Mise en Scene Pans Labyrinth

Mise en Scene Pans Labyrinth

1. SETTING- There are two main settings within this film. One being the real world and the other being the fantasy world. Real world contains such areas like the forest, Vidal's house. Fantasy world contains areas like the tree, the labyrinth.

2. COSTUME- Mercedes. She is represented with the costumes being, rugged, dull. She wears lots of brown.

3. PROPS- The Key. Ofelia's Book.The timer. The watch.

   • The first time we see Mercedes roll her paring knife up in her apron we think that it is going to be used in an ill manor, But the second time we get a knife close-up we know that del Toro's trying to tell us something. The knife not only foreshadows Mercedes use of it during the storeroom scene with Vidal, it also serves to tell us something about who Mercedes is. She is not to be underestimated; she is dangerous although her power is concealed to Vidal by her womanhood. The paring knife is both a symbol of her femininity and her power
   • Key - represents the key, she gets from the Toad and the store room door key.
   • The Watch- Vidal's father smashed his watch so he knew the exact moment he died, which in this film Vidal has a watch so passing on the trait.At first the watch serves to characterize his obsession with rule and order and regularity; he's upset that the caravan is fifteen minutes late. Then, when we realize the watch isn't even functional, this only increases our understanding of his obsession. The watch serves no purpose other than to remind him of who is father was.

4. Ofelia. she has her nice green dress which was given to her by her mother. But normally she wear's and is dressed in earthy and dull dresses. Some of the clothes she wears are often similar to her mothers.

5. Vidal. He wears his Captain's uniform, which as the film progresses it is a different colour, at the start it is blue, middle it is green and then at the end he is just in a top to show the struggles he has been through along the way.

6. There also are other elements of makeup used, for example. When Vidal holds his dinner party, we see two upper-class women, wearing jewellery and posh clothing which also is combined with makeup to add to their appearance and the way we are shown them as being a different class to the other people in the scene, as an example comparing them to Carmen - the mother.

7. MAKEUP- Carmen wears makeup when she starts to get ill so this represents that she is still trying to live up to what Vidal wants her to be like even though she is ill as she is the lesser character and he is the dominant one.

8. STAGING- proxemics, Ofelia is always close to her mother than the army. She is mostly shown closer to the Faun than Captain Vidal too, this shows the relationships between them and how she prefers the fantasy world figure of the Faun to her stepfather.

9. 57:31: The standout sequence in the film is that involving the monstrous Pale Man who, woken by Ofelia’s transgression, chases her from his lair. The use of make-up and CGI achieves a truly terrifying creation (see more below). This first close-up of the Pale Man who is seeing Ofelia for the first time is truly horrifying – not least because of the eerie juxtaposition of eyes in hands. The fact that the Pale Man later devours two cute fairies makes him even more detestable

10. At first The Faun is shown as old and decrepit. His movements and his voice are a bit out of his control. He stumbles around and wrings his hands and we can see his hair is very white and his eyes are clouded over. But his voice and his movements become more regular. His eyes lose their cloudiness and become a distinct blue. His hair changes from hoary to a reddish-brown. All in all he becomes younger and more appealing as the movie progresses.