Pan's Labyrinth Sweded

City of Lost Children & Delicatessen Sweded

Exam Preparation for Representation

Things to be included within the essay:

• Be sure when looking at the two films, Amelie and Pan's Labyrinth, that the differences are highlighted. Looked at as a contrast mainly, as opposed to finding similarities as this will be more challenging. 
• Include the cultural context of the two countries (Spain and France). 
• Reference the different examples from the films, that will back up the points made to reinforce your argument. 
• From the extent of the difference --> Context. 

Relevant information to include in the exam:

• You can detect how much Pan's Labyrinth uses Narrative, more so than that of Amelie, which uses style. A reason for this being that Amelie is made for an international market, sacrificing what France is really like. 
• Pan's Labyrinth is more of a representation on the culture of Spain (Historical). Amelie is more style over substance.  

Narrative and Representation exemplar questions:

• Narrative plays a significant role in communicating messages and values. To what extent is this evident in the films you have studied?
• To what extent are the films dependant on style and themes to communicate social and cultural meaning?

A key point in relation to the first question regarding the characters, an aspect of narrative, is that of what men in Spain during 1945 were like. - Their involvement in war and what was expected of them. 

Message: Portrays Fascism in a monstrous way, highlighting the evil deeds and monstrosities through the use of  terrifying fictional creatures. 

Answering the Question: Pan's Labyrinth is a more realistic and true representation of Spain's National Cinema, than Amelie is to France.

Exemplar Essay Point: How gender is represented in relation to the nation's cinema and time period. The idea of a man during the spanish civil war (Fascism and the way they were forced to act, social pressures and stigma). Explore how Amelie does not use gender as a means to supporting what people in France are actually like, but it continues to reinforce the myth of Paris being the city of love and romance. 

An Aspect of Style in Amelie

One aspect of Amelie which contributes as a large factor in establishing the film’s style, that is communicated to the audience, is the use of colour correction. By altering the colours throughout the film, helps in promoting a positive and happy atmosphere. This can be done through the use of camera filters and digital rendering/editing. Linking to the idea of promoting a positive atmosphere, this is beneficial to France as a nation, portraying Paris in a constant state of beauty and attraction. The colour correction played it’s toll in making Amelie the success that it was, bringing in revenue to the French government from an increase in tourism, with the public wishing to visit and admire the Amelie hotspots.

The use of colour correction can also be seen to act as an accurate reflection on the protagonist’s state of mind, taking a positive, but childlike outlook towards most situations. In some sense, this is used to help reinforce segments of the plot, convey Amelie as a young woman, who has learnt to deal with her isolated and unhappy past. It allows us to relate more with the character, granting the audience with the ability to see how she sees, therefore making it easier when it comes to feeling what she feels. A message that can be taken from the use of this effect, is that our actions are often performed or condoned, on the stance we choose to take in different situations or scenarios.        

Film Reviews

IMDB:

Rating - 8.3/10

Metascore: 98/100

Spanish:

Didn't do as well in it's own country.

"Brilliant but flawed"

"The combination of two genres comes across as less of a split personality than might be expected"

3.5 out of 5 stars

Number 1 Spanish language in the US of all time. 

Mark Kermode "fabulous invention, director understands the film the language, every bit extraordinary, absolutely flawless, best film of the year (2006), life changing experience, cinema is going to move on further because of this film"

Rotten tomatoes:

90% of the audience enjoyed the film

Average rating: 8.6/10

100% of top critics rated it as positive.

Style & Magical Realism in Pans Labyrinth

The style of a film is determined by the director and their own distinctive way of showcasing a film on screen.  Looking at Pans Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro uses similar styles in the decision of costume choice. Looking at the costume choices below show Del Toro’s style in which both characters (from Pans Labyrinth and Hellboy) both in similar costumes conveying how he likes to present his characters in costumes. 

Magic Realism is also an aspect that features in Pans Labyrinth with the fantasy world and magical elements that are present throughout the film. The Magical Realism is demonstrated through the narrative, which encapsulates themes and common ideas that are found in spanish mythology and fairytales. An example of this is the various creatures such as the Pale Man and the Faun, feared monsters which reflect the evils of the world, such as the Fascist Captain that Ofelia must contend with.   

Useful Links on Pan's Labyrinth

Historical Context in relation to Pan’s Labyrinth:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BzuimvT5wq2pRjJOaXdtMVNOb1U/edit?usp=sharing 

Beneficial Slide Share link to study on Pan’s Labyrinth:

http://www.slideshare.net/leannacatherina/pans-labyrinth-study-pack