'With close reference to two scenes from 'Pan's Labyrinth', explore how cinematography and mise-en-scène create meaning.'

'Pan’s Labyrinth' is one of the most profound contemporary films. Comprising so many symbols, themes and ideas, it presents a genuine masterpiece bequeathed to the film industry by a magnificent Mexican director, Guillermo del Toro. Released in 2006, it was critically lauded with 3 Academy Award wins in 2007 for Best Makeup, Art Direction and Cinematography. It is widely regarded as Del Toro's definitive film.   

A key scene in the film is when Ofelia meets the Faun, as it is the beginning of her fantasy adventures and he gives her the book which inspires her to complete all the tasks that he sets. The scene begins when the fairy leads Ofelia to the Labyrinth. The fairy itself changes its form to what Ofelia imagines a fairy should look like – according to her story books. This suggests that the whole world that Ofelia is about to enter is based upon her own imaginations and poses the question of what is real and what is not. The lighting of the entire sequence is very cool blue toned, which not only matched the auteur of del Toro but suggests that the world is a calmer, less aggressive place than the real world that Ofelia lives in, the only times the fantasy world is shot in warm tones appears to be when she is completing the dangerous tasks – suggesting that the villains featured in those scenes are direct references to the horror of fascist Spain, particularly Captain Vidal. When Ofelia first approaches the Labyrinth there is an establishing shot showing the entrance. The mise-en-scene reveals an icon of a faun at the top of the entrance suggesting that it is the faun who owns and controls the world, which is interesting as it would also mean that he controls the situations that Ofelia is in, meaning he in a way puts her in danger – but could also be responsible for her always escaping safely. Ofelia entering for the left of the scene symbolises her leaving the left-wing fascist world and escaping to her fantasy land. As she is walking in the camera focuses more on her than the labyrinth herself, and tracks her throughout. The wonders of the maze can be revealed to the audience without having to directly shown it, it is obvious by the expression on Ofelia's face. The non-diegetic soundtrack is incredibly effective in adding to the fantasy element of the movie, but it also has a dark ambiance throughout. 

Arguably the most iconic scene of the film is the sequence featuring 'The Pale Man', one of the most gothic characters in the movie. Even though this character encapsulates nearly all the major themes of the movie, the most significant one is that it is a being coming from the world of fantasy that stands for the grotesqueness of a ‘monster’ from the world of reality, Captain Vidal. Del Toro strains to mirror Vidal’s monstrous acts in the Pale man, for the Pale man is a gruesome representation of the oppressive powers of Ofelia’s world Captain Vidal, Spanish Fascism and the Catholic Church. Furthermore, Del Toro makes a fairy-tale alongside with the story about the wartime, he develops the world of fantasy and the world of reality. The duality of the two worlds is impeccable in its complementarity, for Del Toro’s main goal is to juxtapose the two and thus critically scrutinize the society. In this movie, the dwelling place of the Pale man is paramount, too. Even before venturing into the unknown, Pan tells Ofelia: “You are going to a very dangerous place. So be careful.” This dialogue foreshadows the horror of the scene that is about to follow. Upon Ofelia’s entering the place where the Pale man lives, the camera is moving away from her, so that a part of the room she is about to enter could be viewed. Del Toro uses this tracking technique to emphasize how small and insignificant Ofelia looks compared to that large room. The non-diegetic eerie music playing in the background signifies the anticipation of the feeling of horror that Ofelia is to encounter. From the beginning it is indicated that that is indeed an unsafe place, a ‘lair’, as Guillermo del Toro himself called it in one of the interviews. When she enters the lair of the creature, there is a mid-shot that acts as an establishing shot that pans to reveal through the mise-en-scene a huge table with a bountiful feast. There is a mid-shot that shows a recurring motif in the film -  keys. Keys are symbolic of keeping secrets hidden or to supress individual ideologies. The table and the Pale Man interestingly echo Vidal's dining room and the dinner he has. Like the Pale man, Vidal also dines on the blood of the innocent. He cuts people’s rations, allegedly to hurt the rebels, but eats very well himself. The Pale man as well as Captain Vidal, kills innocent people, eats their food and is literally blinded by his own monstrosity. Vidal brutally murders the two-innocent people at the beginning of the movie, and then he eats the food that has proven their innocence. He is the murderer of the innocent which is verified when he kills Ofelia at the end of the movie. This analogy as well as that of copying the symbolism of Goya's painting 'Saturn Devouring His Children' renders the character of the Pale Man as a metaphor for the Fascist society which breeds people like Captain Vidal. On the ceiling of the Pale man’s dwelling place, there are murals portraying the Pale man’s killing of innocent children either by stabbing them or by devouring them. The close up shot of the mural signifies narrative danger whilst also creating suspense and a clear threat in the scene.  Another close up shot of next to one pillar of the room, there is a pile of children’s shoes suggesting that those shoes once belonged to the children who were killed. The whole sight exudes terror and disgust, as manifested on Ofelia’s face. There is a mid-shot of Ofelia next to the table where the mise-en-scene shows her tempted to eat the fruit, despite her being forbidden to. This shot expresses Ofelia's desire and we understand how harsh her life has been. The Pale Man is in the background of the shot to suggest that he is always there waiting, and danger constantly lurks behind Ofelia's back. When woken up by Ofelia, the Pale man slowly rises and we can see his fragile tiny legs which are responsible for the unsteady gait. That this is not an ordinary ‘monster’ is shown when he puts his hands with two eyes in their palms on the head – again symbolic of another recurring motif, eyes. This moment also resembles the end of the movie, when physically weakened Captain Vidal is tenaciously chasing Ofelia. When Ofelia stands of a chair in an attempt to escape the Pale Man there is a mid-shot with her feet in focus on the left, and the Pale Man out of focus reaching for her on the right – Ofelia being positioned to the left is symbolic of her returning to the world of left wing fascist rule. The shot further reveals how unstable Ofelia's situation is and how precarious her pursuit of a solutions is. The proxemics show that he is very close to her and due to her consecutive mistakes, Ofelia is very close to being captured. Standing on the chair represents the way her life is unbalanced – she may fall at any moment. It also stands for the unstable and dangerous political and social situation in Spain at the time.