Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) is a representation of the fantasy genre. Set in 1944, in the time of the post-Civil War of Spain, we are presented with the reality of its outcome through the eyes of a child. This movie offers an escape to Ofelia, the protagonist of the story, from the brutality of the consequences of the Civil War into this fantasy world, in which permits her to grow confidence in fighting for what she cares for. Wanting to distance herself from this harsh, dark and violent world, this fantasy world brings her hope as she survives her tasks in hopes to see her father again. The film demonstrates the danger that is present in each world and how they are connected to one another. We are told that it is the seemingly simplest of stories that can transform you the most, and Pan’s Labyrinth permits you to travel into this magical universe in which we let our despairs and sufferance disappear. The genius of the movie lives in the elegant construction of its fable. Guillermo Del Toro uses two allegorical villain: one a totalitarian Captain and the other a mythical monster. This allegory comes to show the audience the scary nature of fascism and its willingness to use violence as a tool to destroy free will, also exploring how the question of gender becomes a part of the identity of the livelihood of some characters.
During the period of 1936 to 1939, Spain saw the most brutal Civil War in its history. It has always seemed as a struggle between democracy and fascism, and general Francisco Franco’s right-wing Nationalists eventually triumphed over the democratic Second Spanish Republic. During the next 36 years, Franco would rule Spain with hopes of turning the country into a totalitarian state much like Hitler’s Germany or Mussolini’s Italy . The film explores elements of fascism through its history and characters, yet explores also how this whole journey, through Ofelia’s character deepens our thoughts about her role as a women and how her choices to the one the Civil War refrained from giving. Her choices and ideas, overruling the rules that she was sentenced too, brought her sense of escapism into this world of immortality and change, also reflecting how broken her actual word is. The film is constructed within two parallel worlds: reality and fantasy. It’s with the interactions of these two worlds and their respective characters that Del Toro creates a modern perspective and the fascist Franco regime. Capital Vidal, Ofelia’s stepfather, is the representation of the fascist ideology. Being a man that is obsessed with rules and regiments, he serves as an embodiment of Franco himself. His obsession alludes to Franco’s own authoritarianism and the totalitarian nature of his regime.
As the narrative progresses, we can clearly notice that Vidal becomes the antagonistic villain for the innocent Ofelia, creating a contrast between the harsh brutality of Spain and the future generation that is hoping for a better, purer world. In comparison to Franco’s regime, he controls those around him through fear and violence rather than compassion. If Vidal is the monster of the real world, then we can make the connection that the Pale Man in Ofelia’s fantastic world is his inner grotesque self that is coming to life through her eyes. We are introduced to the Pale Man during Ofelia’s second task in the laberintoa del fauno. This scene is a comparison between the Pale Man and Vidal. When Ofelia first encounters him, he is positioned at the head of the dining table that is covered in food, mimicking the previous scene in which Vidal is holding a dinner party. By placing two images that visually echo each other in such quick succession, Del Toro emphasizes a link between the two monsters. In addition to the visual cues supplied by the director, the connection between the two villains is further solidified by their cruel actions: at the real-world dinner party, Vidal ruthlessly cuts off the nonsensical chatter that surrounds the dinner table, while in the fantasy world, the Pale Man's need for order manifests as actual violence, showed when Ofelia eats two grapes off of the table, the Pale Man viciously bites off the heads of two fairies.
Just like a totalitarian ruler, the Pale Man represents an all-powerful creature that rules with fear and violence, punishing any act of defiance or freedom. As the film progresses and Vidal’s character develops, it becomes evident that he is also the embodiment of the brutality of the time. It is during the scene of when he viciously murders two rabbit hunting farmers as they plead for mercy and profess their innocence from involvement from any kind of royalist resistance that we are exposed to the epitome of his ruthless nature.
The violence is represented in a graphic and exaggerated manner that it creates reactions of horror and disgust. Del Toro provokes a fierce emotional revolt against the images on screen. The qualities of unrestrained oppression that are embodies by Vidal are not limited to the human world, but also extend to the labyrinth. The “Pale Man” is a grotesque symbol of Vidal’s evil, as they both represent the evils of fascism and domination. The Pale Man has no eyes in his head, in comparison to how Vidal is blinded by his own monstrosity. Both “monsters” are indifferent to innocent life. As del Toro reveals in the audio commentary, they are the same,
The film explores another theme through its narrative: the rise of the female gender. Del Toro has mentioned that he thinks of El Laberinto del Fauno as a spiritual predecessor to his earlier film, El Espinazo del Diablo ( 2001)
Both films represent adventures into the female adulthood. El Laberinto del Fauno is filled with female sexual imagery and symbolism that even suggests that Ofelia’s take is a journey through, but even away, from puberty, menstruation to even childbirth. It is also a tale that makes the direct comparison between the patriarchal stepfather and authoritarianism: by disobeying Vidal, Ofelia's rejecting both an overbearing male presence and a nasty political ways .
Ofelia’s quest in her imaginary world is presented as a feminine one: she is faced against a male world of war and tyranny. The film makes a statement on virtues related to the cinematic escapism. There is a solid power of solidarity between Ofelia, Carmen (her mother) and Mercedes (Vidal’s servant and an informant of the rebellious troops) when faced with Vidal’s toxic and even overbearing masculinity. This brings upon the emotional core of the film and creates a contrast between the two genders. Del Toro portrays Ofelia and Vidal as moral opposites, bringing in the outcome envisioned in the first frame of the movie. Mercedes receives a similar narrative treatment, yet her ability to undercut authority with doing good is juxtaposed with the captain’s haughty self-assurance that her gender disqualifies her from outwitting him, words that will later be served to him on a platter. The film’s most emotional moments come from the interactions between Mercedes and Ofelia, the former seeing the displaced young girl as a bird in need of a wing
Exploring the ideology behind the question of gender, we can explore the violent scene between Mercedes and Vidal. Within this scene, Del Toro uses specific elements in order to represent gender. These are micro elements that include sound, cinematography, mise-en-scène and editing. All are used to construct the dominant nature of men and the passive nature of women.
In the context of sound, it is used in a clever yet delicate manner in order to juxtapose how both genders are represented throughout the film’s narrative. In the beginning of the scene, there is a lack of non-diegetic sound. This has been done in order to allow the audience to see the true emotions of the characters in order to understand the opposition between the two of them within the scene. The idea the women are beings of the weaker sexes is present throughout the narrative the film. It is also shown through the sound, as the rope is tying Mercedes up. . The diegetic sound of the rope being tied up emphasises how restricted she is and is limited in her movements, and this directly correlates with how women are represented in the film: they are only within the limits of what men allow them to be. The mise-en-scène is very present in defining female power during the scene in which Mercedes attacks Vidal. The fact that she hid the knife creates a contrast between gender identities. As she had it hidden throughout the film, it symbolizes the idea that women have to hide their true identities as they are seen as subordinate to men.
The reveal of the knife in this scene represents the outburst of her true self, demonstrating that she is no longer hiding her anger towards Vidal, but as well towards the patriarchal society that was dominant during the time of the Spanish Civil War of the 1940s
It represents an outburst of anger that has been hidden for so long due to the fact that women are inferior to men and don’t have the same equal rights. As she is shown as Vidal’s servant, this oppression is extremely significant as it signifies the breaking of the female weakness shown throughout the film. Analyzing the mise-en-scène, the colour palette is used to create a sentiment of unease and fear with. This is a key element in notifying the audience that an unpleasant event is about to take place, putting further emphasis on the weakness of both characters at different moments within the scene.
Another micro element explored within the context of gender surrounding the film is its cinematography. The camera angles play a big part and are especially notable within this scene in order to demonstrate the swap of power between the characters. At the beginning of the scene we can notice a low angle show on Mercedes and a high angled one on Vidal. This truly shows the imbalance of power between both characters. The camera angles bring emphasis unto the weaker and the dominant sex. With their position, the audience is led to feel intimidate by Vidal’s power, creating an emphatic connection not only with Mercedes, but as well the other women in the film. As the scene progresses, and as Mercedes gains power, the camera angles up as she becomes the dominant figure. The binary opposition that takes place juxtaposes the general representation of the genders in the film: the woman is now seen as the dominant figure while the man as the weakest one. The gender roles have turned around and the audience can now see the females as being represented as strong and brave, while the men are seen as not being as strong as they seem to portray and believe.
The ultimate micro element is the editing. As it plays a strong part in the definition of the representation of gender in El Laberinto del Fauno. Especially within this scene, the cuts seem to get shorter and shorter. The act of transitioning from long cuts to shorter ones is a representation of how Mercedes is gaining power and confidence. She is the image of the breakout of the cycle she and the female characters go through. Through analysis of the time frame of the short cuts, these shots represent her heartbeat: as she gets angrier her heart becomes faster. As the danger becomes more prominent, the shots become more quick as they are connected simultaneously to the energy coming from Mercedes. The editing techniques in this scene is a representation of females breaking free from the control of men.
As we reconnect to the first point visited, the question of fascism and its connection with gender, if Captain Vidal and the Pale Man come to represent fascist rule, then Ofelia serves as a stand-in for the Spanish nation and those who suffered at the hands of the Franco regime. Those who suffered are represented in El Laberinto del Fauno as the rebels, but mostly the females as they are fighting to regain their freedom and power. Much like members of the Spanish resistance , Ofelia faces challenges that are dangerous, challenging, and highlight her impotence in the face of peril.
She has become the face of feminism during the Civil War and how it has affected woman’s independence. It is demonstrated during her quests in her fantasy world, as she is slowly regaining that independence. The choices and rules that she is presented with create a contrast with the free will that she is trying to gain from the war. Very similar to the scene analyzed above between Mercedes and Vidal, as she is gaining more independence and confidence in order to regain that free will and to break free from the hold Vidal, and other men, have on her. By the end of the film, Del Toro’s position on Franco’s leadership becomes apparent: his was a regime that relied on unnecessary violence and fear to keep its citizens in check
It is through the use of these real-life and fantastic characters that he demonstrates to the audience how Francoist Spain has crushed Spanish nation’s innocence and freedom. Told mostly from Ofelia’s perspective, Pan’s Labyrinth is a film of narrative layers, transitioning beautifully from the protagonist’s fantastical escapades to scenes of brutal violence. It is a great contrast between the projection of Spain’s reality of fascists beliefs through Vidal’s character and the connection is has created with the female gender and will to regain power and equity.