Eng Ext1 - Pans Labyrinth PDF

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Eng Ext1 - Pans Labyrinth...

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Pan’s Labyrinth QTE Bank Ideas War as a Catalyst for Senseless Violence and Depravity The Effects of War in facilitating a glorification of Violence. Obedience and Freedom (How oppression leads to obedience) The courage to disobey The Loss of Innocence The Corrupting Nature of Power

Gender Dynamics and Roles Texts as Education rather than Escapism The Reimagination of Fairy Tales → Postmodern Pastiche of Genre Hybridisation Subverting the Genre Manipulation and Construction of Truth Mortality and Rebirth

Idea

Quote

War as a Catalyst for Senseless Violence and Depravity

Ophelia’s impending death and heavy panting in the opening scene.

The Effects of War in facilitating a glorificatio n of Violence.

Technique Postmodern subversion of the ‘happily ever after’ fairytale motif’

Analysis The use of a child and bloody hand-pan, the close up of a bloodied nose, and the violent imagery evoke a visceral reaction. The contrast of the child, a symbol of innocence, and her circumstances. Blue gel used in the lighting creates a morbid, cold atmosphere.

Close-ups Colour pallette Violent Imagery When the background of the story is given - eyes are downcaste in defeat.

Camera Pans

‘A long time ago.. In an underground world where there are no lies or pain, there lived a princess who dreamt of the human world. She dreamt of blue skies, soft breeze and sunshine’

Non-diegetic soundtrack

Supplemented by the

Dutch-tilt used off-center and tilter.

Fairy Tale Archetypal, fantastical imagery

Triple entendre, the establishment of a typical fantasy world

It uses a storytelling trope associated with fables/fairytales but ironically depicting the historical event of the aftermath of the Spanish Civil war - 5 years later. The jarring duality serves to critique childhood innocence and war, the victims of political war mongering. This establishes an archetypal, alternate fantasy world that foreshadows and serves as an effective setting for subversion into macabre and dark themes that explore ideas of corruption, injustice, morality intertwined with the pretext of the Spanish Civil War. The voiceover is a worldbuilding trope that also highlights the binaries/thematic dichotomies of the two worlds, also distinguishable by their colour pallette and the soundtrack that overlays those scenes.

lullaby and images of spiralling staircases, towers, Gothic architecture.

that foreshadows subversion.

Fascist logo on the door of a mill. The depiction of black cars and militaristic objects within a bucolic setting.

Contrast and dark colour scheme.

The contrast of the serene, bucolic setting that is often common in fairy tales is subverted by the presence of an oppressive ideology (Fascism). The tonal dissonance is a microcosm of Del Toro’sgeneral subversion of the fairy tale and fantasy genre. The dark hues and dark colour grading reinforce the dark themes and subversion.

‘They eat more than a couple of pigs.’

Analogy, Simile

The working women’s comments on the eating mannerisms of the elite highlights the income and resource inequality present during war, reflecting Del Toro’s criticism of war and its inhuman effects.

The Rebels coming forward.

Non-diegetic soundtrack Long shot

The rebels coming forward with orchestral music in a long-shot reinforces our empathetic positioning for them. This demonstrates the dichotomies of war, where we empathise with the rebels and antagonise the Captain and those with him, due to their inhumane desire for violence and oppression.

‘You must think me some sort of monster’

FIND ONE

The prominence of shadows covering the frame foreshadows danger. The Captain is a menacing figure unaware of his depraved sense of morality, but also revels in his cruelty, a product of unbridled power and war that Del Toro criticises.

‘God has already taken care of their souls. Their bodies hardly matter to Him’

Religious allusions.

Lighting

The Captain believes religion to be on his side, and highlights the role of religion in inciting violence and providing reasons for mistreating individuals. Additionally, it highlights another source of power through religion in manipulating individuals behind a cause.

During the dinner scene spoken by the Captain. The Pale man

symbolism/ parallelism

The Pale man is another symbol of the consuming aspect of Vidal’s nature. This sick, albino creature presides over a rich, bountiful feast, but eats only the blood of innocents. Del Toro’s commentary reveals that the geometry of the Pale Man’s dining room is the same as Vidal’s: a long rectangle with a chimney at the back and the monster at the head of the table. Like the Pale Man, Vidal also dines on the blood of innocents. He cuts the people’s rations, supposedly to hurt the rebels, but eats very well himself; in many scenes he savors his hoarded tobacco with almost sexual ecstasy; but this is not a man with sexual appetites. It is true that he has copulated with Ofelia’s mother, but he is more akin to the Grimm Brothers’ Big Bad Wolf, who wishes to eat Little Red Riding Hood, than the wolf of “The Story of Grandmother” who invites the girl to strip before coming to his bed. Vidal is the sort of wolf James McGlathery describes, one who is neither “a prospective suitor, nor even clearly a seducer of maidens as one usually thinks of the matter. His lust for Red Riding Hood’s body is portrayed as gluttony, pure and simple.” The conflation of consumption, of food, tobacco, and drink, as Vidal’s passion throughout the film underscores this idea. This gluttonous obsession proves Vidal’s undoing: in a wonderful use of foreshadowing, Ofelia kills the Monstrous Toad by tricking it into eating magic, disguising them as the pill bugs the monster lives on. This mirrors the end of the film, when Ofelia renders Captain Vidal nearly unconscious by lacing his liquor glass with her deceased mother’s medication, tricking him into drinking it.

The rebels are captured and brutally slaughtered (skulls are crushed and the father is shot).

Close-up shots

The soldiers are depicted on a slight incline to communicate their physical dominance over starving peasants. Their deaths are shocking and violent, highlighting the senseless violence in war and its role in encouraging human depravity.

The soldiers are on a slight incline.

Violent, visceral imagery.

Obedience and Freedom (How oppression leads to obedience) The courage to disobey

Ofelia walks he path in the woods and away from the others, when her mother gets sick.

Back-shot Foreshadowing

Foreshadows Ofelia’s disobedience, while also characterising her as a brave and curious individual. Del Toro criticises blind obedience by presenting a protagonist that is willing to question and explore their own truth.

‘So he knows how a brave man dies.’

Juxtaposition

The Captain’s egotism is evident, as he aims to be as infamous as his father and lies/fabricates the tale. This mirrors how Ofelia’s fantastical journeys are disregarded and seen as lies.

‘It’s just a word, Ofelia, just a word’

Chiasmus

Carmen insists on Ofelia calling the Captain as her Father, yet Ofelia refuses to do so. This reflects her disobedience and varying notions of truth, and whether language and positions of power relate to true feelings of love or not. Ofelia can’t take on the love of someone she doesn’t respect and believe in, perhaps mirroring the rebel resistance to Franco-allegory.

‘You promised to obey me’.

Motif of obedience

Ofelia’s courage and love for for the baby overpowers her obedience, and chooses to give up her sacred rights to save the baby.

Assertive tone.

The Captain exudes and demonstrates a patriarchal, misogynistic control over

‘Nonsense, he didn’t own a watch’

Faun says this when he needs a drop of blood from an innocent to open the portal for her escape to the alternate world of the palace. ‘It’s the other hand,

Ophelia’

the women in the film, and also squeezes Ophelia’s hand tightly when leaning in for the tight shot. He believes in order and power dichotomies, and can display physical dominance when doing so. He also whispers to both women - an outward appearance and reality of his persona showing a stark contrast.

Captain grabs her hand out of the car and demands she sits in the wheelchair.

This generally reflects the Captain’s egoistic and cult of personality traits. ‘That’s how I got away with it. I was invisible to you.’ Mercedes when being tortured.

Mocking and arrogant tone Metaphorically ‘invisible’

“But Captain, to obey – just like that – for obedience’s sake… without questioning… That’s something only people like you do.”

Mercedes’ defiance is admirable and the courage she shows is shown by characters in fairy tale worlds. Additionally, she pinpoints flaws in the Captain’s misogynistic worldview, wherein he underestimates the ability of women such as Mercedes. And to disobey, to resist the monster, is something only people like Ofelia, Mercedes, and the rebels do. To have them defy anything but a true monster would cheapen their resistance. And this is why, despite the difficulty in witnessing the darkness, the sorrow, and the brutality of Pan’s Labyrinth,

‘The Captain is not my father. My father was a tailor. He dies in the war.’

Aphorism

Ofelia attempts to latch onto her father’s memory, whereby the term ‘father’ to Ofelia transcends its existence as simply a word, but rather the dynamic and emotions associated with it. It also reflects the civilian cost of war and personal loss of senseless violence, which Del Toro utilises the contrasting genre of fairy tales and fables to accentuate the horrors of conflict in his critique.

‘God has already taken care of their souls. Their bodies

Religious allusions.

The Captain believes religion to be on his side, and highlights the role of religion in inciting violence and providing reasons for mistreating individuals. Additionally, it highlights another source of power through

hardly matter to Him’

religion in manipulating individuals behind a cause.

During the dinner scene spoken by the Captain. Lullaby (present in paratext, sung by mother, when she enters the Labyrinth)

Non-diegetic auditory motif

The lullaby is a motif that underscores Ofelia’s journey and also serves a symbol for bridging the fantasy and real worlds, due to its otherworldly sound and use in scenes when traveling between them.

All transitions between real world and fantasy world

Done through fluid camera tracking shots or wipe cuts

Del Toro reinforces the coincidiary nature of the real and fantasy worlds by transitioning between them fluidly and seamlessly, to present them as co-existing and reflective of the other.

‘They eat more than a couple of pigs.’

Analogy, Simile

The working women’s comments on the eating mannerisms of the elite highlights the income and resource inequality present during war, reflecting Del Toro’s criticism of war and its inhuman effects.

‘These people hold the mistaken belief that we are all equal...but there is one big difference… the war is over and we won. And if we need to kill every one of them, then we’ll kill them all, and that’s that.’

Diacope Aphorism

The Captain’s power and ideologies corrupt his humanity and morals, as he seeks to wipe out his opposition even though the war is over. It reflects the notion that violence and war forces the othering of people and their dehumanisation antagonisation, which can be exacerbated by religion, ideology, and being granted positions of power.

‘The reds lie,

Synecdoche of ‘fire

This propaganda reflects the power of words and language in manipulating

The Loss of Innocence

because in a united Spain there’s not a single home without fire or bread’

and bread’

Ophelia’s impending death and heavy panting in the opening scene.

Postmodern subversion of the ‘happily ever after’ fairytale motif’

the truth, while also solidifying the Captain’s power over the life and death of his people.

Metaphor ‘reds’ The use of a child and bloody hand-pan, the close up of a bloodied nose, and the violent imagery evoke a visceral reaction. The contrast of the child, a symbol of innocence, and her circumstances. Blue gel used in the lighting creates a morbid, cold atmosphere.

Close-ups Colour pallette Violent Imagery When the background of the story is given - eyes are downcaste in defeat.

Camera Pans

‘The Captain is not my father. My father was a tailor. He dies in the war.’

Aphorism

Dutch-tilt used off-center and tilter.

It uses a storytelling trope associated with fables/fairytales but ironically depicting the historical event of the aftermath of the Spanish Civil war - 5 years later. The jarring duality serves to critique childhood innocence and war, the victims of political war mongering. Ofelia attempts to latch onto her father’s memory, whereby the term ‘father’ to Ofelia transcends its existence as simply a word, but rather the dynamic and emotions associated with it. It also reflects the civilian cost of war and personal loss of senseless violence, which Del Toro utilises the contrasting genre of fairy tales and fables to accentuate the horrors of conflict in his critique.

All transitions between real world and fantasy world

Done through fluid camera tracking shots or wipe cuts

Del Toro reinforces the coincidiary nature of the real and fantasy worlds by transitioning between them fluidly and seamlessly, to present them as co-existing and reflective of the other.

The Pale man

symbolism/parallelis m

The Pale man is another symbol of the consuming aspect of Vidal’s nature. This sick, albino creature presides over a rich, bountiful feast, but eats only the blood of innocents. Del Toro’s commentary reveals that the geometry of the Pale Man’s dining room is the same as Vidal’s: a long rectangle with a chimney at the back and the monster at the head of the table. Like the Pale Man, Vidal also dines on the blood of innocents. He cuts the people’s rations, supposedly to hurt the rebels, but eats very well himself; in many scenes he savors his hoarded tobacco with almost sexual ecstasy; but this is not a man with sexual appetites. It is true that he has copulated with Ofelia’s mother, but he is more akin to the Grimm Brothers’ Big Bad Wolf, who wishes to eat Little Red Riding Hood, than the wolf of “The Story of Grandmother” who invites the girl to strip before coming to his bed. Vidal is the sort of wolf James McGlathery describes, one who is neither “a prospective suitor, nor even clearly a seducer of maidens as one usually thinks of the matter. His lust for Red Riding Hood’s body is portrayed as gluttony, pure and simple.” The conflation of consumption, of food, tobacco, and drink, as Vidal’s passion throughout the film underscores this idea. This gluttonous obsession proves Vidal’s undoing: in a wonderful use of foreshadowing, Ofelia kills the Monstrous Toad by tricking it into eating magic, disguising them as the pill bugs the monster lives on. This mirrors the end of the film, when Ofelia renders Captain Vidal nearly unconscious by lacing his liquor glass with her deceased mother’s medication, tricking him into drinking it.

The

Ofelia removes her dress and enters into the old, decrepit fig tree, crawling through its muddy roots.

Freudian symbolism

The fig tree (which has an opening at its base and curves in two directions at its top) mirrors the horns of the Faun and serves as a fallopian image. Ofelia's journey into it symbolizes her journey back into the womb of her mother, into the fantasy world and away from the scary land of adulthood.

The Menu on the DVD

Paratext

Harrowing rendition of lullaby Mercedes sings to Ophelia, a perversion of childhood, feat of war-fascist leaders, vitiated innocence.

Lullaby (present in paratext, sung by mother, when she enters the Labyrinth)

Non-diegetic auditory motif

The lullaby is a motif that underscores Ofelia’s journey and also serves a symbol for bridging the fantasy and real worlds, due to its otherworldly sound and use in scenes when traveling between them.

The dinner scene, where Ofelia disobeys the fairy to not the food.

Foreshadowing with colour symbolism of ‘red’ meaning danger.

Ofelia disobeys the elements and succumbs to her temptations, since she wasn’t fed in the real world. The awakening of the Pale man as a result highlights the dangerous ramifications of disobedience, and how it can arise from the mistreatment of individuals. Power over people → oppression → disobedience → danger.

Fascist logo on the door of a mill. The

Contrast and dark colour scheme.

The contrast of the serene, bucolic setting that is often common in fairy tales is subverted by the presence of an oppressive ideology (Fascism). The tonal

Ofelia goes into this dying tree, which represents her mother dying from carrying her brother, to help her mother. The belching of the frog represents her mother trying to give birth and Ofelia attempts to reconcile with loving her stepbrother but protect her mother, which is her primary goal in the film.

Corruptin g Nature of Power

depiction of black cars and militaristic objects within a bucolic setting.

dissonance is a microcosm of Del Toro’sgeneral subversion of the fairy tale and fantasy genre. The dark hues and dark colour grading reinforce the dark themes and subversion.

‘You must think me some sort of monster’

FIND ONE

‘It’s the other hand, Ophelia’

Assertive tone.

Lighting

Captain grabs her hand out of the car and demands she sits in the wheelchair.

The prominence of shadows covering the frame foreshadows danger. The Captain is a menacing figure unaware of his depraved sense of morality, but also revels in his cruelty, a product of unbridled power and war that Del Toro criticises. The Captain exudes and demonstrates a patriarchal, misogynistic control over the women in the film, and also squeezes Ophelia’s hand tightly when leaning in for the tight shot. He believes in order and power dichotomies, and can display physical dominance when doing so. He also whispers to both women - an outward appearance and reality of his persona showing a stark contrast. This generally reflects the Captain’s egoistic and cult of personality traits.

‘You’ve found my weakness- my pride’

Monologue

The Captain is aware of his egoistic nature, somewhat facilitated by the power and authority vested in him. It serves as his weakness, which takes on a double meaning as his pride in monologuing and boasting does turn out to be his weakness, as it results in his maiming and attack by Mercedes.

The rebels are captured and brutally slaughtered (skulls are crushed and the father is shot).

Close-up shots

The soldiers are depicted on a slight incline to communicate their physical dominance over st...