FIRST RESPONSE:

8/10

The mise-en-scene when we’re introduced to the Pale Man stood out to me the most; it’s almost opulent with the decorations and the architecture of the hallway leading to the dining room. A lot of food, good food, to try and get Ofelia to give into her impulses, given that in the real world she isn’t allowed the chance to indulge due to being under Captain Vidal’s control. Consequences for her own impulses, when she eats the grapes, it quickly becomes unsettling, the Pale Man looming behind her. 

Micro-elements:   

SOUND

The Sound Design of the effects that accompany the violence is very realistic. This is most likely enhanced in post-production by Foley artists. As parts of this film fit a horror genre this adds to the horror and emotional impact of those violent actions on the viewer. There is also a music motif in the Lullaby that is sung to Ofelia. It can be diegetic when sung by an on-screen characters (the Mother or Mercedes) but it becomes the theme tune for the film taking on a number of different musical forms (orchestral) adding to the suspense in places or the emotional state of Ofelia (rather like the ‘Time Goes By’ tune is manipulated in ‘Casablanca’.) 

CINEMATOGRAPHY

The cinematography makes good use of diegetic wipes. As established within the first 3 minutes of the film, it’s clear that Del Toro likes to keep the camera moving, keeping us as the spectator within the loop of the film. This is shown in the scene where Captain Vidal is shaving, the camera is constantly circling him, using the pillars within the room to pass by, fill the screen with black, and then cut to a new shot of him. That montage in particular, where he’s getting ready for his day, highlights to the spectators that everything does revolve around him – depending on how he’s feeling dictates how everybody else feels, a controlling aspect of his character; from the disciplined morning routine to the abuse of power. 

MISE-EN-SCÉNE

Framing and composition used in this film is designed to make the audience immerse themselves into Ofelia’s experience. Consistently utilizing symmetry and tight framing to highlight Ofelia’s isolation within her environment, whether that be from her mother disregarding her interests in fantasy books, often conforming to Vidal’s wishes – making sure Ofelia follows suit. Or from Captain Vidal himself, when the two first meet he’s dismissive and chastising without a second thought. Del Toro made the decision for the camera to frequently follow her gaze, drawing the audience into her perspective and emphasizing the subjective nature of her experience. 

EDITING 

Editing in this film frequently uses cross-cutting to build tension and contrast between Ofelia’s fantasy quests and the harsh reality of the real world she’s living in. For example, the climax of the film cuts between Ofelia fleeing with her baby brother to complete the faun’s request, and Vidal pursuing her, increasing suspense and reinforcing the film’s main conflict between innocence/imagination and an authoritarian cruelty born out of Civil War Spain.  

Representation (Gender) 

The film makes it clear that men and women are binary opposites, physically of course, but they play different roles in propelling the story forward, one is a catalyst for the destruction, the other smooths over the damage. Men have all the agency within the film, from when we’re first introduced to Captain Vidal he’s shown holding a watch, constantly in control and having things revolve around him. When Carmen and Ofelia arrive, he’s already organised a wheelchair for Carmen, no regard for whether she wanted it or not, disregards Ofelia completely – makes no effort to be welcoming, takes the first chance to be chastising. However, women are the binary opposite, they don’t have much agency. But Ofelia and Mercedes are willing to step out of the confines of the controlling environment, willing to disobey. A prime example of this is when Mercedes makes a point to Vidal that he would never expect her, a woman, to turn on him and to scheme right under his nose – his focus was all on the rebels, how much of a threat they were, not on Mercedes. 

Aesthetics 

What is the ‘look of the film’? How has this been achieved? 

Consider colour palette / music, realism v fantasy, magic realism (find out what this means in literature), Lighting. 

The colour palette is split: cool blues and greys encompass Vidal’s world, suggesting oppression and violence; warm gold and green colours fill the fantasy sequences, offering a sense of escape and wonder to the audience. In order to achieve the blurred line between fantasy and reality, the same low-key lighting is used heavily in both worlds to maintain a dark, shadowy tone. 

The magic realism in literature is described as a style that weaves threads of fantasy into a depiction of everyday life, where heroes aren’t mythical creatures but ordinary people, who happen to clash into the extraordinary. This applies heavily to the film, Ofelia is a human girl, getting reeled into a situation that is far from reality – but manages to seamlessly blend fantasy into the real world.

Music also successfully blends the two worlds, creating the magical realism. For example, the film opens with Ofelia, but we’re not in the human world, as the narration tells us the story about the princess, a song titled ‘Long, Long Time Ago’ is playing. Later on in the film, whilst Mercedes is consoling Ofelia, she hums her a lullaby, ‘Mercedes’ Lullaby’, which is reminiscent of the opening underscore.

Set design: 

Del Toro made use of both practical effects and CGI. For example, a lot of the Faun’s costumes are all made by hand and are put onto the actor (Doug Jones), with the exception of his shins which are covered in green to be edited in later.  

These characters were all brought to life using practical effects and CGI:

• Mandrake 

• Toad 

• Fairies 

History and Social Contexts 

1944, Franco was in power, however there were small groups of rebels hiding in the forests and mountains, fighting against the regime (Mercedes’ brother). 

Republicans supported democracy, social reforms and workers’ rights, backed by the Soviet Union and wanted to modernise Spain – reduce power of the church and monarchy. 

Nationalists (led by Franco) included conservatives, monarchists, fascists, and the Catholic Church. Supported by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy – wished for a traditional, authoritarian Spain. Nationalists won in 1939  

The ending isn’t reflective of history as Vidal is shot in the end, the rebels win in the film and Ofelia somewhat wins because she becomes a princess even though she died.