‘Pan’s Labyrinth’
‘Breaking the Disney Spell – Grimm,
Propp and Pan’
An investigation of Genre and
Narrative
• “Pan’s Labyrinth” is a bloody, beautiful fairy
tale for adults
• MIKE RUSSELL Culturepulp
• Many, many years ago, in a sad, far away land, there
was an enormous mountain made of rough, black
stone. At sunset, on top of that mountain, a magic
rose blossomed every night that made whoever
plucked it immortal. But no one dared go near it
because its thorns were full of poison. Men talked
amongst themselves about their fear of death, and
pain, but never about the promise of eternal life. And
every day, the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift
to anyone…forgotten and lost at the top of that cold,
dark mountain, forever alone, until the end of
time.” —From Pan’s Labyrinth
Genre and Narrative
• The idea of the fairytale evident within Pan’s
Labyrinth will feature when discussing
CATEGORIES, when we speak of the film’s
hybrid genre and in addition this will be
evident when we discuss the concept of
NARRATIVE, when we think about structure
and conventions.
Genre
• Genre is the way in which a film can be classified as a
particular type of film, such as Horror, Gothic,
Adventure etc.
• This is determined by codes and conventions known to
be inherent in certain genres. For example, a key
convention of horror is the monster figure etc.
• When a film shares conventions from various genres, it
is called a hybrid genre. This is how Pan’s Labyrinth can
be categorised, as it shares codes and conventions
apparent in more than one genre.
Narrative
• is the structure that has been adopted by a
media text in order to tell the story or deliver
the message and the conventions that are
adhered to.
• It is important to consider; Propps’s character
roles, Todorov’s Equilibrium Theory and also
that of Claude Levi-Strauss Binary Oppositions
Del Toro and Fairytales…
• “I have been fascinated by fairy tales and the
mechanics at work in them since my early
childhood”
• “ I have enjoyed reading the original versions
of Grimm’s Fairy Tales and have always found
that the form itself lends easily to deeply
disturbing images.”
• “Dark, twisted and beautiful…a masterpiece”
• “Exquisite and enchanting. It’s not to be
missed.”
• Why Del Toro’s interest in fairytales? What do they do?
Are they merely a means of entertainment/fun?
• Look at the examples of common fairytales that we
know from our own Disney coloured childhood and try
to establish what they have in common.
• Now look at the synopsis and imagery of the
illustrators and writers of ‘real’ traditional fairytales,
such as the Brothers Grimm and see if you can spot the
differences and similarities?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekKMYAO
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC9ngxsEt
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Fairy Tale Re-cap
• Looking at the function of fairy tales helps us
to understand __________ and _________ in
Del Toro’s film.
• Pan’s Labyrinth is linked to the genre through
its use of elements, archetypes and motifs.
Fairy Tales:
• Offer the protagonist…
• Allows them to gain a sense of…
• Make up part of the human desire to…
• Are often in sharp contrast to the _______
world.
• Often used to confront the harsh truth of the
_____ world.
• Are symbolic of _________ imagination.
•
• Pan’s Labyrinth differs from the conventional fairy
tale’s acceptance of magic within the fantasy
world, and magical realism’s incorporation of
magic into the real world.
•
Pan’s Labyrinth fails to confirm whether the
supernatural events are actually happening or
simply a product of the young Ofelia’s
imagination. This notion is reinforced by the
ambiguous ending.
Fantasy and the Fairytale – Genre
• Genre: fantasy –realism (a subtext of
the fantasy genre) where the main
protagonist seems to inhabit two
separate worlds.
Del Toro…
“I’ve always preferred genres to be mixed. Like
combining horror with a historical narrative, for
example. For me, Pan’s Labyrinth is therefore a drama
rooted in the context of war, with fairytale and
mythological elements grafted on.”
“The whole idea fro the movie was to have a shocking
contrast between fantasy and the violence of the
real world.”
• “The one thing that alchemy understands and the
fairy tale lore understands is that you need the vile
matter for magic to flourish…so, when people sanitize
fairy tales and homogenize them, they become
completely uninteresting for me.”
Fantasy and the Fairytale
Vladimir Propp’s character roles.
•
Vladimir Propp developed a character theory for studying media texts and
productions, which indicates that there were 8 broad character types in the 100
tales he analysed, which could be applied to other media:
•
•
•
•
•
The villain (struggles against the hero)
The hero or victim/seeker hero, reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)
The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the
narrative)
• The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero
off)
• The False hero (takes credit for the hero’s actions and tries to marry the
princess)
•
Her father (usually dies during or before the film/book)
•
One character can play more than one part in the narrative.
The Donor…
• In fairy tales, a fairy godmother is a fairy with magical
powers who acts as a mentor or parent to someone, in the
role that an actual godparent was expected to play in many
societies.
• Many other supernatural patrons feature in fairy tales;
these include various kinds of animals and the spirit of a
dead mother. In the Grimm Brothers' variant of Cinderella,
Aschenputtel is aided not by her fairy godmother but by
her dead mother.
• The donor provides the hero with an agent (often magical)
which eventually enables the story’s resolution.
The Dispatcher
• Sends the hero off on their adventures.
The False Hero
• The false hero pretends to have accomplished
what the hero has accomplished.
Vladimir Propp’s Fairy Tale Functions –
Narrative
• As set out by Propp and his investigation into
many Fairy Tales and their form, Propp
discovered 31 fairy tale functions as those
outlined in the hand-out.
• We will use this as we watch Pan’s Labyrinth
to evaluate the success of this theory in
relation to the film.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dHklh31iE
• Watch Del Toro’s discussion about his sketches
and see if you can notes any elements of fairy
tale influences.
Binary Oppositions
• Stories (passed down through the generations
by word of mouth, in books or in films) are
society’s way of making sense of our world
and establishing the difference between right
and wrong/ good and evil.
• Del Toro to The Guardian: "Ofelia is a
princess who forgot who she was and where
she came from, who progresses through the
labyrinth to emerge as a promise that gives
children the chance never to know the name
of their father -- the fascist. It's a parable."
Del Toro…
• To me, the frog eating the tree from within represents the rich, you
know? To me, the faceless guy that eats the children and,
perversely, has an abundance of riches can represent the fascist or
the church. And the faun is a neutral force that doesn't care if Ofelia
succeeds or fails. He's just an observer -- and a willing participant
who is not married to outcome.
And I think each of the little creatures is a transitional guide for the
girl. I think her facing these challenges is important, in that she's
dealing with her own bravery and her own resolve. People say to
me, "But she fails two of the challenges!" And I say, "Yeah -because they are only decoys."
To me, the faun is also the Pale Man -- a trickster who takes forms
to test the girl. And the real test is not whether she gets the knife or
she gets the key. The real test is: How does she respond to
temptation?
Q. But the Hero's Journey is a
different thing here.
•
The Hero's Journey in many a fairy tale is actually an oblique one: You are not
testing about getting the actual prize; you are tested about your attitude about
getting the prize.
I am a father of two, and so I see everything from "Barnyard" to "Cars." And I really
loved the ending that Lasseter did in "Cars" -- because I love the fact that the little
car doesn't win, and yet there's victory. I really found it profoundly educational
and profoundly moving.
Because the quest is not about the prize; it's about how you go through it. I really
believe this. I really believe winning is only half the pleasure. And I say this having
gone through the Cannes Film Festival with "Pan's Labyrinth" and not winning the
Palme d'Or. But I tell you: I am incredibly happy about having been there. And
what I learned about me, and what I learned about the film, and what I learned
about the world in going there? That's the prize.
And I think that’s the point of the movie. If you noticed, in the movie, when she
reunites at the end with the faun and the rest of the magical world, the fairies that
the Pale Man ate are there -- meaning they were not really eaten. It's like a con
game. It works by misdirection. The whole bunch of tests are misdirection. And
that’s verbalized in the movie by the king, who says, "You have spilled your blood
rather than that of an innocent. That is the last test -- and the most important." If
she had turned in the baby, she would have failed.
Del Toro
• ‘I tried to reconnect with the perversity and
very sexual content of his work. In fairy tales,
all stories are either about the return to the
womb (heaven, home) or wandering out into
the world and facing your own dragon. We are
all children wandering through our own fable’
(Press notes).
Conforming to Convention
• The world that Ofelia inhabits is a familiar one,
in which she meets characters that set her
tasks that she must complete.
Pan’s Labyrinth Example
Archetype
The Faun
Guide
Helper
Trickster
Villain
Hero
Equivalents from other
stories