Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is a film that mirrors Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5. Both films feature a main character struggling to accept the reality of war. But the works are different. Details from Pan’s Labyrinth (and Slaughterhouse Five) highlight many juxtapositions in reality, birth, death and fantasy.
Both works are about war, and the juxtaposition of death and birth between them makes for an interesting comparison. Vonnegut has focused his novella Slaughterhouse 5 on death. He makes one statement after each death, regardless if it takes place in a different location or for what reason. His statement ends with the expression “So it goes”. Vonnegut incorporates this repetition to create a bridge between different time periods. Accepting that war is a constant companion to death is the only choice that anyone has. Vonnegut writes concise, declarative sentences in order to stress the reality of war’s deaths. Irony is also used by Vonnegut to point out the absurdities and ridiculousness of large-scale war deaths. Vonnegut captures the irony of Billy Pilgrim being a poorly trained and under-supplied soldier. Yet, Vonnegut writes that he was the only one at Dresden who survived the fire bombings. This proves how absurd death can be. Billy Pilgrim’s survival of the bombing in a slaughterhouse, a place that usually ends life and not preserves it, exemplifies this irony and absurdity.Contrastingly, Del Toro emphasizes birth in Pan’s Labyrinth. Del Toro opens Pan’s Labyrinth by showing Ofelia lying on her stomach. However, he reverses the frames to show her a resurrection as her blood returns into her body. The eye-level shot allows the audience to instantly connect with Ofelia, and to begin a long-lasting relationship. From the opening scene to the last, the movie is full of birth imagery. Del Toro cleverly uses the Faun’s hooves to predict Ofelia’s return to fantasy world. After it transforms into a shape that resembles a uterus, Del Toro begins the spread of the crimson-colored ink. Del Toro is seen pointing out the fig-tree, which was the site of her first task. This resembles a uterus. These images are not her true death and continue to live on in her Faun world.
Another juxtaposition shows that the world of Slaughterhouse Five doesn’t exist, but Pan’s Labyrinth does. Vonnegut’s most important clue to prove that Billy’s world full o Tralfamadorians does not exist is his chaotic, chaotic presentation of events in Slaughterhouse Five. Vonnegut describes Billy Pilgrim’s mental trauma and suggests that he resorts ti-hopping to get through it. Vonnegut uses logic to group events spread across years. This is in keeping with the idea of Tralfamadorian Time in an Inconstant Time Stream. This style is more accurate to the mental chaos Billy Pilgrim faces and provides a better understanding of the world around him. The stream-of-consciousness shows the effect war had on Billy Pilgram. Certain events and objects act as triggers, causing his mind to drift between different aspects of his life. Vonnegut also created the symbol for the bird who says “Pootee weet?” in order to show that Billy Pilgrim doesn’t live in a Tralfamadorian world. The message this bird sends is that there are no intelligent things to say about war. It also shows that words can’t adequately express the horrors and devastation of war and death. Billy can’t find any intelligent words to express his feelings about war or think intelligently after it has ended. He is now suffering from a mental disorder. He cannot understand or comprehend war so he invents his own world to deal with the horrors he’s seen.
Vonnegut depicted Slaughterhouse Five more chaotically to reflect Billy’s mental chaos and his need for a safe haven. Del Toro, however, presents Pan’s Labyrinth with a highly structured approach. This structure is demonstrated by the Hero’s Journey and key details as well as inversions of light.
Del Toro uses a panning technique in Pan’s Labyrinth’s opening sequence. It establishes the setting for the story being told by the off-screen narration. As the panning moves to the outside, the yellow light suddenly changes to white as Del Toro states that the princess died from inability to adapt to the new world. Her father believed that she would eventually return in a different shape. Ofelia is the princess that returns to her kingdom. These narrations are used by Del Toro to establish the setting for the storyline. Ofelia also fails to survive in fascist Spain, which she lives in. Her death this time brings her home to her kingdom.
Del Toro creates Ofelia for Joseph Cambell’s Hero’s Journey. A collection of universally-repeatable characteristics in fairy tales. The movie’s hero is Ofelia, and the movie shows more of the characteristics of the journey. After she inserts her eye into the statue, the insect appears. Later, the fairy transforms into an insect that will help her cross the threshold that is the Labyrinth’s entrance. Del Toro depicts the Faun in the role of mentor and guardian at the threshold. Ofelia is captured from a low angle, while Ofelia is captured from a high one. The Faun’s importance and vital role in the return of Ofelia to the kingdom is clearly illustrated by the low angle. Ofelia’s high angle emphasizes the difference between Ofelia and the Faun. Ofelia represents the real world while the Faun represents the fantasy world. The Faun gives her supernatural help in the form magical gifts. First, the book, then the chalk, mandrake and hourglass. Fairies will also be helpful on her journey. Del Toro captures Ofelia’s refusal. But, she ultimately accepts what he says to her.
Del Toro offers her a series of trials, which will test her, her allies and her enemies. The Faun assigns her three tasks. First, she must enter the figtree to retrieve the gold key from the dragon, second, to obtain the sword from Pale Man, third, to bring her baby sister to the labyrinth in order to get a drop of her blood so that the portal can be opened. Each of these three tasks are a different type of test. The first test tests your courage. The second and third tests test your obedience and temptation. Finally, the final test requires you to sacrifice yourself. These rebels hide in the forest to show their courage. Ofelia challenges reality by entering the imaginary world of the tree, while the rebels challenge Spain’s fascist regime. Del Toro uses the fairies as the heralds on the hero’s journey. They warn Ofelia against the dangers that come with eating the food. The Pale Man represents Captain Vidal. Each character is shown in medium shots when they are seated at the table’s head. This brings them face-to face and emphasises the connection. Del Toro uses a close-up shot of the grapes in order to draw attention to Ofelia’s food and not the dangers or warnings she was given. Ofelia violates her orders and eats some grapes. It almost ends her life. Captain Vidal has ordered the doctor to keep the stutterer alive, but he chooses not to. His life is endangered as Carmen is killed. Ofelia becomes the master between fantasy and real life in the final test of selfless sacrifice. Close up shots of her bloody hands in the labyrinth attract the attention of the audience. The tilting of the pillar in this labyrinth is indicative of its supernatural qualities as it transports Ofelia to Spain. Her decision to stop harming her brother symbolizes her refusal of the Hero’s Journey return. It also leads her to death. But it also means that she will be able to enter the fantasy realm and her kingdom once they cross the return threshold.
Del Toro used white lights to depict innocence, purity, and purity until the closing scene. Yellow lights were used to show the violence and sickness that reality brings. But, in the final scene, Del Toro uses yellow light to represent reality and bathes Ofelia in it. The fantasy world was real. There are several other details, including the chalk door. Ofelia couldn’t have escaped her locked bedroom to reach her brother without it. The Labyrinth is another example of Ofelia fleeing Captain Vidal. Her magic flight takes her to a dead end, but the walls allow her to follow the faun. Vidal reaches a similar wall and nothing happens. Vidal is forced to turn his back (Del Toro Pan’s Labyrinth). Ofelia would have struggled to get through the wall if she wasn’t imagining it. Her stepfather would have caught her up if the magic was not real. Carmen throwing the mandrake into fire immediately causes Carmen’s health to decline. She ends up dying because the mandrake was helping to boost her health.
The Pan’s Labyrinth’s structure contrasts sharply with Slaughterhouse Five’s lack of structure. Del Toro may not have organized Pan’s Labyrinth as if it were truly nonexistent. But, this would have allowed Del Toro to reflect Ofelia’s thoughts in the midst of war. In Pan’s Labyrinth’s emphasis on birth rather than death, helps to show that Ofelia was reborn in the Faun world.