Blog Post #6 Pan's Labyrinth Mis En Scene Analysis

Setting:

The setting makes a transition from a very dark labyrinth into a golden palace setting. The labyrinth carried many black shades within mainly to represent the foreshadowing of death. Meanwhile, the golden palace carried a golden feel to it. This brings in the lightness of Ofelia’s death. This palace carried a light autumn feel to it in order to represent a heaven like structure after Ofelia’s death. The high chairs in which the queen and king sit on represent the high heavens above.

Costume:

In the dark section of the scene, Mercedes carries dirty make-up along with a messy hairstyle. This alone shows the intensity of the war in between Captain Vidal and the troops. Along with men in the background of the scene, they wore black clothing in order to notify the presence of a death within their surroundings. Ofelia carried a light colored shirt for a possible foreshadowing of reaching a more heavenly place. Within this heavenly environment, Ofelia is seen wearing a golden dress mixed with slight doses of bright yellow. Meanwhile, both the mother and father share a fair complexion in order to a give heaven-like feel. They also wore golden clothes in order to signify heaven.

Facial Expression:

Ofelia when dying shows the mixture of pain along with a sense of relief. This sense of relief arises from being scarificed in order to reach her kingdom. To her this is freedom. When reaching the kingdom, she shows a facial expression of surprise which slowly turns into acceptance. Meanwhile, the mother and father both share a smile to represent their happiness upon seeing their daughter. On the other hand, Mercedes is seen crying due to the fact that Ofelia has left the world. Therefore, this scene carries dynamic emotions.

Lighting:

The lighting in the initial scenes shows a darkness with the moon as the only light source. The dark lighting was mainly used in order to signal the appearance of death. The lighting transitions from a dark black to a golden color in order to show the act of Ofelia entering into the heavens. The lighting of the palace is pitch bright mainly carrying a golden feel to it. This symbolizes a sense of freedom for Ofelia who has initially loomed in a dark world.

Camera Angle:

During the death of Ofelia the camera angle is at a lower position in order to depict the bleeding hand of Ofelia which shows her slow transition into the kingdom. Meanwhile, the fantasy scenes had a mixture of shoulder shots and close up shots. They mainly utilized these camera angles in order to show the detail within the kingdom. Also, the close-up shots help to depict the sentiment between the parents and their daughter.