Pan’s Labyrinth
With close reference to two scenes from ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ explore how cinematography and mise-en-scene is used to create meaning.
The first shot is of Ofilia looking into the book that tells her the next quest for her to do. The image in the book is of the pale man with the steps of how to get into where he lives and what to do. The steps are shown through a circle in his left arm, right arm and his legs. The entire image of the pale man looks like a mouth and eyes. This is a recurring motif of the eyes and open mouths, it is to represent how what you see in this world is sometimes best to not be told. In the little image on the bottom we see the girl (Ofilia) go to the middle key hole out of the three. This is something that I will talk about later because she keeps on breaking rules and keeps on not obeying the right commands. There are lots of props used in the film that are related to fantasy. The big opening book, an hourglass, chalk drawings leading into a secret area. These are all typical things used in fantasy films, but Del Toro uses this specific mise-en-scene to trick us into thinking that this will be a normal fantasy film and tricks us into feeling like we know what is going to happen next. “Let the fairies guide you.” This is something that Ofelia doesn’t do which is what consequently is another reason for her death at the end of the film her not obeying simple rules and being reckless. “Don’t eat or drink anything during your stay” Everything that the book is telling her not to do she does. This is all leading up to the scene with the pale man and we have been told strict rules on what to do and not do. If this were a normal fairy tale film then she would just follow these rules and do the quest. “Come back before the last grain of sand falls” This backs up my point that these specific rules that have been set out for her to follow have been disobeyed by her during this scene. Del Toro has used the stereotypes of fairy tale movies and completely flipped them and making the main character someone who doesn’t follow rules.
Once the door has been opened we get music which is very dark and mysterious. Traditionally this would be the opposite in a normal film but Del Toro has decided to do this to make the viewer feel unsettled and unsure about what Ofelia is going up against. We get an establishing shot of the narrow hallway and the main colour in this particular scene is red. Red is linked to blood in this scene because the Pale man is shown to have eaten many little children. Once Ofelia enters the room we get a medium shot of her looking down the table with this amazing looking feast which she has been warned about. The fire behind the pale man resembles danger because how how dangerous he is towards children since he eats them. This set up of the table has been done on purpose because the pale man in this instance is supposed to resemble The Capitan. We get the same shot of The Captain in the same seat as the pale man and Ofelia may see the Captain in the pale man from this imagery. We then get a tracking shot of Ofelia walking alongside of the table while the camera is going through the table of food. This is trying to make the viewer want to try the food too because the food is dangerous and Del Toro wants us to realise that not everything that you see that looks nice may not be nice. The main colour in the food on the table is red. Red in this case is shown to be used for a sign of danger to emphasise that the food is bad and you shouldn’t go near it. Once we get the the end of the tracking shot we are met with the pale man. This is a metaphor for if you touch this food this is what you will be faced with. We get voice overs of baby’s crying and as Ofelia looks up we see ancient images of the pale man eating them. We have had only negative and dangerous signs towards the pale man so Ofelia should do as she is told to avoid him. We then get a pull focus on the pile of shoes on the floor to her looking at the floor. The pile of shoes on the floor is shown to be a representation of the holocaust. Millions of people died in the holocaust and this is reflecting upon this but also giving it the link to the pale man and that he has eaten lots of people.
Ofelia then opens the cage to her fairies and lets them go to look around. They go to the key holes like in the image that she saw in the book and the book shows that the girl goes to the middle key hold and the fairies all fly to it pointing at it saying to put the key here. She pulls out the key from her pocket and we hear a sound when she pulls it out and it's the sound of a sword being pulled out of a case. This shows that a key has a lot of power and it very dangerous because you may not know what you unlock and it may be dangerous. We then get Ofelia raise her hand up and put the key in the middle hole. We then get a close up of Ofelia’s face and she says “no, this other one” she is breaking the rule to one listen to the fairies and also do as the book says by opening the left door. She then opens up the hatch and finds a dagger inside it she then takes it out and pears over her shoulder to look over at the pale man. She walks over the the table and looks at the table of food. A harp plays in the background which implies that she is being convinced to eat something or take something. When we hear a harp we think of something divine and nice. This reflects Ofelia’s mood and that she wants to eat regardless of the consequences. The fairies all fly over the her knowingly that she wants to eat the food on the table. The food through mise-en-scene is shown to be divine and elegant so we can understand why Ofelia wants to eat it. She is disobeying yet another rule by eating the food on the table which she was warned about. Also another rule was broken in the fact that she is told to follow the fairies orders and follow what they say. The fairies warn her not to eat and yet she does anyway.
She continues to eat the food on the table even when the pale man is getting up to come for her. She doesn’t care at this point and is not regarding her actions in the fact that she could get hurt of killed by not following the orders. The pale man has his eyes on his hands which is a metaphor for what you see is in your hands and what you say about what you see is in your hands. All three of the fairies go after the pale man trying to buy some time for Ofelia to escape yet the fairies could be risking their lives in doing so. If the fairies are willing to risk their own lives to save Ofelia then she must be important even though she did break all of the rules that have been put in place for her own safety. The pale man eats two fairies and gives Ofelia time to run away. The colour white on the pale man really shows all of the red that has been stained on him from everything that he has eaten and the colour white really shows all of the reds that are on him. Ofelia runs down the hallway getting to the way out. We get a shot from the real world where the hourglass is and we see that the door shuts between the real world and the fantasy world. This a metaphor for that Ofelia’s fate has been set that she will forever be kept in the dream world and left from the real world. Ofelia climbs the chair that she has brought with her and stands on it to make a hatch above her to get out. She is working side to side on top of this chair and this is to represent that she is on the edge in both real world and dreamworld. She then makes a hole and climbs up it to escape the pale man and only just makes it out. Another rule has been broken here too because she is told to come back before the hourglass runs out and she escapes after. She has broken all of the rules that have been put in place for her and this has secured her fate in the dreamworld and the real world.
