A girl with an overactive imagination ventures into a stone labyrinth where she encounters the mystical creature known as pan doug jones. Sep 12, 2006 pans labyrinth tells the story of young ofelia played by elevenyearold ivana baquero, a child who is forced to move, along with her pregnant mother, into a massive old millhouse cottage which. Aug 15, 2008 pan s labyrinth ofelia s flower story scene duration. Jun 01, 2007 with pans labyrinth, however, writerdirector guillermo del toro has built on his proven skills in fantasy hellboy in 2004 and spanish history the devils backbone from 2001 to produce a work that is at once a logical development of his artistic trajectory and a wholly unexpected masterpiece from a director identified with such lowstatus genres. Charged with the monumental task of adapting an intricate film to the page, del toro the shape of water, 2018, etc. 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. Taking place during the spanish civil war, the story follows ofelia, as she and her pregnant mother move into a mill, where the mother s. The movie begins with the young girls earnest reluctance to let go of her precious fairy tale books, even though she is told to discard them by both parental figures i. This was a turn up for the books, a novel of the mesmerising and stunning 2006 film pans labyrinth by guillermo del toro that i adored, written by the film director and cornelia funke, with details and analysis of the film. Then ofelia was born, daughter of carmen and random tailor man. The story is set in spain in 1944, during the francoist period, and follows ofelia as she and her. Buy pan s labyrinth, oxfam, guillermo del toro, 0034578109, 5060034578109, music films video games, film. In the second task she must use the golden key to retrieve a dagger, but in that room is an. 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.
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. The director didnt want the girl to have a safe choice, the important thing is how she goes about the tests, not whether she accomplishes them. Take heed of that 15 certificate the film earns it. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Pan s labyrinth, 2006, ofelia, this feature is not available right now.
The faun in classical mythology is neitherit represents nature. Throughout guillermo del toros 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. The style throughout pans labyrinth is essential for creating dramatic dynamic throughout the film. Released in 2006, pans labyrinth is a spanish film written and directed by mexican filmmaker guillermo del toro. The name choices in pans labyrinth arent coincidental. Pans labyrinth is set during the spanish civil war, and it is about a young girl named ofelia whose mother has just married a falangist military officer named captain vidal. The film s storyline interwove ofelia s challenges in a mythical labyrinth with scenes in the real world, and funke s expansion reveals further backstory through a series of fairy tale vignettes touching upon relevant people, items, and themes, including the enigmatic faun who sets everything in motion and capitan vidal s prized razor. Captain vidal is ofelias new stepfather and the father of carmens unborn child, as well as the son of a famed commander with the same name who died in morocco, who believes strongly in fascism and was assigned. After reading over and over her old books, shes now prepared to write her own story. Narrative desire and disobedience in pans labyrinth.
And ofelias mother is unlikely to want that to happen, since vidal would probably do something worse than just send ofelia to bed without dinner. While the insect looks like a dragonfly, it is, in fact, a stick bug or a walking stick. Pan s labyrinth is alice in wonderland for grownups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable. There are very strong arguments either way, the fact that we can have such a debate is a credit to the film. A catholic interpretation of the movie pans labyrinth. 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. Carmen issues this plea with her outstretched, bloodied arm as ofelia watches a crimson hue saturate her mothers clothing. 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. Without those harsh elements the film would be a milquetoast modern fairytale, as tame as. The fantasy the labyrinth, the faun and fairies, her noble heritage is all real. Common places mothering relationships in pans labyrinth. Pans labyrinth part 1 summary and analysis gradesaver. Aug 10, 2019 guillermo del toro is an exceptional director.
The genius of pan s labyrinth is the ways it melds a dark period in spain s history with dark fantasy. Guillermo del toro talks about this in a youtube video, as he discusses his. Symbolism in pan s labyrinth tuesday, february 11, 2014. 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. Pan s labyrinth is a gorgeous, wonderful achievement.
Embracing the darkness, sorrow, and brutality of pans. Pan s labyrinth is a terrific masterpiece, a literary accomplishment that reaches and often rivals its cinematic counterpart storgy reading this is a wonderful reexploration of a beautiful and terrifying world, merging the horrors of reality and the wonders of fantasy just as well as the film did, if not better cultured vultures. Likewise, ofelias curiosity leads her to the supernatural realm through the eye of the statue and following the fairy into the labyrinth. Filmic attributes, including sound, editing, camera angles, and staging, contribute to this integral maternal aspect of pans labyrinth as the film follows the hierarchy of mothering care from mercedes to ofelia. After all, this is a dude who kills and tortures people for aheh, life punliving. Pan s labyrinth takes place in spain in mayjune 1944, five years after the spanish civil war, during the early francoist period. Guillermo del toro on pans labyrinth film the guardian. Coincidentally, the character of mercedes becomes the mother that ofelia never had, both prior to and following carmens death. Pan s labyrinth, a horrortinged fairy tale set in 1944 spain, under fascist rule. Similarly, we can see certain similarities between carmen, ofelias mother, and queen gertrude. 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. Its why they lend themselves so seamlessly to pan s labyrinth,a story about a young girl, ofelia, whod rather deal with the horrors she creates herself than the monstrosities chosen for her by francoism.
Ofelias mother has just remarried to a captain of the spanish army, and is pregnant with his child. A depiction of postcivil war spain the film pans labyrinth is a cinematic masterpiece of 2006, directed and written by guillermo del toro. A spanishmexican fantasy drama, the movie was directed by guillermo del toro. Ofelias mother threw the ginseng from the faun to the. 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. Pans labyrinth 2006 frequently asked questions imdb. Symbolism in pan s labyrinth the first symbolism we see in pan s labyrinth is when ofelia and vidal meet for the first time.
Jul 02, 2019 parents need to know that pans labyrinth. Rather, del toro chose those names so the viewers would think about shakespeares character. Following that, the natural next step was pan s labyrinth, but it took me nearly another year after shape of water to get around to watching this one. In guillermo del toros movie pans labyrinth, ofelia ivana baquero is a lonely eleven year old girl who lives with her pregnant mother, carmen ariadna gil. Pan s labyrinth download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. Pans labyrinth essays are academic essays for citation. Apr 19, 2010 a pan s labyrinth music video using natalie merchant s beautiful song ophelia gee, i wonder why. Some have dubbed it the grownups alice in wonderland. The movies compelling storyline, rich mythological background, and strange fantasy world caused many movie critics to consider it as the best movie. From the audiences perspective, pan s labyrinth creates a mystifying aura about it because of the multiple ways the analyses could take off from the ambivalent ending.
Here, we take mainly into account aristotles description. Pan s labyrinth has a sense of black and white morality. Ofelia disobeyed the faun and rebelled in her fantasy world several times. The genius of pan s labyrinth is the ways it melds a dark period in spains history with dark fantasy. Pans labyrinth came out in 2006 to much critical acclaim, starring ivana baquero as ofelia, the protagonist whose young life is interrupted by the discovery of a fantastical world based in an abandoned labyrinth. Pans labyrinth thelionthewitchandthewardrobemalfunctioned. The labyrinth of the faun, is a faithful adaptation written by childrens fantasy author cornelia funke of guillermo del toros classic film of the same name. The golden army, imaginative mexican filmmaker guillermo del toro made a film that was darker and more in spanish. In pans labyrinth, what captures ofelias attention and. Jan 12, 2007 to the extent that pans labyrinth is also part political fable, the curtseying compliance of ofelias mother to vidal, whose only interest in her is as breeding stock, seems to. Ofelia, must adjust to her new surroundings after she and her pregnant mother move to the north of spain to live with her. As one of my favorite movies of all time, i had to request this title from edelweiss.
The depiction of innocence in pans labyrinth seems to be tightly bound to the obedience and disobedience that ofelia displays throughout the movie. We meet her as she travels to be with her mothers new husband, captain vidal. A new york times bestseller fans of dark fairytales like the hazel wood and the cruel prince will relish this atmospheric and absorbing book based on guillermo del toros critically acclaimed movie oscar winning writerdirector guillermo del toro and bestselling author cornelia funke have come together to transform del toros hit movie pans labyrinth into an epic and dark fantasy. Jul 02, 2019 pan s labyrinth is a terrific masterpiece, a literary accomplishment that reaches and often rivals its cinematic counterpart storgy reading this is a wonderful reexploration of a beautiful and terrifying world, merging the horrors of reality and the wonders of fantasy just as well as the film did, if not better cultured vultures. In the beginning of the scene, ofelia walks toward the camera in pursuit of. 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. Analysis of greek tragedy themes in the film pans labyrinth. 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. Nov 05, 2006 the young heroine of pans labyrinth is ofelia, whose widowed mother, carmen, has recently married vidal, a vicious captain in spains civil guard, involved in policing antifascist maquis. The labyrinth of the faun and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. Sep 28, 2007 acute little girl wandering in an imaginary realm filled with fantastic creatures. Oscar winning writerdirector guillermo del toro and bestselling author cornelia funke have come together to transform del toros hit movie pans labyrinth into an epic and dark fantasy novel for readers of all ages, complete with haunting illustrations and enchanting short stories that flesh out the folklore of this fascinating world. 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. The movie is often described as a work of magical realism, and the book as well is a dark, scary, and violent fairy tale set in the aftermath of.
The narrative of the film interweaves this real world with a fantasy world centered around an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the main character, ofelia, interacts. In pans labyrinth we usually share the point of view of ofelia and by extension we can see all that she sees. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of pans labyrinth, directed by guillermo del toro. The young heroine of pans labyrinth is ofelia, whose widowed mother, carmen, has recently married vidal, a vicious captain in spains civil guard, involved in policing antifascist maquis. 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. 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. This is the scenario for pans labyrinth, and while it may sound much like alice in wonderland. Choose updates about events, new arrivals, sales, and more. She even decides to go ahead and trust the faun, which means she must be really curiousor just utterly impervious to the inherent sketchiness of weird halfmen, halfgoats.
What were the three tasks ofelia gets in the movie pans. The music of the night andrew lloyd webber s the phantom of the opera duration. 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. Useful phrases for essays on pans labyrinth flashcards. The story takes place in spain during the summer of 1944, five years after the spanish civil war, during the early. Since in english faun a satyr and fawn a baby deer are both pronounced the same, it was believed that there would be some confusion so the english title is pan s labyrinth instead of the fauns labyrinth even though the faun is not the god pan.
As ofelia steps out of the car she is clutching to her books and stories, this is what she will come to represent in the film. The labyrinth of the faun is a 2006 fantasy film written and directed by guillermo del toro. Analysis of greek tragedy themes in the film pans labyrinth this paper is an analysis of the spanish film pans labyrinth based on the theories and themes of greek mythology and storytelling. But the vidal in pan s labyrinth is anything but lifeaffirmingor even particularly lifeloving. Read the first few chapters of pans labyrinth by guillermo. What i know is that pans labyrinth is a masterful demonstration of film. Only in america is the film called pans labyrinth, originally, it is the fauns labyrinth.
As is often the case with del toro s films, pan s labyrinth is deeply empowering. Dec 29, 2006 pans labyrinth is a political fable in the guise of a fairy tale. But once upturned, ofelia discovers a world beneath her own that seems straight out of her favorite fairy talesan underground kingdom with magic, fairies, and a. She and her mother travel to go live with the captain, and once there, ofelia meets a fairy who leads her to a labyrinth and an ancient faun. Read the first few chapters of pans labyrinth by guillermo del toro were just going to say it. Sep 12, 2012 pans labyrinth guillermo del toros pans labyrinth is a visually striking film with immaculate cinematography, every frame of this movie is absolutely beautiful, so naturally the costume design is something to admire and warrants a careful looking over. Like many of del toros films, its a political allegory as well as a gothic fantasy. 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.
Mercedes has the entire place to run in addition to her own work, so she cant exactly keep a close watch on ofelia 247. The film, a spanishmexican coproduction, stars ivana baquero, sergi lopez, maribel verdu, doug jones, and ariadna gil. Basically, vidals not someone you want to crossbecause youll probably end up deader than a doornail. Guillermo del toro and cornelia funke teaming up to give us an adaptation of the acclaimed directors oscar winning movie, pans labyrinth, is gift we. If she wishes to return to her real father, ofelia must complete three terrifying tasks.
The first task is to retrieve a golden key from the belly of a toad who lives at the bottom of a tree. Ofelias 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. The book is empty because ofelia creates her own fantasy. This is because the the character of faun is changed to pan in english. Jul 01, 2019 pans labyrinth recounts the events of the 2006 film. As is often the case with del toros films, pan s labyrinth is deeply empowering. Ofelia couldnt have escaped the locked attic, but she did. Ofelia is the main protagonist of the hit spanish fantasy movie pan s labyrinth she is played by ivana baquero. Significance of childhood in the development of the manuscript found in saragossa, the sandman, and pans labyrinth. Pans labyrinth is a brilliant blend of fantasy, scifi and horror. Pans labyrinth addresses this clearly around 15 minutes into the film, where the films protaganist, a young girl named ofelia, talks to her unborn brother.
I know for a fact that imagination and hope have kept me alive through the roughest times in my life. Many, many years ago in a sad, faraway land, there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone. It s not just that im unimaginative and literalminded, but also that this song has always. The faun lives in ofelias imagination and exists to guide ofelia toward her true destiny. Exploring pans labyrinth edwards declares ofelias world seems to value energy and action. Pan s labyrinth takes an allegorical approach to fairy tales by. 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. In an article published in screen edition written by kim edwards titled alices little sister. The thickly layered pans labyrinth reveals most of its light through extremely dark, tragic moments.
The second clue is the clearest one, and theres no getting around it. It s both beautiful and full of ugly, graphic gore. Essay about the theme of obedience in pans labyrinth. This isnt an appropriate film for children it can often be graphic, frightening and resemble a horror movie. If we zoom out from ofelia s story, well see that the bigger picture is the battle between the falangist supporters of spain s new government and the rebels continuing to fight against them. This confusion yet fascination corrigan 17 with the film is stemmed from how ofelia creates the connection of mans cruelty to her fantasys cruelty, representative of. I love pans labyrinth for its darkness, sorrow, and brutality. With the death of her father, her mother s marriage to a stoic military captain, and the imminent arrival of a baby brother, yearold ofelias world has been turned upside down.
1246 1099 186 61 698 310 353 400 901 482 574 1439 976 1449 198 330 32 1492 966 183 443 1208 1116 381 229 870 921 1308 455 1232 1060 61 1458 896 855 958 975 70 695 119 1089