Setting  Set in Spain, 1944

Fairytale?  The first words are, “A long time ago” followed by a dolly in to her eye. Does this symbolise going into her thoughts, her world? That all of this is her imagination? Sets the classic fairy story beginning.  Ofelia (Princess Moanna) reads fairy tales avidly, which raises the question whether the fantastical things that happen are from her imagination (fed by these fairytales) or not.  The first fantastical thing that happens, finding the fairy (was this the real first test – a test of curiosity?), happens when her mother is in pain and fighting back vomit while they are travelling to a new place and a new father. The second time something fantastical happens is when her new father has just hurt her hand and sharply corrected her as the first actions and words he ever directs to her. This raises the question as to whether what happens is a product of her imagination to protect her from the bad things happening in her life.  The house creaks, which is later explained by the second test. Does her imagination fill in gaps?  Ofelia sees the picture for the tree, then finds it for real. This either implies the tree is in her imagination, or that all of it is real.  The book not only sets challenges, but predicts the future. She sees the bloody fallopian tubes and uterus before she sees her mother bleeding. Implies it’s real.  Vidal and Carmen see the mandrake. They don’t see it move though.  At Carmen’s funeral forgiveness is mentioned. Does that plant the see for the Faun to give Ofelia a second chance in her mind?  Ofelia is held in a room by armed guards? How does she get out if the chalk does not work? There is a shot of the chalk door later to reinforce that must have been her method of escape.  How did Ofelia get to the centre so much before the Captain if the labyrinth didn’t help her?  Vidal sees the chalk, but not the faun.  In the kingdom the queen is Carmen, and the king must be Ofelia’s dead father. Is all of this simple wish fulfilment?  Possible interpretations: 1) The faun is a servant of the underworld who tests her harshly to ensure she’s pure. She passes the tests and makes it to the underworld. 2) The faun is a malevolent, mischievous being who lures her to her death, but in the moment of death she dreams she has escaped. 3) It is all a figment of her imagination - she uses it to escape the horrors of her life, and the horrors in her country. (Why are the thrones so high? Are they meant to symbolise it’s all a fantasy because they’re unreachable?)

Captain Vidal  “Fifteen minutes late.” The first image of the Capitan is his father’s fractured watch. He measures everyone with that watch, thus measures everyone by his father’s standards, even himself.  Portrayed as a cold, calculating, obsessive leader. This character is quickly established through the way he greet Ofelia, his dealing with the men hunting for rabbits (the officer holding the man had to get out of the way quickly!), and his conversation with the doctor. When the doctor says Carmen shouldn’t have travelled, Vidal states that a son should be born wherever his father is. When the doctor questions why he’s so sure it’s a male, Vidal replies, “Don’t fuck with me.”  Vidal is touchy to questions about how he and Carmen met. Carmen’s husband made uniforms for the Capitan, and she them met him when she went to work at the shop. “Very curious” is repeated, which seem to imply that the Capitan may have had a hand in the tailor’s death to get Carmen as his wife.  He is a man of rules. He shows his complete disrespect for his wife at the dinner party, “Excuse my wife, she isn’t used to company. She thinks her silly stories interest us all.” but then shows respect by standing up as she leaves. He follows rules and regulations despite his beliefs.  “For God’s sake, she’s just a woman.” Sexism.  Why doesn’t Mercedes kill him when she has the chance? Ofelia not giving up her brother to be stabbed keeps her an innocent. If Mercedes kills him, she’s no longer an innocent. Captain Vidal’s first kill is the blood of an innocent.

Ofelia  She is a child, female protagonist. She represents youth, innocence, uncorrupted virtue and morality, a unique perception. It is through this vision that we see the post war clean up.  Her trials and ‘triumph’ parallel the struggles and triumph of the Republican rebels. Ofelia Rebels Stones Mercedes hides rebel gear under a paving stone. Key to door Key to store of supplies. Knife Mercedes’ knife she keeps always –slices Vidal with it. Captain shaving razor – imagines his death with it, part of his control and routine. Her physical death, but her spiritual and Kill the Captain. Vidal believe death in war “is moral freedom. the only decent way to die” Ofelia proves it is not.  Using Ofelia’s human story to tell the story of the horror, cost, immo0rality, and inhumanity of war.

Conflict  The killing of the local men is violent, decisive and unforgiving. It is the way Vidal deals with everyone and everything around him. He embodies the Hitler – like image of a Fascist. Vidal quotes from the men’s book, “No God. No country. No master.” he calls it Red propaganda and says “these people hold the mistaken belief we’re all equal.” Quick summation of the ideology of the Communists.  The Republicans win this battle (we must remember they do not win the war).  Underworld versus human world. “We have to make sure your essence is intact. That you have not become a mortal.” Implies underworld considers mortals to be capable of murder, treacherous, acting for selfish gain.  Nationalists shown as bigoted, hypocritical, tyrannical. “If they’re careful.” – speaking about ration cards while they’re enjoying a sumptuous feast.

Challenges  First – the tree is divided and rotting. A symbol of the divided nation, and the conflict within destroying it. The toad is the war.  Second – “In a united Spain there is not a single home without fire or bread.” yet here is a feast that no one is allowed to have. There is enough food under the Fascist regime, but only for the select, and there is punishment for those who try and take it. She does not obey without question, (Fairies indicate a different door, and the faun said, “Let the fairies guide you.”) which leads to her opening the right door. Doctor reflects this challenge when he says to the doctor, “To obey like that for the sake of obeying, without question. Only people like you can do that.” All of the food is red. Her taking of the food makes this challenge mirror the Greek myth of Persephone. The girl in the picture in the book touches the centre door, which the eyes are looking at, but there appears to be no keyhole which implies it’s the wrong door. In reality, the eyes are neutral. After just finding out the fairies were wrong, it gives some understanding of why she didn’t listen to them when taking a grape. This choice by Ofelia is, however, driven by selfish need, and thus she pays a high price for this decision. Did the faun deliberately set her up to fail to make her more likely to obey his last command if she didn’t have the moral strength of character of princess Moanna? Does that make the captain subhuman or rebels better than mortals?  Third – Vidal said, “If you have to choose, save the baby.” Ofelia saves the baby even though it killed her mother. Disobeying him is part of the challenge (like the doctor who disobeyed). She must hold fast to her principles and not sacrifice them for personal gain. Her blood will not be innocent if she offers up her brother. She does not obey without question, which leads to her return to the kingdom.

Symbolism  The watch is reminder of how “a brave man dies”, “The only decent way to die.” Father smashed it on the battlefield so his son would know the exact time he died. We see the ticking of the watch before we see the captian. His first words are, “Fifteen minutes late.” Watch represents his controlling, ruthless nature, which reflect how the Nationalist are being presented. Captain is checking his watch. Ofelia arrives. Captain is checking his watch. Ofelia has just finished her first challenge. Captain mimes killing himself in mirror Ofelia has just finished her second challenge. while shaving, clock is ticking. Captain checks his watch while chasing rebels, readying himself to die. The journey of the watch ends with the Ofelia dies. Captain’s death.  The pile of shoes in the second test shows how many tried the tests and failed.  Mercedes cutting of Vidal is phallic, showing a gender reversal and dismissing his statement, “For God’s sake, she’s just a woman.”  The film is a way to express the inexpressible through the use of fantasy, fable and myth to avoid trying to present some kind of definitive answer on who is right and who is wrong. Spain is still severely scarred today so it’s difficult to present it in a documentary fashion. As a result Spanish culture has developed this kind of baroque* aesthetic which uses exaggeration and myth and fantasy to deal with things that can’t be spoken about in normal, polite society. There are still Republican supporters today.  The pain and tragedy of war is hard to express. It’s hard to get that emotive impact in a documentary. Much easier in a fantasy.  The watch. While Vidal represents a patriarchal society where women are seen as inferior to men, he is never truly free. He is always under the pressure of his father’s memory and living up to that.

* Baroque Of, relating to, or characteristic of a style in art and architecture developed in Europe from the early 17th to mid-18th century, emphasising dramatic, often strained effect and typified by bold, curving forms, elaborate ornamentation, and overall balance of disparate parts.

Themes  Self sacrifice  Coping with the cycle of life and death  Giving of blood  The cycle of the soul  Moral choice  Death – the fact that her soul can return creates types of death – physical, spiritual, and moral. “Men talked among themselves about their fear of death and pain, but never about the promise of eternal life.” People fear physical death, which costs them spiritual and moral life. It is interesting that there is one circular window shining in on Vidal’s room, and three in the bathroom, which is the only room in which Ofelia has personal space. We see Vidal’s window when the story about spiritual courage is told.

Ofelia and Captain Vidal  They are polar opposites.  Ofelia is imaginative, open minded, creative, empathetic, morally, spiritually and physically brave, innocent, exploring, Republican.  Vidal is controlling, rigid, domineering, ruthless, unforgiving, physically brave only (as story of rose says), war criminal, obsessed with routine, Nationalist.