Pan's Labyrinth Essay: Representation of Gender.

Film Studies Essay: 'How are the key elements of film form used to construct representations in this scene & how do they contribute to/help to construct the film's messages regarding representations of gender'

One element Del Toro uses in order to construct representations in Pan's Labyrinth is mise-en-scene. This is presented through the characters of Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez) and Mercedes (Maribel Verdu) in the scene where Vidal tortures Mercedes. Vidal turns his back to Mercedes as he is inspecting the torture devices that he is planning to use on Mercedes which conveys that the fascist regime is violent and brutal and that they will harm anyone of any gender in order to eradicate any threats to their regime. The use of the weapons in this scene also conveys the differences in gender in Spain in 1944 as Captain Vidal turns his back to Mercedes which conveys that he thinks so little of Mercedes as she is 'just a woman' which depicts that women were seen as inferior in patriarchal society as Vidal is happy to be left alone with Mercedes and is willing to turn his back on her as he feels that he can't be threatened by a woman. This also constructs the film's message regarding the representations of gender as Vidal's underestimation of Mercedes allows her to enact her revenge of Vidal as Mercedes uses her invisibility- due to the patriarchal society- to her advantage as Vidal's obsession with power blinds him from seeing the quiet power that women hold in Spain beneath the fascist regime. The hidden knife that Mercedes uses to stab Vidal reflects that women are quietly powerful as the knife represents how the women have to hide their true self in order to outsmart the men in fascist Spain. This allows the audience to sympathise with Mercedes as they root for her during this scene as Mercedes is finally given the opportunity to fight back against the gender restrictions that have been inflicted upon her by Captain Vidal. The weapon of the hammer is also important in this scene; the hammer presents the imagery of Vidal taking down communism which infers that the fascists have complete control in Spain which makes the audience fearful of the atrocities that they are committing, but when Mercedes attacks Vidal, he drops the hammer which represents that the fascists are losing, therefore creating the message that the uprising of women in society allows for the falling of fascism. This also conveys that the male leaders in a patriarchal society are focused on imposing the rules on their regime amongst others and this takes upmost importance over anything else in their lives so Del Toro's presentation of Vidal, a fascist leader, conveys to the audience that the men use violence and brutality in order to convey their power.

Another film element Del Toro uses in order to construct representations in the torture scene is cinematography. Del Toro tilts the camera as Mercedes stabs Vidal to convey the change in power balance; Mercedes is shot at a low angle whereas Vidal is shown to be on his knees at a high angle. This constructs the change in gender representation in Pan's Labyrinth as Del Toro's use of a low angle shot on Mercedes conveys that she is in control over Vidal as her quietly powerful nature has transformed into a new found empowerment which she exerts over Vidal which presents to the audience that the women have had enough of holding back their true natures and conveys that this is the changing point in the film where the women have become outwardly more powerful compared to the men. The use of the low angle also constructs Mercedes as fearless as she is willing to take on a fascict leader in order to fight for her survival whereas it depicts Vidal as overconfident as he thought that he was in control of Mercedes as he told his other guards to leave so that he was alone with her. This scene also constructs the film's messages regarding representations of gender as Mercedes was able to overcome Vidal due to her 'invisibility' which infers that women are typically ignored in a patriarchal society as they are seen as 'lesser' and weaker when compared to men.

Del Toro also uses performance and sound to construct the representations of Mercedes and Vidal during this scene and how their representations are reflected in their genders. Lopez, who plays Vidal, states that Mercedes is 'just a woman' which presents the undermining of women in a patriarchal society and Lopez uses his performance to emphasise the juxtaposition between men and women in Spain during 1944. Lopez laughs when he is left alone with Mercedes which infers that men hold the power over women and the use of diegetic sound makes Vidal's laughter sound more chilling as his laughter overpowers Mercedes fearful nature during this moment. The use of laughter also emphasises that the Fascist Regime try to dominate the women and make them know their place in society. Verdu, who portrays Mercedes, also uses performance to form representations for her character when she shows her protective side as she tells Vidal 'don't you dare touch the girl' - the girl referring to Vidal's step-daughter Ofelia - which presents Mercedes as a motherly figure towards Ofelia as her words show she is compassionate and caring for Ofelia as she wants to make sure that she is safe.

Del Toro uses the elements of film throughout this scene to present how the representation of gender in 'Pan's Labyrinth' changes as the scene progresses. The scene commences with a continuous shot that slows the pace of the movie down and builds suspense; the continuous shot symbolises stability which contrasts with the character of Vidal as his undoing of his shirt at the start of the scene emphasises how he isn't threatened by the situation with Mercedes and believes that he is in power as he is the man. The overpowering nature of men at the start of the scene is reflected through the cinematography; Del Toro uses a heavy saturation and grey colour to show how bleak the situation is and to create a frightening atmosphere, as well as using low-key lighting through the windows and cracks in the walls to infer how the darkness (Vidal) is defeating the ray of hope (Mercedes). The editing used is also effective as the imminent danger is presented as the pace of the scene builds which reflects the pace of Mercedes heart as she fears Vidal as he is sharpening his weapons and an intense sound effect is used when Vidal lifts the hammer which emphasises the tension of this scene, as well as heightening the suspense for Mercedes. The use of sound makes the audience empathise with Mercedes as they feel sorry for the torture that it is hinted that Vidal will put her through. Del Toro's build up to the torture scene represents men as domineering and in charge and the women as weak and fearful due to the use of film elements used in order to increase suspense in the opening part of this scene.

However by the climax of the scene, the representation of gender is reversed as Mercedes takes the power and Vidal takes on Mercedes previous qualities of becoming outwardly weak. Del Toro shows the change in representation of gender through the use of sound, mise-en-scene and cinematography. Sound is used to show the shift in power between Vidal and Mercedes; the sound of the rope is exaggerated which suggests that Mercedes is initially powerless and the slow violin music creates an uneasy atmosphere during the build-up whereas quiet non-diegetic music is played when the tables turned as Mercedes stabbed Vidal to depict Mercedes release of her hidden power through retaliation and the quiet use of music allows the audience to recover after being inevitably taken back by the shift in power. Del Toro also uses camera angles and mise-en-scene to present the gender shift as the scene is framed around the power balance of Vidal and Mercedes through the use of camera angles. The camera focuses on the person in control of the situation and by the climactic point of this scene, the camera is focusing on Mercedes which conveys she has exuded her control over Vidal. The mise-en-scene is also important as the use of the hidden knife symbolises how women had to hide their true selves in order to survive the fascist regime and the reveal of the knife mirrors the reveal of Mercedes true-self which conveys that the knife is a symbol for the change in gender balance in the film as Mercedes was no longer willing to be a subordinate victim to Vidal.

In conclusion, Del Toro uses key elements of film form to construct the representations of Mercedes and Captain Vidal in this scene, as well as contributing to the film's messages regarding representations of gender. Del Toro presents how the representation of gender changes in Pan's Labyrinth in this scene as Mercedes is presented as timid and doubting her own strength at the start of the scene, due to suffering under Vidal's patriarchy, however by the end of the scene Mercedes is presented as more empowered as she proved her strength against Vidal and challenged his actions.