Pan's Labyrinth (2006) : A dark, subverted yet beautiful fairy tale
Pan’s Labyrinth is a subversion of the fairy tale genre. Meaning from the perspective of a typical fairy tale we always have this prevailing sense of happiness to the story and the stereotypical manner in which the story ends with the words of “THE END”. But Pan’s Labyrinth doesn’t confer to the norm of fairy tales and ends up practically doing the opposite. This film starts off with the climax and narration of the fairy tale. Guillermo del toro’s film is that he has taken the chains and shackles of a somewhat conservative structure of the fairy tale propagated for many, many years. Here the narrative is dark in nature. Set in the backdrop of the grim and horrific atmosphere of the Spanish Civil War. And a parallel narrative or world of the magic and mystery playing side by side. This narrative structure of two worlds colliding makes Pan’s Labyrinth distinct and unique and it is definitely one of the best fairy tales to come out in cinema.
The story is about a young girl named Ofelia and her mother Carmen who move into the house of the fascist captain Vidal after 5 years of the War. Vidal inconsequently is the stepfather of Ofelia. When staying there at night Ofelia encounters a fairy and it leads her into a labyrinth where a faun is present and this faun tell her that she is a princess of the underworld and to reclaim her lost position she must overcome three tasks given to her.
The subversion of the genre can also be seen here where the mythical and magical creatures are not pretty by any stretch but look pale dark and gross in its design. It is the opposite of what you would see in a fairy tale. For example, the fairy that arrives to Ofelia to guide her to the labyrinth is actually an insect and it is not until Ofelia shows a picture of a fairy in which it turns into one. The Faun that gives her the tasks and situated in the labyrinth also has a dark design to it and makes us think if the faun is good or bad. Another example is the monstrous toad that lives beneath the roots of a fig tree and she must feed it three stones in order to retrieve a golden key and make the tree thrive again. The look and feel of this tree are not magical but disgusting and ridden with bugs and wet mud. One more example is the pale face man who is sort of represented as this evil creature who eats flesh and blood. The way Del Toro creates a nightmarish feel to the creatures and the dark atmosphere is amazing and it really does capture this sense of beauty and dread at the same time.
Like I said the structure of the film is such a way that there are two narratives being told back and forth. The real-world political drama and the magical quest of Ofelia. This allows for a metaphorical representation between both the worlds and how it intertwines in its narration. There are scenes which show this metaphor like how the ordeals of the pale face man is replicated or represented through the actions of Vidal in the final acts. Or how drawing of a door on the wall by chalk opens up to the other world for Ofelia. Del Toro moves from scene to scene between these two worlds and draws a succinct line between the two. He uses objects from the magic world to navigate and narrate the story in the real world.
The character of Vidal is definitely tyrannical and fascist. He shoots two innocent farmers who’s rifles where upheld and claimed to be shooting only rabbits. After shooting them Vidal finds a rabbit in their pouch and tells his subordinates “Next time, search these assholes before wasting my time with them.” Mercedes who is a maid and assistant to Vidal plays a crucial role with great vigour and sympathy and her growing relationship with Ofelia is pleasing to watch.
The film looks gorgeous! Especially the cinematography by Guillermo Navarro. The gloomy dire look of the labyrinth and the fauns lair is organic and beautiful even if there is this sense of dread to it. There has never been anything like it in fantasy movies. The magical world has its distinction to the real world but both look stunning and even the real-world events are shot with fantastic camera work. The art design and production must be given a shout out. It has the essence of being set in the forest and outskirts of Spain but does not lose that essence when accompanied with all the fantasy and surreal aspects. The tone is perfect and consistent throughout and it feels like a whole different world created from scratch and not of an adaptation. No wonder it won the Oscars in these departments.
It seems the idea for pans labyrinth came from Guillermo del Toro's notebooks where he used to sketch and doodle ideas and plot points. He later on wanted to create a fairy tale not for children but for adults and showcase a film that can be horrifying right in the face.
Del Toro’s imagination of monsters might be different from us. As he was fascinated by the books he read while growing up he always felt that monsters are only the inner beasts and terror hidden in humans and maybe that is why Del Toro decided to represent this movie at the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War in 1944 and how dictatorship and fascism coincide with the monsters that we have read about are not that much different.
Guillermo Del Toro’s genius lies in the fact that he showcased the ability to tell the conventional fairy tale in a manner that is nightmarish. Even if it has elements and tropes from your fairy tales, he manages to collide two worlds superbly. Two worlds that are conflicting with each other but manages to perfectly balance to tell a fantastical dark yet beautiful story.
Pan’s Labyrinth is rich, imaginative and beautifully dark. A film that leaves us with fantastical imagery and a fairy tale for adults. Think about it? How often do we have movies like this? Don’t miss this film it is a must watch.