Pan’s Labyrinth (Atienza et al., 2006) takes us on a visually fantastic journey by creating scenic realism through lighting, placement of props and camera angles. Guillermo del Toro reflects his style remarkably through this film. The darkness, the monsters, and set- up all add up to an amazing cinematography.
The story revolves around little Ofelia, who is dragged to an army officer’s home due to her mother’s marriage. She creates her own imaginary world under the dark and repressive control of the officer.
Ofelia’s own fantasy shows her escape from the real world creating two dimensions in the movie. In a way, the director creates contrast with the notion of reality versus imagination. The great part is, the contrast is also shown visually.
Scenes, where Ofelia confronts fairies, are dominated with warm colors like yellow and red whereas the real scenes in the house are surrounded by cool colors like blue and purple . Both worlds are portrayed with low key lighting emphasizing the shadowy atmosphere of the film.
The uniforms of the officials and costumes of the people reflect 1940s Spain. It is a time of war and the colors of the clothing used in the movie are dark. The main character Ofelia is dressed in colors like brown, green and blue. These colors also contribute to the atmosphere of the movie, making it fantastical and dark at the same time.
The performance of the actors is great in reflecting the central conflict. The adults represent two sides: the government of Spain and the rebels. Subconsciously, Ofelia sides with the rebels because of her emotional bond with Mercedes, the maid.
Lastly, the movie includes two plots that each represents the two traditions of mise en scene.
- Naturalistic tradition: The real world containing the officers and the conflict in Spain
- Theatrical tradition: Ofelia’s fantasy world which is not bound to laws of nature.
Also check out this link to see beautifully captured shots> The Cinematography of Pan’s LabyrinthThe Cinematography of Pan’s Labyrinth
Nihal Gursoy
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