Category Archives: Pan’s Labyrinth

Film Easter ISP

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Film Easter ISP

 

The Fallen Angels Question didn’t work for some reason, so here it is:

Section D: Film movements – Experimental film (1960-2000)

62) To what extent is the film you have studied recognisable as the product of an auteur? [20]

Fallen Angels is very recognisable as the product of the auteur Wong Kar-wai. For example, his recognisable use of film form. One of the main examples is his use of non-diegetic pop songs throughout the movie, not for ironic purposes, but to connote certain feelings to the audience. Another main example is his use of rain, which he uses to bring characters together in Fallen Angels, furthering the themes of loneliness and togetherness. The mise-en-scene of rain is also used in his other films like ‘The Grandmaster’. Furthermore, he has a specific use of editing in terms of time manipulation to convey meaning. Such as, the use of step printing, like during the assassination sequence, which to partially used to connote a sense of coolness to the character. He also uses slow motion, like the slow motion of the train dirivng past during the opening, which has a sense of lonliness. Simialrly, his use of cinematography also does this. His use of wide angle lens and deep depth of field shots create the sense of sepeartion, as the character at the front is distant from those behind them, creating the sense of lonliness and need for connection with other human beings. These themes can also be seen in his film ‘Chungking Express’, which is the sister film to Fallen Angels, which was initially the third part to the movie. Another connection between these movies are the actors. Interestingly, the same non-actor was used in both, which is an experminetal attitude to film making.  

 

Narratively, Wong Kar-wai’s work tends to be experimental, which is part of his auteur signature. Such as, instead of the narrative focusing on plot and explantaion, it focuses on character, themes like lonliness and connection, and emtions, as he uses expermintal narrative devices and narrative structure to convey very real human emotion. Such as, the narrative device during the opening of narrative repeition of two characters following the same path through the station, then both picking up the same key (close up) and enetring the same house but at different times highlights their lonliness and lack of close connection. This is instead of narrative devices being used for expostion, which most films have during the opengn equilibrium, but Fallen Angels does not. Throughout, instead of explaining who the charcaters are, and why they do what they do, like why the man assisinates people, Wong Kar-wai doesn’t tell us, and instead focuses on the emotion. This could be why the ending equilibrium is open instead of a closed ending, as the two characters on the same bike, with her holding on to him, is suggesting a closness between the two, even if momentary, which in a way sums up the themes of the films and the emotions of the film rather than any plot. During this ending, the lighting in the tunnel is green, and green lighting was also iused earlier when the son was spying on his dad watching the footage he filmed. As Wong Kar-wai doesn’t foolow traditional colour theory, it can be hard to intepret the exact connotations and meaning of his colour choices, but they are picked intentionaly and for emotional meaning. It’s possible due to both times that green lighting was used that it represents closeness between the characters. 

Pan’s Labyrinth: Revision Notes

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Aesthetics:

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.

 

Representation:

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.

 

Context:

In Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, the paleman sequence portrays many different contextual links and has use of themes that run throughout the movie.

The paleman’s room itself is similar to that of a church, it represents the critical view of the church that was held during the Spanish Civil War which the film was set shortly after. When Ofelia firsts open the door, the reverse tracking shot allows the audience to see how big the space is and how similarly designed it is to a church, such as, it has big pillars. In the paleman’s actual room, the horrific pictures on the ceiling are in the same position and designed the same (apart from the actual image) as religious images in church. Plus, the big table that the paleman is sitting on, could also be a reference to the famous last supper table painting, the food being red suggests the negative opinion on the church as red connotates to danger. Plus, the stigmata holes in the paleman’s hands have a link to Jesus being crucified. Therefore, placing such a violent and visually disturbing character (sagging skin, skinny, sharp fingers) in a religious room with connection to Jesus, is implying the critical views of the church at that time.

The gruesome images around the room not only make the audience feel disturbed but have a contextual link to the Spanish artist Francisco Goya who painted Saturn eating his son. The interpretation of this painting is that the Titan feared that his children would overthrow him and therefore ate them.  This was used in Pan’s Labyrinth as it links to world war 2 and the Nazis. They targeted children because of their alleged membership in political, biological or racial groups. The effect that war has on children is atrocious, and it’s something that Del Toro often wants to explore in his films. In Pan’s Labyrinth, he showed the effect that war had on Ofelia with characters such as Vidal and the many references to fascism and the dangers of it including within this scene. Another film where he explored this was ‘The Devils Backbone’ which is often described as a sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth.  Another link to the holocaust in the paleman scene is the pile of shoes, as it has links to the gas chambers. However, another interpretation of this is that they are the shoes of the incorrect princesses, and instead link to the theme of horror and fairy tale rather than a political and historical link.

In the paleman scene, the mise en scene identifies which door Ofelia should use to get they key in the book that she opens. However, she disobeys this and opens the left door, it was this disobedience that allowed her to succeed in the task; suggesting that obeying for the sake of obeying is morally wrong. Obedience and choice are a theme throughout the movie, and obedience is typically linked to Vidal and fascism, it portrays the idea that having no choice and obeying without considering morals and fascism as wrong. The doctor explicitly tells Vidal, ‘Captain, to obey – just like that – for obedience’s sake… without questioning… That’s something only people like you do.’ supports the message that fascism and obeying is wrong. However, Ofelia doesn’t obey, she picks the left door, which links her to left wing politics and therefore not fascism unlike Vidal and suggests hope in the future for Spain as the children will make positive changes. The book that she found the task in, also had the paleman’s arms in the shape of fallopian tubes which supports the genre of bildungsroman throughout the film.

In this sequence, the barrier between the two worlds is clearly defined. One way this is done is when the parallel action shot takes the audience out of the paleman’s room and into Ofelia’s room where we see that the time has run out. The change from high key lighting with yellow and red to low key blue lighting emphasises the separation between the two worlds. However, the blue low-key lighting does still suggest coldness and dangers because it’s connotations which supports that the two worlds are just as dangerous as one another, which is something Del Toro tried to explore. We also get this separation when Ofelia is climbing out of the paleman room and there’s a mid-shot of Ofelia where her top half is in the real world and her legs are in the fantasy place, this give the sense to the audience that both worlds are real as we see them coexist at the same time. They way that Ofelia climbs up to get out of the paleman’s room gives the suggestion of hell, as well the fire which is emphasised by its loud foley sound. This connects back to the critical opinions on the church during the Spanish Civil War and shows the audience how much danger Ofelia is in, causing worry and tension. This religious symbolism is a Del Toro-ism which also appears in the sister film to Pan’s Labyrinth, ‘The Devils Backbone’.

 

Pan’s Labyrinth Paragraphs

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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.

 

Pan’s Labyrinth Mise en Scene Essay

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  1. 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’.

Pan’s Labyrinth Paleman Scene Notes

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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

Pan’s Labyrinth Opening Notes

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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

Pan’s Labyrinth Gender Essay

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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.