipulative
• Wind – classic gothic
• Close sonic perspective (and sound bridge) of the heavy breathing – close to us, dramatic
• Leaves and the walking are loud – suspenseful and close to us (gothic/horror) – Ofelia is the main focus – child’s perspective

Editing

• Slow cut rate?
• We get context and then Ofelia dies
• Fairy-tale links to Ofelia (seeing fairy book)
• Ones text (factual, distant), the other is narration (poetic, powerful images)
• Reverse motion – looks like a continuous shot (eye)

Genre

• Bildungsroman (coming of age)

Messages/Meanings/Response

• Dramatic irony – knowing that she dies (foreshadowing)
• Sound bridge of the watch – death

Themes

• Story telling – context and the fairy-tale book
• Death
• Gender – Vidal underestimates women
• Gothic

Representation

Age

• Young girl has to take responsibility for her mother
• Ofelia explores and is curious

Ethnicity

• Spanish
• White

Gender

• Pregnant woman – presented negatively and problematic and needs hep from the men
• Vidal bosses the mum and Ofelia around

Context

• Spanish civil war
• Tower of Babel
• The initiation wells

Explore the representation of Gender in Pan’s Labyrinth [20]

The representation of gender in the opening of del Toro’s ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ sets up female stereotypes of women being weak so that the film can break down these stereotypes later on in the film. For example, Ofelia’s mum (Carmen), is heavily pregnant with Ofelia’s brother, and she is experiencing severe pregnancy issues. This causes Carmen to need help and all the people who come to help her are men suggesting that women need help from men to the audience, therefore representing women as weaker than men. This then changes as the film progresses with characters like Mercedes whose performance shows that she can stand up for herself, specifically against Vidal, an evil fascist character who believes himself to be better than everyone else. Vidal being fascist links to the fact that the film was set shortly after the Spanish civil war, Vidal is often associated with blue lighting because it has connotations of coldness like his character. Vidal explicitly says that he doesn’t need help when he has captured Mercedes because she is a woman, but she approves him wrong. Her performance shows that women are not weaker than men (Mercedes escapes from Vidal), and therefore the gender stereotypes that were built at the beginning of the film with Carmen have now been broken down.

The stereotypes also get broken down by the girl and the protagonist Ofelia, who also defies the stereotypes of her age (she is a child). Throughout the movie she shows courage. For example, during the paleman sequence the parallel action of Ofelia and the timer counting down the time that she has left before she is trapped causes tension in the audience. As does the action reaction shots of Ofelia and the paleman running after her. The audience is scared for her and therefore it is a dangerous situation in which Ofelia shows much bravery as she doesn’t choose to overpower the paleman with her new dagger. The audience is shown that the paleman is scary but weak through his appearance which is very skinny, and through this the audience learns that Ofelia could over power him, especially with her sharp and dangerous dagger, the sharpness is empathised by the non-diegetic and heavily exaggerated noise attached to it when Ofelia runs her finger along the side. But Ofelia runs, showing her bravery, which is a good representation of women contrasting to the initial stereotypes that were set up. She also shows the ability to make up her own mind and not be passive, this links to the theme of disobedience and obeying and how disobeying is what makes Ofelia succeed in her final task; this links to political context and how del Toro is saying that it’s important not to obey dangerous leaders like Vidal, and how people shouldn’t react passively to fascism. It’s also a way of representing how children are the future and will help fix the long-lasting effects that the Spanish Civil war had on Spain. Ofelia making her own decisions is a good representation of women as it shows them as independent and non-passive. It also links to the bildungsroman genre and how Ofelia is growing up and she is developing ideas, opinions and ideologies to live by. This is all represented by the fact that before the paleman task, in the book that the faun gave Ofelia, she can be seen using her left hand (symbolising left-wing politics contrasting to Vidal who favours his right hand symbolising right-wing politics and his fascism) covering the middle key hole. Ofelia, when faced with the key holes, uses her left hand linking her to left wing politics but instinctively opens the left lock despite the book and the fairies telling her to open the middle one. This shows her good disobedience, how she isn’t passive and follows the correct political path (left lock represents left wing and not fascism). Linking this back to gender, the film is representing women as non-passive with strong ideological opinions.

The presentation of men includes the criticism toxic masculinity which is shown in the opening of the film with the metonym of Vidal’s watch which was given to him by his father. The very first time we see Vidal his performance shows his leader like attributes such as punctuality, the first thing we hear him say is “15 minutes late”. This has links to him being a captain during the time shortly after the Spanish Civil War which the film was set shortly after, therefore representing men as authority figures. He’s shown holding his watch which has a foley ticking sound that is also sound bridged to emphasise its meaning to the audience which is that it is a metonym for Vidal. This means that the prop of the watch represents Vidal as a person. For example, the watch has a broken face meaning that Vidal is an emotionally broken man. This is probably because of his father and how he passed down toxic masculinity to him. This does not excuse the horrific things that Vidal’s character did, but it does possibly suggest one of the reasons as to why Vidal was the way that he was. The story behind the watch is that Vidal’s father smashed the watch at the time that he died so that Vidal would know the exact time that he died, this presents the toxic idea of “dying like a man”. Throughout the film Vidal frequently glances down at his watch such as when he is about to die, shown through a close up, which reminds him of the toxic masculinity that his father passed down to him; as an audience, we can assume that wasn’t the only toxic masculinity related idea that was given to Vidal through his father. The ending of the film puts an end to this toxic masculinity because Mercedes tells Vidal before he dies that his new born son won’t even know his name, instead of telling him the time that his father died like Vidal wanted her to. This representation of age links to the representation of age with Ofelia because it also shows that children are key to the future, del Toro might be trying to say that during the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War the children will help to make things right again. This is also links to the presentation of war and children, and how del Toro often used the theme of how war effects children in his films such as in ‘The Devils Backbone’ which he describes as the sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth.

With reference to ‘Pans’s Lanbyrinth, explore how cinematography makes meaning

In the ending of del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, the cinematography makes meaning through the lighting. Specifically, through the contrast of the low-key blue lighting and the yellow flood of lighting that takes Ofelia to the fantasy world which has high key lighting. The colour blue has connotations of coldness and is often associated with Vidal, and therefore fascism. For example, during the ending sequence there is a long shot of Vidal and his men coming around the corner in where there is blue lighting. The connotations of coldness and the link to fascism emphasises to the audience the negative effects that the Spanish Civil War had (which the film was set shortly after), especially on children who are represented by Ofelia. The theme of how war effects children is a common theme in del Toro’s films, it is also explored in ‘The Devils Backbone’ which del Toro calls the sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth.

The ending sequence shows the collisions of the real and the fantasy world through the coloured lighting. During the long shot of Vidal walking into the labyrinth to follow Ofelia, the sky is filled with both blue (real world) and golden yellow, which normally is associated with the fantasy world such as when in the middle sequence Ofelia opened the magical book given to her by the faun and a golden lighting lit up her face. The visual representation of the collision of the two worlds makes the audience feel tense and nervous for the characters that they love like Ofelia and Mercedes, as the cross over of the worlds must mean something big will happen. In this case, it was Ofelia refusing to cut her brother with the sharp dagger she received in the second task, meaning she unknowingly had done what the faun wanted her to do. But this meant that Vidal, while there was low key and blue lighting, shot her, causing her to die and spell her own innocent blood, completing the third task. Also, Vidal shot her in what appears like the gut/womb area, which links to the bildungsroman genre, as it’s showing how Ofelia’s growth into a woman has been stopped in death. In this moment the tension that has been built through the cinematography, such as the close up of Vidal grabbing his gun, fades away and the audience are left with sadness. The death of Ofelia links back to the Spanish civil war, because her death is permanent and will last forever, just like the effects that the Spanish civil war had didn’t all end in 1939 immediately.

The flood of high key golden yellow lighting takes Ofelia into the fantasy world. This world has high key lighting and is filled with golden yellow and red mise en scene, for example Ofelia’s outfit, just like the rest of the fantasy world. These colours give a connotation of warmth, making the audience feel as though Ofelia is now safe. However, some audience members might interpret that this was just a dream, a lost hope that the child had before dying as after we see Ofelia in this very happy scene there is a close up of her still alive but breathing, suggesting she has dreamt it all because she is not yet dead and so couldn’t have passed into the fantasy world.

The yellow lighting is also used on Mercedes when she is looking for Ofelia, and the camera pans around to show the chalk drawn on the wall. The yellow lighting is linked to the fantasy world, and so it being associated with Mercedes suggests that she is worthy of the magic and imagination that it holds, as does her ability to see the chalk that Ofelia previously drew. The shot of the chalk and the close up of the flower with high key lighting may to some audience members prove that the fantasy world wasn’t a fantasy and actually real, as the magical elements (chalk and flower) can actually be seen in the real world, this opinion is emphasised by the voice over that explains how people can see the fantasy world if they know what to look. This links back into the fairy-tale genre and story that was started at the beginning of the move, as the film starts and ends with this fairy-tale voice over, it makes the film bookended by it, making it one of the main themes and genres of the movie.

Cinematography

In the ending of Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth lighting is used to convey meaning to the audience in different ways. One way is to control how the audience feels. Aesthetically, when the lighting is low-key and blue, the audience feel fear and the coldness of the character Vidal due to blue having the connotation of coldness. This has links to fascism as Vidal is a fascist character who is portrayed very negatively throughout the movie which links to the Spanish Civil War which the film was set shortly after. The blue low-key lighting is used when Ofelia is running away. Due to her being a child the audience worry a lot for her as Vidal could easily overpower her. The blue lighting fits well with this scene as it’s a dangerous scene for the main character, meaning that lighting with connotations of fear is suitable.

This scene is also when the two-colour pallets in this film collide. The director Del Toro is known for his use of colour in movies, it’s one of the reasons why he can be described as an auteur. In Pan’s Labyrinth the colour pallets are red and gold against blue and green, but lighting is usually blue against the yellow. During the ending scene when Ofelia is running away from Vidal although the lighting is predominantly blue, the longshot of Vidal running into the labyrinth after Ofelia shows the collision of blue and yellow in the sky which represents the collision of the fantasy and real world.

After Ofelia has been shot by Vidal a flood of yellow takes her away from the real world and into the fantasy world. In the fantasy world the lighting is high-key and yellow which makes the audience feel happy as they no longer have to worry for Ofelia, they know that she is safe. This lighting contrasts to the blue of the real world but is similar to the lighting in her first and second task, the tree and the paleman, which are also part of the fantasy world. The lighting is mainly used to separate the two worlds, but audiences can question whether the fantasy world is even real. For example, the yellow light could appear like ‘the light at he end of the tunnel’ and that Ofelia has died and had then entered the fantasy world which is actually real due to innocent blood being spilt which was her third task to complete.

Editing

The editing in the Pale Man sequence in Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is used to create tension. The paleman is a character that Ofelia could easily overpower, he is slow moving, and Ofelia has a dagger. But Ofelia not using the dagger speaks to her character and could have links to her not being a villain and turning to violence when it’s not necessary like Vidal does which separates her from fascism; fascism was explored because the film was set after the Spanish Civil War. The fact that the paleman is easily overpowered means that things like sound and editing need to make up for it and build the tension in the audience, make the audience feel fear and concern. The action reaction shots of Ofelia and the paleman when Ofelia is running away help build the tension, they give the illusion that the paleman is closer to her than he actually is and the cuts back and forth build tension anyway. Especially when paired with the non-diegetic sounds of animal noises that the paleman has which add to the fear he causes within the audience.

The parallel action of the hourglass running out and Ofelia completing her third task also builds tension. When we first see the timer, it is to establish the scene and what is going to happen, the audience learns that it is a timed task and Ofelia must act quickly which builds tension. The shots of the hourglass then turn into parallel action as we see the hourglass during her task to remind us that she is being timed and must escape the danger and when Ofelia is running to build the tension. Seeing Ofelia running away from the Paleman with parallel action of the hourglass makes the audience scared and tense because they don’t want her to be trapped with him as she would be killed. When know she would be killed from the mise en scene such as the pile of children’s shoes which can be interpreted as the shoes of the wrong princess’s but also have a contextual link to the pile of clothes in the holocaust during world war 2.

Sound

In Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, one way the sound is used in the pale man scene is to make the scene feel fantasy like to the audience. When Ofelia gets the key and runs her finger along the dagger that she collects, there is an exaggerated and fantastical, non-diegetic sound that gives the impression of fantasy and fairy-tale. This could link to Pan’s Labyrinth having many genres, one of which being fantasy, but it could also suggest that this task is happening inside of Ofelia head.  The film leaves whether or not the fantasy place was ambiguous, relating the second task to fantasy through fantastical sounds could be a way of associating the other world with fantasy.

The sound is also used to build tension. There is non-diegetic drumming when Ofelia is running away from the paleman which could be interpreted as a heartbeat. This ties in with the theme of morality which is first introduced at the beginning of the film when the audience see’s Ofelia’s death reversed which causes dramatic irony for the rest of the film. Hearing a heartbeat like sound reminds us that Ofelia is mortal and that she can/is going to die, but it also reminds the audience themselves that they are mortal too. The close sonic perspective of Ofelia’s breathing which is a diegetic sound also helps build tension as it’s another way that the audience gets told that Ofelia is in danger causing them to feel fear and concern.

There is also an exaggerated foley sound for the fire which empathises the links to religion. The fire links to hell and the room through mise en scene links to a church.  Having a symbol of hell makes the audience anxious for Ofelia to leave the room but having it in a church like room is a link to the negative attitudes towards the church during the Spanish Civil War which ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ is set shortly after. This is done earlier on in the film when the person who works at the church is putting lots of food on his plate while talking about people starving due to the effects of the war.

Mise En Scene

In the pale man sequence of Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth there are many links to the church. The reverse tracking shot allows the audience to see how big the room is, but it also shows the pillars which remind the audience of churches. There’s also a fire with an exaggerated foley sound which links to hell causing fear. Plus, there are pictures around the room which look like murals/decoration you’d find in a church. These pictures are of dying babies and have a contextual link to Goya’s painting of Saturn eating his son; this then has reference to the second world war as Nazi’s targeted children due to them believe they were the source of Judaism and Saturn ate his son because he was afraid he would grow up and overpower him. This is presenting both the war and the church’s actions during the Spanish Civil War (which the film was set shortly after) negatively as the films links negative and fearful thigs with the church. The paleman himself even links to Jesus as he has the stigmata on his hands which are where his eyes go, but links to Jesus being crucified. Again, linking something so dangerous to the church is a way of presenting the negative attitude towards the church’s actions during the Spanish civil war. This was also done earlier in the film when the person who worked at a church piled lots of food on their plate while talking about other people starving.

The dagger that Ofelia uses helps to bring fear in the audience as the prop is sharp. Despite Ofelia having something dangerous and being a life-threatening situation, she lives which has links to the representation of age. Typically, audience members might assume that Ofelia will do worse at the task because she is so young, but the film proves that children can be strong with throughout the film.  Children are also represented as the source of a good future as she is shown to be more left wing than right and against fascism. One example of this is in the paleman scene when in the picture in the book her left hand is used to cover the middle keyhole but she opens the left keyhole anyway to show she is more left wing than fascist characters like Vidal who favours his right hand. This also has links to disobedience and how Ofelia refuses to follow Vidal’s rules, again showing how the children are to key to fighting against fascism after the Spanish Civil War.

Performance

During the final scene of Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth Vidal’s performance shows the audience the nature of his character. Even though he is heavily wounded due to Mercedes and is clearly defeated with the rebels surrounding him, he straightens his posture and walks more powerfully when he see’s the rebels because even when he knows that he is defeated he does not want to lose his dignity or sense of superiority over them; he is a captain during the time after the Spanish civil war. This is also supported by the proxemics as he chooses to stand tall in the middle of them instead od cowing in the corner to make him seem more powerful and try and keep his dignity. This links to the representation of gender and how his father would have passed on toxic masculinity to him which is why he feels he needs to “die like a man”; this links to him grasping his watch when he knows he is going to die. The watch is a metonym for Vidal, the cracked face represents Vidal as a broken person due to toxic masculinity. The watch was given to him by his father so he would know what time that he had died (which links to the theme of morality), Vidal wants to pass down this toxic masculinity and have his son told what time he died but Mercedes stops this from being done, showing that the children are the source of a positive future. It could also give a reason as to why he treats women so badly and why he see’s himself as above everyone else, it does not excuse him but the audience would feel a little sympathy for him.

Context

The mise en scene during the paleman sequence in Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth has many contextual links. For example, the pile of shoes in the paleman’s room can be interpreted as the shoes of the incorrect princesses but they are a contextual reference to the second world war and the holocaust. This has links to the horrific pictures around the room of children dying as these images are linked to Goya’s painting of Saturn eating his son which links to the holocaust because the Nazi’s targeted children because they thought that were the root of Judaism and Saturn was eating his son because he was afraid he would overpower him when he grew up.  These pieces of mise en scene make the audience feel afraid for Ofelia because she is a child and in danger, however she does survive which shows that the representation of age is that children are stringer than the adults in the film think.

The paleman room has many links to a church such as the horrific images, the pillars we see during the reverse tracking shot and the paleman having stigmata on his hands linking him to Jesus being crucified. The room is also portrayed as dangerous with mise en scene like the red food as red has the connotation of danger. Linking such a dangerous character and horrible room to the church represents the negative attitudes towards the church during the Spanish Civil War which the film was set shortly after. This idea was explored earlier in the film when a man who worked for the church was eating at a table with Vidal and was piling food on his plat while talking about how there were people out there starving.

Because the film is set after the Spanish Civil it explores the effect that war has on children which is something that Del Toro often does in his movies such as with ‘The Devils Backbone’. It’s also why the film explores fascism though characters like Vidal. Vidal is shown favouring his right hand which links him to right wing politics and as an evil and violent character fascist are portrayed as bad people. To contrast, Ophelia is shown to be more left wing and to be disobedient against fascism (disobedience being a theme throughout the film). During the paleman scene, the book (prop) which the faun gave Ophelia shows her what she must do. In the book, she is shown using her left hand (left wing) to cover the middle key hole. Despite this, and despite being told by the fairies to open the middle one, she opens the left key hole which shows her disobedience against fascism and her leaning towards left wing politics. This representation of age shows children as the future after the Spanish Civil War.

Aesthetics

During the ending of Pan’s Labyrinth when Ophelia is running away from Vidal there is blue low-key lighting that makes the audience feel cold and fear for Ophelia as blue has the connotation of coldness and because blue is associated with Vidal, who is a dangerous fascist character, throughout the movie. The lighting is also blue and low key when Vidal shots Ophelia. This lighting shows that Ophelia is surrounded by the danger of fascists like Vidal and the effects of the Spanish Civil War that the film was set shortly after, the effect that war has on children is something that Del Toro often explores in his films such as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devils Backbone. The church non-diegetic choir singing sound when Vidal walks into the labyrinth is not the only church reference in the scene, when Ophelia is greeted by her mother and father in the magical world the mise en scene looks like a church with stained glass windows and pews, this contrast to the previous negative attitudes towards the church that were presented throughout the film.

The colour pallet in movies is a notable ‘Del Toroizm’, he uses colour in every movie to help get across meaning such as the fear from the blue and to show how the real world is represented with blue and green and the magical world is represented with yellow and red. In the last sequence, the collision between the two worlds is shown with the long shot of Vidal walking into the labyrinth and the sky is blue and yellow, this makes the reader feel tense as the collision of the two worlds means something has to happen which could be bad.  Del Toro can be called an auteur because he has input in every aspect of the movie, the park of Bomarzo was a real place that he took inspiration from as well as the initiation wells at Quinta de Regaleira in Portugal these helped him to design the mise en scene in the film.

To contrast, the yellow flood of light that takes Ophelia into the magical world after being shot in which the lighting and mise en scene such as set design is yellow and red makes the audience feel calmer as it feels like Ophelia is safe now, she’s away from the dangers of fascism and the aftermath of the Spanish civil war. In this scene the mise en scene has references to other movies that Del Toro took inspiration from. Such as, Ophelia’s red shows link to ‘The Wizard od Oz’ and therefore the idea of going home, suggesting that Ophelia is home now and will be much happier. Despite it being a much happier place, the mise en scene does provide some discomfort to the audience. The chairs that Ophelia and her parents have suggest a hierarchy as the king is taller than the queen and princess. This represents the gender inequality that also existed in the real world which could be suggesting the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War as the problems didn’t stop immediately – even when Ophelia had entered a magical world/afterlife some problems still carried on making the audience feel sad. However, these chairs also provided closure to the bildungsroman genre/coming of age theme in the movie. Fallopian tubes were shown throughout such as with the fauns horns which was one way of highlighting that Ophelia was growing up and there’s chairs provide evidence to the audience that Ophelia has grown up as she is not greeted like a child but like an adult and must and can get to the high seat herself.

Representation

The representation of gender in the opening of Pan’s Labyrinth sets up female stereotypes and then breaks them down later in the film. Carmen, Ophelia’s mum, is pregnant and very ill due to pregnancy issues. When she needs help, all the people who come to her aid are men suggesting that women need help from men to the audience. This changes as the film progresses with characters like Mercedes whose performance shows that she can stand up for herself. Vidal’s dialogue expresses that he doesn’t need help when he has Mercedes because she’s a woman, but she proves him wrong and her performance shows this as she is smarter than him and is able to physically stand up for herself. The representation of gender here is that the women are stringer than the men think.

However, toxic masculinity is also portrayed in the opening. The first time we see Vidal his performance shows his leader like attributes such as punctuality, the first thing we hear him say is “15 minutes late”. This has links to him being a captain during the time after the Spanish Civil War which the film was set shortly after. He is also shown with his watch which has a foley ticking sound that is louder than you’d expect to emphasise it’s purpose which is that it is a metonym for Vidal. The watch represents Vidal as a person, it has a cracked face meaning that Vidal is a broken man probably because of his father passing down toxic masculinity to him which doesn’t excuse him but is something that happened. His father smashed the watched when he had died so that Vidal would know when he died. Vidal keeps looking at the watch throughout the film which reminds him of the toxic masculinity that his father passed to him with ideas such as ‘dying like a man’. This toxic masculinity is stopped from being passed down at the end of the film when Mercedes tells Vidal that his son won’t even know his name. This representation of age shows that children are key to the future, that during the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War the children will help to make things right again.

The representation of age in the opening scene is that Ophelia is treated like a child. She is told what to do such as she isn’t allowing to walk away, and she’s supposed to not read her fairy-tale books. But she explores and isn’t willing to give up her fairy tales just because her new step dad Vidal wouldn’t like it, which is a reason why the audience can interpret the mum not wanting her reading them. But it’s this disobedience to these rules that make Ophelia succeed in the movie. Disobedience and obedience is a theme throughout the film where obedience is typically linked to obeying fascism and Ophelia goes against this which allows her to succeed in her three tasks and sets her apart from fascism. Ophelia breaks the stereotype of children throughout the film by surviving her dangerous trials such as the paleman and by being clever with her tasks and showing that she considers how everyone is affected, she doesn’t hurt her baby brother. The age representation that was brought up at the beginning, like the gender representation, was brought down. This idea of children growing up/behaving like adults is explored through the genre of bildungsroman/coming of age throughout the movie. There are many references to fallopian tubes throughout the movie such as in the paleman book and the fauns horns’ which all remind the audience that Ophelia is being forced to grow up quickly due to everything going on around her such as the effects of war which is something Vidal does often in his films, he explores the effect that war has children, such as in The Devils Backbone which he describes as the sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth.

In Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, different elements of mise en scene such as props, sets and clothing design can be interpreted in different ways to give different meanings. In the paleman scene, the audience sees a close-up of a pile of shoes on the ground. One way this can be interpreted is that they are the shoes of the incorrect princesses, therefore heightening the sense of danger in the audience. Another interpretation is that they have a contextual link to World War 2 and the Nazi’s with concentration camps; which could link to the theme of how war effects children, provoking the response in the audience to consider the deeper meaning of what’s happening to Ofelia, and the tragedy of war. This links into the horrific images around the paleman’s room of children and babies being killed, although some interpretations of this is that it foreshadows the third task with Ofelia’s brother, the main interpretation is that they are inspired by Goya’s painting of Saturn eating his son. The interpretation of that painting is that Goya was scared that his child would grow up and overpower him, and therefore killed him; this links back to world war 2, when the Nazi’s targeted children because of their “dangerous” beliefs.

The paleman himself can be interpreted in many ways. His physical appearance makes him scary, because of his long sharp fingers, incredibly skinny body, sagging skin and his eye hands. Meaning that one interpretation of the paleman is to just evoke fear in the audience to help build tension in the scene. Another interpretation is that the paleman represents Vidal and fascism, and that this is the true meaning for this scene to exist; he sits in the same place that Vidal does – at the head of the table (proxemics) showing the dangers of fascism, and he attacks when Ofelia disobeys, linking to the theme of disobedience and choice and how fascism is commonly linked with obedience and lack of choice. However, the other interpretations of the paleman can be religious. The table with red food that he sits at, although initially cause a tense atmosphere because of the danger connotations to red, have a link to the famous last supper painting as the room itself is similar to that of a church due to the pillars. Plus, the stigmata with his hands, the holes where he puts his eyes, not only cause disgust but link to Jesus being crucified. Linking the paleman to a religious figure represents the critical views towards the church during the Spanish Civil War, this was also shown earlier in the film when the priest was greedily eating food when knowing others were starving. This religious symbolism is an aspect in many Del Toro films, it’s an aesthetic and Del Toro-ism, it’s also used in “The Devils Backbone” which is none as a sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth.  To contrast, the holes in his hands may also be a link to another scene in the film, when Vidal and his men find the rebels and start to kill them. One of the rebels puts his hand in-front of the gun in an elongated moment, before being shot directly in the centre of his hand where the paleman’s eye’s go. Suggesting again the importance of choice (hand) and morals (sight) being something that should be united, as killing mercilessly due to obeying is obviously wrong and fake choice (obedience) without thinking of morals.

The watch prop which is a part of mise en scene can be interpreted as a metonym for Vidal, that it stands in for everything that Vidal is and represents who he is as a person. The watch face being cracked, shows the audience that he is a broken man, most likely due to the toxic masculinity (representation of gender) that his father placed upon him; he smashed his watch at the time he died, and would have encouraged Vidal to act and die like a man, making Vidal a cold character that has a big and mean reputation that he cares about greatly, but also damages him as a person because he’s forced to conform. A different interpretation is that the watch is a symbol of morality, the ticking of it going and his father smashing it when he died reminds the audience that the characters and that they themselves are mortal, creating the aesthetic feel of a gothic and/or horror movie, which are genres Del Toro often explores.

The use of colour and therefore aesthetic look and feel of the costume design can mean different things. Ofelia typically wears green dresses such as at the beginning when she see’s the fairy and when she enters the toad tree. However, when she is in the fantasy world after dying at the end of the movie, she wears red and gold. As the real world is typically blue (low-key blue lighting) as its connotation is coldness (and it has a link to fascism), the green outfits suggest a link to the real world as the shades used are both dull and they are often associated with one another. Meaning, the red and gold outfit is those colours because the fantasy world normally has yellow high-key lighting, with yellow/gold and red surroundings such as props. This could be done to help identify the two worlds and the feelings attached as gold and red are warmer colours, or to show how Ofelia always belonged in the fantasy world as she removes her green dress before entering the tree (fantasy world). Another interpretation, which Del Toro has spoken about, is that red and gold were used because they were internal colours, it showed Ofelia’s desire to be back inside her mother which has links to loneliness because of the war taking her dad away and Vidal taking her mum (genre of how the war effects children). Hence why Ofelia physically crawls into the tree which symbolises fallopian tubes wear the insides are internal colours and why she is reborn at the end of the movie. It’s also part of the coming of age/bildungsroman genre of the film to do with Ofelia being on the cusp of womanhood. This links to the fallopian tube symbolism and imagery through the film due to mise en scene which is used for the toad tree, the shape that the faun’s horns make, the shape that the paleman’s arms make in the book and the shape of the blood that appears in the book, it becomes a motif as it’s symbol is portrayed many times.

Lastly, the chairs at the end of the movie where Ofelia’s parents sit have different interpretations too. One is the symbol and suggestion of royalty and the idea that the patriarchy still exists in the afterlife, as well as sexism as the dad is the highest, possibly suggesting the aftermath of the Spanish civil war as issues still carried on after, it didn’t all stop in 1939. Another interpretation is that it links to the genre of bildungsroman/coming of age, that Ofelia has grown up and no longer is treated like a child and is greeted like an adult, or that the representation of young children is that the film has proven children shouldn’t be and do not need to be spoken down upon as if they were lesser like Vidal and Carmen does to Ofelia. The other interpretation is plot and narrative related, that the seats are impossibly high because Ofelia has proved herself as the lost princess and can therefore still sit upon the chair, despite it’s impossible height.

The aesthetics are the ‘look and feel’ of the film, during the ending scene, the film form elements all work together to make the audience feel certain ways as well there being links to other movies that Del Toro has taken inspiration from. Del Toro is an auteur, the input he put into the scene shapes everything that you see, hear and feel and it was like this throughout the film.

The mise en scene and visual style of the final scene, when Ofelia is in the afterlife place is golden and red. Ofelia’s dress is red and gold (contrasting to her usual green dresses) links her to the fantasy world in the audiences minds and gives a warm and comforting feeling in the audience as they are the opposite of cold colours such as blue, which is associated with the real world; the yellow high-key lighting of the afterlife contrasting with the blue low-key lighting of when Ofelia is dying also does this; it also combines the magical and real world as parallels and the contrast between the fantasy and horror elements of the film. The colours from the mise en scene and lighting (and the high-key lighting) makes the audience happier, and we feel a sense of relief as we know that Ofelia is safe; it also gives a sense that Ofelia has been reborn. As well as this, Ofelia’s red shoes which are a part of mise en scene link to The Wizard of Oz and the idea of going home, suggesting that Ofelia is now home with her family and that everything is okay.

The room with her parents is church like. Their are stained glass windows and the people sit on what looks like pews. This contrasts to the church symbolism in the paleman scene, where the negative views to the church during the Spanish civil war was portrayed. The positive church design, suggests to the audience that Ofelia is going to be happier, therefore making the audience feel happy. This religious symbolism is a del Toro aesthetic/ a Del Toro-ism, he often includes religious symbolism in his movies; one other movie where he uses religious symbolism is in The Devils Backbone, which is described as a sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth as it covers similar topics such as the Spanish Civil War and uses similar techniques such as the low key lighting.

The only off-putting feeling that the audience would get is from the height of the chairs being different which we see through a long shot. The king, Ofelia’s dad, has the highest chair. Possibly suggesting that the patriarchy system still exists in the afterlife and possibly some sexism as well. This could link to the after effects of the Spanish Civil war, and how even though it ended in 1939, issues were still existent. Another audience interpretation of the high chairs is that the representation of age has come to a positive conclusion, Ofelia was greeted like an adult and not a child (linking to the bildungsroman genre) suggesting that Ofelia was finally not spoken down upon because of being a child again making the audience feel happier. The chairs could also be tall because of the narrative and plot, a suggestion of how Ofelia has proved herself, the chairs to the audience appear impossible to sit on, but Ofelia has proven herself as the lost princess and therefore is not troubled by this.

The motif of the lullaby that Mercedes sings and is used throughout the film gives a sense of how peoples choices have been taken away from them because of the war, as the song has no words suggesting they had no say (and specifically the effect that war had on children which Del Toro wanted to explore). The film highlights how people should disobey and have their own choice, and it’s shown to the audience that Ofelia has this now as the lullaby stops after the she enters the fantasy world until the sound bridge of her coming back into the reality world. This again makes the audience happy and feel comforted knowing that Ofelia will have a better life now.

While running away from Vidal, the blue low-key lighting makes the scene cold, harsh, and emotionless, it makes the audience feel afraid and sad. This has links to fascism and the Spanish Civil War as throughout the film, the blue low-key lighting has been linked to Vidal and therefore fascism, the connotations of the colour blue present fascism negatively and as something that has lack of morals (cold). Normally, the reality world is presented as being just as dangerous as this fascism filled and dark world such as in the paleman scene, but the final fantasy scene suggests that Ofelia is now safe and going to be happy. However, the cinematography is also used to show how Ofelia is not alone, the mid-shot of her and Mercedes when Ofelia is dying contrasts to the mid-shot at the beginning of the film where Ofelia is dying alone, giving a bitter sweet feeling as we are glad to know that Ofelia isn’t alone, but she’s dead so it’s too late and almost meaningless. However, this does provide a circular structure to the film as it ends leaving the audience feeling as though the film is definitely concluded.

Some audience members may argue that the ending shows how it’s all in Ofelia’s head. The editing means that Ofelia is dying (which is a Gothic/horror element), then she and the audience see the afterlife, then she dies, suggesting that she imagined it to herself. Plus, the world is too perfect, all of the fairies are there despite some of them being dead, suggesting that the flood of yellow light that took her into this fantasy was her beginning to imagine rather than being “the light at the end of the tunnel”, and that she was imagining a happy place that she’d rather be in. Some audiences may also feel that the entire film has been in her head as she dies, because the film begins and ends with her in the same place. These are ways that the film is left ambiguous, causing the watcher to rethink the movie and be curious.

In the opening sequence of Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth the audience learns about representation of gender, age, ethnicity and about fascists.

In terms of gender, the film sets up gender stereotypes and then tears them down later in the film to show issues with sexism against women and toxic masculinity. One of the first things we see is Carmen, an adult pregnant woman, needing help from a man with her pregnancy issues. This presents the stereotype that women are in need of men’s help and cannot cope alone. The character Vidal, only cares about his son. He removes his glove to touch Carmen’s belly which is more personal than with Ofelia as he puts his gloves back on before greeting her and crushing her hand. He also doesn’t great Carmen lovingly, he forces her to do things she doesn’t want to such as sit in the wheelchair, ‘Do it for me’, for the sake of the baby being okay. This controllement  is also a stereotype of men with women, that women are more passive. He gives the baby bump, a better greeting than the other characters and throughout the film he makes it very clear that when it comes to trouble in the pregnancy, the doctor should save the baby. Suggesting, that Vidal views women as baby making machines and only cared about passing down his family name. Plus, he never considers that the baby might be a girl, he always assumes that it’s a boy, showing the stereotype that boys are more desirable and the one that should pass down the family name like Vidal wants. Therefore overall, women have been shown to be the weaker, more passive and the undesirable gender and that men have control and are more aggressive. This stereotype is broken in the rest of the as women such as Mercedes, surpass expectation and have a key role in taking down Vidal and breaks all gender stereotypes and Ofelia, is able to do the three dangerous tasks as a female also breaking down these stereotypes.

The audience immediately knows about Vidal and his men as fascists because of mise en scene,  the cars have the fascist symbol on them. Plus, the cars themselves are expensive suggesting the title of Vidal as a captain and how he, a man, has power. We learn immediately through Vidal’s performance that he is a leader and punctual as his first line is ’15 minutes late’ and he’s watching his watch rather than the car with his wife and child in it, which  presents him as a cold character. It also suggests that the people in this film feel that men are fit to be leaders and women aren’t as Vidal as a man is captain but the lower down workers such as cleaners and cooks are women (such as Mercedes). Showing this unfair treatment and the real side to women throughout the film .breaks these gender stereotypes.

The representation of age in the opening scene shows the impossible standards that children are supposed to meet. Ofelia has to help take care of her sick mother, which is an adult responsibility. Plus, her mum Carmen doesn’t want her to be reading the fairy tale books suggesting Carmen wants her to act more grown up in-front of Vidal. However, Carmen also talks down on Ofelia and Ofelia is presented as having the curiosity of a child as she wonders off immediately to explore. Therefore, Ofelia acts both childlike and mature, and is treated both like a child and an adult, suggesting the impossible standard that has been placed upon children. This has links to one of the film genres being bildungsroman, Ofelia is becoming a woman and more mature and therefore has to overcome this complicated boundary between child and woman.

Ofelia, a child, suggests the hope that children are to the future of Spain by rejecting fascism. We know that Vidal is a fascist and that his men are fascists, and we learn that Ofelia instead is more left wing. When she greats Vidal, she goes to shake his hand using her left hand suggesting that she is more left wing, contrasting to the fascist Vidal who says she’s supposed to use her right hand, linking him to fascism. This could be the film suggesting the end to the Spanish Civil War aftermath and the toxic views such as fascism coming to an end with the next generation.

Although Vidal is evil, he is a victim of toxic masculinity. This is one reason why he treats women as though he is above them in status just by being a man. His father, would have given him the idea that he needs to act like a man and die like a man, he gave Vidal a watch that he smashed when he died so that Vidal would know when he died. Vidal goes on to try and do this during the ending, showing that the toxic masculinity had been passed down to him. He also tries to pass it down to his son, by asking Mercedes to tell him when he died, Mercedes refuses marking the end to the passing of toxic masculinity. Vidal trying to give commands throughout the film and be punctual all the time is a suggestion of how he believes he has to act like a man.

The characters are all Spanish and white, this could have a contextual link  to Spain at the time the film was set, after the Spanish Civil War which ended in 1939.