pans labyrinth: a political film

To what extent is Pans Labyrinth a political film?

Evidence to suggest the extent to which Pans Labyrinth is a political film:

- Through the representations of Vidal and the other fascists, the film places a lot of focus on political ideologies and ideas. Vidal's character is unlikable to audiences which aids Del Toro's message that fascism was oppressive and inhospitable to women and the majority of civilians. the character of Vidal contrasts with the rebels, who are likeable and appear to be caring. this conveys the films message that Fascism needed to be overthrown in order to create a more accepting and loving Spain.    

- The symbolism of the fantasy element helps portray the film as political. the 'pale man' scene has connections to religion, which is significant as Del Toro often linked religion to Fascism due to its often oppressive nature and due to the fact that religion expects unquestioned obedience from its members. this therefore portrays Del Toro's opinions on fascism, as he has previously expressed his contempt towards his catholic upbringing. 

-The frog inside the tree also represents the destructive nature of the fascist regime, as the frog destroys the tree from the inside. Fascism also destroyed Spain from the inside, leaving it bereft of beauty and life. this metaphor also conveys the powerlessness held by Spanish civilians due to the oppressive nature of the fascist regime and dictators. 

pans labyrinth: scene analysis- vidal vs merceses

Pans Labyrinth:


how are the key elements of filmed to conduct representation in this scene and how do they contribute to help construct the films messages regarding representations of gender.


gender is presented through out the film as being unequal. many different elements are used to convey this message, including sound, cinematography and mise-en-scene. during the 1940s, Spain was dictated by a fascist government. this meant the the segregation between men and women became greater and more inequalities arose.  

Through the exaggerated diegetic sound used to emphasise the rope tying up Mercedes, Del Toro presents the power division between men and women in 1940s Spain. Mercedes is encumbered by the rope, which symbolises the dominance held by Vidal over her. his dominance is also representative of the patriarchal society during the fascist regime. the emphasis put onto the rope through the exaggerated diegetic sound helps place the audiences attention on the ropes symbol of patriarchy and oppression. this portrays the films message of gender inequality, and conveys ideas of powerlessness held by women. the symbol of the rope (prop) specifically, gives a powerful message of patriarchy, as a rope is cheap and relatively weak. this suggests that women were viewed by society as easy to contain as they are also weak and fragile. the rope also suggests that society didn't care about the oppression of women, as objects of restriction used for women were common and brittle, hinting that the patriarchal system was easy to enforce. 

through the mise-en-scene and the image of Mercedes hiding her knife, Del Toro represents women as secretive and restricted. the fact that the knife is hidden suggests that women's skills and strengths had to be hidden due to the patriarchal society in Spain at the time. women's strength and power was contained due the dominance of men and the disdainful attitude that was held by powerful men against women. the audience are aware of the knife which is hidden by Mercedes, however Vidal is not. this hints that the patriarchal system and the supercilious manner possessed by people in positions of power was a flaw in the fascist regime. this idea is conveyed by the director as Vidal's downfall is partly due to the fact that he didn't acknowledge the power and intelligence of women, especially Mercedes. therefore, women are presented in this scene as powerful yet invisible through mise-en-scene. furthermore, the mise-en-scene also helps Del Toro portray powerful men as ignorant to the true strength of women, as Vidal is unaware of Mercedes intelligence and bravery, which ultimately leads to his downfall. 

Moreover, the the camera angle and positioning helps to convey male dominance in this scene. there are high angle shots on Vidal and low angle shots on Mercedes. the low angle shots suggests that women were frowned upon and were not respected by men in 1940s Spain. the high angle shots on Vidal inevitably places him in a position of authority and high status over Mercedes. the director does this to show the audience that men were the more powerful gender and that everyone was expected to look up to and show respect to men of power. Therefore the camera angles used to show Vidal and Mercedes purposefully juxtapose each other in order to illustrate the segregation and inequality between the genders under Franco's leadership, and presents women as subordinate to men in the patriarchal society.     

auteur theory

Auteur theory:

This theory apply for vertigo, One Flew Over, and Pulp Fiction. 

-Auteur = author
-the idea that a film reflects the directors creative vision.
- this means that directors have a style that is easily recognisable to audiences.
-movies are a form of art
-the director is the leading creative person on the film production and puts their interpretation and vision into the film they are making.

Quentin Tarantino is an example of an Auteur director
as his films are easily recognisable.

mark scheme

city of god: directors interview

City of god interview

Merielles was interviewed shortly after his films release, and noted the significance of many aspects present in his film. 

the director of the City of God was interviewed after the films release:

-The film was only intended to reach audiences in Brazil rather than a wider international audience.

-the director was from a middle-class background in Brazil, however wanted to film City of God from an inside perspective. this gave audiences an accurate representation of the favelas that they were not used to being exposed to.

-the film was a success in Brazil because of the debates it provoked.

-favelas are now worse than in the period that the film ends. they are all controlled by drug dealers

-music is an important part of the film as it is involved in Brazilians day to day life. the film uses it to capture the fun environment of the favelas.

- the majority of what appears on screen has been improvised by the actors in order to give the film a realistic feel.

-Rocket represents hope in the film, as none of the drug dealers experienced hope in their lives.

-the director aimed to present violence and gangs in a negative light, rather than glamorising it.

This interview will help with my understanding of the film as it gives insight as to why the film was made, why it was a success and what the political and social context was around the time the film was made. 

city of god; apartment scene analysis

scene analysis: the story of the apartment:

How does the camerawork differ in this scene? Why?

 - the camera is fixed in this scene, and is away from the action. this means that the audience isn't apart of the back story. detached from characters in the back story- not supposed to sympathise. 

How is editing used as a narrative device in this scene?

the scenes of each group who lived in the apartment fade out and in. the scenes/ cuts of each group are also quick, which shows the audience how natural death is in the favelas. it also distances the audience from the people in the apartment, which means that they cant connect with them. this lack of connection and care for the characters matches the feeling of those in the favelas when someone dies, as death is such a natural occurrence.

What is the role of the audience here and how does that differ from the rest of the film?

 - the audiences role is to observe and internalise the information given by the director. this differs from the rest of the film, as in other scenes the audience is aloud to be involved in the story. this shows that in this scene, the director doesn't want the audience to empathise with the characters in the apartment, and only wants to give them the information of the back story.

 What is the purpose of the voice-over here?

- the main purpose of the voice over is to tell the audience what is happening in the scene, and to give them more information than just what is presented visually.