The young heroine of pans labyrinth is named ofelia, and ophelia is also, famously, a major character in shakespeares hamlet. Pans labyrinth 2006 was written and directed by guillermo del. Movie villains comic book villains cartoon villains video game villains. I made sure my nephews watched the pale man scene a couple of times. The labyrinth of the faun and millions of other books are. Today we take a look at one of my favourite movies, pans labyrinth and one of its most terrifying creatures the pale man. In this episode of crash course film criticism, michael aranda talks us through guillermo del toros film, pans labyrinth. In fact, pan s explicit association with sex is what drove del toro away from including him in the movie. Pans labyrinth is alice in wonderland for grownups, with the horrors of both reality and fantasy blended together into an extraordinary, spellbinding fable. Another important element in pans labyrinth adaptation of existing mythical figures the the character is the pale man, an eyeless, menacing creature who sits at. The pale man is the secondary antagonist of the 2006 spanish dark fantasy drama film pan s labyrinth. Is the pale man from pan s labyrinth based on any mythological character. He felt pan would be too dark and sexual for a movie featuring an elevenyearold girl as its protagonist. He is a pale skinned humanoid monster with his eyeballs in the palms of his hands, giving him a terrifying appearance.
The faun is a mythological creature, half man and half goat, who represents. While director and comic book artist troy nixey certainly had a hand in bringing. Check out all 15 films well be talking about below citizen kane. Pan s labyrinth employs some computergenerated imagery in its effects, but mostly uses complex makeup and animatronics. Between his modest comic book hits hellboy and hellboy ii. Read it to learn more about the characters, the mythology, and the humanity that the. The pale man is one of the most enduring images in pans labyrinth. Browse other questions tagged mythology pans labyrinth or ask your own question. Her second task is to retrieve a dagger from the lair of the pale man, a childeating monster. The significance of pale man in pans labyrinth p an s labyrinth is one of the most profound contemporary films.
Given the translation of the title, we can infer that the faun character is a version of pan, who was another character from greek myth though pan was not the only faun. As the pale man, he plays a grotesque monster with an appetite for children. Pans labyrinth, goya, and greek myth on the pale blue dot. From an article titled in his new book, cabinet of curiosities, director guillermo del toro reveals the inspiration behind his monstrous creations. Pans labyrinth is a profound movie telling the story of a young girls quest to escape the cruelties of spanish fascism. Exploring the fantasy behind pan s labyrinth duration. I thought it was incredibly well done and was so evocative of the film which is, in itself, a work of art whilst also giving a back story to the magical element of the story. I absolutely loved the film of pan s labyrinth and was intrigued to see how a book could be written after the film as opposed to the norm of the other way around. The albino demon pale man, from pans labyrinth, is considered guillermo del toros signature creation. The significance of pale man in pans labyrinth writing.
The pale man s eyes on his hands is a feature shared by the japanese mythological monster the tenome a name which means hand eyes. Furthermore, the pale man represents the church for me, del toro said. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. Del toro intended pans labyrinth to be a thematic complement to the devils backbone.
The pale man may also be based off a japanese mythical creature of similar. For years he drew and redrew monster ideas in his book, and did. I do not own rights to any of the source materials i used in. Pans labyrinth by guillermo del toro emerald labyrinth by eli greenbaum jim hensons. Is the pale man from pans labyrinth based on any mythological.
Another important element in pans labyrinths adaptation of existing mythical figures is the pale man, an eyeless, menacing creature who sits at the head of a massive banquet in the. The faun, on the other hand, is a half man, halfgoat creature from roman mythology with ties to the greek mythology satyr. Comprising so many symbols, themes and ideas, it presents a genuine masterpiece bequeathed to the film industry by a magnificent mexican director, guillermo del toro. The original spanish title refers to the fauns of roman mythology, while the english, german and french titles refer specifically to the faunlike. Pans labyrinth is a 2006 spanishmexican dark fantasy drama horror film written and directed. The movie also contains a great amount of occult and archetypal symbols telling another story. The pale man is the secondary antagonist of the 2006 spanish dark fantasy drama. Harpercollins its been said that director guillermo del toro wrote the book. Access to the full text of the entire book is only available to members of.