Summary Of Pan's Labyrinth

Improved Essays
Pan’s Labyrinth – Literature Review
I. Introduction
The history of Spain and its political and social position depends heavily on the Spanish Civil War. There were several complexities and interventions in the war, by countries, leaders and organizations. One method of portraying these complexities is by the use of creative expressions of resistance, for instance through the use of film direction and animation. One remarkable example of a creative expression of resistance film is Pan’s Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo del Toro. This literature review will discuss the historical background of the Spanish Civil War, the outline of Pan’s Labyrinth and its correlation to the war, in addition to the comparison of the film to other similar films
…show more content…
From del Toro’s series of movies over the years, it can be noted that he has the tendency to combine poetic elixir with an imaginative vision, with occasionally a twist of horror. The film’s main plot is about a little girl, Ofelia, moving in with her stepfather during the upsurge of Fascism. Pan’s Labyrinth is exceptional as the film’s storyline is based on a fairytale. It is parable: a simplified story of a greater spiritual or moral lesson. Whilst war is on, Ofelia discovers a world beyond the war, beyond her family and beyond realism. The film then takes its audience on a trip of intense fluctuations between realism and …show more content…
It is a Spanish-Mexican 1961 production. It is based on the novel of Halma. The main plot is based on a young lady that has only one living family member, her uncle, that later on has intentions of raping her, but doesn’t. The bitter brutality and complexity of the series of events depict the severity of war on Spain. The rape element represents something inhumane, savage and villainous; a mirror image of fascist General Franco at the time of war. In comparison with Pan’s Labyrinth, the representation of fascism is somewhat similar, although the raping is substituted with the death of the newborn boy: the symbol of innocence and purity.
Conclusively, a pattern of relevance between Spain and Mexico has been drawn when researching for film comparisons, as most directors and producers associated are Mexican or worked with the Spanish on the films. Thus, the history of the relation between Spain and Mexico should be drawn.
VI. Relationship between Spain and

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    “You're getting older, and you'll see that life isn't like your fairy tales. The world is a cruel place. And you'll learn that, even if it hurts.” ( carmen Ofelias mom), Even if it hurts was what Ofelia discovered on her own and losing it all in the film “Pan’s Labyrinth” by Guillermo del toro . A film created to highlight the ongoing battles lived within the people of spain after the Spanish civil war.…

    • 1382 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This paper will analyze the short novel Aura by Carlos Fuentes, a well-known Mexican writer who was part of the literary movement known as Boom. I argue that Carlos Fuentes creates a mythical reality to reference Mexican history. He uses Aura, Felipe Montero, and Consuelo as a reflection of the past and the present, where Consuelo represents the past and Felipe the present. In this analogy, Aura represents what Mexico could become. Mexican history is hard to understand because it is intertwined with myth, therefore to understand Mexico we need to understand its mythical past.…

    • 519 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pan’s Labyrinth takes place after the Spanish Civil War. It intertwines the real world of hardship and war, with a mythical world, the labyrinth. Pan’s Labyrinth is a film, which takes on many myths and symbols from Greek mythology and it encompasses everything from the underworld to femininity all while telling an extraordinary story. The myths of the ascent and descent to the underworld are displayed in the film when Ofelia completes her tasks by going to the underworld.…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    In the 1910s a lot of countries were making independent local films, but only Mexico and other Latin America countries were making international films. Mexican films were socially engaging, most of the time challenging a government rule. All these films, no matter the theme of it, had a quality which became known trait of the entire movement. The movies had the ability to speak on two topics at the same time, like speaking on religion and politics, By the 1940s, Mexican films were being shown all through Latin America other countries as well, but Mexican films having more of a following. Those once popular films decreased in the 1950s, because of the popularity of Hollywood big production films.…

    • 259 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the book “The Legacy of Americo Paredes” the author Jose Lopez Morin described the experiences of Americo Paredes a Mexican American whom was a great asset to the Chicano Folklore and the Mexican American history. The book focused on Americo Paredes work which eventually led to the challenge of Mexican American stereotypes since the U.S literature had annotated for many years otherwise. The book is organized in five different chapters, which emphasize The Lower Rio Grande, His Life and Work, With his Pistol in His Hand, Toward New Perspectives in the Folklore and Cultural Anthropology, and the conclusion. Jose Lopez Morin supported the book argument by using literature, life experiences, and stories as references in supporting his focus of demonstrating Mexican American experiences. The book focused on three different themes which are the American conquest, Texas rangers, and stereotypes which help demonstrate the Mexican American experiences through their lenses.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Underdogs Azuela

    • 1478 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The True Colors of the Revolution The Underdogs is a fascinating story of the Mexican Revolution and its effects on some of the people. It was a perfect blend of fiction in the form of characters and personalities, and history in the form of events and occurrences. Mariano Azuela, a medic during the Revolution definitely infused his personal experiences into the story to make it full and real. Azuela did not clean up the revolution for the reader and make it look completely heroic.…

    • 1478 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pan's Labyrinth Essay

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Guillermo del Toro uses visual storytelling, character traits, and comparison through editing to convey the essential themes of Romance and fairytales. He then uses these strategies to mix fantasy and reality, and increase the sense of danger for Ofelia and the viewer. In the classic Romance narrative, the hero acts as a metaphor for the divine, and the villain acts as a metaphor for the devil. Ofelia in Pan’s Labyrinth is the hero that is a associated with nature, and therefore the divine. Ofelia is presented wearing earthy tones, surrounded by natural light and often leaving man-made locations for the forest.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In times of desperation, humans can be capable of beyond what seems possible, either in great acts of courage or malice; the true character of individuals is revealed. It is in these times of terror that many truths are discovered about the human experience. Stories that portray such dark times can show the direction that humanity may be moving towards, as is the case in director Alfonso Cuarón’s film Children of Men, or where it has come from, such as in Guillermo del Toro’s film Pan’s Labyrinth. Both of these stories confront the reality of human brutality and carnage through their settings. Children of Men takes place a few decades into the future where all of the women have become infertile resulting in a childless society; Pan’s Labryinth…

    • 2025 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ryohgo Narita’s tenth book of his award-winning series Peter Pan In Chains combines many complex characters and relationships into a 433 page novel about betrayal, Identity, and humanity. It covers 2 stories that combine for a single ending, one set in Alcatraz and the other in the heart of Chicago in 1934. The author relies heavily on prior knowledge and motifs to develop characters and the plot. The greatest Recurring allusion in the book refers to the Flying Pussyfoot Incident involving all of the main characters.…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The director’s style in Pan’s Labyrinth pictures messages driving us to use our imaginations with repeated references to a barbaric fairytale…

    • 1491 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth”, reflect aspects of Bettelheim, and Freud’s theories. Both revolve around the subconscious, but Bettelheim’s theory compliments Freud’s. Bettelheim believes “Fairytales with the darkness of abandonment, death, witches, and injuries, allowed children to grapple with their fears in remote, symbolic terms which allow them to resolve conflicts within themselves (Armstrong)”. Whenever conflicts are aroused or being resolved within the person, it is often through their subconscious that these conflicts are being resolved. But in “Labyrinth” Sarah’s case merges both theories together and creates the concepts of threat, recovery, escape, and consolation.…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pan's Labyrinth Themes

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages

    “Imagination is everything. It’s the preview of life’s coming attractions.” Albert Einstein’s philosophical words are so simple, yet it is difficult to comprehend the true power being referred to. Imagination has certain, incomparable advantages for all people. Holding several psychological and physiological benefits, the tiniest fabrication can yield substantial improvement to a person’s mind.…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gary D Rhodes Movie

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Critical Assessment of a Work by Gary D. Rhodes Gary D. Rhodes of Queen’s University Belfast challenges many current conceptions about Hollywood in his work “ ‘Movie’: How a Single Word Shaped Hollywood Cinema.” Specifically, Rhodes argues that the audience has power over the corporation in this industry. He explains how the word “movie” is a major representation if this idea. Rhodes presents this argument because he has seen how common it has become to accuse corporate Hollywood of finessing it’s viewers. However, Rhodes pushes the idea that the audience is responsible for the way that Hollywood cinema works today.…

    • 946 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Maze Runner Analysis

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In this paper, the texts “1984” by George Orwell and “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner will be compared and analysed, in specific the language and stylistic features used to portray the different perspectives on the ideas of oppression and helplessness. The point of view of “Big Brother” and the theme of higher power are vastly used in both of these texts, along with both the conforming and rebelling point of views, all of which will be examined in this paper. In both novels, “1984” and “The Maze Runner”, a “Big Brother” point of view is portrayed through language and stylistic features in the texts, and these techniques show how this unknown and seemingly mysterious higher power can manipulate and control the characters. The key similarity…

    • 1295 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Analysis Of City Of God

    • 1911 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The aim of this essay is to discuss the ideas of ‘cosmetics of hunger’ and ‘cosmetics of violence’ in relation to the movie City of God. The 2002 Brazilian film City of God was directed by Fernando Meirelles and co-directed by Kátia Lund. The plot is loosely based on real events as written by Paulo Lins in the novel of the same name. It depicts the growth of organized crime in the neighbourhood of the Cidade de Deus, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro between the 1960’s and 1980’s. The film was a worldwide success, receiving four Academy Award nominations in 2004.…

    • 1911 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays