Pan's Labyrinth

I have always payed attention to the lighting, costumes, props, and the character behavior, but I have never put a name to it. I now know it is defined as mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene is basically everything that happens within the frame of camera. In other words, it means what is being photographed in the shot in the scene. The mise-en-scene in Pan’s Labyrinth is spectacular for a multitude of reasons. Pan’s Labyrinth is considered a drama, a foreign film, and a fantasy film. The movie centers on a depressive war, where a young girl, Ofelia, can figuratively escape the reality of it. The costumes of the character is one of the areas of concentration for mise-en-scene. The customs of the fantastical characters are not like ordinary fairy tales,

For example, the faun is extremely spooky, and he even looks unapproachable. The faun’s costume has imprints of bizarre symbols that create a sense of mystery for the faun. Is the faun bad or good? Another area is lighting. In Pan’s Labyrinth, there is a scene where Mercedes stabs the captain and runs away. Troops catch up to her and circle her. When she is circled by the troops there is a hint of blue in the lighting. Blue creates a mood of gloominess and hopelessness for Mercedes. It appeared like she would be captured and killed. Another element of the story is the key, Ofelia finds after finishing her first task. The key moves along the story. It gives the main character an objective. The knife, Ofelia found also keeps the story moving. These elements, the knife and the key are props. They both symbolize a task that must be completed. These props are a symbol of Ofelia’s fantastical world, where she spends her time. The last element is when the captain shaves his beard. The captain shaves his beard several times throughout the movie. It implies something much deeper. The captain is overly prideful throughout the movie, and the shaving reestablishes that he takes great pride in how he