Debra Granik uses the desolate environment of the rural Ozarks and silence in the film to create an atmosphere of horror that permeates through the film’s adventure/thriller plot line. The use of sound design is minimalist, choosing often to not include the composed score by Dickon Hinchliffe, but when it is used it is done so to build tension between characters in a subtle way. For example, in the opening scene a gentle folk song plays, but we cannot hears any diegetic sounds in the scene except fro the creaking of a trampoline. This creates an eerie atmosphere and establishes Ree’s situation as a dark, unusual one. It establishes the protagonist as someone who has never had a childhood. Tension is also created when the Sheriff visits by using on;y the diegetic sounds of his footsteps and the clanging of distant bells. Low groaning sounds are used at time to convey Ree’s rising fear as events in her life take a turn, giving a depth to these moments. At other times, a prominent beating of a drum in the non-diegetic sound mix adds tension to the scene, such as when Teardrop destroys a car’s front window.
The cinematographer, Michael McDonough, elevates the sense of fear through a similarly minimal use of colour and a bleak production design. This can be seen in her time at school or the army recruitment office, where the colours surrounding her are more vibrant and eye-catching, in contrast to the lifeless, grey and bland colour pallet used throughout the rest of the film as Ree’s situation becomes more bleak and hopeless, which is conveyed through the similarly dull cinematography. This reaches a crescendo when the final, and most brutal scene of the film, takes place at night, only lit by moonlight. Granik creates villains in the story by presenting people like Teardrop with intense shadows across their faces combined with soft light to illuminate his weary features and gruff face. The camera movements are also calm, steady, and create a feeling in the audience that we are an observer to what is happening, which makes it more emotionally distressing as we see Ree go through these terrible situations. For example, when she is beaten unconscious and wakes up later, the slow, steady camera movements feel realistic, allowing the audience to become immersed in the tension of the scene.
The Ozark’s in Winter serve as a pathetic fallacy, emulating Ree’s deepening loss of control and safety. It also lends a chilled, bitter atmosphere to the film. It is made to be cold and isolated in its environment and the way the characters interact with each other, the Hillbilly stereotype played here with malicious connotations, showing sexism in the community and a quiet, secretive group of antagonists. Ree herself is isolated from them by acting as a strong female lead despite the way the females around her treat her or are treated by their husbands. The grim atmosphere and bleak prospects that Ree faces is also shown through the rural poverty, methamphetamine addiction, gang violence, domestic violence, metal illness and murder that exists within the community she lives in.
As additional contextual information , the film is based off the book of the same name, brought Jennifer Lawrence to wider notoriety amongst audiences, made $6 million at the U.S Box Office becoming an indie film success.
I have looked through the course overview. We are going to be watching Sisters In Law, study 3 key sequences from it, and in this specific part of the course we are going to be tested on specialist subject areas. These are critical debates, digital technology and filmmakers’ theories. I have also looked over the past exam questions, so have a general idea oh how the study ares may come into an exam in this part of the course. I have also looked over the assessment objectives and core study areas that will apply to this side of the course.
We have studied the opening sequence of Pan’s Labyrinth and have picked out the different key elements of film form in it, going into detail about how each one has been done to covey information or meaning to the audience.
Cinematography: The sequence starts off with a unique camera movement. The camera crabs to the left to show Ofelia bleeding, then twists right to make her lying eye-level with the camera and therefore the audience. This puts them in the environment of the scene, which is made cool and dull by the silvery and grey colour palette used here, and also focuses all attention on Ofelia, signifying her importance, and that this scene must hold significant importance in the course of the narrative. It also puts the camera in position to push into Ofelia’s eye, and a fast and CGI transition into the underworld kingdom implies a change in place and time-period, also creating a sense of fantasy and mystical nature. once we have entered the kingdom, the camera pans left to cover an extreme wide-shot of the kingdom. This shows the audience how huge and seemingly powerful and grand it all is. It also provides the mise-en-scen, which I will go into later, plenty of space to be put on display.
The extreme wide-shot also provides ample room to show the princess, Moana, escaping the kingdom, which is being explained for context by the narrator, which fits into editing.
The camera then pushes in to bring our attention to Moana and her escape, and then tilts upwards to reveal the huge staircase, keep Montana at the forefront of the audiences attention, and also allows for the soundtrack to build up to the blinding light that follows. here the screen is over-exposed to put the audience in Moana’s position, blinded and shocked by an intense light. it also makes for another smooth and seamless transition into the upper-world, which has a different colour palette to show a different place, temperature and once again, time-period. the camera then slowly crabs right to let the new setting sink in whilst the narrator continues, and also so a skeleton can be revealed, making it clear that violence will be prevalent in the film, and also establishing the conflict that is the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. It then floats up to bring to our attention the cars driving past, and the abandoned church and mass-expanse of woodland.
We then see a close-up of Ofelia’s fairy-tale book, which signals that it is important to her, shows an illustration that hints at Ofelia’s state later on in the film, and shows that fairy-tales and fantasy elements are also going to be a present theme in the film. there are multiple over-the-shoulder and two-shots in the car to show Ofelia’s conversation with her mother. As Ofelia walks around the woods, the camera drops to her level, putting the audience, once again, in her situation, and also showing that she is the centre of the films focus. Even the tilt to the sky mimics where she is looking. The focus on the stone on the floor establishes it as an object of significance, and also Ofelia’s noticing of it. We then cut to a close-up of Ofelia’s face to see that she has noticed something that has caught her attention, bringing in the audience as this captures their attention.
The architecture of the altar matches that of the underworld, and the holes in the eye creates a clear link/connection between it and the stone.
There is an match-on-action to bring our attention on Ofelia picking up the rock, then a close-up to display the unusual formation on it. The over the shot of Ofelia and the statue also makes it look as if the statue is a character itself, contributing to the mystery and suspense of the whole scene. The camera slowly pushes in on the mouth of the altar to ensure that the audiences tension is on it, this way making sure that they have some reaction to the bug that crawls out of it. An over-the-shoulder shot shows Ofelia’s reaction to it. The way that the camera follows the bug also shows Ofelia’s perspective.
The camera follows the insect as it flys away, but keeps Ofelia in shot and the her as the object as focus, this is to show her delight as she looks at the fairy, and remind the audience that the insect is important in relation to her, as she is the protagonist. The insect only leaves frame when Ofelia’s mother enters it, and puts her and the officer in focus to show that this trance that Ofelia was in whilst looking at the insect has been broken to an extent. As the insect/fairy crawls around the trunk of the tree the camera lowers and arcs to follow it and imply to the audience that it is certainly following the truck and cars.
The close-up on Vidal’s watch signifies it significance to him, much like the earlier shot of Ofelia’s book, how it is shown even before them. The close-up also brings attention to how there is a crack on the watch, making the audience wonder why that is there. There is then a close-up on his face to show his importance as a character, and then the camera pans right to follow the cars and reveal the mill and setting of the film to the audience, an establishing shot.
The slow dolly in this shot allows for the audience to take in the environment, statues, which are part of the mise-en-scen, and Moana’s placement here, and her size compared to the rest of the architecture. It also gives the narrator more time to explain the fairy-tale playing out in front of us.
Sound:
The silence included in the opening credits build suspense, and then the diegetic sound of wind and an owl hooting establishes an atmosphere that’s is cold and outside. The lullaby is used as a motif to create suspense and put the audience on edge as it and the wind gradually rise in the mix, which by now is layered due to the different sounds of the woods and Ofelia’s breathing and Mercedes’ humming, slowly bringing the audience into the scene before we even see anything.
the breathing also adds to the tension, making the audience wonder why it is there. A windy swooshing noise is played during the transition to the underworld, making it feel cold and subtly hinting at a change in atmosphere, and matching the speed of the camera, making it feel more like we are actually there, in the scene. The crows cawing adds a dark undertone to the sound mix, as the birds are traditionally associated with themes of death, like a dark foreshadowing, and reference to the pervious shot of Ofelia dying.
The swooshing sound and the crows cawing again signals a change in atmosphere, and hints at the theme of death that is about to be shown in the form of a rotting skeleton. The score has a choral quality to it, establishing the old time-period and eerie atmosphere. The non-diegetic score stops when the conversation starts to keep our attention on it. The sound of the car braking is quick and sharp, showing that there has been a stop and also that the drivers are likely efficient. The diegetic sounds of the cars and people fades away as Ofelia walks off, putting us in her position and distracted mindset.
As Ofelia picks up the stone, the non-diegetic score picks up again, in-concisely making a link in the audiences mind between the underworld and the rock. The sound stops as the camera pushes into the mouth on the stone, helping to build tension and keep the audience as attention on the stone, not the music. The sounds of the insect are quick and clicks, which are uncomfortable to listen to, and these stop as Ofelia’s mother calls to her, breaking the trance made by the focus on the insect. When we see Vidal’s watch, we hear the rhythmic clicking of it, implying that the captain has a close eye on time and orderliness.
Editing:
The captions are edited in to allow English audiences to understand what is being said. The scene where Ofelia is bleeding out is also played in revere, showing that this scene takes place at the end of the film and also gives the scene an unreal and fantastical element.The transition to the underworld is done without making any cuts, since it pushes into her eye and then we discover that there has been a change in environment. This is done to make the flow between places and time periods seem fluid and even in-noticeable. The character of Moana also seems to be edited in, making her movement seem flowing and dream-like. The scene in the underworld is one long and continuous cut that makes the sequence feel like a dream, and the way that it is constantly moving forward makes it feel like the words on the page of a book, which, of course, it is.
The transition to the upper-world is also done without cutting, instead through a flash of blinding light. The only cut we notice fades in as the camera passes a wall, and is hard to notice at first. The scene only cuts when Ofelia reaches the end of the fairy-tale. As Ofelia walks through the woods, the camera follows her and the scene does not cut for a few moments. This lets the atmosphere and setting of the woods sink in, and also keeps the audiences attention as we approach the rock on the ground. When the scene cuts to Captain Vidal at the mill, it is a J-cut since we hear the ticking of the watch before we see it, and this lets the audience know beforehand that something of significance is about to be shown.
The conversation always stays on one side of the invisible 180 degree axis.
Mise-en-scen:
The blood dripping from Ofelia’s nose signals to the audience that she is dying, as-well as that blood on her hand. The architecture in the Nader world kingdom is large and ancient and grand, implying that it is old and powerful, and it also creates the feel of a place from a fairy-tale. The statues shown near the stairs are very similar to those of ancient Egyptian art, which establishes the inspiration for the kingdoms design, and also the pillars are similar to those of Ancient Rome. The immediate debris and destruction that we see on the surface immediately shows the destruction and chaos of the war. So does the rotting skeletons, which also links back to what the narrator is saying about Moana’s death when she reached the surface world.
One of the skeletons also has a pair of glasses next to it, a clear foreshadow of the doctors death later on in the film. The Cars are Rolls-Royce’s which shows that the army has a clear budget to spend, and so are Ofelia and her mothers’ clothiers, showing that they are likely from the city. Even the book is designed to look like an old, antique fairy-tale book.
The design of the stone creates a sense of mystery and attracts the audiences interest, and then when it fits into the rock, we see that the rock has a similar design to those buildings in the under world, establishing a link between them. The design of the bug is intricate, sharp and deadly-looking, creating a feeling of repulsion to it in the audience. The guns that the soldiers are holding signal that Ofelia and her mother are extremely important to them ands have reason to be protected, and also hints at the later conflict in the film.
The vast amount of boxes and crates at the mill show that the Nationalists are powerful, have budget to spend, and are planning on setting up a permanent base/stronghold at this clearing, as well as the huge amounts of soldiers. The uniform of the captain is intricate, flashy due to its medallions and badges, and how tidy it is, all signalling, along with the watch, that he is an important figure in the film.
The latex gloves hint towards the brutality with which Vidal operates through in the movie, and how he seems to wash his hands of all the violence he commits.
Performance:
The laboured breathing and distressed expression on Ofelia’s face shows that she is scared and injured, and this captures the interest and sympathy of the audience. Her mother comes across as loving and protective of her daughter, but still confused at her obsession with fairy-tales. She is also clearly sick with her sniffling, tired face, exhausted demeanour and sickly coughing. On the other hand, Ofelia seems interested and curious, calm at her mothers coughing. This implies that she is fearless and follows her curiosity, as seen with how she investigates the altar and is ecstatic at the insect. The captain is cold, clearly frustrated with the late arrival of the cars, and commands an air of authority with his silence and in-flinching stare.
Real world: It is 1944 and General Francisco Franco is the fascist ruler of Spain. Captain Vidal and his fascist troops have taken control of a mill in the mountains of Spain. They stockpile food there, giving the civilians barely enough to eat so that they can’t afford to give any supplies to the leftist guerrillas in the woods. Vidal has married Carmen, who bares his child. He sends for her because he wants to be present at the birth of his son. Vidal has little time for Carmen’s young bookish daughter, Ofelia. Unbeknownst to Vidal, his housekeeper (Mercedes) has a brother who leads the rebel maquis. She and Doctor Ferriero secretly supply the guerrillas. The communist rebels retake the mill shortly after Carmen dies during childbirth. As the falangists are overrun, Ofelia kidnaps the newly born child. Vidal follows her into a nearby labyrinth where he shoots the girl and reclaims the baby. He is confronted at the entrance of the labyrinth by Mercedes and a large group of maquis. Pedro (Mercedes’ brother) shoots Vidal under the right eye and kills him. A weeping Mercedes cradles Ofelia. Ofelia dies. Fantasy world: Princess Moanna sneaks out from the underworld to become mortal and dies. Her spirit passes through countless humans. The king of the underworld vows to wait for Moanna’s return. A fairy leads Ofelia to a labyrinth where a faun tells her she is a reincarnation of Princess Moanna and that she needs to return to the underworld. However, to make sure that her magical spirit is still intact, Ofelia has to successfully perform three tasks — obtain a key from the belly of a giant toad (that is killing a tree where enchanted creatures rest); use the key to retrieve an item from a locked door guarded by a demon (the Pale Man); spill the blood of an innocent into the portal of the underworld. The faun instructs her in sorcery. Ofelia is distracted because of her sick mother and fails the second task. Ofelia passes the final test by sacrificing her life instead of her brother’s. Princess Moanna returns to the underworld where she rules with “justice and a kind heart”. There are two sides of the story that take place parallel to each other. Ofelia’s adventure into the underworld kingdom, and Captain Vidal’s pursuit of the rebels in the woods. A realistic scenario tied to a real-life event that actually happened, and a imagined scenario infused with nuanced aspects of traditional fairy tales.
2. When and where do the events in the film take place?
“The period featured, 1944 in Spain, is intriguing as it is clearly a period where the rumblings from the Spanish Civil War are still being felt despite the war itself having finished in 1939.” Captain Vidal has been assigned to the task of hunting down and executing the remaining communists, who are hiding out in the remote woods. The civil war has ended but some groups still fight on, resisting the fascist rule of the nationalists. The majority of the film takes place in the small cabin where Vidal, his family, and troops are stationed.
3. Briefly, what was the Spanish Civil War about? When and how did it start and end?
The war started in 1936 and ended in 1939. It was fought between the fascist Nationalists and the more liberal or communist Republicans. The Republicans were divided and had inferior supplies, whilst the Nationalists were supple by other fascist powers in Europe and had been united under one fascist dictator. Eventually the Republicans lost major cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, and the Nationalists assumed control of Spain.
4. Which of the factions does the captain represent? Why is he stationed at the mill?
Captain Vidal represents the fascist army of the Nationalists who have just taken control of the country. He is stationed at the mill to hunt down and kill the remaining opposition to the dictator and the country’s new government.
5. Which of the factions do the people in the mountains represent? Why are they hiding?
The people hiding in the mountains represent the remaining communist opposition/rebels to the new fascist rulers of Spain. They are hiding since they will be executed if found out to be communist, and so they are armed and preparing an attack on Captain Vidal and his soldiers.
6. Which of the factions do the religious and elite support? Why?
“A local priest, attending a meal held by the Captain, dismisses the possible pain felt by the rebels on theological grounds. His representation lacks humanity and is clearly a barbed commentary on an out of touch and complicit Catholic church: “God has already saved their souls. What happens to their bodies hardly matters to him.” Del Toro uses the cinematic conceit of a banquet to heighten the corruption of the local middle classes and ruling elite. Despite his criticisms of Catholicism as a dogma and institution it is clear that Del Toro admires the spirituality of his native religion — in a later film Crimson Peak, a ghost story, he commented on his belief in ghosts. The scene above is strongly redolent of a stylised heaven with its church-like setting, a rosary window flooded with golden light and a grey bearded father figure flanked by a doe-eyed mother. It is all rather stuffy and formal befitting a royal court perhaps but not a fairy domain. That said it is clearly Ofelia’s (Princess Moanna’s) ‘happy place’ — she has come home to a loving warm family and an adoring people.” The priest represents the Spanish Catholic Church, which sided with the Fascist dictatorship that had won the civil war. So did the elite classes of Spain, which are represented by the wealthy landowners that visit Vidal for dinner. These factions supported Vidal in the film and the Nationalists in real-life most likely since they had won the war, and had to win the trust of the new and violent government. The Nationalists also did not influence or negatively affect these factions, unlike the civilian population in the film which goes hungry so that Vidal can kill the remaining rebels. He does not take away any food from the church or the elite’s.
7. Which of the factions do the peasants support? Why?
The peasants support the communist rebels hiding out in the woods. This is because the rebels are trying to get rid of Captain Vidal and his troops, who are seen taking away the peasants food and even brutally murdering a group of innocent civilians in the movie. The Nationalists are brutal and indifferent to the peasants, and harm them in their attempts at removing the remaining communists.
8. What role do women play in the two factions?
“The representation of women is evidence of the social problems women faced in this patriarchal and macho era.” Mercedes is the woman who serves both sides of the conflict. She aids Captain Vidal and his troops by working in the kitchen, like the other women, and tending to Ofelia when her mother is ill. She help’s her brother and his communist allies by secretly bringing them food, messages, and supplies. Never does a woman get involved in any physical combat, but more espionage activities, which is accurate to ideals on gender roles that were held at the time.
9. How is food an important symbol in the film?
Food can be seen as a metaphor for the deprivation and suppression that people were subject to during the war. This can be seen in how the peasants have their food taken away from them, Captain Vidal and his guests hold big, expensive seeming meals regularly, and Ofelia steals food from the ogre because she is so hungry. It can also show how corrupt someone is. The rebels in the woods are represented as a good force, fighting against the dictatorship poof the Nationalists. Meanwhile, Vidal and similarly the ogre are seen with long tables of delicious foods, and both of those characters are villainous and corrupt. It also shows Ofelia’s childish wonder at all of the fairy-tale scenarios that she is living through, and this is even when she steals the grape from the ogre despite being seriously warned not too. It shows that she is naive and susceptible to temptation.
10. How is poverty an important theme in the film?
Poverty is used similarly to food as a symbol of corruption and evil in people. The people living in the woods, along with the peasants are seen as poor and heroic people who are repressed by the government but still fight on for the sake of their cause. On the other hand, Vidal lives in a luxurious and romantic mill, with access to milk and bread and meat, and he is the main source of evil and the cause of most of the problems in the film. It also show’s how people suffered throughout the war, whilst the upper-classes thrived unfairly. Del Toro also paid tribute to the tragedy of the civil war in his 2001 masterpiece The Devils Backbone.
11. How is time an important theme in the film?
The film begins with a shot of Ofelia dying in the Labyrinth, and ends at the same point. This circular narrative is perhaps meant to represent the pain and constant struggle of civilians living through the civil war. It is also perhaps done to show that Ofelia’s story is infinite, as apparently thousands of others girls like her have attempted to pass the faun’s tests, but have failed. This continuous cycle of death and reincarnation, since the story begins with her first body dying, and ends with her last dying, is done to show the fairy-tale likeness of her adventure, and the brutality of the Spanish Civil War.
12. How is disobedience an important theme in the film?
Disobedience is a more underlying theme in the film, used to convey a message about the war and gullibility. Ofelia is obedient to the faun at first, completing his quests and doing as he sits. This puts her in dangerous situations, such as the pale-man sequence. When she finally disobeys it at the end of the film and refuses to draw the blood of her innocent brother, does she make it into the underworld where she is re-united with her family. A similar thing happens in the real-world between Captain Vidal and the doctor who helps his pregnant wife through child-birth and also secretly supplies the rebels in the woods. When Vidal realises that the doctor is betraying him, he asks why he didn’t obey him. The doctor insults the captain by saying that only people like him can obey without thinking. Vidal then kills him but his death was in servitude to the rebel cause. His death was heroic and was done to show that the doctor would rather die serving the cause he believes in rather than the evil Vidal, so only when he openly disobeys and defies the captain does he realise how to help the rebels win. It shows that blind obedience brings death and suffering, and freedom, the opposite of what the fascists believe in, is how to win over evil.
13. How and in what ways does pans Labyrinth draw on classic fairy tale and fantasy tropes and archetypes?
The movie portrays many fascinating and various monsters. The giant frog is comical and quite confusing to behold, the pale man is like an ogre, terrifying and repulsive, and the faun is mysterious and mystical. These creatures are all similar to monsters from classic fairy tales, such as ogres, giant animals, witches and myths. The faun is even a representation of the Greek God Pan, hence the name of the film. The settings, such as the rotting tree, big dining hall and labyrinth even seem like they are plucked from fantasy stories. The young and naive Ofelia is filled with child-like wonder at the events that unfold before her, and even eats the food from the ogre, despite being frequently warned not too. This is similar to how many fairy tale protagonist would actually, and her motivation to become a princess in an underworld paradise is similar to old and classical fairy tale character motivations. The ogre scene is even similar to the story of Hansel and Gretel, with the repulsive witch who lures in her child prey with enticing and luxurious food.
14. How is fascism portrayed in the film?
“The negative depiction of Franco’s fascist forces is clearly intended to be extended to the imaginative poverty of fascism in general — in contrast to the more benign and sensitive (although hardly democratic) fairy kingdom. A more realist political representation is that of the guerrillas who are presented as resourceful and determined and egalitarian. Mercedes’ love of children (Ofelia and her baby brother) suggests a tenderness and a celebration of all things childish — indeed, unlike Ofelia’s weak and dismissive mother, Mercedes gives advice on the handling of fauns.” We see the contrasts between the resourceful rebels and Captain Vidal in his dining scenes, where much enticing food is laid out before him on the table. These subtle details hint at how the fascists are unfair and treat their people wrongly. This is also done more obviously with how the fascist troops brutally murder civilians and effect the people around them, keeping all the food for themselves, torturing captured rebels, and neglecting the need of the peasants in the area.
15. How does Guillermo Del Toro employ uterine and sapphic imagery in the film?
The image/shapes of the uterus is referenced/portrayed in the film Guiana the rotting tree in the woods. The way that this tree is apparently rotting due to the toad inside is perhaps meant to reference how Ofelia’s mother is going to die in child-birth. It can also be said to represent how the Faun has secret and mysterious motives for Ofelia’s quests, or how when she crawls out of the uterus, it is almost like being re-born by it, like how she becomes the princess in the underground kingdom at the end of the film. Yonis imagery is seen in the opening of the tree, once again referencing the theme of re-birth and childhood, which of course begins with birth.
16. How are maternal instincts portrayed in the film?
We see Mercedes’ paternal instinct to protect Ofelia when her mother is not well enough to do so throughout the film, for example when she cradles Ofelia’s dying body and sings her a lullaby. It is also seen in Ofelia’s mother herself, when she is concerned at the loss of her daughter. Captain Vidal is portrayed as cruel and indifferent to his daughters existence, so his lack of paternal instinct shows that he is a villain. Even the doctor looks after Ofelia and comforts her. It is the more evil characters like the Faun and Vidal who do not care for Ofelia, or have seemingly malicious intent for her.
17. What was the significance of faces and shaving in the film?
We see Captain Vidal shaving a few times in the film. Each time we see a cruel and cold look on his face, which shows that even in private, he never betrays his image of a hardened captain by showing guilt or remorse, which signals that he is a truly evil and un-caring villain. The actual action of shaving itself is perhaps meant to represent how Vidal is obsessed with upholding his image, or how he regularly washes and leans himself of the violence that he has committed. Vidal is later on shoe in the face, and his face is cut open by Mercedes, and a civilian has his face bashed in by Vidal. This is either done to show that Vidal’s previous acts of violence have come back to make him suffer through h=what he made other people suffer through, or to show how no matter how many times he shaves of his guilt and criminality, he will eventually break and fall to the violence that he has left in his wake.
18. What is the significance of flowers in the film?
Flowers often represent the theme of re-birth, blooming and youth. This is seen at the end of the film when a flower sprouts from the tree that Ofelia visited. It shows that traces of her still exist in the real world, and this links back to the fairy-tale aspect of the story. It also shows that she still holds her childish wonder and joy fullness that she had whilst she was alive.
19. How does Guillermo Del Toro operate a ‘one for them, one for me’ filmmaking policy?
Del Toro often reveals a pice of information in the film through scenes like Mercedes taking hidden supplies out of a hidden floorboard, or how the captain finds penicillin in a similar bottle at the rebel camp to what the doctor supplies them. This particular scene signals to the audience, despite a lack of dialogue in it, that Vidal has realised that the doctor is a traitor,and that he is about to kill him. However, Toro also keeps many things hidden from the audience, like the fauns secret motives, or if Ofelia is seeing all of these monsters in her head or if they are real. This is seen when Vidal looks at Ofelia but does not see the Faun, despite Del Toro tricking us into thinking that it was real. This is done by keeping Ofelia’s adventure and Vidal’s campaign separate until the end of the film.
20. How far is Pans Labyrinth representative of Guillermo Del Toro’s oeuvre?
“Del Toro as an effective and idiosyncratic fantasy/horror auteur is evidenced in his earlier films such as Cronos (1993), The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Crimson Peak (2015) as well as in his much more mainstream Hollywood work such as Hellboy (2004) and Pacific Rim (2013).” However, despite the conception that The Devils Backbone was Del Toro’s magnum opus, Pans Labyrinth showed that the director was capable of creating a deep, though-out and fully realised work of art. The concepts and story of the film is unique, with memorable characters and scenes that cement is as a powerful and individual piece of filmmaking that cannot be compared to any other of Toro’s films, or any other film in general. It is what the director is know for. He and the film are completely attached to one another.
21. How did the critical reception of The Devils Backbone influence the production of Pan’s Labyrinth?
After the massive positive receivable of The Devils Backbone, Del Toro was left with the necessary budget for creating Pans Labyrinth. This helped lead to a high production cost, and making the movie feel like it was backed by a large studio, despite Del Toro being in control of the project. The quality of the production led to more people watching the film, and the amount of money to invest in production, sets, costumes and actors was enough.
22. Was the film financially successful?
“Released in the UK by Optimum. Premiered at Cannes in May 2006 to great acclaim. Co–produced by a number of Spanish, Mexican and American production companies the $19 million budget is reflected in the complex production design, period dressing and relatively large cast. The eventual worldwide box office of $83.3 million was seen as a triumph.” The film nowadays is viewed as a classic, and the magnum opus of an already well known and respected auteur director.
23. Why is the year of the release of The Devils Backbone and PansLabyrinth significant?
Pans Labyrinth was released in 2006, just 5 years after The Devils Backbone. Nowadays Guillermo Del Toros films are made at similar intervals, and this is likely because it is these two films that made his name as an iconic director. The Devils Backbone’s success allowed for the production value of Pans Labyrinth, which is part of why the film is so good. It’s impressive practical effects and beautiful location, for example.
24. Why physical effects over CGI?
“The key technology used in this film is the animatronics and green screen work as discussed above and its effective creation of a magical-realist production design.” The practical costumes and real sets create the feeling that these fairy-tale like settings are real, and that makes the terrifying monsters all the more real and disturbing. CGI is only ever used for the more graphic gore in the film, such Vidal being shot in the face or the farmer’s son having his face bashed in by Vidal. This is because that’s harder to make with physical effects, but when Toro could use physical effects he did, and it makes the whole film feel more real, grounded, and serious.
25. Why did Guillermo Del Toro write the DVD subtitles himself?
“Del Toro wrote the subtitles for Pan’s Labyrinth himself after becoming disillusioned with the translation of The Devil’s Backbone — a film also with the Spanish Civil War as its backdrop and the informal prequel to Pan’s Labyrinth.” Del Toro clearly takes his films very seriously and puts a lot of thought and effort into them. TheDevils Backbone and Pans Labyrinth are the clearest examples of this. So it would make sense for him to make sure the message was conveyed correctly.
26. How does Guillermo Del Toro use distinct colour palettes in the film?
Different colour palettes are used in night-time scenes, day time scenes, and scenes in the underworld, or mythical/magical places in the film. The one used for the day is light and vibrant, bringing out the beautiful colours of the forest, and also perhaps meant to show how Ofelia feels safe at this time, and her wonder and curiosity in this new place. A darker, gloomier palette is used at night, increasing the shadows in the scenes, adding to the feeling of mystery and danger in these moments. The one used in the other world is less easy to notice. It is subtle, probably done to intentionally to signify , to those looking closely enough, a change in the atmosphere, and show that this place is not normal, safe, or human-made even.
27. Look at the “context starter questions” on the Contexts Of Film mind-map. How many could you answer? Add your answers to the end of this post.
I answered one question for each film context.
Institutional: What studio produced the film and how has this changed the films content?
Pans Labyrinth was produced by the Telecinco Cinema studio. This studio is Spanish, which is possibly why the film had such a high production value, since they wanted to fund a project that displayed some of the country’s history and culture. It would also be supporting a Mexican director producer an independent passion project, so they were perhaps more inclined to help fund the film.
Political: Does the film engage with politics directly or is it in the subtext?
The politics of Pans Labyrinth is strictly kept in the subtext of the script. There is never any clear political message, though the villains, who are fascist nationalists, are shown as the obvious villains, whilst the communist rebels are depicted as strong-willed and justified heroes. So the film has political sidings, but no clear message, meaning or manifesto.
Social: Is the film challenging or reinforcing hegemonic attitudes to particular social groups or concepts?
Pans Labyrinth seems to be challenging hegemonic attitudes to the concept of socialism and the group of socialists in the woods. This is seen in how it portrays Captain Vidal and his fascist comrades as the clear villains of the film. This is because they are the hegemonic class in Spain when the film is set, and the socialists are rebels hiding out in the woods, and they are portrayed as the protagonists of the story.
Cultural: Is the film typical of films from its country of origin at the time?
Probably not. Guillermo Del Toro is known for making extremely unique and powerful story’s that can’t really be compared to the work of other directors. His films are completely the brainchild of his mind, as he is a very original and individual auteur who does not use troops or trends in his films, as is seen in the time period that Pans Labyrinth is set in, and its very strange yet beautiful story.
Historical: We’re the filmmakers restricted by and contextual factors?
Most likely not. The issue of the Spanish civil war is not off-limits for filmmakers to include in their film, and this being a personal project completely controlled/produced by Del Toro, and not influenced by studio interference, there were no limitations in the creation of Pans Labyrinth.
Technological: (There is no question for technological factors so I made one up) How are the technological aspects of Pans Labyrinth reflected in the film?
The film has a very high production value. This is clear in its good-looking CGI, impressive and intricate practical effects, large cast, beautiful location and ambitious story that would seem very hard to adapt from script into film.
For this task, we had to film our knock knock joke again. However, we had to improve on the mistakes that we made in the last one. For starters, we had to follow the 180 degree rule. We had to also include an example of match-on-action, and a shot, reverse shot.
We followed the 18 degree rule by staying on the right side of an imaginary 90 degree axis between the two conversing characters. We did match-on-action by having a character reach out for a door handle, and then in the next shot show them opening the door. And the shot, reverse shot was by showing one person talking in one shot, facing to the right, then the other person talking back to them, facing to the left. This shows that they are talking to one another and maintaining eye contact.
Finley Cairns A-Level Film Studies Blog 
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