PAN'S LABYRINTH - NOTES
PAN'S LABYRINTH
(Spain, Mexico)2006
Writer, director, producer
Guillermo del Toro
Won three Academy Awards: Cinematography, makeup, production design
CONTEXT
The PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) governed Mexico for over 70 years, from 1929 to 2001.
During this time, they were responsible for corruption, electoral fraud and authoritarianism (a way of governing that values order and control over personal freedom).
KEY THEMES:
issues of gender and women's roles
rural vs urban Mexico
modernism, religion and economy
political issues
disintegration of society, values, morals etc.
sexual unfulfillment
sci-fi and new horror/thriller
He is known for:
Fractionation with monsters
Fairytales of horror
Catholicism
Clockwork motifs
Practical special effects
Dominant amber lighting
THEMES
Loss - Consequence of War
Escapism
Fantasy/reality
War
Loss of childhood/innocence
Ofelia's death
Trauma
OFELIA - metaphor for the children in war and how they cope with what going on around her, Liberalism, Morality, Innocence, Idealism, Model of ideal/utopian Spain.
VIDAL - metaphor for order, Dictator, Patriarchy, Male violence, Dominance, Embodiment of evil.
Uniform, mirror, shaving, watch (broken/fixed).
VIDAL FEAST SCENE
Sound
Diegetic sound - more involvement for the spectator.
Crashing rain,
All the sound of the umbrellas pulled up at once - order
The fire sound matches the sound of the pale man scene later on.
Constant sound of rain and thunder - tension in the situation, uncomfortable atmosphere.
As Vidal states that he finds the vial and the doctor realises - Non-diegetic music is payed in a minor key to show that there is a problem in the scene.
Music suddenly stops at the conversation changes to show sudden problems that can occur.
Vidal suddenly stops his speech and then music starts again as there is a clashing of different instruments to show the overwhelming emotions of Mercedes. The music reflects the way that Mercedes it feeling.
It then turns to major from minor when we see Mercedes as it shows a heroic motif for her.
There is a lack of sound when the camera go on Vidal as it shows order that he is focused on one thing and there is nothing standing in his way.
The difference between good and evil and emotions presented.
Del Toro wants to show the difference of good and evil and does this via the sudden changes in the sound. There is a chilling atmosphere that is presented and is mainly due to the diegetic sound of the crackling fire. This gives the spectator an uncomfortable feeling as they listen to daunting sounds whilst looking at a sinister character. When Mercedes comes on screen, music starts to play in a major key to show a heroic nature in this character presented on screen. Del Toro does this to show a major difference between both good and evil, as the spectator would support a character with a light and happy motif.
AO1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of elements of film.
AO2
Apply knowledge and understanding of elements of film to analyse film.
EACH PARAGRAPH
- Start with a point directly related to the question.
- Back up with evidence from the text and using key film studies vocabulary but being careful not to re-tell the story.
- Explore the impact on the spectator of decisions made by the director.
- Offer interpretations of potential meanings of what is seen on the screen on the screen.
- Support with relevant contexts.
With close reference to the film you have studied, explore how editing and sound create meaning. (40)
In the scene where Vidal hosts the dinner the editing and sound are key to understanding the scene. But to understand this we need to first understand the directors intentions through the editing, in this scene del toro intended to present the ideas of patriarchy. An example of this is in the feast scene, where there is a shot reverse shot where we see carman from Vidal's shoulder and Vidal from in front. This shows us that Vidal is the superior character, this is that idea of the patriarchy being bad and this idea is presented by using Vidal who is the antagonist as a mouthpiece for the patriarchy. During this scene there is constant diegetic sound of the fire which helps the spectator to understand the chilling and dark atmosphere, given off by Vidal. This also gives an uncomfortable feeling, for the spectator as they are forced to listen to daunting sounds while looking at the sinister character with the background amplifying this persona. this mirrors how Del Toro is strongly against the patriarchy and racist regime presenting them as the enemy and the imagination and innocence of a child as positive. He puts this idea forward that the a child's imagination is key to escaping the world they are trapped in. Del Toro wants to establish the difference between good and evil and does this effectively with the non-diegetic sound presented. When there is a cut to Mercedes alone, we hear a heroic motif in major key which ultimately adds to the idea that Del Toro wants the spectator to see how she is valiant and courageous. - JOSH + XANDER
In Pan's Labyrinth, meaning is created in the feast scene through aesthetic qualities by having the setting and colour palette at the start as dark and muted blues and the setting is rainy. Before they all sit down to have dinner, it's raining outside and is very dark. This could be pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing that something bad will come later in the film. The directors message here is that the place that they are staying at is evil and dangerous. This creates meaning as the spectator now feels on edge as they are unsure about what will happen next. Another way meaning is created is by the framing in the dinner scene. When the camera focus on Carmen, it's an over the shoulder shot of Vidal and they are both in the frame. However, when it cuts and the camera focuses only on Vidal he is the only person in the whole frame. The directors intentions here is to isolate Vidal from everyone else and to shows he's of importance here as he was in the frame with Carmen, but in the fame on his own and this shows he has power over everyone there. This makes the spectator feel inferior to Vidal as they are intimated by him due to how his importance is portrayed.
MISE-EN-SCENE - OFFICE SCENE
- 'Forever alone till the end of time' = Until the watch is destroyed meaning Vidal will be alone till he dies.
- Del Toro intended for the pocket watch to be a metaphor for the audience to understand the Spanish Civil war. The need for order which made the watch run again shows how the facists took over, time seemed to go forward but stayed stuck in this time with spain not moving forward well in the future.
- The character is much larger and more superior to the doctor as we see him get up and look down on him.
- Contrasting colour = Chiaroscuro - Vidal's face is brighter than the light around him.
- Different uniforms
- Sudden music scares the spectator which complements the violence.
- When Vidal shoots the other man, the music moves up an octave to increase the dark atmostphere with an eerie sound in a higher pitch.
- The hyperreal diegetic sound of the gun shot adds to the sociopathic nature of Vidal.
EDITING
- No cuts; one long cut to show how the issue is between a small group of people as everyone is in the shot.
- When Vidal hits his face, the shots speed up with fast cuts. However there is a shot reverse shot to Vidal and the poacher son and we keep going back to focus on his face; shows his nose being caved in. This increases the tension in the scene.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Scene starts with a back-to-camera shot of Vidal looking down on the poachers. This puts Vidal in a place of importance to the spectator.
- After the violence the camera tilts up at Vidal, this puts the spectator in the place of the poachers so that they feels sympathy for them.
- There is also tracking shots throughout the scene, creating the idea that the action is quick and unimportant to Vidal - no static shots.
MISE-EN-SCENE
- The monochromatic blue colour palette emphasises the moody and ominous atmosphere.
- The recurring theme of the grain mill in the background.
- Different contrasting costumes; Soldier and peasant.
PERFORMENCE
- The young poacher acted very scared and his father was also scared.
- Vidal acts dominant through the non-verbal communication.
- Vidal looks at the officer with disgust facial expressions.
Diegetic sound - more involvement for the spectator.
Crashing rain,
All the sound of the umbrellas pulled up at once - order
The fire sound matches the sound of the pale man scene later on.
Constant sound of rain and thunder - tension in the situation, uncomfortable atmosphere.
As Vidal states that he finds the vial and the doctor realises - Non-diegetic music is payed in a minor key to show that there is a problem in the scene.
Music suddenly stops at the conversation changes to show sudden problems that can occur.
Vidal suddenly stops his speech and then music starts again as there is a clashing of different instruments to show the overwhelming emotions of Mercedes. The music reflects the way that Mercedes it feeling.
It then turns to major from minor when we see Mercedes as it shows a heroic motif for her.
There is a lack of sound when the camera go on Vidal as it shows order that he is focused on one thing and there is nothing standing in his way.
The difference between good and evil and emotions presented.
AO1
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of elements of film.
AO2
Apply knowledge and understanding of elements of film to analyse film.
EACH PARAGRAPH
- Start with a point directly related to the question.
- Back up with evidence from the text and using key film studies vocabulary but being careful not to re-tell the story.
- Explore the impact on the spectator of decisions made by the director.
- Offer interpretations of potential meanings of what is seen on the screen on the screen.
- Support with relevant contexts.
With close reference to the film you have studied, explore how editing and sound create meaning. (40)
In the scene where Vidal hosts the dinner the editing and sound are key to understanding the scene. But to understand this we need to first understand the directors intentions through the editing, in this scene del toro intended to present the ideas of patriarchy. An example of this is in the feast scene, where there is a shot reverse shot where we see carman from Vidal's shoulder and Vidal from in front. This shows us that Vidal is the superior character, this is that idea of the patriarchy being bad and this idea is presented by using Vidal who is the antagonist as a mouthpiece for the patriarchy. During this scene there is constant diegetic sound of the fire which helps the spectator to understand the chilling and dark atmosphere, given off by Vidal. This also gives an uncomfortable feeling, for the spectator as they are forced to listen to daunting sounds while looking at the sinister character with the background amplifying this persona. this mirrors how Del Toro is strongly against the patriarchy and racist regime presenting them as the enemy and the imagination and innocence of a child as positive. He puts this idea forward that the a child's imagination is key to escaping the world they are trapped in. Del Toro wants to establish the difference between good and evil and does this effectively with the non-diegetic sound presented. When there is a cut to Mercedes alone, we hear a heroic motif in major key which ultimately adds to the idea that Del Toro wants the spectator to see how she is valiant and courageous. - JOSH + XANDER
Del Toro conveys vidal as powerful
and dominant within the feast scene,Sergi Lopez shows this through his
performance. specifically his body language and his posture. Vidal
sits at the head of the table with his back up right, and legs apart
this physically demonstrates his power and control over the table.This is
contrasted with carmens body posture, she's seating with her hand on
her lap and whilst she speaks she looking down at her food,
this indicates vidal honour ship over her.
Del toro does this to represent the state of gender politics and
the patriarchal society that men held dominance over women at
this time. However this is contrasted with the portrayal of mercedes.
Firstly she is shown in a position of control, she is standing and takes
the control from Vidal by taking Carmen out of the scene. This could foreshadow
the end of the film, where Mercedes takes both his child and his life. - ABI + SAPPHIRE
In Pan's Labyrinth, meaning is created in the feast scene through aesthetic qualities by having the setting and colour palette at the start as dark and muted blues and the setting is rainy. Before they all sit down to have dinner, it's raining outside and is very dark. This could be pathetic fallacy and foreshadowing that something bad will come later in the film. The directors message here is that the place that they are staying at is evil and dangerous. This creates meaning as the spectator now feels on edge as they are unsure about what will happen next. Another way meaning is created is by the framing in the dinner scene. When the camera focus on Carmen, it's an over the shoulder shot of Vidal and they are both in the frame. However, when it cuts and the camera focuses only on Vidal he is the only person in the whole frame. The directors intentions here is to isolate Vidal from everyone else and to shows he's of importance here as he was in the frame with Carmen, but in the fame on his own and this shows he has power over everyone there. This makes the spectator feel inferior to Vidal as they are intimated by him due to how his importance is portrayed.
Another way aesthetic qualities create meaning is through the use
of the opening shot establishing a new
scene is a pan left and tracking shot which shows
maids preparing the dining table, and the cameras movement stops to reveal
Carmen in a wheelchair being pushed around. This reminds the spectators of the constant
patriarchal theme of the film, where Vidal wants to assert his dominance by
being in control of what Carmen is free to do, despite them being partners. We enter another shot, where the farm shows a
dining room table, with equal amount of people opposite each other, with Vidal
at the head of the table. Not only
does this show to spectator's Vidal's obsession with authority, the equity of
people on his left and right shows the table perfectly balanced and in order.
This reflects how the fascists want to bring balance and order to everyone in
Spain. - CHEBABO + BENJI
Add more editing terminology that helps understand the point.
CINEMATOGRAPHY - PALE MAN SEQUENCE
- Tracking back/in: more involvement for spectator.
- The camera mainly follows every action that Ofelia undergoes as it shows all her emotions presented.
- Track right to Ofelia's movements same reaction at the same time as Ofelia.
- Shot reverse shot - shows what Ofelia is looking at and her reaction to the monster and what the monster is doing.
- The spectator expects a scare from the pale man due to the close-up of him.
- Whenever Ofelia is in the frame she is centre but there is a constant threat to the right of her.
- Threat is on the right as she looks back. There is constant threat behind her.
- Shallow depth of field as we want Ofelia to look at the threat behind her.
- Close up to the pale man eating the fairies.
MISE-EN-SCENE
- Colour palette from dark blue in Ofelia's room to reddish-orange in Pale Man's lair - hellish imagery.
- High arches - church or strength = imposing.
- Pale Man at head of the table - parallel framing w Vidal during banquet scene.
- Pale Man in frame as looming threat.
- Piles of shoes (props) - fascist regime = link to Nazis/holocaust - also paintings // with Goya's Child Eater.
- Repeated hand imagery - sand timer, heart, PM w long, extended fingers.
- Steam emitted from hatch through which Ofelia escapes.
- Prosthetics - monster makeup, Del Toro's obsession w monsters, also dieting after obesity - sexless, ageless, inhuman.
EDITING
- Dissolve down corridor - when Ofelia climbs through hatch.
- Slow-paced, few cuts at start (shots around 4 secs each).
- SFX for fairies.
- When Ofelia sees the child-eater murals, we cut back to her expression - reaction.
- When Pale Man rises, editing fast paced - more cuts (1 sec long)
- When she runs away, cuts between PM and Ofelia.
PERFORMENCE
- Facial expressions of Ofelia show her reactions - spectator aligns with her.
- PM running = slow, awkward, unnatural, inhuman - shows how old he is, has been dormant for a long time - creaks/cracks when he moves.
- Non-verbal communication - Ofelia = wonder, adventure.
The Pale Man sequence might be considered as Ofelia's subconscious projection of the feast scene hosted by Vidal; she sees the Pale Man as a monstrous manifestation of not only Vidal, but of the fascist ideology he represents.
- Close up to the pale man eating the fairies.
MISE-EN-SCENE
- Colour palette from dark blue in Ofelia's room to reddish-orange in Pale Man's lair - hellish imagery.
- High arches - church or strength = imposing.
- Pale Man at head of the table - parallel framing w Vidal during banquet scene.
- Pale Man in frame as looming threat.
- Piles of shoes (props) - fascist regime = link to Nazis/holocaust - also paintings // with Goya's Child Eater.
- Repeated hand imagery - sand timer, heart, PM w long, extended fingers.
- Steam emitted from hatch through which Ofelia escapes.
- Prosthetics - monster makeup, Del Toro's obsession w monsters, also dieting after obesity - sexless, ageless, inhuman.
EDITING
- Dissolve down corridor - when Ofelia climbs through hatch.
- Slow-paced, few cuts at start (shots around 4 secs each).
- SFX for fairies.
- When Ofelia sees the child-eater murals, we cut back to her expression - reaction.
- When Pale Man rises, editing fast paced - more cuts (1 sec long)
- When she runs away, cuts between PM and Ofelia.
PERFORMENCE
- Facial expressions of Ofelia show her reactions - spectator aligns with her.
- PM running = slow, awkward, unnatural, inhuman - shows how old he is, has been dormant for a long time - creaks/cracks when he moves.
- Non-verbal communication - Ofelia = wonder, adventure.
The Pale Man sequence might be considered as Ofelia's subconscious projection of the feast scene hosted by Vidal; she sees the Pale Man as a monstrous manifestation of not only Vidal, but of the fascist ideology he represents.
MISE-EN-SCENE - OFFICE SCENE
- 'Forever alone till the end of time' = Until the watch is destroyed meaning Vidal will be alone till he dies.
- Del Toro intended for the pocket watch to be a metaphor for the audience to understand the Spanish Civil war. The need for order which made the watch run again shows how the facists took over, time seemed to go forward but stayed stuck in this time with spain not moving forward well in the future.
- The character is much larger and more superior to the doctor as we see him get up and look down on him.
- Contrasting colour = Chiaroscuro - Vidal's face is brighter than the light around him.
- Different uniforms
How does a micro-feature create meaning?
In the scene in which Vidal speaks in his office with the
doctor about Carmen’s pregnancy, the spectator better understands power
relationships between the two characters, with the doctor being much inferior
to Vidal. Initially alone, Vidal is repairing his father’s pocket watch. Vidal does this in the centre of the frame with a low angle deep depth-of-field,
and the camera slowly tracking around him as if he were controlling
it. When the camera cuts to the pocket
watch, a close-up shallow
depth-of-field is employed to show its value to Vidal. This pocket watch is used as a metaphor for Vidal’s
character arc. In his attempt to repair it, this shows the spectator how in his
pursuit of order, he loses his small amount of humanity. This creates irony,
because as his father heroically died in battle, he broke the watch to
represent a noble death. However, by repairing the pocket watch, Vidal
discredits his father’s memory. Del Toro
intended for the hyperreal ticking of the pocket watch to be a metaphor for the
spectator to understand the Spanish Civil War. The need for order which made
the watch run again, shows how when the fascists took over; time seemed to go
forward but stayed stuck in past with Spain going no further into the future
with the fascists ideology holding them back.
When the doctor enters, the camera
quickly pans left following him, which shows how little authority he has over
the camera, and therefore over the events that are unfolding in the office.
There is a shot/reverse shot between the doctor and Vidal. In classical film
form, the shot/reverse shot would have identical shot sizes and angles to
suggest a balance in power. However, in this scene, the doctor is shown in an
eye-line shot whereas Vidal is shown at a low angle. Additionally, the shot of
Vidal is static, whilst that of the doctor is handheld. Del Toro does this to
represent the way the intelligentsia is treated in dictatorships because it
poses a threat to the power of the dictator. Cinematographically, the doctor is
therefore represented as vulnerable in the presence of Vidal, who is the
embodiment of fascism. The use of the crane up shot when Vidal steps towards
the doctor emphasises the imbalance of power between them. The strong key
light, combined with the weaker fill light, creates chiaroscuro on Vidal’s
face, making him seem ghoulish and monstrous. In addition to this, Del Toro
employs a muted blue-grey colour palette in the background which renders the
yellow-orange light on Vidal’s face more prominent, thereby creating a devilish
appearance.
The non-diegetic sound transition
accompanying the dissolve from Ofelia’s room to Vidal’s office segues from a
major fairytale key to an intense and ominous minor key. Del Toro does this in
order to illustrate a contrast between the two spheres of action.
SOUND - POACHER SCENE
- Dark ominous music when Vidal starts to hit him with the bottle.- Sudden music scares the spectator which complements the violence.
- When Vidal shoots the other man, the music moves up an octave to increase the dark atmostphere with an eerie sound in a higher pitch.
- The hyperreal diegetic sound of the gun shot adds to the sociopathic nature of Vidal.
EDITING
- No cuts; one long cut to show how the issue is between a small group of people as everyone is in the shot.
- When Vidal hits his face, the shots speed up with fast cuts. However there is a shot reverse shot to Vidal and the poacher son and we keep going back to focus on his face; shows his nose being caved in. This increases the tension in the scene.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Scene starts with a back-to-camera shot of Vidal looking down on the poachers. This puts Vidal in a place of importance to the spectator.
- After the violence the camera tilts up at Vidal, this puts the spectator in the place of the poachers so that they feels sympathy for them.
- There is also tracking shots throughout the scene, creating the idea that the action is quick and unimportant to Vidal - no static shots.
MISE-EN-SCENE
- The monochromatic blue colour palette emphasises the moody and ominous atmosphere.
- The recurring theme of the grain mill in the background.
- Different contrasting costumes; Soldier and peasant.
PERFORMENCE
- The young poacher acted very scared and his father was also scared.
- Vidal acts dominant through the non-verbal communication.
- Vidal looks at the officer with disgust facial expressions.
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