Pan’s Labyrinth Summary
Pan’s Labyrinth is a fantasy drama that is set in the Spanish Civil War and details the strange mystical journeys of an imaginative young girl who may or may not be the mythical princess of an underground kingdom. Her mother, Carmen, has recently remarried to an army captain, Vidal, and is soon set to give birth to Vidal’s first son. Ofelia is forced to entertain herself as her mom and stepfather settle into their new home, an old mill house that is set in the Spanish countryside. As Ofelia’s mother is bed ridden due to her complicated pregnancy, Ofelia’s new stepfather is determined to fulfill the orders of General Francisco Franco to crush a nearby guerilla uprising. Ofelia soon ventures into an elaborate stone labyrinth and finds a mythical faun, Pan. Pan convinces Ofelia that she is the lost princess of legend and that in order to return to her underground home she must complete a three life threatening tasks. Ofelia sets out to reclaim her kingdom and return to her father while Vidal’s housekeeper Mercedes and doctor plot secretly on the surface to keep the revolution alive.
Compositional Modes of Film Making in Pan’s Labyrinth
The director uses mise en scène in Pan’s Labyrinth in many ways. One of the best examples is Captain Vidal’s room/ office. The lighting is dingy and dark with a golden light shining through on the dark wooden furniture with ironic happy music playing in the background. The room is also cluttered with many army and war supplies showing that he is a high-ranking official in the army. The room shows Vidal’s obsession with order and neatness and his strive for a “clean Spain”. At a dinner party the captain announces to his guests: “I want my son to be born in a new clean Spain” (Smith 6). Smith goes onto say in his article Pan’s Labyrinth, “The obsessive abjection of the fantasy world might be read as del Toro’s critique of the equally obsessive hygiene of the real-life realm of Fascism”(Smith 8). This being that Ofelia’s snow white skin is covered in slime and mud and her dress is also caked with layers of grit and grime. Another compositional mode used in the movie is cinematography. One of the best examples is at the very beginning and very end of the movie. “As time runs backwards, a trickle of ruby-red blood retreats into the nostril of a white- faced, black haired Ofelia… Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro’s camera, already restlessly mobile, plunges into her eye and the first fantasy sequence” (Smith 4). In another scene Ofelia is telling her unborn brother the story of a miraculous flower that blooms every morning. In a single, extraordinary shot del Toro tilts down to inside the mother’s stomach, where we then see a golden fetus listening. The camera then captures the fantastic blossom on top a mountain of thorns (Smith 6).
Similarities to Alice in Wonderland
Throughout Pan’s Labyrinth there are many similarities between it and Alice and Wonderland. By stepping into her imaginary world, Ofelia is escaping lies, death, and pain just like Alice was trying to do while escaping her marriage. In her article Alice’s Little Sister: Exploring Pan’s Labyrinth, Edwards says, “… this world seems to value energy and action and extols rebellion, disobedience and freedom of choice (Edwards 142). Ofelia is similar to Alice when she disobeys her mother by destroying her new dress while she was hunting the toad and also by ignoring the fairies and choosing a different door to unlock just like Alice did. Captain Vidal is also like a human version of the white rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. Vidal’s obsession with his pocket watch, time, and organization are mirror images of the white rabbits actions. The Mad Hatter’s lavish tea party is almost a replica of the Pale Man’s dinner in front of the scorching fireplace. The elongated table that stretches over a red and white checkered floor is reminiscent of the tea party scene in Alice in Wonderland. Furthermore, the small imaginary doors that Ofelia drew out of chalk are very similar to the small doors that Alice had to climb through. Ofelia and Alice are very similar in character and personality, almost like the same spirits just living in two different times.
I think you did a good job on the Compositional Modes of Film Making in Pan’s Labyrinth paragraph. You were descriptive and critical. You could try to go more in depth with how things were symbolized in the movie, but I think you did a good job.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your comparisons between Alice in Wonderland and Pan's Labyrinth, and it revealed a lot about Alice in Wonderland that I had never thought of before.
ReplyDeleteThe world of wonderland dances the same line of fantasy and reality that we see in PL. The comparisons of dirt and filth with the idea of a "clean Spain" offered a lot of insight into how the director used lighting and color to portray these conditions and symbols.
I completely agree with how you compared it to Alice in the Wonderland and how she also tries to escape her own world. I liked how you provided in depth descriptions of the movie and compared it to how Ofelia felt.
ReplyDeleteThe movie is something that is mixed with reality and fantasy and how sometimes many people try to escape it. The director tried to provide great examples of how exactly one sees the world and how one sees their problems. Even though, it was a gruesome movie, I believe that it provided great examples of agony and discipline.
I like your analysis and use of Smith and Edwards to discuss the ideas of Vidal's "Clean Spain" and Ofelia's rebellion and dirtying of the dress granted by her stepfather. The quote about disobedience works well too. I think your layout and captions were done very well, but I must say that the last image with the Hatter's table should be juxtaposed with an image of Vidal's table and a caption should discuss parallel's (Hatter's control of the talk--his ruse, like Vidal's)
ReplyDeleteI also have my wonderland, and I've been treated as both ofelia and Alice. I feel very similar to them, I've also faced nightmares in my wonderland, Colombia. Because I had to grow up in another country, in another world and another time��. And even though I faced unexpected and unwanted events I STILL wanted to remain at least for one year in my wonderland ����. Some people say magic does not exist but honestly there really was one moment when I was going to live in a hostel and it seemed both good and unsafe so I didn't really know what I was doing. At that moment I actually felt a guardian angel right to my right shoulder telling me not to walk inside there. I could not see it, but I physically felt it. Which Alice and Ofelia also had when they really faced danger. I am Johanna in wonderland��♣️��, and the figures "queen and dumber" of my wonderland lost their job.
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