According to Kim Edwards "Pan's Labyrinth usurps the traditional male space of the Underworld, displaces it, and designates it a female realm." Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece shows us that it is women that have the most to deal with during wartime. Thru character's such as Ofelia, Carmen, and Mercedes we find a constant struggle to internally deal with what is going around them.
Ofelia struggles are for acceptance in this world and that of the fantasy.She is too young to realize the complexity of the adult world. Carmen's struggles are more internalized than the others but she deals with the biggest concerns. She still grieves for the loss of her husband but she remarried to provide a better life for her daughter. She does not love the Captain, but she knows that the life he provides for her daughter is the most important thing. I feel that throughout the entire movie Carmen knows her own fate. Mercedes struggles are easiest to understand and relate with, because it is one that many of us have dealt with. She despises who she works for and completely disagrees with what he stands for. Her role is to help the insergents from the inside, but all the while she can't stand her self for even being associated with the Captain.
Lighting is a huge underlying symbol in Pan's Labyrinth. The films colors are very true in nature to the times of the Spanish Civil War. Darkness prevails over the film which correlates with darkness that is going on in the world. A perfect example is the night that Ofelia dies it is completely dark even in the Labyrinth, which is to signify something terrible is on its way. The times that are bright and sunny are usually when she is in the woods or in the labyrinth. This seems to be when Ofelia is in a good mood or her fantasies are in full gear. An example of this is the day she goes into the tree to kill the evil frog, the day is so luminescent it brightens the screen.
Another attribute that helps the audience get closer to the film is the wonderful score. Javier Navarrete does an absolute great job with the score of Pan's. Score is one of the most important effects that separate good films from great ones. I found myself during many scenes thinking of the music in the background and how it ties in very well with the scene. The background noise goes hand in hand with the music and it also helps put the scenes together. My favorite scenes involving the score are when she went into the tree and the night she went to the underground feast.
"The intricate parallel plotting, by del Toro himself of course, heightens or tightens this tense and intense connection(Smith pg.5)." This quote really sums up how the film made me feel throughout. It is really sad to think that such a wonderful film took so much out of Guillermo del Toro that it nearly killed him. This film was one of those that actually puts you right with the characters and you feel for them. The film to me is even better in Spanish because it stays true to how it actually was during that time. Pan's Labrynth is truely a film not to be forgotten and easily will go down as a cinematic masterpiece.


Edwards, Kim. "Alice's Little Sister: Exploring Pan's Labyrinth." Web log post. Metro Magazine. Film as Text, 2008. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2010. .

Smith, Paul J. "Pan's Labyrinth." Web log post. Film Quarterly. Web. Mar.-Apr. 2010. .