...Pan’s Labyrinth is set in Spain, during 1944 at the time of the Resistance. The setting takes place at a house, known in the movie as a mill, surrounded by the forest. The movie shows two worlds; the real world and the fairy tale world of a little girl, Ofelia. The music in this movie is mesmerizing, as it comes around mainly when Ofelia is present and has to do a task assigned to her that the book reveals that is given to her by the faun, known as Pan. Ofelia is the developing character, because the movie surrounds her in the world of fantasy. Ofelia is traveling with her mother, to go live with her stepfather, when the car has to stop. Ofelia gets out of the car and wanders off, when she come across a stone and picks it up. The stone is a piece of the stone statue, and then Ofelia places it in the statue and a bug appears. The bug later appears in the mother’s room, and reveals that she is a fairy, and there is a close-up of the bug crawling out of the statue. This scene revealed the importance of the fairy as well as the part she plays in the movie. The Captain is a stock character, because he is portrayed as being mean, even to Ofelia. The only reason Ofelia is there at the mill is to be with her mother, who is pregnant with Ofelia’s brother. In one scene, you can see the Captain’s hand on Carmen’s belly, which is an indirective/subjective point of view. In another scene, there is the Captain with his men questioning an old man and his son about what they are doing out in...
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...Art express experiences in life and how people deal with them. Many filmmakers use specific techniques to express how they represent their interpretation of life within their film such as the use of color and texture, fairy tales or myths, and character portrayal and their personalities. In Guillermo Del Toro's film “Pan's Labyrinth” he uses the real world and the fantasy one to parallel each other. Color and texture are used to reveal the harshness of war and political oppression. Del Toro reflects the real world with the use of cool colors such as blues and grays and tried to use as little color as possible. Del Toro’s use of texture was very subtle and he decided to use very little furnishing and other props in the real world to make it more dull and less welcoming. In the fantasy portion of the movie Del Toro’s use of color is very warm and welcoming. He uses a lot of reds and golds to express a more homely and accepting atmosphere. Del Toro uses texture in the fantasy world by placing large paintings and a lot of furnishings like chairs, dressers, tables, etc. In “Pan’s Labyrinth” the struggle between good and evil is depicted. The story takes place in Spain 1944. The main character Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures that lead her through a variety of trials. The antagonist, Captain Vidal is the symbol for evil and brutality. Ofelia travels with her sick mother to meet her new stepfather and runs into a fairy along the way that then leads her to a dilapidated...
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...Fairly Real Tales Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is about the power of fairy tales. As del Toro discusses, for Ofelia, fantasy compensates for the horrors of reality. Throughout the film, she struggles to reconcile her two worlds: the real and the imaginary. Furthermore, her imaginary world can be seen as one in which she has the agency that she is denied in the real world. Ultimately, Ofelia’s fairy tale world offers her insight into the real world and salvation from the horrors of the real world. In an interview, Ethan Alter asked Guillermo del Toro whether Ofelia’s fantasy world is real or all in her mind. He answered that it’s true: “There’s a very clear instance in the movie where there is no other explanation” (Ethan 14). He says that “in my mind, the movie tries to say that if you don’t know where to look, you won’t see these creatures. Like Vidal—he’s unable to see them” (Ethan 14). However, he does say that other viewers may see the film in different ways: “there are two kinds of audiences for this movie: one that will believe it’s real and the other that will think it’s imaginary. For me, the movie is like a Rorschach test. It defines you as a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full person. Which is fine, I like the idea of that being your choice” (Ethan 14). Del Toro’s comments prove that Pan’s Labyrinth attempts to show a world in which fairy tales offer insight into reality and a means of saving oneself from its daily...
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...Though the film seems most obviously about a child's nightmare in an unrelenting world of pain, violence, and death, Pan's Labarinth joined realism and fantasy through cinematogrsphy. One aspect that made this film different was that one side of the story, the realism, was violent, fierce, and forceful, while the other followed the main protagonist through her mystical quest to become queen of a distant world. With the use of cinematography in Pan's Labrinth, through dolly shots, over the shoulder shots and pans it connects the fantasy with the reality. Ofelia, enters the fantasy relm where the thin, pale man lives. She must retreave the daggar from one of the three locked compartments in the wall. She is introduced as a camera is following her through the use of a dolly shot the audience is seeing what Ofelia sees, the table displayed with lavish foods, in a time when food in reality is being rationed, so as the camera is following her it creates this sense of forbidden atmosphere, The thin man is at the head of the table as though he were guarding it. Ofelia knows she must not eat but through this technique, tension arises because the audience knows that she might not be able to resist. More tension and anxiety is generated when Ofelia is face to face with this grotesque creature. With the use of this over the shoulder shot of Ofelia looking at the thin man, because she is out of focus the audience can observe the crese and folds that the pale man has, but...
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...Ophelia, in Pan’s Labyrinth, while seemingly powerless in her environment, embarks on a personal quest to return to what she considers her real home, a dream-like kingdom below the ground. Throughout the storyline, she is taken advantage of by various foil characters such as Captain Vidal whose evil nature lies in stark contrast to Ophelia’s inherent innocence and righteousness. In one scene, Ophelia sacrifices her dream of returning to her kingdom for the sake of her baby brother, who would have been killed in the process. In Spirited Away, a frightened, young girl Chihiro is also taken advantage of, but by a deplorable witch by the name of Yubaba. Her quest is to return home to the human world from a fantasy world of spirits and magic. In one scene, Chihiro gave...
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...In Pan’s Labyrinth directed by Guillermo del Toro, Ofelia’s innocence is explored. Generally, when people begin to gain more experiences in life, especially of the darker things in the world, they lose their innocence. Innocence is an important part in this movie as it is in an important part in any child’s life. Every child has those moments in life where all of a sudden they are seen as mature and there innocence is seemingly gone, making Ofelia’s journey much more relatable for anyone watching. Throughout the movie, Ofelia’s innocence changes in order to show her full cycle through life. Ofelia’s innocence begins to change when she starts her first task of going into the tree and getting the key from the frog. Before entering the tree Ofelia, still had the innocence of a young girl. She hadn’t experienced many dangers or scary situations in her...
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...A-Mazing House: The Labyrinth as Theme and Form in Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves” by Natalie Hamilton is a scholarly journal entry which has an interesting take on the novel House of Leaves written by Mark Z. Danielewski. The article’s main focus is on labyrinths and the examination of the use of them as the theme and form in House of Leaves. In order to examine the theme and form, the mode of approach Hamilton takes is to “provide partial blueprints for [the] house by examining the foundations for which it is built”(3) as well as exploring the Danielewski’s use of labyrinths throughout the novel. The thesis in this paper is the idea that House of Leaves is all about labyrinths and that everyone involved in the novel, including the reader, is faced with their own personal labyrinth which they must overcome. Hamilton is able to support this argument by pointing out that the novel is a “four level split”(4) by saying that Will and Karen, Zampano, Truant, and the editors are all on different level and that “Each level of Danielewski’s text involves characters attempting to navigate the maze of self.”(5) To bolster her argument that everyone involved with the novel on all levels faces their own labyrinth, she quotes Wendy B. Faris who says: The labyrinth is no longer a special dwelling constructed for a particular monster, but rather a house where everyone lives.” (Faris p. 181, 1998) Once it is made clear that each person has their own personal labyrinths they must face...
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...Monster? In this essay we will be discussing whether the Minotaur is a man or ruthless monster. The Minotaur is a fascinating look into our own psyche. As humans, we have both a good side, helping humanity. We also have a bad side, which has reared its head throughout our history as human beings. We have astounding, Nobel Peace prize winners. On the other hand, we have individuals trying to take over the world, and causing the Holocaust. It’s amazing to think how far we as humans can swing in either direction. Is the Minotaur human or beast? I like to think of him as hybrid being, not knowing what exactly is going on outside of the labyrinth, or even how he got there. The myth doesn’t go into much detail regarding the...
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...theModelling the Analysis of an Artefact. The beautiful wall painting found at the Palace at Knossos gives some insight into who were the Minoans. The wall painting dates back to the Postpalatial period and it depicts young boys playing and preforming acrobatic movements around what seems to be a strong and graceful bull. The painting has been named the ‘taurokatharpsia’ translated as bull games. The bull symbolized power, male fertility and strength all attributes that have been associated with King Minos a famous ruler of Knossos and step father to the monstrous Minotaur. This piece of artwork supports claims that the bull was a sacred animal for the Minoans as evidenced by other artefacts found at the site. Rituals and religious ceremonies were celebrated in honour of the Bull and they were considered important enough to offer as a sacrifice to the Gods. The relationship between the bull and humans is explored as it could be assumed that to be able to triumph over a bull showed great skill and power on behalf of the boys shown in the artwork. The beautiful wall painting found at the Palace at Knossos gives some insight into who were the Minoans. The wall painting dates back to the Postpalatial period and it depicts young boys playing and preforming acrobatic movements around what seems to be a strong and graceful bull. The painting has been named the ‘taurokatharpsia’ translated as bull games. The bull symbolized power, male fertility and strength all attributes that...
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...Errand into the Maze was first performed on 28 February 1947 at New York Ziegfeld Theatre with Martha Graham as the main character, a female Theseus, and Mark Ryder as the Minotaur-like character. The title of this work comes from a poem by Ben Belitt, and the dance is based on a Greek myth of Ariadne and the Minotaur. Martha Graham took this Greek myth as a symbol of the conquering of fear, and the piece portrays the errand into the maze of the heart’s darkness in order to face and battle the ‘Creature of fear’. The piece starts off with the female protagonist fearing the Minotaur, the Creature of fear. The Creature of fear most of the time is moving or standing at a position where it shows how it has control over the protagonist. An example...
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...story of Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the most fascinating in Greek mythology. It is a story where man and beast break borders and create the unknown. The story begins when Poseidon, a mighty Greek god, gives a beautiful bull to the king of Crete. Expecting the bull to be sacrificed in the name of Poseidon, the king was infatuated by the beauty of the bull and kept it for himself. Enraged, Poseidon punishes the king by making the king’s wife fall madly in love with the bull. In result, the Minotaur was created: A half man, half bull cannibal. Mortified and disgusted, instead of killing this creature, the king created a labyrinth and locked up the Minotaur. Every nine years, to feed the Minotaur, the king would order Athens to choose seven boys and seven girls to be sent to the labyrinth. Because of the complicated architecture of the labyrinth, the youths would be helplessly lost until the Minotaur would find them and devour them. Why did Athens agree to do this? Why is the Minotaur so intimidating? Athens and the King of Crete could have treated the Minotaur as an individual, but instead they were captivated by fear. Although the Minotaur has many human features, we categorize him as a beast because we fear him: his abnormality, inscrutability and forbidden nature. The Minotaur, aside from being too big and a carnivore, was thrown into a never-ending maze mainly because of shame and chagrin. The Minotaur was never seen; only the king, the queen as well as the cycles...
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...first showed me the film Sunshine, I was captivated by it. I was originally entertained solely by its epic nature, considering it centered on the immensely powerful force that is our Sun. But recently I began to understand how deep and numerous the screenplay’s intricacies were. One most certainly being that the name of the ships that are sent to the Sun in the film is more than just a novelty. Their designated names, Icarus I and II, assist in reflecting an overall message of power hunger and the danger of curiosity. Icarus is a commonly known character in Greek mythology. King Minos exiled him and his father, Daedalus, after Daedalus gave the king’s daughter, Ariadne, a clue in order to help Theseus, the enemy of Minos, survive the Labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur. In attempt to escape their prison on Crete, Daedalus, a fine craftsman, fashions two sets of wings for himself and Icarus out of wax and feathers. Daedalus warns Icarus that they must fly low and short lived in order to preserve the structural integrity of the wax wings from the Sun’s rays. Once in flight, Icarus becomes engrossed by the thrilling experience. Curiosity begins to take hold of his mind and he tests the Fates by flying higher and higher as he gets more invigorated. But, clearly forgetting his father’s forewarning, Icarus fails to take note of his wax wings melting apart and falls to his death in the sea below. Another take by some Hellenistic writers suggests a more realistic approach to the tail....
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...McKenna Griffiths HUMN 1120 Short Paper 1, Prompt #3 2/9/2016 Phèdre’s Monsters Phèdre, the daughter of Minos and Pasiphae, is the half-sister to the illegitimate son of her mother and a bull: the Minotaur. Theseus, Phèdre’s husband and the king of Athens, seeks to kill monsters to protect his kingdom. The literal monsters that Theseus seeks to destroy exhibit the same features that are innate in his wife due to her monstrous blood line. Phèdre’s half-brother, the Minotaur, displays physical monstrousness and destruction, whereas Phèdre is destructive emotionally and mentally. Phèdre’s feelings for Hippolytus manifest in such a way that result in literal consequences, such as the ruin of her marriage and the betrayal of her kingdom. Although Theseus seeks to eliminate literal monsters, he fails to deal with, let alone take notice of the monsters that reside inside of his wife. However, due to the fact that he is constantly gone for his job, he is not necessarily given the chance to. Throughout this story, the characters are overwhelmed with concern over killing physical monsters, and they seem to turn a blind eye to the figurative monsters within. These monsters prove to be more destructive than a literal beast. After revealing her love to Hippolytus, Phèdre states: Your father was a hero, be like him, And rid the world of one more monster now. Does Theseus’ widow dare to love his son? Believe me you should not let her escape. Here is my heart. Here, where your hand...
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...a tree and lets it go – tears apart people’s legs SINIS 3rd – Killed the Crommyonian Sow 4th – Pushed him off a cliff to the sea SCIRON 5th – Wrestling CERCYON 6th – Ties him to a moving bed, if too big, chops off body parts to make it fit PROCRUSTES Minotaur - King Minos asked Poseidon for a snow white bull + kill it to show respect to Poseidon - Minos wanted to keep it because of its beauty and to sacrifice another bull - Poseidon enraged - Made King Minos’ wife fall in love with the bull - Wife asks famous craftsman to make a wooden hollow cow - Offspring = Minotaur - King Minos asked craftsman to build a labyrinth for the Minotaur = man-eating creature - King Minos’ son winning Panathena games in honour of Athena -> jealousy -> kill him - War between King Minos & Athens -> treaty -> 7 boys and 7 girls to be sent each year in the labyrinth so the Minotaur would be fed - Theseus volunteers - King Minos’ daughter falls in love with him and gives him a tread so he finds his way back - He kills the Minotaur and finds his way back - Some versions: goes back to Athens with the king’s daughter / others: she didn’t follow him -...
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...In many accounts the archetypical hero has been used time and time again. The heroic character has traits that are collectively inherited and admired by many. In Silence of The Lambs and the mythological story of Theseus an archetypical hero is used. The reason why mankind has steadfastly composed the archetypical hero is because it is found relatable. The hero is relatable because they are intriguing, impressive and inspirational. The archetypical hero is intriguing as he comes from an obscure or mysterious origin and he is also spiritually alone. Theseus is intriguing as his father is unknown. Theseus’ mother slept with two different men the night of his conception. These men were Poseidon, a god and Aegeus, a king. So Theseus could either be a demigod or the son of a king. Theseus begins his journey by collecting flying sandals and a sword from under a rock from (his could be father) Aegeus. By himself, Theseus set off to find his father as well as his maturity. In Silence of the Lambs, Clarice is an outsider in her field of work for the FBI, since she is a female in a man’s world. Her father dying when she was only 10 and her mother already deceased created an even more captivating past. Despite her difficult beginnings she prospered as the head of her class. She was then chosen for an important case even though she was still training in the academy. Clarice is an introvert to society and remains spiritually isolated, haunted by her past. After her father died she lived with...
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