Pan s Labyrinth
Jon Figueroa
David Lewis
FTV 101
Pan 's Labyrinth Analysis The content of film may be thoroughly analyzed by exploring its ideas, symbols, and stories. It is very common to see mythological influences in film. The Spanish film Pan’s Labyrinth, directed Guillermo Del Toro, uses several themes and aspects of mythology to help enhance the movie. Guillermo Del Torro is a famous Mexican director known for movies such as Espinazo Del Diablo (The Devil 's Backbone), Hellboy, and of course, El Laberinto Del Fauno (Pan 's Labyrinth). This fantasy tells the journey in Spain in 1944 of a young girl, Ofelia, whose identity is truly Princess Moanna of the Underground Realm. Unknowing of her true identity, Ofelia encounters a faun who guides her back to her kingdom. Faun asks Ofelia to complete three tasks to complete so that she may see her father once again in the other realm. This variation of a fairytale uses several themes of mythology to complement the storyline. Marriage, kinship, transformations, cosmic architecture, heroes and tricksters, animals and plants, and other mythological references are all aspects of mythology that can be explored in Pan’s Labyrinth. It is important to understand the historical times of 1944 Spain in which this film occurs. Spain had ended its civil war fairly recently on March 28, 1939. The war was fought do to disputes over the internal government of Spain, separating the Spanish into the Nationalists and the Republicans (“Spanish Civil War Ends”). After many were killed in battle, the Nationalists won resulting in an authoritarian Spain (“Spanish Civil War Ends”).
From 1939 to 1975, the leader of the Nationalists party, General Franco, rose to power in Spain during this period titled the Franquist Period ("The Franco Years"). In the movie Pan’s Labyrinth, Ofelia’s new step-father is a fascist leader, Captain Vidal. Vidal’s aim is to encourage a fascist Spain by eliminating all oppositions, including the group of Spanish people who
David Lewis
FTV 101
Pan 's Labyrinth Analysis The content of film may be thoroughly analyzed by exploring its ideas, symbols, and stories. It is very common to see mythological influences in film. The Spanish film Pan’s Labyrinth, directed Guillermo Del Toro, uses several themes and aspects of mythology to help enhance the movie. Guillermo Del Torro is a famous Mexican director known for movies such as Espinazo Del Diablo (The Devil 's Backbone), Hellboy, and of course, El Laberinto Del Fauno (Pan 's Labyrinth). This fantasy tells the journey in Spain in 1944 of a young girl, Ofelia, whose identity is truly Princess Moanna of the Underground Realm. Unknowing of her true identity, Ofelia encounters a faun who guides her back to her kingdom. Faun asks Ofelia to complete three tasks to complete so that she may see her father once again in the other realm. This variation of a fairytale uses several themes of mythology to complement the storyline. Marriage, kinship, transformations, cosmic architecture, heroes and tricksters, animals and plants, and other mythological references are all aspects of mythology that can be explored in Pan’s Labyrinth. It is important to understand the historical times of 1944 Spain in which this film occurs. Spain had ended its civil war fairly recently on March 28, 1939. The war was fought do to disputes over the internal government of Spain, separating the Spanish into the Nationalists and the Republicans (“Spanish Civil War Ends”). After many were killed in battle, the Nationalists won resulting in an authoritarian Spain (“Spanish Civil War Ends”).
From 1939 to 1975, the leader of the Nationalists party, General Franco, rose to power in Spain during this period titled the Franquist Period ("The Franco Years"). In the movie Pan’s Labyrinth, Ofelia’s new step-father is a fascist leader, Captain Vidal. Vidal’s aim is to encourage a fascist Spain by eliminating all oppositions, including the group of Spanish people who
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