Cultural Event: Pan’s Labyrinth

XI LIU Cultural Event Paper goat divinity fudges Labyrinth I like watching scenes, and I unavoidableness to learn about different cultures from different countries. So I attend the cultural veritable(a)t of 2012 Foreign Film Series at 700 pm in October 9th. I was so excited that the Art tale Organization gave us a chance to watch a Spanish film called moves Labyrinth. I had heard of it before, but I had never watched it. This film combined the deception hu manhood beings and the real(a) world perfectly. That is to say, it is a film of magic realism.I was attracted by the plot of the film, and I was astonied by the directors conception and the visual effects even though a few scenes were a little bit sinful and scary. The background of the tale was traced to 1944, five years after the end of the Spanish Civil War. Spain was shrouded under the haze of fascist dictatorship. Those who were communist party members and the antiauthoritarian per word of honors were hunted dow n and killed savagely by the army. The plot of the movie develops with resistor against forces of General Francisco Franco, whose leader was headwaiter Vidal and who ruled Spain as dictator.The protagonist Ofelia entered a magic world with three challenges that Pan gave to her. The film candided with the bottom of a faint melody which was accompanied by the sound of Ofelias breathing and the frames of kin streaming from Ofelias nose while she was double-dealing on the ground. With the background of white words showing on the classify and the voiceover telling us Ofelias status of princess in underground realm, the story started. Ofelia, who was twelve years antiquated, took her pregnant spawn to the north to rendezvous with her stepfather Vidal, whose real identity was a fascist officer responsible for repression of the local guerrillas.The human body of Vidals living with Ofelia and her mformer(a) was his flesh and blood son to be born, and Vidals only pleasure was to st udy all kinds of ways to paroxysm people who were caught. After watching her cold stepfather doing evil for fun, her sick mother and witnessing violence, Ofelia, who was surrounded by loneliness and fear, became addicted to fantasy for consolation. She was led to a deserted mill which was the entrance to the snarl by an insect elf, and the tangle porter who had long horns with goats and transparent eyes was waiting for her arrival.Pan told Ofelia that she was actually a lost princess from the underground land and she had to accept three challenges and complete the tasks in order to go back to her kingdom. The first task was to save an old tree. Beca wont there was a huge toad living in the al-Qaeda of the tree, the tree was on the edge of death. She had to take out a thriving key from the toads stomach. The present moment task was to use the well-situated key to retrieve a dagger. In that room, there was an evil pecker sitting at a table with a feast of pulchritudinous food s which she could not eat.She was within an inch of her life after giving in to temptation. At the same time, her stepfather began more offensive activities of killing people in a higher place ground. Ofelias struggling with nightmares blurred the boundaries of realness and fantasy. The third task was to use her half-blooded brothers pure blood to open the portal of underground. Ofelia refuse this requirement due to her virtuous heart. She didnt realize that her stepfather had followed her, and she got shot by him.The scene was back to the initial scene of Ofelias streaming blood from her nose lying on the ground at the start of the movie. The ratiocination of the movie can be interpreted in two ways. If it was real, she rejoined the kingdom apply her own pure blood and opening the introduction of entrance. If not, therefore she ended the movie happy and certain that she was going to a separate place, with the dictator powerless to stop her. Pans labyrinth is a movie base i n a real historical background. It is realise to show us the antiwar attitudes with the development of the two main plots.However, it combines the cruel reality and the beautiful fantasy world perfectly to indicate the damages and spite of the Second World War from the angle of a girls point of view. The role of Ofelia represents the whole group of children who were the victims who suffered most at that time. They were earnest to live in a world of fairy tale. However, the war unmake their real dream, leaving despair, hate and agony. One of the directors manifest fastidious characteristics is that he did well in applying contrasts to achieve great artistic effects.He uses the nice fairy tale to contrast the cruel reality and the swarthiness of humanity. The scene at the end of the movie, which was the same as the beginning, gives me a dark impression of an innocence girl. Thus it clarifies the abhorrence to the war and spiritual fodder of longing for beauty. The interrogat ive at aftermath that Pans labyrinth brings to us is whether fantasies can rescue us from fascism. Around this theme, the director designate out two main lines of the plot one is the reality and the other is the girls fantasy world. Three challenges that the girl aced with and the atrocities of Captain Vidal which common snapping turtle on the question at issue reveal that fantasies cannot rescue us from fascism finally. In terms of importance, relevance and sufficiency, a very famous author Justin Zhang for Slant Magazine stated that this film used a striking number of symbolisms of blood to unveiled Pans labyrinth gods mysterious veil (Zhang 24). This movie provides us sufficient and elaborated content to strike the inhumanity of Captain Vidal and the innocence of the little girl. The forces exe get laided justice with brutality, violence, cruelty, and no respect for civil rights.The examples of Vidal executing the man that was telling the truth about hunting rabbits, the doctor without any trial, and pellet Ofelia for no real crime, in addition to the brutal interrogation methods, embodies the inhumanity of Vidal. When Ofelias mother was in dystocia, he chose to save his baby sons life but not his wife. These examples are important and relevant to reflect the character of Vidal. The example of Ofelias giving up using her half-blooded brothers pure blood to open the door to the underground kingdom indicates her essence of innocence.All these examples of Vidal and Ofelia are important and relevant to the question at issue and the purpose. Pans labyrinth is a movie with deep understanding and implications. At first, it conveys a meatful anti-war topic. The three tasks that Pan gave to Ofelia were to see if she dared to question when she realized that she was wrong. Eating grapes without resisting temptation in the second task and her refusal of handing over her brother indicates that she was an innocent girl with a contumacious spirit. All the setti ngs of the roles and scenes acquit their unique meaning.For instance, the scene of Vidal having his communicate cut open by Mercedes is derived from a tradition of Chelsea Smile. British people will cut the traitors or the enemies mouth as the shape of smile for punishment. The painting of Saturn ruin One of his Children which was drawn by Spanish painter Goya, hung on the argue in the room where Ofelia finished her second task, is derived from a legend of Grecian Mythology. Its a painting with dark humor to interpret anti-war means. The design of the name of the leading role Ofelia is from Hamlet, written by Shakespeare. This may think of the tragic destiny of the little girl.In short, it is a film that has deep meaning regarding anti-war believing, rebellious spirit and challenges. Not only does it set out an issue that is worth thinking, but it also eulogizes justice and bravery. All these symbolism and settings reflect on its depth and make it a perfect film. However, Pans labyrinth does not exist. It was made up by the director, but it is based on a real background. It is precise in describing all the characters of the roles in detail. And, also, it describes the violent scene more directly, such as the face with spread over pile of flesh and the scene of Vidals sewing his own mouth which was cut open.It has a visual power to make us spot the cruelty of the reality. The scenes switch with accuracy and precision so that we do not feel the movie boring and long. It arranges all three challenges which interlace with Captain Vidals atrocities within two hours. So, I think that the movie is a success in its precision of characterization and mysterious scenes. In all, I like this movie. It gives me both visual impact and strong emotional shock. Its a fantasy story based on the real history. The fantasy world gives me an illusion of beauty, but the cruel reality makes me sober affluent to rethink profoundly and see the history clearly.This movie arouses peoples thinking about whether fantasies can rescue us from fascism. The director used the deep symbolism and settings to make the film more thoughtful and have anti-war meaning in depth. The film also gives me a chance to do some research on the background and analyze the implications that the director made. I wish I could watch more movies like this in the future. regulate Cited Zhang, Justin. The Esoteric Interpretation of Pans Labyrinth. Slant Magzine. 06 2006 24. imprint