Pan’s Labyrinth

Jennifer Chang

Opening Shot & Closing Shot

Opening shot: 56:48

Closing shot: 1:01:48

Why I chose this scene

Pan’s Labyrinth is one of most famous movies that is known for its misleading advertisement in Korea. Not only that but also the significance of the movie lies within the movie. The movie represents different stories within one story. It is a fantasy, but a realistic one. It shows a hope of a girl who is dreaming of a fantasy but it shows what the reality is by destroying her hope. I specifically chose this scene because this scene is one of the most effective scenes that shows the reality of the protagonist.

Mise-en-scene

The close up shot of the mural that shows the Pale man and him killing young children gives the audience the background information of what the character is. The character represents misery and this mural also creates suspense and horror in this scene. The mural also alludes Ofelia’s trouble that she will face very soon.

This shot is a part of Ofelia’s task. She is forbidden to eat the food, but due to her severe environment, she eventually eats a grape. In this shot, the director shows the desire of Ofelia and how harsh she has been living. Also by placing the food in front of the Pale Man, the director implies that the Pale Man only consumes little children and not normal food, which also leads to another implication. Ofelia is in danger.

Mise-en-scene

The close up shot of children’s shoes supports also shows the cruelty and misery of the Pale Man. This shows how much children he has eaten and show how frighten Ofelia is as well.

This is one of the most suspenseful shots in this scene. The audience can see how unstable Ofelia is and in the background the Pale Man is chasing after her. He is very close to her and due to her consecutive mistakes, Ofelia is very close to being captured. Standing up on the chair also shows the emotion of Ofelia. She is petrified and so is the audience.

Lighting

The lighting is used to show contrast between Ofelia’s reality and fantasy. Ofelia’s room is very dark with almost no light, but in the Pale Man’s lair, the lighting is relatively brighter. This directly tells the audience that Ofelia’s reality is miserable. Her fantasy is not so beautiful as well, but it is at least better than her reality. Also the lights in these shots mostly focus the Pale Man and his food. Ofelia is frightened but at the same time, interested by the food and the Pale Man. She is scared of him, but her desire to eat the food overrules the horrification. These are all shown by the lighting by focusing on the focal point. The overall lighting is very dark, which effectively shows the darkness of this atmosphere.

Sound

There are very few spoken lines in this scene. The sound in the scene is mostly sounds that are created from objects. In this close up shot of

sandglass, the sound of time ticking makes the scene much more mysterious and it also gives

some suspense as well. There are also some scenes where Ofelia’s breath was emphasized to show her

emotions.

This shot of the Pale Man’s hand effectively uses the sound. It creates tension, horror and thrill as the Pale Man moves his hands and gets ready to chase Ofelia. Also, because the scene had no background music, this shot is designed to alarm the audience with the sound that suddenly appears. Also the sound that the Pale Man makes the shot much more eerie and horrifying as well.

Costumes and Props

The main aspect of this scene that made it very special is the costumes and the props that were used. The costumes that Ofelia is wearing shows the time period that film is. Also the color of her outfit has effectively shown her dream and hope to escape the reality. On the other hand, the Pale Man has used reddish color with pale skin color. This shows a juxtaposition

between Ofelia’s costumes and the Pale man. The props in this scene such as the keys and small doors with keyholes give a fantasy-like environment in this scene. The colors and the patterns used are very antique and hence gives the audience more of a myth-like atmosphere.

“Pale Man”

The Pale Man is a very memorable character that represents evilness and cruelty. It destroys Ofelia’s fantasy and alludes the audience that there are no differences between the reality and the fantasy of Ofelia. Either way, Ofelia is living in a miserable world. The symbolism within this character is very important. Not only it shows Ofelia’s feelings and her world, but also represents Fascism. Pale man shows the brutality of that period.