Pan’s Labyrinth

Question 1

Opening Sequence: Lighting

Answer 1

• the blue lowkey lighting of the end & underworld contrast the bright sunshine of the real world - high key & natural

Question 2

Opening Sequence: editing

Answer 2

• this is the end in reverse - why is it being shown at the beginning? Experimental.
• title cards give us background

Question 3

Opening Sequence: Cinematography

Answer 3

• slow tilted pan across a close up of Ofelia’s face - Dutch angle
• smooth continuity of camera work within the fantasy world
• two shot to show Carmen & Ofelia’s relationship

Question 4

Opening Sequence: Sound

Answer 4

• Mercedes humming the song (leitmotif) with Ofelia breathing heavily & and outdoor soundscape
• narration which gives us the background to the fantasy (by the faun)

Question 5

Opening Sequence: Mise-en-scene

Answer 5

• green natural palette - in a forest (fairytale) - quite bright for the real world
• carmen’s pregnancy which makes her ill
• pre-title we are given the historical context of the film through title cards

Question 6

The Pale Man: sound

Answer 6

• tension built in the music (fantasy & foreboding) alongside the bass (heartbeat) and the creepy breathing
• fades out when the pale man comes to life & quickly reappears with a fast tempo to create tension and stress

Question 7

The Pale Man: editing

Answer 7

• collision cross-cutting between Ofelia & the pale man moving closer

Question 8

The Pale Man: Mise-en-scene

Answer 8

• setting - red means danger - very crypt like
• overall quite a warm colour palette which makes the pale man stand out
• the paintings of children being eaten and the shoes suggest who the pale man is a representation of - Chronos/Saturn - Spain destroying its citizens through countless wars and near genocidal treatment, and the Catholic Church’s silence in this matter, allowing this to happen alongside the Holocaust.

Question 9

The Pale Man: ideology & symbolism

Answer 9

• the pale man is a reference to the Pope - a criticism of the Catholic Church taking action against others only if it directly affects them. The holes in its hands - Jesus’ stigmata
• stigma against the church at the time due to the multitude of child sexual harassment accusations
• fantasy world where she succeeds makes her in control whereas she has none in reality
• fairytale conventions - disobeys direct orders and gets away with it

Question 10

The Pale Man: Cinematography

Answer 10

• expanding travelling shot - moves away from Ofelia to show the hallway & the absurdity of this fantasy
• tracking mid pan as Ofelia walks along the table
• zoom on Ofelia as she is tempted
• over-the-shoulder move focus onto the Pale Man
• hourglass —> Ofelia focal switch through CU —> LS

Question 11

The Pale Man: performance

Answer 11

• the pale man only moves when it directly affects him - she’s stealing food so he takes action (the greed of the Catholic Church’s silence)
• choice in blindness and inactivity when a wrong action is committed
• the pale man is slow - the tension comes from the devices / film form rather than the challenges of the task

Question 12

Chelsea Smile Scene: ideologies

Answer 12

• Mercedes becomes the mother figure after Carmen dies - we are aligned with Ofelia therefore are sympathetic to Mercedes
• the point of a Chelsea smile is to leave a horrible, lasting scar
• Vidal’s masculinity

Question 13

Chelsea Smile Scene: context

Answer 13

• very violent and graphic, not something you would find in a Hollywood film

Question 14

Chelsea Smile Scene: Mise-en-scene

Answer 14

• the umbrella gives Vidal a chance to surprise Mercedes - something which is quickly returned
• Mercedes’ knife which she hid earlier
• dark & gloomy; blue

Question 15

Chelsea Smile Scene: sound

Answer 15

• dialogue - “no es mas que una mujer”
• music increases tension - high pitch, small crescendos
• natural soundscape when she escapes

Question 16

Chelsea Smile Scene: editing

Answer 16

• Vidal’s actions and behaviour towards Ofelia in comparison to Mercedes’ interaction with her

Question 17

Chelsea Smile Scene: cinematography

Answer 17

• mid shot of Vidal’s back - he doesn’t believe Mercedes is a threat at all
• MCU of his shock that Mercedes is fighting back
• low angle on Mercedes over Vidal’s shoulder- she has all the power for once, especially over him

Question 18

Representations of Ofelia’s world

Answer 18

• tends to be much warmer lighting, suggesting fantasy world is more pleasant than the reality
• reflects del Toro’s interest in mythology & Galician & Celtic art
• The Pale Man is a reference to the Pope & criticises the Catholic Church’s for only taking action against others when something directly affects it
• multitude of accusations towards the Church for ignoring child sexual assault and harassment
• Ofelia is barred from Paradise for giving in to temptation & eating from the Pale Man’s table
• del Toro’s was inspired by Goya’s dark paintings & the use of shadow
• adventure into a world of darkness as a part of a path to enlightenment

Question 19

Representations of Vidal’s Reality

Answer 19

• Priest uses religion against Maquis soldiers to attempt to get them to confess, threatening mutilation
• VIdal is totalitarian & seeks blind obedience, much like the Church
• Mercedes subverts the typical representation of women shown to us through Carmen, although she ends up with a child at the end
• masculinity is violent and prideful - Vidal even acknowledges it is his downfall in the Chelsea Smile Scene

Question 20

Aesthetics

Answer 20

• Goya’s dark paintings - similar colour palette & use of lighting & shadow
• adventure into a world of darkness as a part of a path to enlightenment
• colour used in real world helps us distinguish between real & unreal worlds
• Saturn Devouring His Son by Goya - Chronos / Saturn ate his children - symbolic of Spain devouring its own citizens through repeated wars & violence - provided aesthetic inspiration
• Catholic iconography through the Pale Man & its stigmata to directly criticise the church for siding with Franco in a war of hatred, as well as the Holocaust (pile of children’s shoes)
• Fantasy world - inviting & warm - gold, reds & yellows - underworld = return to the womb - colours, feminine imagery
• real world - cold & dangerous - blues, blacks & greys - authoritarian - straight lines, angular locations

Question 21

Historical context

Answer 21

• made 70 years after the outbreak of Civil War
• arrived at a time when the ‘pact of silence’ was coming into question
• horror of war explored through the eyes of a child (typical of post-Franco films)
• after the military dictatorship & monarchy collapsed in the 1920’s/30’s, Franco’s fascist army won the Civil War in 1939
• set in Northern Spain (Galicia) where the first guerilla movement was established in 1942
• Franco’s aim was to ‘purify’ Spain
• 500,000 death toll
• Franco died in 1975, marking the long process of a return to democracy

Question 22

Institutional Context

Answer 22

• foreign films tend to present the war as a symbol for a global struggle with totalitarianism, whereas Spanish films explore personal trauma and national disaster
• Dopido argues that these films focus on unearthing the past as a metaphor for the recovery of historical memory

Question 23

Production Context

Answer 23

• was supposed to be part of a trilogy
• was very difficult to shoot & gain funding
• del Toro’s old contacts in the ‘Tequila gang’ came through, and he too sacrificed his salary
• budget - approx. $15 million, global box office return almost $90 million
• premiered at Cannes in May 2006 where it received a 22 minute standing ovation
• won a BAFTA, 3 Oscars & a Goya award