'Pan's Labyrinth' Analysis

In ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, Guillermo Del Toro conveys political and social messages to the audience throughout the film by loading each scene with multiple dimensions of contextual and implicit information through the constant consideration of cinematography and mise-en-scene. Del Toro crafts almost every scene in the film to hold some greater meaning both to the narrative and to the context of General Franco’s fascist Spain in which the film is set. Being set during this time in 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War, the film constantly makes references towards the social and political environment as well as what it was like to be somebody living in Spain at this time.

Early in the film, Ofelia meets The Faun after being led to the labyrinth by one of the fairies, who tells her that she is the lost Princess Moanna of the underworld. At this point, The Faun tells Ofelia that she must complete three tasks before the moon is full, giving her ‘The Book of Crossroads’ which will show her both her future and what she must do. The name of the book suggests that Ofelia is at a crossroad in her life; many paths are open to her as she is exposed to the dangers that both the real world and the fantasy world present. Ofelia is the protagonist of the film and as such, her decisions have a great impact on the world around her. For example, Ofelia chooses to be loyal to Mercedes until the end, not turning her in to Captain Vidal for working with the resistance and promising to keep her secret despite this being a direct disobedience to both her stepfather and the fascist regime itself. After being given the book, The Faun tells Ofelia to open it whilst she is alone, suggesting that Ofelia’s tasks will have to be done in secrecy, this is symbolic of the dictatorship that General Franco was running in Spain at this time and how dangerous it was for anybody who decided to have views or live their lives in a way that didn’t completely align with Franco’s ideology and rules. This idea is reinforced by the many dangers that Ofelia faces whilst covertly undertaking the tasks set for her by The Faun throughout the film.

After reading the book, Ofelia discovers that her first task is to put three magic stones inside the stomach of a giant toad so that the ancient fig tree may thrive again. Ofelia is forced to remove the dress that her mother made for her before entering the tree so that it doesn’t get ruined, leaving her in only her most basic and humble clothes. This may be symbolic of how fascism and dictatorship harms the young people more than anyone else as they are the ones that have to grow up in and adapt to a society where what they are allowed to see, say and do is controlled; stripping them of personal identity and any symbol of individuality, such as clothing, which is replaced by uniform and regulation. This may also symbolise how, under Franco’s reign, the working class were forced to give up what little material and sentimental possessions they had in order to survive, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, this idea that a fascist society kills its own people is furthered by ‘The Pale Man’ scene later in the film.

As Ofelia enters the tree, a long shot and a long-mid shot are used to show how she crawls into the darkness, it could be argued that the tree resembles a womb which Ofelia is re-entering; symbolising both her rebirth as Princess Moanna and the rebirth of Spanish society as the younger generations come into their prime and bring new ideas, values and opinions. This may be Del Toro’s way of conveying the message that no dictatorship or oppression over society can ever last as there will always be new generations that bring about social change and revolution. Once Ofelia is inside the tree, the lighting is a sickly golden brown as she crawls through the mud, this represents the sickness of Spanish society under Franco’s dictatorship that it introduced in the opening sequence with Ofelia’s pregnant mother. A long shot is used to show the size of the tunnel as Ofelia looks around and realises how long it is. At this moment, the audience can only hear the diegetic sounds of the wind and Ofelia’s heavy breathing, showing us that she is panicked and frightened. After this, the camera pans from the ground to Ofelia’s face, revealing that the tunnel is heavily populated with cockroaches which are now crawling over Ofelia’s arms. A tracking shot is then used from a sideward perspective to show Ofelia making her way through the tunnel, in this shot we are shown that the walls of the tunnel are covered in cockroaches too, invoking feelings of disgust and repulsion in the audience and presenting connotations of corruption and infestation.

Once Ofelia encounters the toad for the first time, she begins speaking to it even though the toad does not appear to have the ability to speak or even understand her. Ofelia asks the toad ‘aren’t you ashamed living down here, eating all these bugs and growing fat whilst the tree dies?’, this could be Del Toro’s way of commenting on the attitudes and behaviour of the upper class and those in power who take from the working class and are ignorant of their problems. In the same way that the toad has settled in the roots and ‘won’t let the tree thrive’, Franco had settled into his roost of power, not letting new ideas flourish and holding Spain back with his fascist ideologies. However, in this same scene Del Toro infers that whilst the upper class may be removed from the rest of society, like the toad, their greed will be their downfall and this parasitic lifestyle is unsustainable. This idea is reinforced by the toad’s greedy and gluttonous appearance and demeanour.

Later in the film, The Faun warns Ofelia that her next task will take her to a very dangerous place. Once she opens the book and enters The Pale Man’s lair using the chalk, the colour palette turns to a range of deep reds and black, this could symbolise danger and the luxury of the feast Ofelia is about to see. A close-up of the hourglass is used as Ofelia looks back through the door, this shows a clear difference between the two worlds as the audience is shown the sliver and blue lighting of the real world. The hourglass representing the preciousness of time and adding an element of tension as the audience is shown that Ofelia must act quickly before her time runs out. As Ofelia enters the room, she steps out of the light and into shadow, most of the room is dimly lit except for the fire burning behind The Pale Man. This shows that The Pale Man is a symbol of pain, destruction and danger. A mid-tracking shot is used to show Ofelia looking at the feast as she walks down the table, this emphasises the extent of the food and suggests that whilst The Pale Man has an excess of food and enough to go around, he is selfish; not eating any of the food himself and instead using it to lure children which he will proceed to kill and devour. This is Del Toro’s way of commenting on how the rich covet their wealth and food, even though they have enough to distribute amongst those less fortunate in society who are starving.

A shot showing a pile of old shoes in front of the fire references Auschwitz and the millions of people who were killed by a similar fascist regime to the one Franco led, this imagery is strong and shocking and warns of the ultimate danger presented by a leader ruling in this way. Once Ofelia gives into temptation and eats some of the grapes from the feast, The Pale Man is shown to place his eyes into his blackened hands, suggesting that whilst he is normally blind to the world, he literally holds what he sees in his hands. This could either be a comment on how ideas and opinions were controlled under Franco’s rule, or how everybody has the power to open their eyes to the bigger picture of society and its problems.

At this point, The Pale Man captures one of the fairies trying to stop him and eats it, this shot is a reference to Spanish artist Goya’s painting, ‘Saturn Devouring His Son’; implying that a Fascist society kills its own children through its neglect and ignorance to the suffering of the lower classes. As a result, Del Toro’s idea that the structure and ideologies of a fascist society are unsustainable and evil is perpetuated throughout one of the film’s most frightening and memorable scenes, having a lasting effect on the audience.