ISP October Half Term- Pan’s Labyrinth
1- Pan’s Labyrinth Questions:
- What does Pan’s Labyrinth have to say about storytelling and belief in stories?
Pan’s Labyrinth presents storytelling as positive through the imagination of Ofelia. Throughout the younger generation, Ofelia, is shown to believe in these stories whereas the belief is lost in in adults. For adults like Carmen refusal to believe in the fables results in punishment. For example, after Carmen tells Ofelia off for reading too many story books the baby begins to kick causing pain, as well as when she throws the mandrake root into the fire, Carmen ends up eventually dying. The binary opposites of growth and maturity are explored between the adults and children, however in Pan’s Labyrinth Ofelia is seen to be very mature although also curious into the fantasy world. This coming of age story is called a bildungsroman, showing how you don’t have to be a child to believe in fairy tales.
- In what ways is the Faun ambiguous? What is his relationship to/with Ofelia?
In Pan’s Labyrinth, the Faun is presented as ambiguous because of its caring however untrustworthy and sometimes menacing relationship to Ofelia as her humble servant. The faun is also used to represent Ofelia when she is at a crossroads between the fantasy world and real world. Towards the end of the film the Faun acts as a challenger for Ofelia to overcome as he appears threatening and creepy when giving her the choice to hand over her baby brother. Throughout Pan’s Labyrinth the Faun is seen to get younger, more agile and have fluid movements, instead of being frail and creaky at the start. This is shown to demonstrate how the movie has gone back in time and is leading up to the last scene which is also shown at the beginning of the film, which also mirrors the regressive stream of Ofelia’s blood in the opening sequence.
- What is significant about Ofelia’s timescale for her three tasks?
Ofelia’s timescale is significant as it runs alongside the phases of the moon, leading up to the point at which the moon is full. This is significant because Ofelia was not boron of man, but instead conceived by the moon making her the princess in the fairy tale. Time is also a major factor as Captain Vidal continuously checks his pocket watch in an overly obsessive manner. Throughout Pan’s Labyrinth time is always involved as Ofelia completes the three tasks, for example in the Pale Man sequence, an hour glass is used to represent how her time is running out, as well as at the end of the film Captain Vidal’s last look is at his pocket watch to show how Ofelia has completed the three tasks but how his time is up and is about to die.
- Explore the links between Nature, Femaleness and Resistance. Address Ofelia’s knowledge of Mercedes, the representation of nature, the ‘underworld’ and the maquis.
In Pan’s labyrinth, the moon is a symbol of femininity, love, nonviolence, menstrual cycle, fertility, transition and transformation shown through the character of Ofelia and Mercedes. Ofelia shows curiosity in nature in the opening sequence when instead of staying by her mother’s side, Ofelia continues to wonder off and finds the rock which opens the dimension to the underworld. The underworld and maquis is presented as a symbol of the rejection of fascism. Mercedes also acts as a symbol of feminism to reinforce the resistance and power of femininity and women as she is presented as capable of violence and great strength, demonstrated when she retaliates against Captain Vidal with a knife from her kitchen workplace. Similar to Ofelia Mercedes is shown to have involvement with the realm that lies within the forest as she helps aid and provide support for the maquis.
- Compare/contrast and contrast the maternal natures of Carmen and Mercedes.
In Pan’s Labyrinth Ofelia is shown to be more like Mercedes than Carmen her own mother as she rebels against Carmen’s submissive attitude towards fairy tales. Carmen wants Ofelia to continue this as she gets Ofelia to call Captain Vidal ‘father’ as well as making Ofelia a dress to wear claiming she’ll look like a princess which Ofelia later goes onto destroy as an act of rebellion during her first task as she is still aware of these consequences. Carmen later dies not only as punishment for not believing in Ofelia’s fables but because she thinks that Captain Vidal is her and Ofelia’s only chance. This idea is later rejected by Ofelia in the film, however is seen when Carmen is shown to be nothing but someone to carry Vidal’s future son as well as after dying in childbirth Vidal appears unphased by Carmen’s death. Carmen is also someone who is seen only for her role as mother and career in comparison to Mercedes who lives on representing a fighter as she has no child, however develops motherly and maternal instincts as she grows to care for Ofelia and treat her as her own child.
- How might we compare the real and ‘imagined/fantasy’ worlds?
Ofelia’s defiant and curious spirit within the magical world exists constantly in relation to the historical present of the Spanish civil war and for each event of the fantasy world there is a repercussion in the real world. For example, Carmen throwing magical mandrake root, what is thought by Ofelia to be keeping her mother alive, in the fire later results in her death in the real-world death. As well as the example of the fig tree not growing whilst the toad lives within in it however after the toad no longer occupies it, the fig tree begins to grow and flower once again. In the film, the real world is grounded by historical realities, such as the toad symbolising the Francoist regime showing the starvation of Spain in its post war hunger years. As well as the fantastical Pale man representing the real world equivalent Captain Vidal and therefore Franco in which they are compared through the image of the Banquet scene, to show binary opposites of station and greed, also with religious and political connotations around fascism and the outcomes of the holocaust. In the imaginary world, the fairies and Pan are shown to have both fantastical, horror and real elements which he ultimately cares for Ofelia.
- Why do you think Del Toro wrote the film with a girl and baby at the centre of the story?
Del Toro wrote the film with a girl and a baby at the centre of the film’s narrative to show the view point of a child growing up in an adult orientated world, which explores the affect when the real world and fantasy world clash. Ofelia’s main task is to keep her brother safe as she defies Pan’s order to hand over her baby brother and instead sacrifices herself in order to keep him safe. This saves her spirit and the life of her new born baby brother, which demonstrates how children are powerless witnesses to the war however act as a symbol of hope and the future of Spain. The film was made to present the innocence and imagination of the younger generation and the rebellion and rejection in which they feel towards Franco’s brutal fascist regime. Ofelia is shown as defenceless, vulnerable and seen as a young girl incapable of inflicting harm, which acts as a reminder of all the children that fall victim to the wrongdoing of adults during the Spanish civil war.
- How does the ending of Pan comment on the historical perspective of Franco’s regime?
The ending of Pan’s labyrinth is seen as ambiguous as both Ofelia and Captain Vidal perish because of Vidal’s actions at the hands of the militia. Ofelia’s death implies the death and breakdown of the republic. As Ofelia dies her spirit becomes known in the underworld suggesting how all those deaths from the war have been locked in silence, demonstrating how the film’s most important aspect to show correction of what has happened in the war and what has been erased from the oppressed community’s memory. The historical context of the film is built around the themes of memory and binary opposites of obedience and defiance.
- What does the film say about ‘critical citizenship’ and the relationship between the individual, community and the state?
In the ending the maquis shoot Vidal in his right eye as a symbol of the downfall of fascism and how Spain has been blinded by Franco’s regime. This also shows as a community there sacrifice for the sake of Spain and how it is not down to a single individual but rather a community effort to defeat Captain Vidal. Through the individual of Ofelia there is a sense of urgency to show an alternative democracy through her fantasy world based upon the critical citizenship and collective political struggle within Spain. This also reflects how historically thousands of innocent children were adopted by Franco’s supporters, in which their identities were changed and knowledge of their past removed.
- Why use fairy tales to revisit the Fascist Dictatorship in Spain?
The fairy tale of Pan’s Labyrinth is set against the horrors inflicted by Franco’s regime in an imposed fantasy. It is used to show opposition towards the dictatorship, including the theme of memory to rewrite the history in terms of the fantastical world and incorporate the view point of innocent victims of the war such as defenceless children like Ofelia who believe in these types of fables. Del Toro used this in the film to give those who were destroyed by the fascist regime a voice, highlighting the brutal and true effects that were never revealed. Because of the fantastical world protagonists such as Ofelia lives on as immortal and is remembered in the underworld whereas antagonists like Captain Vidal will be forgotten about.
- What is symbolised by the fig flower at the end of the film
At the end of the film the growing fig flower represents the spiritual and maternal traces left by Ofelia and therefore left by the conflict that will continue to haunt Spain. The flower symbolises femininity and the rebirth of Ofelia, suggesting connotations around fertility and growth. The flower also has historical contexts representing the mass graves over Spain resonating the effects of the civil war. The last words ‘Visible to only those who know where to look’, explore the idea that you have to believe in fairy tales and the fantasy world in order to see the small traces Ofelia left behind.
2- 20 mark question
20 marks: ‘Explore how mes en scene and performance play a central role in the ending of ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’.
Mes en scene plays a central role in the ending of Pan’s Labyrinth, for example the use of fallopian imagery to show how the film represents Ofelia’s growth and coming of age. In the entrance to the labyrinth we see fallopian imagery, as well as connotation to the moon, to demonstrate how Ofelia was conceived by the moon which symbolises the importance of the menstrual cycle and fertility linking to the femininity of the story and her transition into women-hood. Also in terms of mes en scene the idea of religion is suggested as the stone walls of the labyrinth part similar to the story of Moses. This shows how Ofelia is seen as holy and fantastical as she is presented as a princess. Within the ending sequence the chalk door drawn by Ofelia is seen by Mercedes as she tries to rescue Ofelia and the baby. The fact that Mercedes recognises the chalk door could suggest an empathy towards the fantasy world within Ofelia’s imagination and how she is reflecting upon her own childhood when she was Ofelia’s age. After her death, whilst in the fantasy world we see Ofelia wearing red shoes, similar to those seen in the fantasy world of the Wizard of Oz. These shoes are presented as more mature shoes showing how she has become a woman as well as them looking like boots, suggesting more active shoes however still feminine, demonstrating how this is a manifestation of who she’d like to be. In terms of mes en scene the gold chairs used at the end of the scene where her mother and father are sat suggest how Ofelia has to rise up to the next level of her life and reach the next stage of her women hood as princess. This uses gothic and church-like architecture which is used to represent the alternate reality of the fantasy world, similar to the mes en scene in the Pale man scene.
Performance also plays a central role in the ending sequence of Pan’s labyrinth as Captain Vidal is shot in the right eye by one of the rebels of the civil war. This was used to suggest how Spain has been blinded by Franco’s Fascist regime and the right wing political parties of the Spanish government. This also represents the downfall of fascism as Vidal is shot and begins to bleed where he then dies. Another important use of performance in the ending sequence is that the Faun gets younger and more agile instead of being frail and creaky, however more threatening and menacing towards Ofelia. This suggests how the movie has gone back in time and is leading up to the last scene which is also shown at the beginning of the film, which also mirrors the regressive stream of Ofelia’s blood in the opening sequence. Also within the performance from the view point of Captain Vidal we understand how his imagination is cut off and restricted as he cannot see the Faun that Ofelia is talking too. The fact that Vidal was drugged beforehand leaves the audience to guess whether I was all in Ofelia’s head or whether Vidal refuses to believe that this was real, suggesting Vidal’s obsession with practicality. As well as this Ofelia is shot by Vidal in her whom, further demonstrating Vidal’s hatred towards women and suggesting the end of Ofelia’s fertility and femininity as she has reached woman hood by completing the final task. Also, performance plays a central role in the sequence as Ofelia’s unnamed brother is presented as the innocent victim of the war. This suggests how the children are made powerless by fascism however seen as a symbol of hope and the representation of the future of Spain. Thus, the film being made to present the younger generation’s imagination acting as a form of rebellion and rejection towards Franco’s regime.
Emma Coe Film Studies 