Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Pan's Labyrinth

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Film Slug
Pans Labyrinth
Directed By: Guillermo Del Toro
Written By: Guillermo Del Toro
Editing By: Bernat Vilaplana
Starring: Ivana Baquero, Ariadna Gil, Sergi Lopez, Maribel Verdu
Release Date: October 11, 2006
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, War
Language: Spanish
Country: Spain, USA, Mexico
Box Office: $13,500,000
Worldwide: $83,623,611
Runtime: 118 Minutes
The film, Pan’s Labyrinth, is about a girl named Ofelia, who has just moved to the countryside in Spain with her pregnant mother to live where her stepfather and his army are stationed.  It takes place in 1944, during the Spanish civil war.  Ofelia has a deep connection to her books, mainly fairytales.  She soon learns that her stepfather is an evil man and becomes very attached to one of the maids, Mercedes.  During the course of the movie Ofelia’s journey starts to mirror her fairytales.  A bug that followed her on her move turns out to be a fairy.  Ofelia is led to a labyrinth in the woods by the fairy and meets a faun.  The faun tells her that she is a princess of another realm, but in order to prove that she is the true princess, she must complete three tasks before the full moon.
            In our text it talks about realism and antirealism.  This movie shows a great deal of both of these aspects.  Ofelia’s real life is terrible.  She has an evil stepfather that doesn’t care about her mother, a mother that won’t listen to her, and is moved to a place she cannot call home in the midst of a war.  In order for Ofelia to escape her real life, she turns to antirealism and lives vicariously through a fantasy world that only she knows of.  The twist is that her fantasy world than becomes her real world.  Our text also explains the different types of lighting.  This movie has a very dark and eerie story line; therefore most of the lighting is very dimmed, creating many shadows. 
            The formalist film theory suggests that the appropriate use of sound and light will add effect to the movie.  I believe this relates very well since the story is dark and dismal, it was appropriate that the music and lighting was as well.  The lighting creates shadows, which adds to suspension, and blue lighting creates the feeling of night.  Since most of her adventures take place at night, this was a good technique.  The music that was used helped to create the fear and tension that was portrayed throughout the movie.
            Roger Moore gave Pan’s Labyrinth a five out of five. “Pan's Labyrinth is a stunning blend of the magically surreal with the graphically real,” (Moore).  The computer animation in this movie is amazing, the fairy coming to life, the movements of the faun, and the awakening of the monster.  “The magic spills over into her daily life, where she must protect her mother and unborn brother from the monster Mom has married,” (Moore).  I agree with Moore, the magic-or antirealism- spills into her daily life, making the unreal, real.
            A review from a fan, Gary, on Rotten Tomatoes states, “Del Toro blends beautiful imagery with an affecting war story and the result is an enchanting experience that mirrors the fight between good and evil in both the real world and a young child's imagination” (Rotten Tomatoes).  Ofelia’s need to be in her fantasy realm helps her to stay on the side of good.  The evil side is the real world, being caught in the middle of the civil war.  She fights against her step father to save her infant brother.
            I love this movie, I have seen it several times and it doesn’t get old.  I love the story and Ofelia’s character, along with Mercedes.  They both share this need to be somewhere else, and have a feeling of not belonging.  They fight for what is right but have to hide it at the same time.  

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (√) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) (√) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) (√) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) (√) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) (√) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) (√) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) (√ ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) (√) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.


Name: Charlotte Azaceta   Date: October 23, 2012


Editing Checklist

1. (√) An introductory paragraph clearly introduces the subject. The topic statement is evident within the paragraph. The position taken is clear. If the position is unclear, put a question mark in the margin.

2. (√) The next two paragraphs have a single or main claim. Note each claim in the margin in a 3-4 word phrase. If you can’t identify the claim, put a question mark in the margin. If two or more claims exist, and tend to diverge from a coherent thought, put a question mark in the margin.

3. (√) The same thing holds for the next two paragraphs on the opposite side of the issue.

4. (√) The four paragraphs above all focus on the issue at hand; they do not wander off into irrelevant territory. If any paragraph wanders, put a question mark in the margin

5. (√) The sixth paragraph weighs the conflicting claims from the four paragraphs above and arrives at a conclusion. Why some evidence is more convincing than other evidence is explained. The ensuing conclusion is clearly stated. Circle it. If you can’t find the conclusion, put a question mark in the margin.

6. (√) The final paragraph returns to what was stated in the first paragraph and, in light of the evidence presented and weighed above, convincingly rephrases the position statement. If the conclusion expected by the assignment is to be finessed, justifying statements for the variance must appear here and flow-from the explanation in the sixth paragraph of your paper.

7. (√) Is each claim in paragraphs 2-5 supported by evidence? Are there any naked claims supported only by variations of "I believe...”? If so, put a big X in the margin beside that paragraph.

8. (√) Is each claim backed up by a reference? If a claim stands naked of supporting evidence or argument, put a big X in the margin.

9. (√) Does the paper do more than simply but gloriously restate the question? Examine the case study and cross out all ideas that appear in both the case study and in your paper. What remains-uncrossed out is your analysis. It should constitute the majority of your paper. If it doesn't, you haven’t done an analysis.

10. ( ) A sentence lacks either a subject or a verb; a sentence does not begin with a capital letter or end with a period (citations in parentheses go ahead of periods, not behind them).

I l. ( ) A sentence begins with a relative pronoun such as Which, Who, That, Where, and When.

12. ( ) A pronoun lacks a clear antecedent; that is, a word such as it, he, she, or they does not have an obvious link to a noun (especially noticeable if a sentence begins with it, he, she, or they).

13. ( ) A pronoun or verb fails to agree with its antecedent in number; that is, a single person or agency is referred to as they, or a plural subject is given a singular verb (such as, "members of the school board....gives their vote...").

14. ( ) A sentence runs-on or uses a comma to splice independent ideas together; that is, complex ideas are not split into two sentences but are linked, often by a comma, into an overly long, wandering sentence.

Citing

 "Pan's Labyrinth Reviews." Rotten Tomatoes. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012. <http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pans_labyrinth/reviews/?type=user>.

"Pan's Labyrinth." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012.

            Moore, Roger. "Movie Review DB: Search Results." Orlando Sentinel 19 Jan. 2007: n. pag. Print.

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