Pan's Labyrinth (Spanish: El laberinto del fauno, "The Labyrinth of the faun") is a 2006 Mexican-Spanish dark fantasy film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by Esperanto Films. Pan's Labyrinth takes place in Spain in May–June 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, during the early Francoist (aka Fascist Spain) period. The narrative of the film interweaves this real world with a mythical world centered around an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, Captain Vidal, hunts the Spanish Maquis who fight against the Francoist regime in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden.
Opening sequence In the opening sequence we first see a black screen and hear rushed breathing, a lullaby is hummed while a series of inter-titles/titles introduce the audience to the location and time period - Spain 1944 The Civil War is over, hidden in the mountains armed men are still fighting the new Fascist regime. As the black fades we see a young girl laying on her back with stream of blood running back into her nose. An impersonal narration begins with "A long time ago" this simple statement has a very important meaning, this tells the audience that this story is a fairy tale which links directly to filmic genre fantasy. As an audience we now have a range of expectations or an understanding of the possibilities of this movie, fairy tales follow a set of conventions, as do filmic genres. Impersonal narration: A long ago in the Underground Realm where there are no lies or pain, there lived a Princess who dreamt of the human world. She dreamt of blue skies, the soft breeze and sunshine. One day, eluding her keepers, the Princess escaped. Once outside, the brightness blinded her and erased her memory, she forgot who she was and where she came from. Her body suffered cold, sickness and pain. Eventually, she died. Her father, the King, always knew that the Princess would return, perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. And he would wait for her, until he drew his last breath, until the world stopped turning. During this narration we see the dark underworld castle and the young princess escaping to the bright human world, the world we see is in ruins, this visually connects the idea of the lost princess to the human world. As the camera lifts we follow a caravan of black cars they bear all the Fascist insignias and flags, we are introduced to Ofelia and her heavily pregnant mother Carmen as they travel in the car. We see Ofelia with a pile of books, the one she is reading as an illustration of a young girl with fairies, this again reinforces the idea of a fairy tale. A nauseated Carmen asks the car to stop, while she is regaining her strength Ofelia finds a eye carved into a stone, she sees a tall sculpture and returns the eye to its place. As she does this a small insect(similar to a stick insect) climbs out of the mouth, she smiles and tells her mother she just saw a fairy. The caravan continues to an old mill with Captain Vidal staring at his stop watch as they arrive. As Carmen is taken inside, Ofelia nervously holds out her hand to greet Vidal, he sternly grabs around her hand and tells her its the other hand. Ofelia sees the fairy again and chases it to an old labyrinth. At this stage the audience is introduced to Mercedes and Doctor Ferreiro, we find out that they are connected to the rebels fighting the regime, yet still working for Vidal. As Ofelia tries to sleep during her first night at the Mill, the fairy returns and she asks it to take her to the labyrinth. Once she reaches the bottom of the labyrinth a creature is awoken, he calls Ofelia Princess Moanna and explains to her that she is in fact the Princess of the Underworld and in order to return she must complete a series of quests to test if her sole is still in tact. At this stage the audience is presented with a range of narrative possibilities.
Narrative possibilities Is the faun actually a trickster? Will the faun help her return? Will Ofelia succeed or fail? Will the rebels win or lose? Will Mercedes and Dr Ferreiro get caught? Often the possibilities are dependant on the genre of the film, while this is a fantasy it is a dark fantasy following the fairy tale structure, this leaves the possibilities open as it may not have "a happy ending".
Setting The setting of the film is Spain 1944, the film makes this known in the first inter title "Spain 1944 The Civil War is over, hidden in the mountains armed men are still fighting the new Fascist regime" this sets the context for the film. Not all of the audience will have knowledge of the history around the Spanish Civil War but they do have an understanding of the concept of War. As an audience we now have the expectations of armed men/women fighting an opposing force, many innocent people will be effected or even killed by this fighting. Within this we have three very different settings that have their differences highlighted by the colour filters used, the Mill (Captain Vidal's world) - cold steel blues, the forests (Rebels hide outs) - warm greens, the fantasy world (Ofelia's tasks/world) - reds, oranges and golden yellows. These distinct settings also help to link with the development of the multiple storylines.
Multiple storylines There are two main stories that run through Pan's Labyrinth, the brutal fighting between the fascist Nationalists and a small group of rebel resistance Republicans after the Spanish Civil War and Ofelia's fantasy world. While these two seem to run simply along side one another, they are actually complexly interwoven to the point where Ofelia's experiences of the real world are reflected in her fantasy world including objects like the key and the knife. Del Toro used very specific editing transitions - vertical wipes, to make the stories initially seem separate but as the narrative progresses they become more integrated and eventually they lead to one single outcome.
knife
key
Head of the table and gluttonous feast
While Del Toro constructs the story in a such a way that leaves the audience clues about whether or not the fantasy world is real, he states that the audience will come to their own conclusions based on their own beliefs.
Character development Ofelia In one of the first scenes, when Carmen and Ofelia meet Vidal, Del Toro shows us two opposing ideas: Carmen obeys Vidal, Ofelia does not. She sticks out her left hand, and even after he points out it’s the wrong hand, she says nothing and doesn’t offer him her right hand. This idea of obedience and disobedience is a common theme as Ofelia works through a series of tasks in order to return to her kingdom, in the first task we see her obedience to the faun by carrying out the tasks completely, retrieving the key and killing the toad that will allow the fig tree to grow once again. However in the second task we see her disobedience with two very different results, when choosing the hatch door she does not follow the one the book and fairies tell her to, she trusts herself and ends up choosing the right door. She also disobeys the strict instruction not to eat any of the food and in doing so awakens the Pale man, he kills two of the fairies and Ofelia only escapes from him just in time. During these tasks Ofelia learns to become stronger and trust herself, this development is displayed when she refuses to kill her baby brother in order to return to the underworld, thus ending her own life. Del Toro, "But no matter what, she follows herself, at the end of the movie, she learns to trust herself. No matter what dangers she went through, she still doesn't distrust her nature and her instincts. She chooses herself and remains true to herself." This final act of self sacrifice and protection of the innocent is the real test, this is what makes her immortal and allows her to return to the Underworld. Faun We are first introduced to the faun or Pan when Ofelia enters the labyrinth for the first time, he exclaims "Its you, its you, you have returned" begging Ofelia not to be afraid he introduces himself, his movements are erratic and shaky, he is covered in roots and moss, his eyes are milky white and his hair is grey and unkempt. The faun becomes a guide to Ofelia, helping her through the tasks she must complete in order to return to her family in the Underworld. As she progresses through the tasks we see the faun get younger and movements become smoother.
Del Toro says that its not the fauns tests themselves that are important but that she can fail them, meaning every time she succeeds she believes in herself more and more, making her own decisions along the way. When the faun presents her with the final test, asking for her newborn brothers blood to open the portal, she refuses choosing to protect him rather than putting her desires first. She does this again when Vidal finds her in the labyrinth and she is faced with handing over the baby or being killed, she choosing self sacrifice. That final test is the real test, this is what the faun was guiding her towards, his character is the catalyst for Ofelia's development.
Cause and Effect As this movie functions on two main storylines there are two main cause and effect chains, as the narrative progresses the chains begin to interweave and we see the real world reflected in the fantasy world. Within the fantasy world the main driver of the cause and effect sequences is the series of quests Ofelia must complete, each successful completion of a task leads to another task. This is also set to a time limit when the faun tells Ofelia she only has till the full moon to complete all the tasks, which gives a sense of urgency and further drives the sequence. The other cause and effect sequence revolves around the real world, Vidal's search for and war with the final resistance and subsequent control of the Spanish people in the region. Captain Vidal is a part of the fascist regime and is obsessed with wiping out all of the resistance to prove the strength of "New Spain". This obsession leads him to hunt through the forest for the resistance, he tries to weed them out by placing the region on ration cards to ensure that no one is helping them survive. With this fixed obsession he fails to see that both Mercedes and Dr Ferrerio who work for him are supporting the resistance. Vidal only learns of this when all his plans start falling apart and this eventually seals his final fate when Pedro the leader of the resistance/ Mercedes brother shoots him in the head as he tries to leave the labyrinth with his newborn son.
Structure of time This is a non linear structure or circular plot progression film, we are introduced to Ofelia laying on her back with blood going back into her nose, the camera moves in a circular motion and zooms into Ofelia's eye, the narration then begins setting up the story with the first line "A long time ago". This structure breaks the conventions of the fairytale in order to enhance audience engagement and widening the possibilities within the film. Structure of time is linked with editing in order to create the illusion that time is passing within the narrative. Different editing techniques like montages can be used to show a sequence of events in a short clip. Wipe pans are also used extensively in Pan's, the visual link between the two scenes allows the audience to connect the two events and understand that these are occurring at the same time. Objects can also be used to give an indication of time, within Pan's Labyrinth the moon has been used as a marker for time, as well as a sandglass and the Captains fob watch. When Ofelia first enters the labyrinth with the fairy we see a waxing crescent moon and the faun tells her she has until the full moon to complete the tasks which is between 10-15 days. The sandglass she uses when entering the pale mans lair is an indicator of the time she has to complete the task, 1 hour. These visual cues are not meant to be overtly obvious, they are intended to operate on a subconscious level giving the audience a marker of time.
Production elements
Camera techniques: Angles Camera angles used to display character dominance, to elicit fear, unease, triumph or strength in the audience. A high camera angle makes the subject look inferior or unimportant to the viewer, in the first image a high angle is used to show the frailty of Ofelia's mother, this can be interpreted in two ways - her physical weakness due to her pregnancy and also her weakness of character, how she follows Vidal without question. A low camera angle makes the subject look powerful to the viewer, in the second image a low camera angle is used the first time Ofelia meets Captain Vidal, showing his strength and superiority- in this sequence both high and low angles are used to further reinforce this idea.
Shot size Large proportion of the film is shot close up, this technique helps to create intimacy, intensity and unease.
Movement This film uses very fluid and human camera movements in order to engage the audience to feel a part of the story. Roaming camera movements are used in Captain Vidal's world and runs parallel to the action, where the fantasy world has very playful camera movements. In the opening sequence camera movement is used to introduce the audience to the main character Ofelia. We first see a bloodied hand side on, the camera pans across moving from her hand to her distressed face with blood going back into her nose. The camera rotates anticlockwise and zooms into her face, once level it zooms further into her eye, this is when the back story begins. The camera pans over the underground kingdom then zooms into the staircase and tilts up to the sky as the young girl escapes, the movement is very light and fluid. When Ofelia first meets the fairy and her mother takes her back to the car we see the camera pan across to the left to a tree on the side of the road, the fairy crawls up the tree and the camera tracks the fairy around the trunk to see the car drive past, once the last car has passed the fairy flies off and the camera follows. This gives the audience the sensation of watching/stalking/following Ofelia just as the fairy does, supporting the idea that this creature is in fact watching her and will be an important element of the story.
Film Stock Navarro (Director of Photography)used three film stocks—Vision 250D, Vision2 500T, and Vision2 200T, depending on what was being photographed.
Lighting This film focuses more on the use of darkness then of light, for example the faun appears and disappears from the darkness, giving the audience the idea that he can move freely through both worlds.
The lighting has a very natural feel with no heavy contrast between light and dark tones. In order to achieve this natural sunlight was often utilised or lamps hidden out of shot and bounced using silver or white cards in order to get just the right amount of highlights. A large proportion of this film was shot in day for night, this was achieved by underexposing the film by three or four stops which also gave the film an eerie tone.
Sound: The lullaby The lullaby is used as a leitmotif- a reoccurring sound that has connections to a particular person, place or idea. For Pan's Labyrinth the lullaby is a representation of innocence, we are first introduced to the lullaby in the opening sequence and later we find out its origins when Ofelia asks Mercedes if she knows any lullaby's to sooth her, Mercedes replies "Only one but I don't remember the words". -Sung/Hummed 00:30 - Non diegetic -Slow strings 04:02 - Non diegetic -Orchestral 19:50 - Non diegetic -Sung/Hummed 48:33 - Diegetic -Sung/Hummed 1:45:57 - Diegetic
Editing Del Toro uses very specific transitions within the film vertical and horizontal wipes. The most common is the vertical wipes where the camera pans from left to right (usually) passes an tall object like a tree or wall and when the other side appears it is a different scene, Del Toro uses this within the film to help connect the two separate stories. Horizontal wipes are also used but far more sparingly, only two are used and they are a mimicked shot. The first horizontal wipe is used when Ofelia is telling the story to her baby brother, we see her rest her head on her mother and the camera passes down into the mothers womb. The second shot is used when Ofelia is walking down into the labyrinth for the second time, if you look closely you can see the structures are very similar-growth like along the top of the second scene.
An L-cut has been used at the beginning of the film, we hear Ofelia's distressed breathing before we are eventually shown the origin. This technique helps build suspense and audience engagement as they are questioning who is the sound coming from? why is it distressed?
Mise en scene There are two very distinct colour palettes, the cold steel blue of Vidal's cruel world and the warm golden, oranges and reds of Ofelia's fantasy world. These two palettes mix and become more complex as her fantasy and the real world merge into one. Del Toro brings in additional imagery that the audience would be familiar with in order to develop the audience understanding and engagement. These are often subtle references such as:
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
The majority of the audience would be familiar with the story of Alice in Wonderland, either the literary version Alice's Adventures in Wonderland or the film adaptation in 1951. The story follows the adventures of a young girl who falls down a rabbit hole into a mysterious world full of unusual creatures. This visual link to Alice in Wonderland reinforces the genre of fantasy and allows the rules of the real world to be bent, ensuring the existence of her fantasy world.
Holocaust imagery
Referencing imagery the audience are already familiar with helps to reinforce the same emotions and understandings connected to those images. With the example of the Holocaust shoes, the absolute horror and slaughter of the innocent is echoed through the Pale Mans lair heightening the audiences fear for Ofelia and disgust of the Pale Man. Del Toro also references past scenes, the visual connection between Vidal's feast and the Pale Mans lair, linking one monster to another.
Past scene referencing
Acting When discussing acting it is important to refer to the actors name to show you understand that the character is a construction. You should always refer to a very specific example and discuss - facial expressions, body language, movements and delivery of lines.
Captain Vidal - Sergi Lopez Sergi Lopez portrays Captain Vidal as a man ruled by order and organisation, a very cold and detached man. When Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez) kills the villagers who were out hunting rabbits he shows no expression or emotion. He had violently killed a man by beating his head in with a bottle and then shot the father, standing tall he re holsters his gun, turns to another officer and opened the bag the villagers were carrying. As he searches through the bag his face does not move and the manner in which is empties the bag is calm and ordered, when he finds the rabbits he simply holds them up to the officer, again no emotions or expression on his face, and says "search these assholes properly before you come bothering me". Lopez's straight body language and lack of expression or emotion show how inconsequential the death of the two villagers is to Vidal even though this is an exceptionally violent act.
Ofelia - Ivana Baquero Ivana Baquero is able to portray Ofelia's innocence through her body language, movements and delivery of lines. When Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) spends her first night in the mill, we see her walk from the door towards her mother in bed. The way she walks is calm and relaxed not straight and precise, as she climbs into bed she curls immediately into her mother, her body language is relaxed until she hears the house creak. She rolls her body closer into her mother as her head and eyes dart around the room searching for the origin of the sound. As Carmen (Ariadna Gil) calms her down we see Baquero's body relax again and she plays with Carmen's hand that is wrapped around her. Baquero's acting allows the audience to see the relationship between Ofelia and her mother Carmen, as well as portraying a young nervous child needing protection from the unknown.
Faun(Pan)/Pale man - Doug Jones Doug Jones portrays the faun as an ambiguous character, the audience struggles to come to a decision whether the faun is good or evil. When Ofelia returns to the labyrinth for the second time, the faun (Doug Jones) emerges from the darkness tearing a piece of meat to eat in a swift aggressive manner, he stands tall and overbearing, this body language gives the audience the impression that he might not actually be a humble servant to the Princess. He begins to tell Ofelia about the statue in front of her but when she asks who the baby is he fans his fingers in a manner that says she should forget about it, avoiding her question indicating to the audience he has something to hide. Later in this scene he talks to her about the next task and gently caresses her face as he tells her she has almost proved herself, Ofelia asks why she should believe him, Jones' body language changes and he begins to hunch over and lowering his head saying "Why would a poor faun like me lie to you", this body language confuses the audience as they do know the true motives of the faun.