Pan's Labyrinth Essay

The Beginning

The beginning of the film starts with Ofelia’s death. It is introduced with the non diegetic lullaby that is sang later on in the film by Mercedes, and the sound of non diegetic to diegetic breathing is heard. The camera tracks upwards towards the top of the well where we see blood drops flying upwards, to then see a close up of Ofelia’s hand and face, where we see the blood from her nose dribble back into her nose in a rewinded sort of way, to show the story backtracking in order to start from the beginning. The close up shot of Ofelia’s face used here shows the real desperation in her eyes, and makes the audience and I feel intrigued as you want to know how she died. After this close up, the camera zooms in on Ofelia’s eye creating an extreme close up, and cross fades in and out of the next scene. The use of the zoom on Ofelia’s eye is a recurring theme throughout this film, as eyes are a main focus point. The eye is a representing factor of the oppression that people felt during the spanish civil war, as they saw a lot of things that they would not have been able to speak about, such as fascism, hence why they focus on the eyes, to represent seeing the corruption, and not being able to speak about it. Other places where this is represented would be when Ofelia first walks in the country road and picks up a stone with an eye on it, and proceeds to place it into a statue of a horrified face whose mouth is wide open - this again represents the fact that the people were being oppressed, and not being able to speak their own minds. As Ofelia places the eye back into the statue, a grotesque insect crawls out of the mouth, which could also reinforce the fact that Ofelia see’s fantasy all around her, but is also unable to speak about it as people do not believe her - this fantasy world could also represent all of the horrible things going on around her, and could act as a form of escapism for her. Another place where we see the representation of eyes is at the beginning of the maze, where there is a statue of a face with a long mouth and dark beady eyes, again representing the fact that no one could speak of the monstrosities they saw.

The Pale Man

The scene begins as Ofelia draws a door onto the wall, where we hear the diegetic sound of the chalk scraping along the wall accompanied by the loud non diegetic dramatic music, which gives the indication that she is about to embark upon a dangerous quest. We are soon shown that we are about to enter Ofelia’s fantasy world, as the camera zooms in on the chalk, using an extreme close up to show the chalk bubbling like acid on the wall. As this does so, we hear the diegetic sound of the chalk bubbling and fizzing, but we also hear the non diegetic music begin to rise and intensify as Ofelia pushes the concrete door inwards, where we hear the loud grotesque sound of the concrete sliding inwards. Once the door is open and she looks inside of this fantasy world, the non diegetic music reaches it’s climax and becomes deeper, and low toned, giving the new world an eerie atmosphere. Here, we hear the non diegetic sound of the pal man breathing for the first time. The camera tracks back and uses a cross fade to show how long the hallway that Ofelia is placed into actually is. The colours shown within the fantasy world are very dark, the colours red and stone are used to indicate how old and aged this fantasy world is, the colour red could also represent the danger that she is getting herself into. As ofelia looks back onto the hourglass, a close up is used on the hourglass to represent its importance, as Ofelia must get back into the real world before the time runs out. As Ofelia continues to walk down the hallway and into the large room, we are introduced to the mass amount of mise en scene in this scene. With this single long shot, we see a long table covered in food and drink, with the Pale Man sat at the head of the table. There is a fireplace behind him that burn a bright orange, both the fire and colour representing the danger that lies within the Pale Man. This shot is almost identical to earlier on in the film where we see The Captain sat at the head of the table that is covered in food, and it even has a fireplace behind the captain too. As this fantasy world is largely made up around Ofelia’s imagination, this could be an indication as to how she see’s The Captain as a monster, or some sort of evil doer. The camera tracks alongside Ofelia as she walks along the table covered in food and stares at it longingly, as at that time in the film, food was something quite rare and hard earned. Here, we only hear the diegetic sound of the fireplace crackling, until Ofelia sees the Pale Man up close for the first time, where both Ofelia, the camera, and the non diegetic sound jumps in shock. The edit cuts to a close up of the eyeballs on the plate, as Ofelia picks them up and looks at them in disgust, putting them back down. This close up could indicate to the audience that this will be used, or shown later on within the scene, and have meaning and purpose. The camera then uses a close up of the Pale Man’s face, then to Ofelias face to show the true look of horror and disgust, and also freight that Ofelia feels when looking at the Pale Man, making us a an audience feel it too. Non diegetic sound of children crying in pain and fear is then used softly underneath the sound of the fire crackling, as the camera moves towards the images on the wall of the Pale Man stabbing, and eating babies and children - indicating to Ofelia that this creature is dangerous and should be feared. The camera then shows a close up of a pile of childrens shoes on the floor, which again reiterates the fact that this creature eats and kills children, giving him more power within this scene. Ofelia then releases the fairies/helpers, who fly toward a se of three little doors, and point toward the middle one. Ofelia tries the key, but it does not work - this could show that even though the fairies, or helpers, are there to guide and to help her, they do, and will, in fact betray her, and lie to her, which is key to remember within Ofelia’s fantasy world - that the people or creatures within it can betray her. As the scene continues, the Pale Man awakens and takes ahold of two of the fairies and eats them - this could have another deeper layer of meaning. If the fantasy world is an over exaggerated, grotesque version of the real world that she lives in, with the Pale Man representing The Captain and the fairies representing the people Ofelia trust, such as Mercedes, The Doctor and her Mother - this could show how at some point, The Captain will find out about her helpers, and will potentially destroy them, which is foreshadowing what is to come further on in the film.

Trainspotting Analysis

The worst toilet in Scotland

The scene is introduced with a quick fade in, followed by a long shot taken at a low angle, which shows a large proportion of the main restroom and how disgusting and grotty it is, as it is covered head to toe with dirt, filth, urine and faeces. By having low key lighting, and fill lighting, it creates a darkened more gloomy effect to the restroom making it look even more disgusting than it already may be. By having this scene shown very early on in the film, it immediately gives the audience and I an insight into the aesthetics of the entire movie, and the over-exaggerated filth of the toilet also creates a sense of hyperrealism. Mark, the main character, is framed between a sink and some urinals, using the rule of thirds so that my attention is mainly on him. The mise-en-scene of the broken sinks, dirty unwashed urinals and mucky floor all adds to the effect of this being the “worst toilet in Scotland”, adding to this effect of hyperrealism. The only sound heard so far in the scene is the sound of leaking dripping from the ceiling, and other diegetic sewage sound effects. Another part of the mise-en-scene to consider would be the hair and costume shown on Mark. Mark has a buzz cut hair style, also known as a skinhead. He also wears quite scruffy and old looking clothes; this stereotypical look immediately tells the audience that he would be considered underclass. This shot cuts to a bird’s eye view of the of the toilet, quickly followed by a cut to a low angle medium close up of Mark, giving a comedic reaction shot. As Mark proceeds to sit down on the toilet, the camera is held at a neutral shot at a medium angle; as well as this, Mark is framed very compactly inside the cubicle, again making him centre of attention. The mise-en-scene of the grimy walls and litter on the floor adds to the disgusting aesthetic that the film creates and continues throughout. The only sound heard is the diegetic sound of Mark excreting in a very over dramatic and over the top way, which adds to the comedic side of the film. As he does so, it cuts to a close up of Mark’s face as he is wide eyed and full of horror as he realises that he had lost the drugs in the toilet. After this realisation, it cuts to a medium close up of Mark rummaging around inside the toilet, pulling faces of disgust and revolt, gagging and spitting. As he looks for the drugs, there is a slight matching on action edit used as the camera cuts to various different angles of him searching inside of the toilet bowl. The camera returns to the medium shot that is taken side on, as Mark leans into the toilet and begins to plunge his whole body down the toilet. This could be a metaphor for two things; this could show how the effects of drugs, on young people especially, drive them to addiction and having a sense of need and dependency upon them. As Mark dives into the toilet after the drugs, it could physically show his life going “down the toilet”, and how his life is going downhill due to his drug addiction. However, this could also be the film physically taking its first plunge into hyperrealism, which would be classed as something out of the ordinary for social realism film. As all of this happens, we hear the diegetic sound of water sloshing around, but the first part of non diegetic sound is introduced as a classical stereotypical song used when a character is in triumph.

The scene cuts to a low angle long shot where we see Mark swimming around under water, as he searches for his depositories. Here, there is backlighting used to create the light coming from the top of the toilet bowl, to create a sense of realism within this hyper realistic scene. The colour of the water is a blue colour, which makes everything look very serene, which is also emphasised by the non diegetic, soft, calming music. This angle may have been used to show how serene and calm the situation is, and perhaps reflect Mark’s feelings and emotions as he knows he is close to finding his drugs. It cuts to a tracking shot of Mark swimming downwards towards the pills, where he bypases a stereotypical underwater bomb, which he looks at but stays clear of. This could represent the danger of drugs and how at any moment, his drug usage could become too overwhelming and perhaps destroy his life - it could go off at any moment, just like a bomb. However, it could also represent the dangers that drugs can have, and could even be seen as a warning to not take the pills - however, he decides to look at and ignore this warning sign, continuing to swim down to collect the pills from the bottom of the ocean floor. As he retrieves the drugs, they appear to glow, as they are surrounded by rocks. This gain could be a metaphor for Mark hitting rock bottom within his drug use, as he feels dependant on them, and relies on them to help him come out of his addiction. The connotations around the glowing drugs could perhaps show how Mark see’s them as something holy, or he feels like his life is lead by the light, which in this case, would be drugs.

The Recovery

Later on in the film, Mark is recovering from an overdose, where he is kept at his parents house in his old bedroom. Here, we are first introduced to a long shot at a neutral angle where we see Mark tucked in bed which is located between a chair and a chest of drawers, conforming to the rule of thirds, making Mark the centre of attention. There is both the diegetic sound of Mark kicking around in the duvet and grunting and squirming from the pain of withdrawal and cramps, as well as the non diegetic sound of upbeat music playing and a voice over of Mark as he tells the audience the symptoms of drug withdrawal and the pain that comes along with it. This voice over is a type of exposition. The camera zooms in to a close up of Mark’s face as he look distressed, and then cuts to a long shot of the bedroom from behind Mark’s head, keeping him in frame. Here, there is a zolly used, keeping the focus upon Mark’s body and head, whilst the rest of the room distorts and warps around the subject of focus. As this zolly is used, the beat of the non diegetic music kicks in, creating a sense of suspension and action as we see Mark battling against his symptoms and illness. Here, as well, we see the mise en scene of the room. The room is quite bare and simple, with a green wardrobe at the end of the wall, his bed, a chair, and his chest of drawers - but most importantly, we are exposed to the wallpaper that is covered in trains. This is an overall metaphor for the film, and the title Trainspotting, and links in well with Mark’s recovery. Trainspotting is an activity in which a person will stay at a station and watch trains all day, logging their numbers - an addictive activity. However, Trainspotting is also another word for when a heroin user injects heroin into a vein, and it leaves a dark linear line on the side of the affected vein, also known as “tracks”. Both of these descriptions can link to the film, as heroin is an addictive activity or substance that leaves tracks upon your veins. The shot cuts from the zolly to a longer take of a close up of Mark’s face, as we see the sweat forming on his forehead and the exhausted but highly awake expression on his face. The lighting used here is quite dark and leaves shadows on his face, which could perhaps suggest that there is a metaphorical dark cloud above him, and that this recovery will not be easy. The use of the actor's sudden jerks and movements ties in with the jumpy upbeat music, which makes the scene feel much more alive and exciting. The beat of the non diegetic music dies down and the sound of Dianne singing a soft yet choppy song; the shot cuts to show her sat on the end of his bed in her school uniform singing, which then cuts back to Mark, pushing his head into the pillow as the sound of Dianne’s voice dies down too. Although it is only slight, Dianne is shown in a little more light than the rest of the room, including Mark, within this scene - this could show that even in his hallucinations, Mark can see that Dianne had been the brightest part of his life during his drug addiction, even if their experience together was only brief.

Train-spotting Context

What was the Poll Tax and why was it introduced into Scotland first?

The poll tax was a fixed tax per adult resident, it was introduced to replace the domestic rates in Scotland in 1989. It provided for a single-flat rate per person on every adult at a rate set by the local authority. 

Why was the Thatcher government so unpopular in Scotland?
She was so unpopular because her economic policies damaged and destroyed Scottish industries such as coal mine, steel working and ship building without the interest of replacing jobs or helping the unemployed. She was also unpopular as she used Scotland as a guinea pig for the new tax system for a year, rising the tax before introducing it to Scotland or England. 

How does the film reflect the social conditions of the day?
It shows how these sort of people had to suffer due to the new taxing system and how it made young Scottish people rose up to rebellion against the government, as they did not agree to being tested upon. 

What are the conventions of social realism?
Social realism is a film genre which focusses on showing the audience what true life is like. It uses more low budget type feel and non professional actors with a range of location shots and realistic imagery, and explores wider social issues through the emotional and dramatic individual stories. it is all very real. 

What kind of political ideologies are most associated with this style of film making?
The underclass is often exposed in these softs of films, focussing on the communist/socialist societies. 

What is Hyperrealism? 
Realism in art characterised by depiction of real life or a striking manner. Taking real life and pushing it further - the worst toilet in Scotland.