the setting of the fig tree
mise-en-scene
the tree is shaped similarly to the female reproductive system eg the branches look like the fallopian tubes – uterine aesthetic – the imagery serves as a reminder of Ofelia’s impending puberty and her maturation into womanhood – the motif of the tree shows how her position in Franco’s Spain may soon be determined by her anatomy and her childbearing ability
ofelia’s dress
mise-en-scene
the dress was given to Ofelia to impress Vidal (shows they live in a patriarchal world) but the dress is eventually ruined & muddy as she doesn’t care about Vidal’s opinion – she has agency as she rejects the pretty dress which defies stereotypes of femininity – dress is similar to dress worn in Alice in Wonderland due to puff sleeves & apron and shows how like Alice, Ofelia moves between fantasy and the real world
the prop of the key
mise-en-scene
links to fantasy when she needs the key to unlock the sword in the pale man sequence but links to how Vidal uses a key to lock away food & medicine
fantasy world has amber lighting vs the cold blue of reality
cinematography
amber lighting creates a warm/safe feel even though Ofelia is inside the fig tree doing something scary – links to how del Toro says ‘the womb is the most comfortable place to be’ so he’s saying that the real world is dangerous and as a baby when you’re born you’re forced into the horrors of the world.
low pitch sound as vidal leaves
non-diegetic – Vidal realises he has been deceived – there’s a crescendo in the strings instruments as the rebels appear to build support for the rebels & show they are heroes
Ofelia says to the toad ‘I’m not afraid of you’ and outsmarts the toad by feeding the stones with a bug
performance
a critique of the damsel in distress archetype as Ofelia rejects the expectations of men – subverts the usual princess role as she has to be intelligent to defeat the toad
the toad throws up bugs when he dies & his jaw breaks
performance
the breaking of the jaw is meant to remind us of pregnancy – the toad throwing up bugs represents the greed of fascism and links to Vidal as Vidal takes food away and starves the citizens whilst the toad eats all the bugs which kills the tree – politics of hunger
cross cut between fantasy and reality scenes
editing
uses wipes with the trees – del Toro wants to connect the two worlds
