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Eng Ext1 - Pans Labyrinth
English: English Extension 4- Unit 3
High School - Australia
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Pan’s Labyrinth QTE Bank
Ideas
War as a Catalyst for Senseless Violence and Depravity The Effects of War in facilitating a glorification of Violence.
Obedience and Freedom (How oppression leads to obedience) The courage to disobey
The Loss of Innocence
The Corrupting Nature of Power
Gender Dynamics and Roles
Texts as Education rather than Escapism
The Reimagination of Fairy Tales → Postmodern Pastiche of Genre Hybridisation Subverting the Genre
Manipulation and Construction of Truth
Mortality and Rebirth
Idea Quote Technique Analysis
War as a
Catalyst
for
Senseless
Violence
and
Depravity
The Effects
of War in
facilitating
a
glorificatio
n of
Violence.
Ophelia’s impending death and heavy panting in the opening scene.
Postmodern subversion of the ‘happily ever after’ fairytale motif’
Close-ups Colour pallette Violent Imagery
The use of a child and bloody hand-pan, the close up of a bloodied nose, and the violent imagery evoke a visceral reaction. The contrast of the child, a symbol of innocence, and her circumstances. Blue gel used in the lighting creates a morbid, cold atmosphere.
When the background of the story is given - eyes are downcaste in defeat.
Camera Pans
Dutch-tilt used off-center and tilter.
It uses a storytelling trope associated with fables/fairytales but ironically depicting the historical event of the aftermath of the Spanish Civil war - 5 years later. The jarring duality serves to critique childhood innocence and war, the victims of political war mongering.
‘A long time ago.. In an underground world where there are no lies or pain, there lived a princess who dreamt of the human world. She dreamt of blue skies, soft breeze and sunshine’
Supplemented by the
Non-diegetic soundtrack
Fairy Tale
Archetypal, fantastical imagery
Triple entendre, the establishment of a typical fantasy world
This establishes an archetypal, alternate fantasy world that foreshadows and serves as an effective setting for subversion into macabre and dark themes that explore ideas of corruption, injustice, morality intertwined with the pretext of the Spanish Civil War.
The voiceover is a worldbuilding trope that also highlights the binaries/thematic dichotomies of the two worlds, also distinguishable by their colour pallette and the soundtrack that overlays those scenes.
During the dinner scene spoken by the Captain.
The Pale man symbolism/ parallelism
The Pale man is another symbol of the consuming aspect of Vidal’s nature. This sick, albino creature presides over a rich, bountiful feast, but eats only the blood of innocents. Del Toro’s commentary reveals that the geometry of the Pale Man’s dining room is the same as Vidal’s: a long rectangle with a chimney at the back and the monster at the head of the table. Like the Pale Man, Vidal also dines on the blood of innocents. He cuts the people’s rations, supposedly to hurt the rebels, but eats very well himself; in many scenes he savors his hoarded tobacco with almost sexual ecstasy; but this is not a man with sexual appetites. It is true that he has copulated with Ofelia’s mother, but he is more akin to the Grimm Brothers’ Big Bad Wolf, who wishes to eat Little Red Riding Hood, than the wolf of “The Story of Grandmother” who invites the girl to strip before coming to his bed. Vidal is the sort of wolf James McGlathery describes, one who is neither “a prospective suitor, nor even clearly a seducer of maidens as one usually thinks of the matter. His lust for Red Riding Hood’s body is portrayed as gluttony, pure and simple.” The conflation of consumption, of food, tobacco, and drink, as Vidal’s passion throughout the film underscores this idea. This gluttonous obsession proves Vidal’s undoing: in a wonderful use of foreshadowing, Ofelia kills the Monstrous Toad by tricking it into eating magic, disguising them as the pill bugs the monster lives on. This mirrors the end of the film, when Ofelia renders Captain Vidal nearly unconscious by lacing his liquor glass with her deceased mother’s medication, tricking him into drinking it.
The rebels are captured and brutally slaughtered (skulls are crushed and the father is shot).
Close-up shots
The soldiers are on a slight incline.
The soldiers are depicted on a slight incline to communicate their physical dominance over starving peasants. Their deaths are shocking and violent, highlighting the senseless violence in war and its role in encouraging human depravity.
Violent, visceral imagery.
Obedience
and
Freedom
(How
oppression
leads to
obedience)
The
courage to
disobey
Ofelia walks he path in the woods and away from the others, when her mother gets sick.
Back-shot Foreshadowing
Foreshadows Ofelia’s disobedience, while also characterising her as a brave and curious individual. Del Toro criticises blind obedience by presenting a protagonist that is willing to question and explore their own truth.
‘So he knows how a brave man dies.’
‘Nonsense, he didn’t own a watch’
Juxtaposition The Captain’s egotism is evident, as he aims to be as infamous as his father and lies/fabricates the tale. This mirrors how Ofelia’s fantastical journeys are disregarded and seen as lies.
‘It’s just a word, Ofelia, just a word’
Chiasmus Carmen insists on Ofelia calling the Captain as her Father, yet Ofelia refuses to do so. This reflects her disobedience and varying notions of truth, and whether language and positions of power relate to true feelings of love or not. Ofelia can’t take on the love of someone she doesn’t respect and believe in, perhaps mirroring the rebel resistance to Franco-allegory.
‘You promised to obey me’.
Faun says this when he needs a drop of blood from an innocent to open the portal for her escape to the alternate world of the palace.
Motif of obedience Ofelia’s courage and love for for the baby overpowers her obedience, and chooses to give up her sacred rights to save the baby.
‘It’s the other hand, Assertive tone. The Captain exudes and demonstrates a patriarchal, misogynistic control over
hardly matter to Him’
During the dinner scene spoken by the Captain.
religion in manipulating individuals behind a cause.
Lullaby (present in paratext, sung by mother, when she enters the Labyrinth)
Non-diegetic auditory motif
The lullaby is a motif that underscores Ofelia’s journey and also serves a symbol for bridging the fantasy and real worlds, due to its otherworldly sound and use in scenes when traveling between them.
All transitions between real world and fantasy world
Done through fluid camera tracking shots or wipe cuts
Del Toro reinforces the coincidiary nature of the real and fantasy worlds by transitioning between them fluidly and seamlessly, to present them as co-existing and reflective of the other.
‘They eat more than a couple of pigs.’
Analogy, Simile The working women’s comments on the eating mannerisms of the elite highlights the income and resource inequality present during war, reflecting Del Toro’s criticism of war and its inhuman effects.
‘These people hold the mistaken belief that we are all equal.. there is one big difference... the war is over and we won. And if we need to kill every one of them, then we’ll kill them all, and that’s that.’
Diacope Aphorism
The Captain’s power and ideologies corrupt his humanity and morals, as he seeks to wipe out his opposition even though the war is over. It reflects the notion that violence and war forces the othering of people and their dehumanisation antagonisation, which can be exacerbated by religion, ideology, and being granted positions of power.
‘The reds lie, Synecdoche of ‘fire This propaganda reflects the power of words and language in manipulating
because in a united Spain there’s not a single home without fire or bread’
and bread’
Metaphor ‘reds’
the truth, while also solidifying the Captain’s power over the life and death of his people.
The Loss
of
Innocence
Ophelia’s impending death and heavy panting in the opening scene.
Postmodern subversion of the ‘happily ever after’ fairytale motif’
Close-ups Colour pallette Violent Imagery
The use of a child and bloody hand-pan, the close up of a bloodied nose, and the violent imagery evoke a visceral reaction. The contrast of the child, a symbol of innocence, and her circumstances. Blue gel used in the lighting creates a morbid, cold atmosphere.
When the background of the story is given - eyes are downcaste in defeat.
Camera Pans
Dutch-tilt used off-center and tilter.
It uses a storytelling trope associated with fables/fairytales but ironically depicting the historical event of the aftermath of the Spanish Civil war - 5 years later. The jarring duality serves to critique childhood innocence and war, the victims of political war mongering.
‘The Captain is not my father. My father was a tailor. He dies in the war.’
Aphorism Ofelia attempts to latch onto her father’s memory, whereby the term ‘father’ to Ofelia transcends its existence as simply a word, but rather the dynamic and emotions associated with it. It also reflects the civilian cost of war and personal loss of senseless violence, which Del Toro utilises the contrasting genre of fairy tales and fables to accentuate the horrors of conflict in his critique.
Ofelia removes her dress and enters into the old, decrepit fig tree, crawling through its muddy roots.
Freudian symbolism The fig tree (which has an opening at its base and curves in two directions at its top) mirrors the horns of the Faun and serves as a fallopian image. Ofelia's journey into it symbolizes her journey back into the womb of her mother, into the fantasy world and away from the scary land of adulthood.
Ofelia goes into this dying tree, which represents her mother dying from carrying her brother, to help her mother. The belching of the frog represents her mother trying to give birth and Ofelia attempts to reconcile with loving her stepbrother but protect her mother, which is her primary goal in the film.
The Menu on the DVD
Paratext Harrowing rendition of lullaby Mercedes sings to Ophelia, a perversion of childhood, feat of war-fascist leaders, vitiated innocence.
Lullaby (present in paratext, sung by mother, when she enters the Labyrinth)
Non-diegetic auditory motif
The lullaby is a motif that underscores Ofelia’s journey and also serves a symbol for bridging the fantasy and real worlds, due to its otherworldly sound and use in scenes when traveling between them.
The dinner scene, where Ofelia disobeys the fairy to not the food.
Foreshadowing with colour symbolism of ‘red’ meaning danger.
Ofelia disobeys the elements and succumbs to her temptations, since she wasn’t fed in the real world. The awakening of the Pale man as a result highlights the dangerous ramifications of disobedience, and how it can arise from the mistreatment of individuals. Power over people → oppression → disobedience → danger.
The Fascist logo on the
door of a mill. The
Contrast and dark colour scheme.
The contrast of the serene, bucolic setting that is often common in fairy tales is subverted by the presence of an oppressive ideology (Fascism). The tonal
Corruptin
g Nature of
Power
depiction of black cars and militaristic objects within a bucolic setting.
dissonance is a microcosm of Del Toro’sgeneral subversion of the fairy tale and fantasy genre. The dark hues and dark colour grading reinforce the dark themes and subversion.
‘You must think me some sort of monster’
FIND ONE
Lighting
The prominence of shadows covering the frame foreshadows danger. The Captain is a menacing figure unaware of his depraved sense of morality, but also revels in his cruelty, a product of unbridled power and war that Del Toro criticises.
‘It’s the other hand, Ophelia’
Captain grabs her hand out of the car and demands she sits in the wheelchair.
Assertive tone. The Captain exudes and demonstrates a patriarchal, misogynistic control over the women in the film, and also squeezes Ophelia’s hand tightly when leaning in for the tight shot. He believes in order and power dichotomies, and can display physical dominance when doing so. He also whispers to both women - an outward appearance and reality of his persona showing a stark contrast.
This generally reflects the Captain’s egoistic and cult of personality traits.
‘You’ve found my weakness- my pride’
Monologue The Captain is aware of his egoistic nature, somewhat facilitated by the power and authority vested in him. It serves as his weakness, which takes on a double meaning as his pride in monologuing and boasting does turn out to be his weakness, as it results in his maiming and attack by Mercedes.
The rebels are captured and brutally slaughtered (skulls are crushed and the father is shot).
Close-up shots
The soldiers are on a slight incline.
Violent, visceral imagery.
The soldiers are depicted on a slight incline to communicate their physical dominance over starving peasants. Their deaths are shocking and violent, highlighting the senseless violence in war and its role in encouraging human depravity.
‘So he knows how a brave man dies.’
‘Nonsense, he didn’t own a watch’
Juxtaposition The Captain’s egotism is evident, as he aims to be as infamous as his father and lies/fabricates the tale. This mirrors how Ofelia’s fantastical journeys are disregarded and seen as lies.
Gender
Dynamics
and Roles
‘It’s the other hand, Ophelia’
Captain grabs her hand out of the car and demands she sits in the wheelchair.
Assertive tone. The Captain exudes and demonstrates a patriarchal, misogynistic control over the women in the film, and also squeezes Ophelia’s hand tightly when leaning in for the tight shot. He believes in order and power dichotomies, and can display physical dominance when doing so. He also whispers to both women - an outward appearance and reality of his persona showing a stark contrast.
This generally reflects the Captain’s egoistic and cult of personality traits.
‘They eat more than a couple of pigs.’
Analogy, Simile The working women’s comments on the eating mannerisms of the elite highlights the income and resource inequality present during war, reflecting Del Toro’s criticism of war and its inhuman effects.
‘That’s how I got away with it. I was invisible to you.’ Mercedes when being tortured.
Mocking and arrogant tone
Metaphorically ‘invisible’
Mercedes’ defiance is admirable and the courage she shows is shown by characters in fairy tale worlds. Additionally, she pinpoints flaws in the Captain’s misogynistic worldview, wherein he underestimates the ability of women such as Mercedes.
‘Please forgive my wife. She thinks her silly stories interest us all’
FIND ONE
Close-up of Carmen as she bows away in apology.
Carmen’s misogynistic silencing, and her subsequent apology, is a reflection of imbalanced gender dynamics and the subjugation of oppression women faced at the time, while simultaneously dehumanising the Captain and antagonising his corrupt personality as a result of his power.
‘You’ve found my weakness- my pride’
Monologue The Captain is aware of his egoistic nature, somewhat facilitated by the power and authority vested in him. It serves as his weakness, which takes on
a double meaning as his pride in monologuing and boasting does turn out to be his weakness, as it results in his maiming and attack by Mercedes.
Texts as
Education
rather
than
Escapism
Close-ups of Ofelia and a fairytale book.
Carmen (mother responds): ‘Fairy tales? You’re a bit too old to be filling your head with such nonsense’.
Irony
Metafictional social commentary
Intertextuality
Del Toro comments on the archaic and outdated nature of paste fables and legends, negligible as commentary on the human experience. IT instead uses this to comment as a modern parable on senseless violence and political arrogance that places civilians in vulnerable positions. It’s a critique on war, and by merging two differing contexts, Del Toro can explore such notions effectively.
The bright and magical world and kingdom.
While Del Toro reimagines the Spanish Civil war and traditional fantasy and fairy tales, he still criticises violence and perpetuates universal human experiences of humanity, bravery, and moral righteousness. By showing Ofelia as being rewarded and succeeding in her tasks rather than subverting this, Del Toro cements the importance of good triumphing self-serving decision and humanity.
All transitions between real world and fantasy world
Done through fluid camera tracking shots or wipe cuts
Del Toro reinforces the coincidiary nature of the real and fantasy worlds by transitioning between them fluidly and seamlessly, to present them as co-existing and reflective of the other.
The Pale man symbolism/parallelis m
The Pale man is another symbol of the consuming aspect of Vidal’s nature. This sick, albino creature presides over a rich, bountiful feast, but eats only the blood of innocents. Del Toro’s commentary reveals that the geometry of the Pale Man’s dining room is the same as Vidal’s: a long rectangle with a chimney at the back and the monster at the head of the table. Like the Pale Man, Vidal also dines on the blood of innocents. He cuts the people’s rations, supposedly to hurt the rebels, but eats very well himself; in many scenes he savors his hoarded tobacco with almost sexual ecstasy; but this is not a man
disobeys the fairy to not the food.
‘red’ meaning danger.
highlights the dangerous ramifications of disobedience, and how it can arise from the mistreatment of individuals. Power over people → oppression → disobedience → danger.
But there was no talk of eternal life for men fear pain more than they want immortality. So every day the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone. Alone and forgotten at the top of that mountain.. until the end of time.
The Story of the Rose
Imagery, symbolism, narration, literally everything
The story of the rose is an inverse of Moanna's journey from a life without pain to an awful mortality. The men must go through pain and death to reach immortality. Hmm, not unlike Ofelia's journey back into the Underground Realm.
The
Reimagina
tion of
Fairy Tales
→
Postmoder
n Pastiche
of Genre
Hybridisat
Fascist logo on the door of a mill. The depiction of black cars and militaristic objects within a bucolic setting.
Contrast and dark colour scheme.
The contrast of the serene, bucolic setting that is often common in fairy tales is subverted by the presence of an oppressive ideology (Fascism). The tonal dissonance is a microcosm of Del Toro’sgeneral subversion of the fairy tale and fantasy genre. The dark hues and dark colour grading reinforce the dark themes and subversion.
‘A long time ago.. In an underground world where there are no lies or pain, there lived a princess who dreamt of the human world. She
Non-diegetic soundtrack
Fairy Tale
Archetypal, fantastical imagery
This establishes an archetypal, alternate fantasy world that foreshadows and serves as an effective setting for subversion into macabre and dark themes that explore ideas of corruption, injustice, morality intertwined with the pretext of the Spanish Civil War.
The voiceover is a worldbuilding trope that also highlights the binaries/thematic dichotomies of the two worlds, also distinguishable by their
ion
Subverting
the Genre
dreamt of blue skies, soft breeze and sunshine’
Supplemented by the lullaby and images of spiralling staircases, towers, Gothic architecture.
Triple entendre, the establishment of a typical fantasy world that foreshadows subversion.
colour pallette and the soundtrack that overlays those scenes.
Close-ups of Ofelia and a fairytale book.
Carmen (mother responds): ‘Fairy tales? You’re a bit too old to be filling your head with such nonsense’.
Irony
Metafictional social commentary
Intertextuality
Del Toro comments on the archaic and outdated nature of paste fables and legends, negligible as commentary on the human experience. IT instead uses this to comment as a modern parable on senseless violence and political arrogance that places civilians in vulnerable positions. It’s a critique on war, and by merging two differing contexts, Del Toro can explore such notions effectively.
But there was no talk of eternal life for men fear pain more than they want immortality. So every day the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone. Alone and forgotten at the top of that mountain..
The Story of the Rose
Imagery, symbolism, narration, literally everything
The story of the rose is an inverse of Moanna's journey from a life without pain to an awful mortality. The men must go through pain and death to reach immortality. Hmm, not unlike Ofelia's journey back into the Underground Realm.
enters the Labyrinth)
Ofelia, rebels and soldier standoff
Postmodern hybridity - pastiche of genres.
Reimagining the Spanish Civil through the perspective of a child and the rebel forces, rather than focus on the leaders.
‘I am the mountain, forest, and earth’.
The Faun says this when Ofelia first enters.
Ticolon The Faun is an archetypal mythological figure from Ancient Roman mythology, and exemplified Del Toro’s use of fairy tale tropes and characters and his eventual subversion. The Faun’s voice is distorted, and his words allude to an ancient legend, of a past magical civilisation.
The quests and tasks Ofelia has to complete to prove that she has ‘not become a mortal’
‘You must complete three tasks before the moon is full.’
Motif of the monomyth.
Pan’s LAbyrinth’s narrative structure is reflective of the monomyth, the Hero’s Journey. This conventional structure allows for Del Toro to familiarise the audience with a typical narrative, only to subvert its tone and themes to comment on war, violence, obedience, and innocence.
Ofelia’s costume of a blue dress and white smocks.
Costuming Intertextuality Allusion
Ofelia is in essence, a reimagined fairy tale character. Her costume references Alice in Wonderland, and also her Mother’s values of beauty and innocence, a microcosm of shared human experiences across contexts but how values and texts change in their literary worlds.
‘Once upon a time...’ Ofelia’s fairytale book.
Trope Intertextuality Allusion to fairytale
The book the Faun gives to Ofelia has a conventional opening, again reinforcing the intertextuality of portraying traditional fairytale opening, it serves as a storytelling marker.
Golden key and entering the magical realm
Symbol of fantasy convention and the monomyth
This serves as the point where Ofelia passes the threshold, and the entire narrative reflects the monomythical structure.
The dinner scene, where Ofelia disobeys the fairy to not the food.
Foreshadowing with colour symbolism of ‘red’ meaning danger.
Ofelia disobeys the elements and succumbs to her temptations, since she wasn’t fed in the real world. The awakening of the Pale man as a result highlights the dangerous ramifications of disobedience, and how it can arise from the mistreatment of individuals. Power over people → oppression → disobedience → danger.
‘The world is a cruel place, and you’ll learn that’
Irony This is an ironic statement as Ofelia’s innocence has already been debased and seeks to escape into her fairytales, only to discover the alternate world is also quite macabre and depraved, just like the real world. Parallelism between the worlds in their dark and harrowing tone and nature.
The bright and magical world and kingdom.
While Del Toro reimagines the Spanish Civil war and traditional fantasy and fairy tales, he still criticises violence and perpetuates universal human experiences of humanity, bravery, and moral righteousness. By showing Ofelia as being rewarded and succeeding in her tasks rather than subverting this, Del Toro cements the importance of good triumphing self-serving decision and humanity.
Manipulati
on and
Constructi
on of
Truth
‘So he knows how a brave man dies.’
‘Nonsense, he didn’t own a watch’
Juxtaposition The Captain’s egotism is evident, as he aims to be as infamous as his father and lies/fabricates the tale. This mirrors how Ofelia’s fantastical journeys are disregarded and seen as lies.
‘The reds lie, because in a united Spain there’s not a single home without fire or bread’
Synecdoche of ‘fire and bread’
Metaphor ‘reds’
This propaganda reflects the power of words and language in manipulating the truth, while also solidifying the Captain’s power over the life and death of his people.
Eng Ext1 - Pans Labyrinth
Subject: English: English Extension 4- Unit 3
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