Opening Shots: Pan's Labyrinth
So many movies have opening shots that are like overtures, condensed miniatures of the whole film. In Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" you might even say it contains the entire movie in one shot. Not only does it begin with the ending, but the movement of the shot (together with the next one) takes us from underground (the land of the subconscious, the imagination) up into the light of day -- or, looked at another way, from political and psychological repression into the liberation of the open air. This presages the momentum of the entire movie.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is so locked into the emotional and fantasy world of its protagonist, Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), that the camera itself lies on its side next to her and is then plunges vertiginously into her pupil, entering her head, where the movie takes place. This initial dazzling sweep (actually a composite shot, but executed in once continuous motion) sucks us into the movie so quickly that we barely register what we've seen until the end, when we remember these prophetic first few seconds from the start of the movie.
"Pan's Labyrinth" is riddled with pupils and irises, holes and portals that lead to new worlds. In this first shot, we appear to rise out of the ground (although it's a right-to-left movement, reversing time), into Ofelia's eye into a fantasy realm of her own creation, and then moves back to the right (setting the story into forward motion), following a running figure (Ofelia herself) up a circular stairway and through another doorway, into another chamber, with another stairway. The next shot follows her up the stairs, leading through a reverse of the opening pupil-shot: an eye-hole flooded with white light. And, with that, the movie-proper begins...
Roger Ebert has published a Great Movies review of "Pan's Labyrinth. My own review, originally in the Chicago Sun-Times, is at RogerEbert.com, too, in the Editor's Notes section.
Comments
It's funny you mention this in your Opening Shots project, Jim. I just yesterday wrote about Pan's Labyrinth being nominated into Roger Ebert's Great Movies. And great description of the opening moments of last year's finest movie, which proves just how essential that opening shot is in establishing the themes, compositions, and world of a film. For Guillermo Del Toro, this carries over into ever shot of the movie. It's a pure pleasure to see a director today who uses the various media that make up cinema so effectively to both comment on storytelling and tell a great story.
Posted by: Ted Pigeon | August 28, 2007 06:13 PM
I was so glad to the infinitely brilliant "Pan's Labyrinth" on the opening shots project. I think you capture just about everything about it here Jim, good post. Also if you haven't watched Guillermo del Toro's commentary on "Pan" you should, he's such a great speaker and really enhanced my enjoyment of a movie I already loved.
Posted by: Kyle | August 29, 2007 05:26 AM
It is a gripping opening shot that immediately pulled me into the movie. And the idea that perhaps the whole story, not just what Ofelia encounters in the magical realm, takes place in Ofelia's mind is a fascinating one.
Ted, I will definitely re-comment on your excellent piece I just haven't organized my thoughts on which movie I want to mention.
Posted by: jlapper | August 29, 2007 09:47 AM
It was a wonderful opening shot, and a signal for parents to take there children out of the theatre now, rather than wait for the pistol-whip scene that shatters any lingering hope of an innocent tale. However, when I saw this film in a theater there were several small children (8 and under) present! To my surprise, they weren't terrified, or fascinated, or even interested. They were bored. I guess they were too young to get what was scary. It reminded me of the single most horrifying cinema experience of my life: watching The Elephant Man in the theatre at age 13. I think I was just old enough to understand how truly horrifying his life must have been, and the cruelty in the people around him, but not old enough to deal with it. I felt like I couldn't escape that movie for weeks. I have since become a hard-core Lynch fan, but I will never sit through that movie again.
Posted by: mostofusaredaves | August 29, 2007 11:43 AM
Good shot. Not-so-good movie. It had such potential. Shame Del Toro couldn't find the right balance to put it all together.
Posted by: Bazzy | August 30, 2007 05:35 AM
mostofusaredaves,
I had the same experience with "The Shining"...saw it when I was a kid and wasn't scared, saw it again in my teens and it scared the living crap out of me.
What's funny though about this movie to me is that while a lot of people say it's Del Toro's best, I have a really soft spot for "The Devil's Backbone". While it's difficult for me to say that "Labyrinth" might be the better over all film, "Backbone" was more affecting to me in the end than "Labyrinth" was.
Posted by: Phillip Kelly | August 31, 2007 09:50 AM