Pans Labyrinth

• Pale Man Sequence: Cinematorgaphy (2) - Camera tracks away from ofelia as she enters the lair, conveying how she is dwarfed by the surroundings and emphasises her immediate danger - Use of high key, warmer toned lighting in the lair, represents the difference between the fantastical and the darkly lit Ofelias bedroom, perhaps conveying the miserable reality of the real world, and how she feels more confortable amidst fantasy despite being in more danger
• Pale Man Sequence: Mise-En-Scene (3) - Duality of the two worlds between Vidals feat and the pale mans lair - acting almost like the evil interior of captian vidal, both kill innocent people and are blinded to the harm they cause (eyes in the hands) - Nazi imagery with the shoe pile coupled with the goya inspired paintings around the hall represents ofelias immaturity for ignoring the faun, and portrays fascisms role in the film as a whole - Appearance of the pale man stained with blood and his paleness acting as a metaphor for the catholic church, representing the church as responsible for fe...
• Pale Man Sequence: Editing - Mid-shots as Ofelia proceeds around the table, and the awakening of the pale man, quickly proceeds into a series of close ups as she is chased by the pale man
• Pale Man Sequence: Sound (2) - Sounds of horror and children screaming, represents how the pale man feeds off of the fear of children like ofelia - little to no dialogue in the whole sequence, allows tension to be built naturally through crosscutting with the draining hourglass
• Pale Man Sequence: Performance (3) - Performance of the pale man mimicks vidal - stumbling after ofelia is a parallel to vidal chasing after ofelia in the ending sequence - Pale man sits at the head of the table, echoing vidal, portraying how evil is mirrored through the two characters as both are indifferent to harming innocence - The pale man is a metaphor for vidal through how ofelia steals the grape, like mercedes stealing the food from the pantry, which awakens the pale man, like vidal is awakened to how mercedes is the infiltrator through the stealing
• Mercedes fights back sequence: Cinematography (3) - Use of a low angle shot of mercedes, develops a contrast to her self-doubting persona at the start, now portrayed as dominant to the captain - Use of low angle of vidal at the start of the sequence, builds tension, before transitioning to high angle shots as well as vidal falling to his knees as mercedes cuts his mouth - Low key lighting optimising natural light from the cracks in the walls, allows the audience to focus on the action
• Mercedes fights back sequence: Mise-en-Scene - Vidals complaincency as he turns his back to mercedes, challenges his 'shes just a woman' ideology as this results in his demise - his underestimation of mercedes is a catalyst towards her getting revence as she is able to abuse her 'invisibility' in the spanish patriarchal society to the rebels benefit
• Mercedes fights back sequence: Editing (2) - As danger becomes imminent the pace of the scene increases, the fast paced rythmic editing represents mercedes heart racing - Use of match on action cuts maintains engagement with vidal, representing his complaicency as the root of his demise
• Mercedes fights back sequence: Sound (2) - Over exaggerated diagetic, foley sound, like the sheating of the knife from her dress, develops suspense - As vidal collapses to his knees he drops the hammer, audibly creating a impactful sound, representing this moment as monumental in the fall of fascism as a result of mercedes bravery and choosing to fight back
• All aesthetics of Pans Labyrinth (5) - War - Religion - Motherhood - Childhood - Fantasy
• Describe war in terms of pans labyrinths aesthetics - Idea of fascism, similarities between the banquet table and pale mans lair suggestive of a link between the two, both sit at the head of the table and feed of the lives of the innocents
• Describe religion in terms of pans labyrinths aesthetics (3) - Catholic imagery in the pale mans hall - pale man feeding off innocent children mirrors the catholic church destroying the imagination and freedom of young children - systematically crushing the innocence of youth with fantasy being portrayed as the only escape from its clutches - Del toros negative views on fascism and catholicism is evident throughout by portraying the rebels positively, caring and humanised, visualising his leftist beliefs - Adam and eve imagery with the garden of eden, ofelia eating the grape references the for...
• Describe motherhood in terms of pans labyrinths aesthetics (3) - Imagery of the fallopian tubes as the book presents the second task, the pale man takes the form of fallopian tubes - Ofelia sings to the baby in the womb, we transition to see a foetus and a rose surrounded by hellish imagery - represents the rebels who continue to thrive surrounded by cruelty - Trees shape represents fallopian tubes, the tree is dead like carmed following childbirth, the tree provides an image of rebirth through how ofelia emerges dirty from the tree, and how the tree begins to flower after ofelia is reborn int...
• Describe fantasy in terms of pans labyrinths aesthetics - Inspired by many fairytales, including alice in wonderland with Ofelias dress
• Two types of context in Pans Labyrinth - Historical and institutional
• Describe historical contexts in pans labyrinth (3) - Spnish civil war from 1936 to 39, nationalists led by general franco, vidal is hunting the resistance, mimicking francos idealist spanish values - Vidal mirrors franco through the pale man, an all powerful entity ruling through fear, portraying vidals end goal, with ofelia representing the spanish nation who fight to retain the republican cause - Falange symbol used on vidals cars and other equipment etc - a nationalist right wing party involved in the civil war
• Describe institutional contexts in pans labyrinth (2) - Produced on a 13.5 million USD budget making 83 million box office, produced by del toros own production company the tequila gang and debuted at Cannes film festival in may 2006 releasing in cinemas later the same year - Shot across 5 months from June to October 2005 and nominated for 76 major film awards
• Describe the representation of masculinity in pans labyrinth (2) - Male characters are representative of a patriarchal society, presenting link between oppression and fascism, and how patriarchal systems oppress women - In the end sequence he is told his son wont know his name, representing the final exhaustion of the patriarchy
• Describe vidal in terms of masculinity in terms of representations in pans labyrinth - Self loathing - cuts his own throat in the mirror reflection, broken watch face suggestive of his broken identity with the break in the watch mirroring the position in the face he is shot - Obsessed with his appearance, excessive shaving and polishing represents desire for control as part of his masculinity
• All representations in pans labyrinth - Masculinity (pale man and vidal) - Femininity (Ofelia, carmen and mercedes) - Age
• Describe pale man in terms of representations in pans labyrinth (2) - references goya artwork during his mental breakdown in the 1800's - represents the ideas of biblical teaching and testing of faith - Goyas 'saturn' completed in 1821 represents the saturn god devouring his children to prolong his legacy, like the pale man devours the fairy
• Describe the representation of ofelia in terms of femininity representations in pans labyrinth - Positive female representation - she resists fascism and rejects patriarchal values and conformity through ruining the dress in the tree
• Describe Carmen in terms of femininity representations in pans labyrinth - She is a passive character - controlled by vidal, forcefully confining her to a wheelchair, her death is unmourned by vidal, representing materialisation of women for childbirth
• Describe mercedes in terms of femininity representations in pans labyrinth (2) - Actively resists vidal and the fascists, and develops from a timid and self doubting character at the start to proving her strength - use of low angle shot of mercedes standing over vidal - Uses her invisibility as a result of the patriarchy to her strength and attack vidal
• Describe the masculinity vs femininity binary opposition in terms of femininity representations in pans labyrinth - Captian vidal is obsessed with exploiting carmen for a son, his wifes health is of secondary importance and when she dies it is insignificant to him
• Hunting Sequence: Cinematography (2) - Vidal is presented at a low angle representing him as domineering and more powerful than the hunters - mirrors the political representation of fascism and the unnecessary brutality of the fascist regime - Nighttime dark lighting represents the cold emotionless nature of fascism and mirroring the dark actions they commit like the murder of the hunters
• Hunting Sequence: Mise-En-Scene (2) - Use of props like guns to convey violent nature of the fascists - Vidals uniform is pristine, depitctin the fascists as wealthy and obsessive over uniformity (there domestic goal in spain) - outwardly presenting their achievements throught their uniform
• Hunting Sequence: Editing - Continuous shot throughout the murder of the farmers, representing how horrific the methods to enforce obedience are common place in fascist spain
• Hunting Sequence: Sound (2) - Diagetic sound of the hunters crying in pain as they are beaten represents how they have been failed by the state and the political system allowing no means for self defense - Gunshot diagetic audio emphasises the brutal nature of the fascists
• Ending Sequence: Cinematography (2) - High angle shot optimised when vidal takes the baby from ofelia, emphasises how even Ofelia is weak in the face of fascism with the only woman in the film prevailing over the ideology being mercedes and she is left in a dark low key world while ofelia moves into this high key fairytale world, mercedes won but at what cost - Dutch tilt shot to present ofelia lyin dying on the ground mirrors the opening sequence coupled with the dark blue colours presenting the saddening atmosphere, even if we knew this was how the film was to end
• Ending Sequence: Mise-En-Scene (3) - Vidal is now covered in blood from the face to the uniform, forcing the audience to associate the character with the violence he has caused to many others - Watch prop - dismantled and mirrors vidals dismantled face with the crack in the watch face depicting the exact place he was shot in the face - The tree shaped like fallopian tubes begins to blossom following ofelias death, with ofelia acting as a metapho for spain being reborn following francos death
• Ending Sequence: Editing - dissolve editing and fading transitions rather than harsh cuts develops emotion and slows the pace of the film to assume its natural conclusion
• Ending Sequence: Sound - Light humming of the lulluby sound motif once afain used, reaffirming mercedes strong moral values towards fighting for innocence, like the left wing republicans and exacerbates how ofelias death is another death at the hands of patriarchal society
• Themes in Pans Labyrinth (4) - Rebirth - Suffering - Lost Childhood - Motherhood