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. 

Critical score: 9.1/10

I thought that this film was a very enjoyable watch and was extremely made. I like the performances throughout the film, and I thought that the character of Captain Vidal is one of the most evil villains I’ve seen in cinema. I also liked the sound design throughout the film, as I feel it contributed to both tone, tension and pacing within certain moments throughout the scene. Additionally, I thought that the film’ score was also very good and added to the emotional impact of certain scenes. And finally, I thought that it was very well written story and that it was paced very well, as I felt intrigued as to what would happen next throughout the entire film.

Memorable Scene

A very memorable scene for me is the scene in which Ofelia goes into the lair of the Pale Man and mistakenly eats the food on the table, which then leads to him coming alive and chasing her. I thought this was excellently done, as I thought it crafted tension very well through the constant pans back to this image of the still pale man. I also thought that the sound design within this scene, like the rest of the film, was very well done and I specifically enjoyed the bit in which Ofelia eats the grape and the Pale Man comes to life, as I felt all these cracking and gurgling sounds definitely added to this character of the horrific Pale Man.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) 
Dir. Guillermo de Toro 

7/10 – I enjoyed Pan’s Labyrinth a lot, both the fantasy aspect as well as the historical/real parts. I also quite liked the fact that it was in Spanish; it gave the film a very different overall feel and I do not think it would have quite the same impact if it was in English. 

My most memorable scene was when Mercedes stands up against Captain Vidal because Mercedes is one of my favourite characters and it was extremely satisfying to see someone finally push back against the character that we come to hate. 

• 10 things that the viewer knows in the 1^st 10 mins. 

1. A young girl dies 

2. Set in 1944 after the (Spanish) Civil War 

3. Set in Spain 

4. Ofelia is obsessed with reading fantasy books 

5. The story of a princess in a fantasy book 

6. Ofelia’s mother is heavily pregnant 

7. The Captain is not Ofelia’s father 

8. The Captain and Ofelia have a strained relationship 

9. The captain hates the fact that Ofelia reads fantasy books 

10.  There is a labyrinth outside the mill 

• Cinematic breakdown of the 1^st 3 mins. 

The camera uses a push in and tilt movement to create a transition through Ofelia’s eye, which comes to show the fantasy world that we are being introduced to. The camera is constantly moving, panning across the wide landscape to show off the underworld, before tilting up to the post-Civil War Spain setting. The only notable cuts used are within the seamless transitions. 

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 

Cinematography used to suggest the nature of the Captain’s character when we first meet him; the first ever shot of him being that of his watch to suggest his punctual and military like attitudes. It is also almost used to foreshadow the motif of the watch that is prevalent in Pan’s Labyrinth; Captain Vidal thinks that he needs to continue the tradition of breaking the watch upon death, and to give it to their son. 

Scenes of the underworld are predominantly extra long shots, not only to be able to display a significant amount of it, but also to give it this feeling of it being never-ending. Furthermore, dissolves and wipes are frequently used during these scenes, such as in the beginning when the camera pushes into Ofelia’s eye to come out into the underworld, and then a couple of minutes later when the camera was following the princess into the ‘regular’ world. 

• Mise-en-scene 

The mise-en-scene of Pan’s Labyrinth features many creatures that were produced through animatronics and models, as del Toro reportedly prefers this style over CGI. The use of makeup for the Pale Man creates a horrifying creature, which the audience is already impartial to thanks to it eating two of the fairies that the Faun gives to Ofelia. Furthermore, mise-en-scene is used to suggest things that aren’t explicitly said, like the paintings in the Pale Man’s lair, as well as the large pile of shoes, which are particularly reminiscent of that of the display of victims’ shoes at Auschwitz (a reference to a fascist regime that could be reflecting the Nazis). 

• Editing 

Editing used in Pan’s Labyrinth is typically quite conventional throughout the majority of the film, however, there are some unique styles displayed in the fantasy sections of the film. For example, there is lots of wipes like in the beginning, where black was coming from the left of the screen and then revealing something from the right. Furthermore, there are a few notable fades to whites and blacks, such as when the camera tilts up towards the ‘real world’ during the introductory narration, which fades to white to contrast the darkness of the underworld. 

Representation (Gender) 

How are men and women represented differently and how does this position the viewer? 
Men in Pan’s Labyrinth are frequently displayed as military figures, the male characters almost exclusively being soldiers etc. These characters’ attitudes are often a reflection of their occupation, with Captain Vidal, for example, being a strong, patriarchal figure who doesn’t have time to even indulge his wife other than to discuss the baby (who he is insistent is a boy). Despite this, there is the occasional male character that is represented in a far more positive light, like the doctor, who we later find out is part of the left-wing resistance. This suggests how the men in this film reflect their political values; the Captain is seen as a beast and doesn’t have any redeeming features whatsoever, which is because he is serving the fascist Spanish government of the 1940s (and enjoys the power it gives him), whereas the doctor is a kind man who is serving the resistance by giving them medical attention. Women, on the other hand, are exclusively represented in a positive light. Even though the men in their lives make it clear that they are subservient to them, many of the women in Pan’s Labyrinth show quite the opposite. For example, Mercedes is thought to be this obedient servant to Vidal and his cronies, but she quickly shows that she is anything but, starting from when she was immediately kind to Ofelia, who hate Vidal. This is also shown in the way she directly opposes him and his tyranny, attacking him bravely with the knife that we repeatedly see tucked into her apron. 

Ofelia – daughter of Carmen 
Despised by the Captain for not fitting into the ‘traditional’ role of the daughter of a strong military figure (despite him not being her father), as she is more rebellious than an average young girl of the 1940s, especially during a fascist dictatorship.  

Carmen – heavily pregnant ‘new’ wife of the Captain 
Carmen suffers at the hands of Vidal, who dismisses her when it comes to anything other than her pregnancy, even going as far as showing disdain to her excitement of telling someone how they met. Vidal doesn’t mourn her whatsoever, despite her being his wife, as well as telling the doctor to save the child rather than her. 

Captain Vidal – Soldier in Franco’s Army 
Sees himself as a traditional ‘man of the house’, which is emphasised by his traditional attitudes towards family; he sees woman as inferior and doesn’t show any interest in his wife, Carmen further than her having his son. Also rejects the idea of having a daughter, was disgusted by the idea when the doctor says that they don’t yet know the gender. 

Aesthetics 

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

Magical realism film – considers colour palette/music, realism v fantasy, lighting. 

Colour palettes are used to differentiate between the fantasy world and the ‘real’ world, were yellows, oranges and golds dominate the fantasy world. This comes with little exceptions, such as when Ofelia meets the Faun for the first time. The real world, on the other hand, is characterised by cooler tones in the form of dark blues, greys and browns. Colour in Pan’s Labyrinth is therefore important in distinguishing between fantasy vs real, as well as suggest Ofelia’s own preference towards the fantasy world, which feels comforting and warm.

Del Toro likes making characters come to life using minimal CGI and mainly puppets, costume and animatronics and describes himself as a ‘set-orientated director’. For example, the Faun costume is made up of many parts, including numerous animatronic parts to make the character come to life. Green screen in also incorporated into this character for the legs, which removes Jones’ real legs. Jones’ Pale Man costume included a vacuform structure being placed on his head and then covered with foam latex skin. This left minimal space for his mouth, showing his prosthetic teeth. However, as Jones could only see out of the costume through its nostrils when he was cross eyed, a second Pale Man dummy was made for scenes when the creature was either sleeping or still.

Fairies are made using CGI – moved around on a pole to animate properly in post-production. Their colours are used to represent the underworld and it’s earthly tones. 

Set design 

Oscar winning set designer, Eugenio Caballero, describes the fantasy world in Pan’s Labyrinth as ‘reflecting the womb of a mother’, despite it’s scary moments. It is notable that the fantasy world is completely made up of curves, with no straight lines found anywhere. The opposite can be said for the post-Spanish Civil War setting of the real world – straight lines are prominent and could connote the rigidness of the military life Ofelia now has. Furthermore, Caballero purposely built objects bigger than they would normally be, which gave the illusion of Ofelia being dwarfed by her surroundings.

History and Social Contexts 

Set in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). The fascists had won the war, with General Franco becoming the self-proclaimed leader of the country. Film is very historical accurate – including costume and attitudes.  

The ending of the film suggests the rebels winning against the fascists (Vidal representing Franco) 

Institutional context: 

Regarded as a Spanish film – cast almost entirely Spanish (except for Doug Jones) 

Del Toro and his friends contributed and invested in his film – cut out the studios to prevent them from telling him what to do. However, a studio does publicise and distribute his film. 

Took $83 million at the box office. However, Pan’s Labyrinth wasn’t only a box office success, but also artistically successful. Won 3 Oscars in best art direction, best cinematography and best makeup. 

You have now completed all the Notes on ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (that come from the 2 Powerpoints in Week 27 of the Term 3 Folder.)

You must finish your notes on the word document and then paste them into a Blog. You will need to IMPORT any photos into the Media Library of the Blog so that you can use them.

I encourage you to find stills or create screen shots showing the ‘mechanics’ behind the technology used in the film. (CGI/Green screen and puppet/model work.

You have 1 week to complete this: Dead line for you Blog post to be up is next Thursday 15th May

Title it: Pan’s Labyrinth and remember to tick the Category Box