Pans Labyrinth: Analysis Of Characters And Themes

Historical Drama

Characters – The dinner

The most important characters of the film’s historical drama appear in this scene: Ofelia, Carmen, Vidal, Doctor, Mercedes, Pedro. What are our first impressions? How are these constructed? What are the perspectives these represent?

Captain Vidal

Captain Vidal is Del Toro’s gender reversal of the wicked step-mother, subverting traditional fairy tales where “the good mother dies at the beginning of the story” only to be “supplanted by a monster.” Here, the good father is dead, leaving the beast father to fill the void.

Vidal expresses an authoritarian patriarchal presence, exuding a classic machismo partnered with the harsh male violence expressed with multiple visual cues: his immaculate fascist military uniform and a damaged pocket watch, allegedly rescued from the field of battle where Vidal’s dying father smashed it, so his son would know the hour of his violent death in combat.

Ofelia

Del Toro uses effortless parallel montage to interweave narrative threads. Thus as Ofelia, a new Alice, sets out on the first task she has been set by the Faun (a muddy descent to the slimy toad deep under a tree). The obsessive abjection of the fantasy world (Ofelia’s snow-white skin is covered in slime and mucous, her shiny patent shoes and prim party dress caked in mud and drenched by rain) might be read as del Toro’s critique of the equally obsessive hygiene of the real-life realm of Fascism.

Unsurprisingly, Ofelia is placed in a bath on her muddy return. Del Toro tilts down from the tub to show her descending the fantasy staircase to the Faun’s lair, once more in a single shot. This technique of the masked cut is vital to the fluid texture of the film: the camera is always tracking behind tree trunks only to emerge unexpectedly in another place, another time. Sound bridges serve the same purpose.

Throughout the film, the distinct manner in which characters are depicted allow the audience to clearly identify the intent/representation of said individuals. This is particularly observable through the construction of Ofelia and Vidal; the central characters who represent polar opposites. However, it’s important to note that a character’s depiction of an overall idea, such as Vidal’s pride and authority, does not derive from their situation, but rather the actions they take. This is evident through the aforementioned Vidal, who despite being an authoritarian figure within his environment, being the rank of a Captain, his

Consider the deformities of the central characters during the film.

In the film we see physical and psychological malformations that drive us to question the boundaries of fantasy and the real world. For instance, the creature Ofelia encounters in the labyrinth represents a faun, but is portrayed to be the god Pan, which creates a disconnect between the fairy tale-esque genre and the horror within, with his appearance exaggerated to be more reminiscent of Satan than a faun.

Additionally, the very instant that Ofelia meets Captain Vidal, and he forcefully takes her hand, the viewer can tell that she is in danger. This danger is only subsequently ensured when we see him knowingly beat a young man to death in the immediate presence of his father. This psychological deformity reflective of fascism is later recalled with Mercedes slicing a deep gash from the corner of his mouth all the way up his cheekbone, symbolically turning him into the deformed monster he has in reality always been.

Even the fairies that guide Ofelia along her journey are not represented, as they would be in a traditional fairy tale. At first, the fairies resemble insects more than anything else, but only after Ofelia shows it the profile in her book of fairytales does it become a more familiar sprite, indicative of Ophelia perhaps drawing upon her imagination to create the fantasy to escape from the horrors of the real world.

Compare to the Faun and the Pale Man.

The Pale Man is for Ofelia a symbol of the Captain and the adult world. The Pale Man takes the fairies, bites their heads off and eats them and that can be a symbolism of destroying childhood and innocence, which is exactly how Ofelia sees the Captain. These parallels are exemplified through the positioning of both The Pale Man and the Captain within their respective dinners; both are at the head of the table in a domineering pose, signifying both as monstrous individuals through fantastical elements.

Additionally, the Pale Man can also be a symbol of the Catholic Church at the time in Spain. The Pale Man has so much food in front of him, but he still chooses to feast on the innocent fairies, much like the Catholic Church in Spain being really wealthy, but still going after the people in Spain with violence and threats.

In ancient mythology, fauns, satyrs, and the Greek god Pan were somewhat similar as they all bear the hindquarters, legs, and horns of a goat. Pan is a prototype of natural energy and is undoubtedly a phallic deity, representing the impregnating power of the sun. The faun becomes a sort of spiritual guide to Ofelia, helping her through the actual and figurative labyrinth she must go through. Despite the faun’s monstrous appearance and presentation as the trickster he is actually the only being in Ofelia’s life that understands her desire to “become more” and to reach her full potential.

Compare the horror in the fantasy with the horror, tension and violence of the “real” world?

The visual compositions that move between the dread of not seeing and the horror of seeing blends the paradoxical fantastical and real worlds within the film. One such example is the mandrake, given to Ofelia by the Faun which both adults are blind to. However when Captain Vidal catches Ofelia in her mother’s bedroom both adults are able to view the root, leading to the former tossing the mandrake into the fire, which releases a bloodcurdling scream that is often associated with the power to bring death. It is noteworthy that all of the characters in close enough to hear the cries of the burning mandrake do die before the conclusion of the film, adding a morbid foreshadowing of the film’s dark fantasy ending. This scene blurs the line between imagination and reality through the association of the deterioration in the mother’s health with the curse of the mandrake

Violence comes in various forms: sudden, tense, tortured and deforming. Do you think the sometimes disturbing violence is necessary? Read “Mythology, Fairy Tale and Depth Psychology in Pan’s Labyrinth”

The graphic violence within Pan’s Labyrinth serves to parallel the brutalistic fascist regime of a Francisco Spain, of which is used as a primary source of context and conflict within the film.

In a scene that leads to the film’s conclusion—the resurrection of Ofelia to the throne and the execution of Captain Vidal—the captain discovers the mandrake root and brutally murders it, provoking the unborn child’s premature birth and with it massive hemorrhaging in the body of Carmen. Like every scene in the movie of violent death caused by Captain Vidal and his fascist henchmen, Carmen’s death is accompanied by the birth of new life, the birth of Ofelia’s brother.

Additionally, Dr. Ferreiro euthanizes the tortured stuttering rebel to put him out of his misery and is executed by Captain Vidal for his trouble. Before that happens he says to “Vidal – I cannot obey just like that, just because you tell me to – that is only for men like you to do – before picking up his doctor’s bag and walking with dignity out of the barn.”

This scene outlines a tragedy, where innocence and integrity dies at the hands of authoritarian action, but in certain situations that is the only noble recourse available. This loss of innocence is again reflected with Ophelia’s final task; she is told to bring her baby brother to the labyrinth, little knowing that the Faun will attempt to persuade her to sacrifice him so as to open the portal that will take her home. The captain in hot pursuit enters the scene as she refuses to give up her brother and ‘shed the blood of an innocent,” leading to her death as Vidal shoots her and takes his son. Ultimately, the violence ties the entire movie as a close circle; the death at the end of the film paralleling that at the start of the film, resulting in ideas of reincarnation in both fantastical and real worlds – Ophelia returns to the Underworld, and the rebels overtake the campground and overthrown the fascist captain.

Themes: End of film: Importance of disobedience and free will.

1:23 Doctor’s monologue after disobeying Vidal to assist torture victim.

1:37 – end of film As the film comes to its end, Ofelia takes her little brother and tries to escape from all the violence around her, into her fairy tale. The ending is a “happy”one for the fairy-tale but a tragedy in the Historical drama. Beyond the concrete events in these last scenes, students may discuss whether there is any allegorical meaning to the ending of the film or analyse how the director deals with the past. Consider how the final scenes could be interpreted depending on the genre emphasised.

While we see Ofelia laying bloody on the ground, she is also shown in another realm, the Underworld, reuniting with her true parents. The entire palace bears the shape of a vesica piscis, an ancient occult symbol representing the vulva, the entrance to the womb and the gateway to another world. Standing on three pillars, the father, the mother and the soon to be princess will complete trinity of the Underworld. The faun greats Ofelia, telling her she did well by going against his orders and sacrificing her life to protect her innocent brother. Indeed, a strong will, sacrifice and rebirth are necessary for the completion of an initiation into occult mysteries.

What other themes are explored and developed in the film?

• Imagination
• Power
• Trust
• Trauma of War

Coming of Age & Disobedience – obtained from: https://riderontheplain.wordpress.com/opinion-pieces/pans-labyrinth-genre-and-themes/

The themes of coming-of-age and disobedience can be seen as going hand-in-hand in Pan’s Labyrinth. While the escapism offered to Ofelia by the fantasy world allows her to resist the war and her sadistic stepfather, it not only leads her towards adolescence, but also readies her to deal with these two factors. It is for this reason that Ofelia’s trials become progressively darker. Her first trial leads her into the forest, an example of typical fantasy iconography, which is representative of her first steps towards puberty. The fantasy genre therefore influences the film’s portrayal of coming-of-age as a stage in life which, although resisted by the child, is inevitable. Ofelia must grow up and, due to her grim circumstances, will do so quicker than most children her age. This is highlighted by the juxtaposition of her first trial with Captain Vidal’s scouting party, both events occurring in the forest. Ofelia’s quest, a fantasy genre convention which, in Pan’s Labyrinth, is comprised of three trials, exerts a great influence on the depiction of the coming-of-age theme as a process of self-discovery. Through eluding and/or defeating monsters, interacting with diverse creatures, and successfully completing tasks, the film suggests that a child, by engaging with their imagination, finds themselves and the strength to cope with adult circumstances.

Ofelia’s encounter with the Pale Man, who is both her adversary in the second trial and the fantasy world parallel to Captain Vidal, represents the encroachment of adulthood and the way in which the dangers of the real world invade Ofelia’s imagination. The Pale Man is a murderer of children, as is Vidal by the film’s resolution, and Ofelia flees from him, just as she later flees her stepfather. As such, fantasy genre conventions influence the film’s portrayal of such themes as coming-of-age as a fragile process in which the child must resist external forces that threaten to bring about their premature demise. From this bleak perspective, Ofelia’s murder can be symbolically interpreted as the death of childhood. War is also a threat to the heroine, as is evident from the mise-en-scene in this sequence; the mountain of small shoes belonging to the Pale Man’s victims are comparable to the Holocaust. By placing a child protagonist in the lead role, a fairy-tale convention, Pan’s Labyrinth utilises fantasy as a mode in its exploration of childhood innocence set against the backdrop of war. As such, taking into account Ofelia’s attempts to resist war and disobey her evil stepfather, the film’s use of fantasy also portrays disobedience / resistance as a natural and even vital part of being a child and growing up.

Choice – obtained from: https://riderontheplain.wordpress.com/opinion-pieces/pans-labyrinth-genre-and-themes/

The central theme in Pan’s Labyrinth is arguably that of choice, especially between good and bad, shaped by the fantasy genre convention of the three tasks, which require Ofelia to make independent choices. The faun tells her, ‘We have to make sure that your essence is intact’, which may be read as referring to Ofelia’s purity and innocence, therefore the fantasy genre portrays choice as a moral test. When Ofelia is en route to her first trial, for example, her costume is both black and white; these colours are typically connotative of evil and good, respectively, which represents Ofelia as morally untested. This theme intertwines with the coming-of-age theme in that Ofelia is reaching an age where she must make decisions, and where those decisions matter. The mantis insect, which appears as a fairy to Ofelia, acts as an on-screen action code, leading her towards the labyrinth during the film’s equilibrium; it is this other world which provides the foundation and refuge for Ofelia to find herself and explore the moral aspect of choices.Indeed, through undertaking the trials set by the faun, Ofelia comes to acquire a moral conscience, which influences the important decisions that she makes in the real world.

However, Ofelia does not always choose to do the right thing. Despite being warned against it, she chooses to eat from the Pale Man’s table. In doing so, she symbolically eats from the table of fascism. This act of disobedience, although wrong, enables Ofelia to understand that certain choices can bear consequences – in this instance, the death of two fairies. She also understands that Vidal and fascism, too,+ are associated with death. What is important is not that Ofelia makes the wrong choice, but that she learns from it, thus growing as a person. Although Ofelia eats from the table, she rejects both the Pale Man and Vidal, fleeing from both. She distances herself from fascism, and so, retains her innocence and integrity. The fantasy genre, therefore, not only depicts the power of the childhood imagination as a repellent against the corruption of innocence and as the essential dissimilarity between adults and children, but portrays the theme of choice in Pan’s Labyrinth as a learning process. Furthermore, Ofelia must complete the three trials before the full moon, which assorted with the menstrual process of women. The film appears to suggest, through this, that childhood is the stage in life in which, due to the innocence and purity of the child, a moral conscience can be formed free of the complications of adulthood. As such, the utilisation of the fantasy genre additionally influences the portrayal of choice as being very much a race against time.

1. Film Quarterly https://filmquarterly.org/2007/06/01/pans-labyrinth/
2. Embracing the Darkness, Sorrow, and Brutality of Pan’s Labyrinth https://www.tor.com/2011/05/25/the-darkness-of-pans-labyrinth/
3. “Pain should not be sought – but it should never be avoided” – Guardian Review https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/05/features.review1
4. Screenville film blog: http://screenville.blogspot.com.au/2006/11/pans-labyrinth-2006del-toro.html
5. Esoteric Interpretation https://vigilantcitizen.com/moviesandtv/the-esoteric-interpretation-of-pans-labyrinth/
6. Antifascist Aesthetics http://sdonline.org/47/the-antifascist-aesthetics-of-pan%E2%80%99s-labyrinth/