Summary
Pan’s Labrynth is a fantasy movie set during world war two. Unlke the recent film from the eighties that stared David Bowlie at the antogonist, this one stay’s more focused in the brutallity of war with gritty realism and mature, violent content.
Film Analysis
| Pan’s Labyrinth | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Director | El Laberinto del fauno. |
| Country | Cenrel Spain. |
| Genre | Fantasy/Drama/War |
| If you could work on this film (change it), what would you change and why? | I would balance the subjects of war and fantasy a little more. By adding extra plot driven elements evolving around the fantasy aspects of the story, because the war aspect of it (though engaging) takes up the majority of the film, seemingly blocking out most of the fantasy elements. Becasue of this, it feels more like just another dramatic war film with little fantasy elemtns thrown in once in a while. Another thing I would change was the choice for the main character to eat the food at the pale man’s dinner table, even though a charcater helping her on her destiny (the Faun) told her specificzlly not too. It feels out of nowhere and more like a device used so the pale man can wake up and pledge a temporary downfall for the main lead. If I was making this scene, I would first acknowlge why she may have eaten the food before hand. Maybe the supplies of food were scarce at the camp and was’nt able to consume enough, maybe she had a sickness, or maybe she saw the similarities between the monster and her stepfather Vidal that anger let her eat. Something that would make her decision on eating the food at the Pale man’s dinner table more reasonable. She should also be scared by it. The suspense of the scene kicks in with frightening images on the wall of the pale man devouring it’s victoms while it’s literally right there. Even if the faun did’nt tell her not to eat the food, she still should have realized the amount of raised red flags just from the task and setting alone of the scene. So it makes no sense why she would do this with the knowlege she has of the situation. The pale man incident also lead’s to a huge gap, filled with the dramatic and war elements of the story. The fantasy aspect does’nt show up for a while, until the faun suddenly gives the main character one more chance. It feel’s a little forced at that point. Between the gap, there’s a baby being born, a subplot involved with rebels against the antogonist of the film that I feel could be sliced down. |
Film information can be found at imdb.com
As you view films, consider how the cuts, camera angles, shots, and movement work to create particular meanings. Think about how they establish space, privilege certain characters, suggest relationships, and emphasize themes. In addition to shot distances, angles, editing, and camera movement, note details of the narrative, setting, characters, lighting, props, costume, tone, and sound.
Ask yourself the following questions:
| TOPIC | YOUR NOTES |
| 1. Who is the protagonist? | Ofelia |
| 2. Who is the antagonist? | Vidal |
| 3. What is the conflict? | Ofelia has to fulfill her destiny as majesty, but has to stay cautious from a violent driven captain who plans to wipe out the rebels seeking to help put an end to his wrath. |
| 4. What is the theme or central, unifying concept? (summarize in one or two words) | Fascism, fantasy. |
| 5. How is the story told (linear, non-linear, with flashbacks, flash-forwards, at regular intervals) | Straghtforward with seperate story lines coming together for the climax. |
| 6. What “happens” in the plot (Brief description)? | An eleven year old with a pregnant mother has to go through certain task’s to gain her role as majesty, while an outside rebellion plan’s to overthrow a sadistic leader. |
| 7. How does the film influence particular reactions on the part of viewers (sound, editing,characterization, camera movement, etc.)? Why does the film encourage suchreactions? | The film influences the veiwer to feel a life or death situation placed on the main lead, fantasy or not, she’s always at risk. Useing cetain camera angles, lighting and setting to establish this idea in order to gain the audinces full reaction to the stakes that have been set. This makes the story more engaging, because the veiwer would feel like there’s always somthing going on, that’s always a step closer to ending in tragedy. |
| 8. Is the setting realistic or stylized? What atmosphere does the setting suggest? Do particular objects or settings serve symbolic functions? | In the story, it combines fantasy with reality. There are certain scenes that are in depth of fantasy story telling, with mythical settings that are blocked from reality. However the majority takes place in a realistic setting in Centrel Spain with rebellion’s trying to fight back against a facist leader and a group of soldiers. The atmoshere of the real world is very insecure and isolated in this certain location, driving some of the characters over the edge, making the veiwer crave the fantasy aspect to eventually serve it’s perpose. |
| 9. How are the characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup reveal about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do costume and makeup convey character? | Takes place during the 1940’s. Dressed in typical fasion that farmers whore and soldiers wore at the time. The main lead’s clothing is mainly green throughout the film, giving off her devotion as an explorer and love of nature. The sadistic captain where’s his uniform everytime he is above everybody else, but is vulnerable everytime he does’nt wear it. |
| 10. How does the lighting design shape our perception of character, space, or mood? | For Ofelia, the lighting is always exposing her whole face in the light, to give off the focus on who to stay behind. For Vidal, the ligthing would consistantly change to give off, his mood, whether he’s charming at first, or vicous the next. |
| 11. How do camera angles and camera movements shape our view of characters or spaces? What do you see cinematically? | I see certain camera angles and movement’s in the film that help to display the mood, atmosphere, and character. Everytime time something seem’s out of place or dangerous, there’s always a dark sucluded enviroment that follow’s. From the shot’s I can see that the main focus is’nt just the world, or the coflict alone, but also a study on the characters and their struggles. |
| 12. What is the music’s purpose in the film? How does it direct our attention within the image? How does it shape our interpretation of the image? What stands out about the music? | The music in the film was meant to establich the intensity of the situation. Usually when the main leads are in control, it’s silent and not giving off the vibe of danger. For example, there’s a scene where Captain Vidal and his soldiers take on a group of rebels, accompanied by no music and fous camera movement on Vital gives off the flowing action and eventual victory of the scene for him. Another scene that’s a contrast from this, is the Pale man waking. A sudden jolt of intense music fill’s the scene from the Pale man’s first movement, which carries throughout the rest of the scene. |
| 13. How might industrial, social, and economic factors have influenced the film? Describe how this film influences or connects to a culture? | WW2 influenced it to establish a brutall setting that makes the risks higher in the film even higher. |
| 14. Give an example of what a film critic had to say about this film. Use credible sources and cite sources.Example: “The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2015. | Roger Ebert say’s”Pan’s Labyrinth” is one of the greatest of all fantasy films, even though it is anchored so firmly in the reality of war. On first viewing, it is challenging to comprehend a movie that on the one hand provides fauns and fairies, and on the other hand creates an inhuman sadist in the uniform of Franco’s fascists.” https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-pans-labyrinth-2006 |
| 15. Select one scene no longer than 5 minutes that represents well the whole film and shows relevant cinematic elements. Write a one-sentence description of the scene and record the time of the scene.Example: from 1:05:00 to 1:10:00.Explain why you chose this scene. | PLACE THE TIME STAMP FROM THE SCENE HERE… Example: 00:00:00 – 00:05:00 Pale man scene. 1:01:50 – 56:56I chose this scene, not only because of how popular the Pale man is, but also how it’s supposed to represent physical facism. I got the details from a certain video. In a tweet from Guillermo del Toro, he states back in 2017, “These are pale man times.” He’s referring to the political figures today that represent it. Throughout the film were shown more and more from the main antagonist’s how similar they are to the pale man, from eating at a dinner table which no one can touch, to his greed, and his violence. There’s alot of depth to this scene after I’ve watched the video as seen below.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkpbLxvusTg |
| 16. In the selected scene: write a sentence for each of the elements below to justify why this scene best represents the film: | |
| a. Screenwriting: | Build up, from the detail to the description of the design, and to the context that was layed down before it, letting the veiwer more engaged of what’s to come. |
| b. Sound Design: | Other worldly, loud to the slightest touch, like in a fully closed area, making us realize the danger even more. |
| c. Camera Movements/Angles: | There steady, focussed and absorbing of the atmosphere. |
| d. Light Setup: | Light foregrounds and dark backgrounds, like the Godfather movies. |
| e. Soundtrack/Score: | Intense, and tell’s the audience what to feel imediatly. |
| 18. What’s the socio-cultural context of this film? | Facsim represented in one monster and enviroment. |