Pan's Labyrinth-

Pan's Labyrinth is set in 1944 and ties in not just with World War two but also the Spanish Civil war which is a central event throughout the film. 


The opening scene of the film is very effective. Opening with a black screen the audience can just hear the sound of panting as well as nocturnal life. We then get a panning shot over looking at a girl who is bleeding and looks in pain. This is an enigma for the audience already as they do not know what has happened let alone that this is foreshadowing to later on in the film. The blood running up her face is an indicator that things are not as they may seem and also show the audience that this may be an event from later in the film. The low key lighting and quite ominous sound also give the audience a sense of mystery. Then the camera pans through her eye and we are transported to a magical kingdom along with narration telling us about a princess. This fulfils the audiences idea that they are about the witness a fairy tale and the mise en scene of castles and a mythic looking land also showing this. The opening is cleverly done to give enough information to the watcher to be engaged and want to know what has happened but not too much that it will tells us everything immediately. 

The mise en scene in the pale man scene is also very effective. by now the audience are aware of what world we are in and the quest the Ofelia has to go on. The first impression we get of the underworld is elegance and it is much more brighter that the human world with high key lighting and bright primary and secondary colours. The scene is reminiscent of Alice in wonderland.The scene has no dialogue so relies on the interaction and music to tell us whats happening. The music is very orchestral and has a magic quality to it all.The visuals however and performances are very key. Ofelia is our heroin and the audience want her to success but they are aware that the rules of the underworld have to be obeyed otherwise there will be punishments.  It shows the classic trait of good vs evil and even though we are on Ofelia's side and want her to do well, we know that she caused this but that makes her a more believable heroin as he had faults and is not perfect.  

Parallels are used throughout the film from comparing fantasy to reality and also between the Fascists and the rebels. A key time this is used is to show the similarities between the Captain and the Pale Man. The shots used at the dinner table are both very similar and they are instituted in the same position. This is there to reflect how they could be the same character however in different worlds. There ideologies are both similar as that if you obey what they believe you will be fine and no harm will be caused however if you break their rules and go against them you will be punished and probably killed. They both also are trying to kill the character of Ofelia and that is where the audience last see them. 

The fantasy world also reflects what is happening in the real world. The regime of living in the fantasy world is that of a royal family in charge of everyone however Fascism is trying to take over Spain ans this goes against it. 

Looking at Del Toro's work you can see he has a particular style  and lots of his films share themes, ideas and production elements. Like his film The Devils Back bone , it takes place during the Spanish civil war and also had children as its protagonists and they are not only against an evil creature but the human world as well. Also both these films and also Hellboy, they both open with narration giving the audience context and also giving them all a fairy tale like tone. Also he likes to use practical effects in his work and it helps give realism which he also uses in the shape of water.