When i first saw pans labyrinth, i thought the two worlds of the story one rooted in cinematic realism, the other in a fresh new kind. Pans labyrinth a psychological analysis sd entertainer. Her life is set amidst a war, where her life has been turned upside down by the passing of her loving father, her mothers remarriage to a monster of a man and by the. Guillermo del toros pans labyrinth is primarily set in postcivil war spain, centered around a young girl named ofelia ivana baquero and her adventures following a runin with a mystical faun doug jones. I love pans labyrinth for its darkness, sorrow, and brutality. At the heart of this wolf masquerading as a monster lies the idea that beauty, courage, love and truth can be found in the eyes of a child. In guillermo del toro s movie pans labyrinth, ofelia ivana baquero is a lonely eleven year old girl who lives with her pregnant mother, carmen ariadna gil. He was super stoked to go to the guillermo del toro exhibit, at home with monsters. Ofelia, a young girl, sets out on a mythical adventure while living under the harsh hand of her stepfather, the villainous captain vidal. Learn pan s labyrinth with free interactive flashcards. Although the film is considered partly within the fantasy genre, several of the themes within the film reflect certain historical realities of postcivil war spain. I loved pan s labyrinth, but remember being a bit put off by the ending. For pans labyrinth, an outstanding cinema work rich in symbols, details and meaning, it is even more essential for us to take the underlying context into serious consideration the external setting of this work consisted of 3 element. The strange world of the faun and his tasks, which is real for her, is essential to the narrative as it provides ofelia with motivation for her actions and moves the story along in a particular way.
Of course, in order to achieve such a dramatic effect, the frame demands to be filled not only with phantasmagorical imagery but an exceptional selection of talent as well, and in ivana. Coincidentally, the character of mercedes becomes the mother that ofelia never had, both prior to and following carmens death. The name choices in pans labyrinth arent coincidental. Pans labyrinth movie guide questions worksheet r 2006. Parallel is the blood of the rebels or ofelias mom.
Mar 06, 2016 set in 1944, postspanish civil war, guillermo del toros pans labyrinth follows the story of a young girl named ofelia ivana baquero, whose pregnant mother has forced her to move to a small militaryrun mill, commanded by her fascist new stepfather vidal sergi lopez. Throughout guillermo del toro s film, pans labyrinth, the reversed relationship between carmen and her daughter creates an interesting dynamic, as ofelia uses her maternal instinct to care for her ailing mother. Jul 03, 2009 being set more or less entirely in its fantasy world, you soon become bored of it. Captain vidal is the main antagonist of the 2006 spanish epic fantasy hit film pan s labyrinth. Aug 04, 2009 the following is a psychological look into the 2006 academy award winning film pan s labyrinth. The soundtrack was haunting and the depth of the story lead me to think about it continually over the past few days. We meet her as she travels to be with her mothers new husband, captain vidal.
Pans labyrinth tells a story of a little girl named ofelia ivana baquero who moves into the countryside with her pregnant mother. Ofelias mother threw the ginseng from the faun to the. Pans labyrinth movie guide questions worksheet r 2006 challenges students to analyze and learn life lessons from ofelias experiences with captain vidal, her mom, the faun and other characters she meets in her fantasy. Personally what i like to think is that del toro is telling us the truth, that magic is real in ofelias world and that her bravery was rewarded after death. Lets talk pan s labyrinth so the common belief for this film is that ofelia has created a fantasy world in her mind to escape from her dull life and abusive surroundings.
Narrative desire and disobedience in pans labyrinth. Ivana baquero as ofelia with faun the movie follows a young girl named ofelia as she moves with her pregnant mother to live with her new step father, a sadistic captain in the country. Exploring the fantasy behind pan s labyrinth duration. Remember, the faun could have meant just a little blood but he also could have gone the other way and told her that the little bit of blood she gave was not enough. Our online pans labyrinth trivia quizzes can be adapted to suit your requirements for taking some of the top pans labyrinth quizzes. Ofelia s mother, carmen, is pregnant and her chld is acting up, and she asks ofelia to tell the child in her womb a story to calm him down. At sunset, on top of that mountain, a magic rose blossomed every night that made. Pans labyrinth is a 2006 spanishmexican dark fantasy drama film written and directed by. Ofelia is determined to save her mother and her unborn brother from vidals. He gives her a book and tells her she will find in it three tasks to complete in order for her to acquire immortality and return to her kingdom. Can you answer these questions on the 2006 movie pan s labyrinth. This paper is an analysis of the spanish film pans labyrinth based on the theories and themes of greek mythology and storytelling. Released in 2006, pans labyrinth is a spanish film written and directed by mexican filmmaker guillermo del toro.
Ofelia is the main protagonist of the hit spanish fantasy movie pans labyrinth. What i know is that pans labyrinth is a masterful demonstration of film. The thickly layered pans labyrinth reveals most of its light through extremely dark, tragic moments. Pan s labyrinth, a horrortinged fairy tale set in 1944 spain, under fascist rule. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
In this dark fantasy, funke the inkheart trilogy revisits pans labyrinth, del toros acclaimed 2006 film in which a girl undergoes a series of fairy taleinspired tasks set against the backdrop of 1944 spain. Many, many years ago in a sad, faraway land, there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone. Common places mothering relationships in pans labyrinth. This was a turn up for the books, a novel of the mesmerising and stunning 2006 film pan s labyrinth by guillermo del toro that i adored, written by the film director and. Spoilers abound gloriously pale men with eyes embedded their palms like stigmata the horrific biological inefficiency of it all. Tenyearold ofelia ivana baquero, a quiet lover of books and fairy tales, is travelling with her mother, carmen ariadna gil, to the rural village of navarra where carmens new husband, captain vidal sergi lopez, an officer of francos army, is stationed with his men at an old mill. Ariadna gil as carmen queen of the underworld, ofelias mother and vidals wife.
Jul 18, 2019 beyond who should read pans labyrinth. To me, the power of pans labyrinth derives from the fact that ofelias world must be imaginary, that she uses her imagination to escape the horrors of reality civil war and a bad stepfather, and this makes the ending all the more tragic. If she wishes to return to her real father, ofelia must complete three terrifying tasks. Her father is dead and her mother has remarried so she is now living with the.
The connection between the tree and ofelias mother is overt, and intentional. In the category of monster most likely to give you nightmares forever, the pale man from pans labyrinth is the stuff of neverending nightmares, bought to the screen by doug jones of course. Set in spain in 1944, five years after the end of the spanish civil war, pans labyrinth tells the story of ofelia, a young girl who, with her pregnant mother, is moved to the countryside by her stepfather, a topranking general in the fascist army. Between his modest comic book hits hellboy and hellboy ii. In the beginning of the scene, ofelia walks toward the camera in pursuit of. Such seems to be the case for the primary character in pans labyrinth, named ofelia. If weve been paying attention, then we know that obedience is not always such a good thing in the world of pan s labyrinth. Pans labyrinth, a horrortinged fairy tale set in 1944 spain, under fascist rule. The question and answer section for pans labyrinth is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. I dont understand why you had to bring so many books, ofelia. A comprehensive database of pans labyrinth quizzes online, test your knowledge with pans labyrinth quiz questions. Guillermo del toro on pans labyrinth film the guardian.
There is the young girl, ofelia, living in the brutality and terrors of the fascist this. Embracing the darkness, sorrow, and brutality of pans labyrinth. Oct 31, 2010 this feature is not available right now. Pan s labyrinth addresses this clearly around 15 minutes into the film, where the film s protaganist, a young girl named ofelia, talks to her unborn brother. Pans labyrinth 2006 by director guillermo del toro, and it. I introduced pan s labyrinth to my 17 year old nephew who loves heavy metal and horror flicks. I, however, have always been under the impression that there was more to it than that. Pan s labyrinth is a fairy tale about the importance of moral disobedience. Ofelia is the main protagonist of the criticallyacclaimed spanish movie pan s labyrinth she is played by ivana baquero. Through ofelia s vivid and detailed imagination in pan s labyrinth, by guillermo del toro, of untrustworthy, mysterious creatures that reflect her outlook. This is because the the character of faun is changed to pan in english. Like many of del toros films, its a political allegory as well as a gothic fantasy. Shes led by a fairy to an old labyrinth where she meets the faun who tells her about her past and gives her the book of crossroads.
Narrative desire and disobedience in pans labyrinth jstor. Unlike snow white, ofelia does not have the prince to save her and lead her to the wonderful life waiting for her in the underworld. Were first introduced to elevenyearold ofelia and her mother carmen as they travel to captain vidals estate. Rather, del toro chose those names so the viewers would think about shakespeares character. Pans labyrinth is a very dark fairy that mixes the 1940s political climate of spain with a girl quest to free her soul through a fairy. Jennifer orme narrative desire and disobedience in pan s labyrinth in an early scene in guillermo del toros pan s labyrinth, carmen, the very pregnant mother of the protagonist, ofelia, takes a book of fairy stories from ofelias hands and says, i dont understand why you had to bring so many books, ofelia. The golden army, imaginative mexican filmmaker guillermo del toro made a film that was darker and more in spanish. Similarly, we can see certain similarities between carmen, ofelias mother, and queen gertrude. There is state control over the rations to prevent it from reaching the.
Pans labyrinth tells a story of a little girl named ofelia ivana baquero who moves into the countryside with her pregnant mother, carmen ariadna gil, to live with her stepfather, captain vidal sergi lopez who is a highranking official in the spanish army. Pans labyrinth jumps back and forth between ofelias grim fantasy world and an even grimmer real francocontrolled spain, two completely separate narratives that slowly intertwine as the film progresses. Ive had several people recommend this movie so i finally decided to check it out. The essay delves into freudian concepts and their prevalence in the film, the social role theory and. She dreamed of blue skies, soft breeze, and sunshine. He takes ofelias mother carmen ariadna gil as his wife, after the death of ofelias father. Mar 02, 2010 the other night i rented pans labyrinth. The labyrinth of the faun and millions of other books are. I sort of wanted the possibility of an existing fantasy world to persist, but i remember a single shot suggesting to the viewer that all the fantastic elements were in ofelias mind. Comprising so many symbols, themes and ideas, it presents a genuine masterpiece bequeathed to the film industry by a magnificent mexican director, guillermo del toro. For sheer imaginative brio, pan s labyrinth is one of the films of the year. Ofelias mother has just remarried to a captain of the spanish army, and is pregnant with his child. A little girl who knows a little magicenough to, say, restore a statues lost eye to it, and to recognize a fairy no matter what it looks like. His comic book adaptation, hellboy, is about a demon who is brought to earth by nazis but ends up turning against his hellish origins and fighting against evil.
Even though her life is too short, she fulfills one of our fondest hopes. I love the film and it makes my top 10 list, easily, so im both biased and incredibly. Then ofelia was born, daughter of carmen and random tailor man. Essay about the theme of obedience in pans labyrinth. Shes led by a fairy to an old labyrinth where she meets the faun who tells her about her past and gives her the book of crossroads, which will give her three tasks she must complete before the full moon. Choose from 500 different sets of pan s labyrinth flashcards on quizlet. The labyrinth of the faun is a 2006 spanishmexican dark fantasy drama film written and directed by guillermo del toro and starring ivana baquero, sergi lopez, maribel verdu, doug jones, and ariadna gil.
Ofelias mother threw the ginseng from the faun to the stone. Read the first few chapters of pans labyrinth by guillermo del toro. The significance of pale man in pans labyrinth writing. Analysis of greek tragedy themes in the film pans labyrinth. Embracing the darkness, sorrow, and brutality of pans. The movie also contains a great amount of occult and archetypal symbols telling another story. Living with her tyrannical stepfather in a new home with her pregnant mother, 10yearold ofelia feels alone until she explores a decaying labyrinth guarded by a mysterious faun who claims to know her destiny. This is a beautiful companion book to the film pans labyrinth as soon as i finished reading the arc, i purchased the print edition so i could have a copy of the gorgeous illustrations id missed out on by reading it digitally. In pan s labyrinth, ofelia puts what under her mother s bed to make her better. Fixing pans labyrinth pans labyrinth, the gorgeous film by guillermo del toro, was on tv again the other day, and just seeing certain scenes brought all the feelings i. The visuals were stunning along with characters and scenery of the underworld. In an early scene in guillermo del toros pans labyrinth, carmen, the very pregnant mother of the protagonist, ofelia, takes a book of fairy stories from. Ofelia adores fairy tales and making up stories, even though her mother tells her shes too old for them.
Points of entry into and out of the fairy tale set. Dec 30, 2016 14 fantastical facts about pans labyrinth between his modest comic book hits hellboy and hellboy ii. The story takes place in spain during the summer of 1944, five years after the spanish civil war, during the early francoist period. Ofelia is a beautiful loving child that has known many horrors in her short life. Dark, dreamlike and dangerous, guillermo del toro s pan s labyrinth is a fairytale every bit as scary and moving as they were always meant to be. Ofelia and her pregnant mother, carmen, have come to live with her mothers new. In pans labyrinth we usually share the point of view of ofelia and by extension we can see all that she sees. Feb 08, 2007 to me, the power of pans labyrinth derives from the fact that ofelias world must be imaginary, that she uses her imagination to escape the horrors of reality civil war and a bad stepfather, and this makes the ending all the more tragic. Without those harsh elements the film would be a milquetoast modern fairytale, as tame as. Ofelia, must adjust to her new surroundings after she and her pregnant mother move to the north of spain to live with her. Pans labyrinth, a spanish movie, is a mythical fantasy for adults set in the 1944 postwar fascist repression in spain. What were the three tasks ofelia gets in the movie pans. Ofelia turns her gaze toward the opposite seat, where her mother, carmen, 28, is. The thickly layered pan s labyrinth reveals most of its light through extremely dark, tragic moments.
Pans labyrinth living with her tyrannical stepfather in a new home with her pregnant mother, 10yearold ofelia feels alone until she explores a decaying labyrinth guarded by a mysterious faun who claims to know her destiny. Here, we take mainly into account aristotles description of a tragic hero or the tragedy in his treatise of poetics. They find themselves in the company of the antagonist captain vidal sergi lopez who is a high ranking official in the spanish army. A long time ago, in the underground realm, where there are no lies or pain, there lived a princess who dreamed of the human world. Mar 21, 2007 there are very strong arguments either way, the fact that we can have such a debate is a credit to the film. In pan s labyrinth, what does pan instruct ofelia not to do when she visits the pale man.
Pans labyrinth is a fairy tale about the importance of moral. Pans labyrinth is a profound movie telling the story of a young girls quest to escape the cruelties of spanish fascism. In the film, ofelias fathers death is the moment her life changed, but its upon realizing how much ofelia thinks about him that his presence or rather absence is felt throughout the story. For her second task, ofelia must retrieve a dagger from an underground chamber. As her story unfolds and gets more and more harrowing, the fairy tale of princess moanna gets more elaborate. The composition, color, and stylistic texture of pan s labyrinth suggest a fevered child s hallucinatory interpretation of an amalgamation of fairy tales. The style throughout pans labyrinth is essential for creating dramatic dynamic throughout the film. Pans labyrinth by guillermo del toro ariadna gil, ivana. But the dark fable was a labour of love for director guillermo del toro, who says that violence in his native mexico is. A depiction of postcivil war spain the film pans labyrinth is a cinematic masterpiece of 2006, directed and written by guillermo del toro. The significance of pale man in pans labyrinth p an s labyrinth is one of the most profound contemporary films. Shes led by a fairy to an old labyrinth where she meets the faun who tells her about her past and gives her the book. The labyrinth of the faun, though, theres what the change in medium brings to the text, in the form of interior monologue.
281 257 1157 1018 1253 496 713 1035 1516 439 1409 1167 1255 1531 837 983 168 414 159 601 406 932 401 1186 914 1460 474 723 1267 1308 643 689 1084 1233 683 1019 1140 1024 785 1178 220 653 183