My personal reaction to the film was suprise at how much it reflected the themes we have talked about in class, as well as use the same symbols and story lines. I also enjoyed the film as it told of many personal struggles within larger struggles of the time. The women each have a struggle they are pursuing but each struggle is different. I did not find the women portrayed in the same way, but in different ways. Ofelia, the primary character, was shown in different situations with various emtions and thoughts, all trying to get through her problems and pursue the things she loves. Mercedes appears to be an older version of Ofelia (this is a parallel in the narrative). She is struggling with the world around her, being secretive and completeing tasks to acheive a better world, all the time helping her brother and trying to stay true to her convictions. Ofelia's mother is the opposite, as one who has given in to the situation and to the antagonist, the captain, ignoring Ofelia's dreams. Ofelia's heroic journey begins with decieving a toad and getting a key from him, which may be seen as her learning that she has to get dirty (all the mud) and be decietful in the world to get things done. This may have something to with a princess kissing a toad and turning it into a prince. The second task of getting the dagger is cool because all the food on the table that she is not allowed to eat is red. RED, which we've already seen used several times and here is focused about temptation, that ofelia gives into and that cost the lives of fantasy fairies and almost hers. This entire task is done while a sand-time glass is timing her, representing perhaps that her time, as a girl, is running out. The final task to me is the most important one, in where she refuses to hurt her brother for immortality. However, the faun refers to her brother as a "stranger she doesn't even know" so I think the theme is more about what it means to be human and care for all other humans is a greater reward and more righteous than self preservation. Overall she proves human both in her deciet of the toad, self choice and giving into temptation, and her care for her baby brother. Her errs and sucesses are mixed as she loses immortality but gains a higher award of dying as mortal but living happily with that she loves. Symbolically, the captain's watch represents his attempt to control time- become immortal. When he dies time will stop. He finds mortals weak compared to him as he strives for immortality. He finds this through eternity through his son. I have to talk about the red food of temptation in Ofelia's second task because it relates so well to earlier themes in class. Here we have an innocent young girl who is growing up in the woods where bad things and people lurke all around her. On her way to grow up she encounters tempation, colored in red and made of food that is appetizing (no broccoli but jello and grapes and other fun foods) lure her away from her end goal and almost ruin her and her future. another symbol is getting the key from the toad, which i relate to mercedes as an older ofelia getting the key from the captain to give to the rebels, as she is in a quest of her own. the key aids in the next quest just as the key to the food stores helps the rebels fight on for another day. some of the trauma I found interesting in the story was how innocence was injured, the rabbit hunters senselessly killed, the prisoner with the stutter killed because of his stutter and not because he is a rebel, and of course the mother who is having a baby that is hurting her. These are powerful emotive forces that get to the pathos of the audience. As we've seen, those who continue to obey lose their humanity and their lives, but those who keep true to their values of humanity may die, but they achieve a happyness they could not achieve by obeying. A short happy life provides eternal merriment, don't obey to live- it will kill you. Little red ridding hood, and those other short stories we've read influenced this tale, but so do novels of war such as for whom the bell tolls. This is a story about what it means to grow in the world, and the values that allow you to live and be happy and what values are bad. The faun is an old wise guide, but beyond that I don't really know, he helps ofelia like mercedes but not unconditionally loving... his role seems complex, more complex than just a guide as some heros have on their venture into the belly of the beast. It was an enjoyable movie execpt for one part- the rebels use the key to get the food stores! this implicates mercedes! if they had explosives they should of used them like that captain said! i don't understand this mistake.

I found the film to be emotionally compelling and visually stunning. The story was brilliantly crafted and portrayed, moving fluidly to and from the fantasy world. Being quite familiar with Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, I felt I had a deep understanding of the background and social climate of the Spanish Civil War, which greatly enhanced my viewing experience.  All three of the primary female characters in the film shared similar characteristics – each played the roles of the survivor, the provider, and the protector – although their methods and motivations differed greatly. Ofelia’s method for surviving the omnipresent atrocities and consequences of the war was to experience the world through the buffer of her own imagination, thereby removing herself somewhat from the tragedies that befell her. Carmen, her pregnant mother, survived by withdrawing from her feelings and sense of self, which allowed her to wed a man she despised in order to marry into a position of power. Mercedes’ method was quite the opposite. Rather than hide her feelings from herself, she held them very closely and hid them from the world. Her survival depended on her secrecy (and the Captain underestimating her because of her gender). As a provider, Ofelia gave only what she could: emotional support. She comforted her mother and her unborn half-brother by taking them into her world, where the weight of life’s harshest realities became as light as fairy tales. Carmen, ever-pragmatic, used her marriage to the Captain to provide for the needs of her daughter and her unborn son, and even some amenities, such as Ofelia’s green dress and new shoes. Likewise, Mercedes used her position to provide for her brother and the rest of the band of anti-fascists. As a protector, Ofelia felt her greatest duty was to her brother, putting herself in danger on his behalf in many instances, the most prominent occurring at the film’s climax, when the faun asks for the innocent blood of the infant. Carmen believed she was protecting her children by taking them to the relative safety of the Captain’s villa. Instead, she had taken them directly into the eye of the storm. Mercedes, like Ofelia, put herself in a position of great peril in order to protect the people she valued so greatly. Ofelia’s “Call to Adventure” begins with her discovery of the nymph, which leads her to the labyrinth. Once there, she encounters the faun, who acts as the guardian of the threshold into the fantasy world. In his capacity as an observer, the faun cannot actively act as Ofelia’s protector, but he does offer admonitions and advice for the road of trials ahead. Ofelia succeeds in her first task, retrieving the key from the toad, but errs profoundly when she eats from the pale man’s forbidden fruit. So great is her gaffe, in fact, that she is summarily dismissed from fulfilling her destiny. In an act of magnanimity, the faun gives Ofelia one last chance to become the immortal princess she was born to be: she is to take her newborn brother to the heart of the labyrinth. As biblical in nature as the forbidden fruit, she is asked to sacrifice her baby brother to the faun, just as ol’ Abe was asked to sacrifice Ike. Ofelia’s story is not that of “becoming a woman”, rather, like Campbell’s hero, she is to undergo an amplification or expansion of consciousness. To this end, she functions in the narrative to amplify and expand the viewer’s understanding of courage, beauty, hope, death, and tragedy. The Captain’s watch contained the wretched spite and eternal hate of the Captain’s father, who smashed its face as he died, marking the hour of his death and the end of his time on Earth. In repairing the watch, the Captain rekindled the malevolence of his father, and restored it to the Earth. Mercedes flatly refused the Captain’s request to pass the watch on to his son in order to break the vicious cycle. Since violence and prejudice are learned behaviors, passed from father to son, the act could be seen as a symbolic triumph for the goal of lasting peace on Earth. The great tree was the antithesis to the Captain’s watch. As long as its roots harbored the spite and ugliness of the toad, it could not grow. Once the toad/watch/cycle of violence was removed, the tree could grow in peace again.

I was really surpised by the movie - I had no idea what to expect, but I honestly was not looking forward to it.  I was kind of expecting some really old movie about Greek people with horrible special effects.  However, I thouroughly enjoyed the movie. I thought that it was really interesting, and related to what we've been doing this semester.  Overall, I'm really glad I watched it.  I think that women are portrayed in different ways in this movie.  Ofelia's mother is portrayed as a weakling.  She doesn't seem to think for herself, and everything she does is for the Captain - who doesn't even really love her - he just wants a son to carry on his name.  Her death is symbolic of the fact that she was a weak woman.  On the other hand, Ofelia and Mercedes and both strong women who take matters into their own hands.  They do what they believe in even it's is dangerous.  Although she could get killed for it, Mercedes is helping the soldiers (including her brother)  because she knows that the Captain is an evil asshole.  She even stabs him and cuts his cheek when he confronts her.  Ofelia also is a strong individual.  She doesn't want to be a "slave" to the Captain in a life that she hates.  So, with the help of the faun, she completes a series of tasks in order to meet with her real father.  These tasks and difficult - some are just downright gross - yet she completes them without too much difficulty.  Although she messes up (when she eats the 2 grapes when she is specifically told not to eat anything) and runs out of time, she keeps her calm and draws another door in the ceiling in order to escape the creepy guy chasing her.  This is an example of one of her errors - probably her biggest one.  In the process of this, she also gets two of the faun's little fairies killed, thus angering him.  However, she is successful is her first task - retrieving the golden key from the inside of the frog.  Her most successful task is accidental.  The Captain shoots her, making her bleed.  She falls by the open well/hole and her blood drips inside.  This is the "blood of an innocent" which she needed to open up the portal to be reunited with her father.  The last task is completed, and she is taken to her parents where she is treated as princess of the underworld.  Her function in the narrative is as the hero.  She seems an unlikely candidate, and although it is unconventional, she is the film's hero.  Her road of trials include her mother's remarriage and move to the Captain's place, as well as her three trials that the faun gives her.  Ofelia is becoming a woman throughout her trials.  She is being forced to grow up, to think and do things for herself.  There are several symbols present in the three tasks.  I think that the toad in the first task represents the Captain.  He is an ugly, selfish creature that is keeping something beautiful from growing.  The toad does as he pleases because no one dares to stop him - no one can.  The toad and the Captain are essentially the same thing.  Ofelia defeats them both which shows her strength and power.  The captain's watch symbolizes his time left on earth.  Each time he looks down at his watch you can sense his impending death.  It's kind of odd, but it seems if the characters don't obey then they are rewarded. For example, Ofelia's mother obeys everything she is told to do by both society and the Captain and she dies.  However, Mercedes does not obey the Captain and she is eventually rewarded by being able to see her brother and not having to deal with the Captain.  At the end of the film, Ofelia doesn't obey the faun and does not allow him to get blood from her little brother.  This shows that she is selfless and cares for others and ultimately gains her a crown.  Trauma is present throughout the entire film.  People are constantly being killed or wounded or are dealing with emotional stress, such as Mercedes constantly worrying about her brother's safety.  This film is the typical good vs. evil story.  In the end, good triumphs over evil.  This prevalent them is shown in everything from Shakespeare's Hamlet to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter.  The faun is a mythical creature that helps Ofelia throughout the film.  At first, I was a bit leary of him and didn't trust him - I thought he had evil intentions.  But he heps Ofelia complete her tasks so she can meet her parents.  He even helps her mother become well - until the root is thrown in the fire and her moter dies.  The faun and Ofelia have a relationship that is simialar to that of Odyssseus and Athena in the Odyssey.  The faun, like Athena, is constatnly doing things to help Ofelia whether she realizes it or not.  Without him, Ofelia probably would not have been able to complete her tasks.  And, I think that's it... that was the longest blog EVER

I liked the movie a lot. I enjoyed the mix of violence, gore, magic, and fantasy. The main female characters in this movie are all portrayed differently. Mercedes, the head maid of the household, has placed her life in danger by helping troops that are fighting against her "master". She is sneaky, smart, and brave. Ofelia is a young courious girl who grows in strength and bravery as the movie progresses. She seems sad with her move to the Captain's house and uses fantasy novels as an escape from her saddness. Ofelia's mother is quite different her daughter and Mercedes. She seems to have married the captain for the sole purpose of support and security. No love between them is shown in the movie. To her husband she is considered to be merely a womb where his lineage can grow. Ofelia is given three tasks to complete before she can return to her royal home in the underworld. To me it seems that the reason Ofelia attempts these tasks is to escape from the unhappiness she feels in her current situation. She succeeds in completing these tasks though not without a few bumps. In her second task she gives in and eats a grape from the forbidden table to food. Punishment for eating from the table is being eaten by some freaky looking alien guy with eyeballs on his palms. Luckily she escapes this monsterous being. She completes her final task by disobeying what she was told to do. By refusing to sacrifice her brother she is shown to be nobel and fit to return to her kingdom. I am not sure of the symbols of each task but I did recognize some striking similarities between Ofelia and Mercedes with these tasks. Both hold a very important key, Mercedes always tucks a knife underneath her apron and Ofelia retrieved a knife from the canibals den, and they both put their life in danger for their brothers. The captains watch was passed to him by his father. It is to stop ticking once death has falled upon him. I think that the watch is to symbolize the captain's longing to be like his father. At the same time it seems to haunt him throughout the movie. It gives me the feeling that the fear of death is present in him even though he strives to be brave and strong. I thought that one symbol was the forbidden grape that Ofelia ate. It symbolized the action of Eve eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Life. The guidance of the Faun reminded me of the guidance given by greek gods to humans that we read about in the Odyssey. Obedience is a strong theme throughout the movie. Everyone in the movie was supposed to obey the all mighty captain. If they refused violence or even death followed them. Yet, disobeying was sometimes met with praise. Mercedes went against her master and Ofelia refused to sacrifice her brother. Disobeying is good when obeying is immoral and wrong. Trauma is present in the film in a couple places. First, I think the captain has inflicted physical trauma on many who disagree of challenge him. His character is feared because of this trama and there is always a sense of danger for Ofelia. Ofelia seems to have more emotional trauma because of the death of her father and her mother. This trauma gives her a reason to escape into her fantasy worlds. I think this works with the narrative because you are left wondering if Ofelia was really a princess of a strange underworld or if she is using her imagination to escape from her emotional trauma. There were many influences that I saw in the movie. The first being in the very beginning when the story of the princess's escape is told. The stair in the Labyrinth reminded me of Dante's levels of Hell. Of couse, this may only be because we discussed to book minutes before watching the movie. Another strong influence I saw was Alice in Wonderland. This was particulary seen when Ofelia does her first task. She is wearing a outfit similar to Alice(both consist of a mid-calf dress with a white apron over top it) and then crawls into the roots of the tree much like Alice into the rabbits hole. I also saw a similarity between this movie and Spirited Away. In both movies a little girl stray from her families car and finds something magical in an unlikely place. The faun is a creature that helps guide Ofelia in her tasks. He seems untrustworthy at first but at the end of the movie we find out that he serves Ofelia's true father (the king of some underworld) and has done everything to help Ofelia return to her true home.  

I thought Pan’s Labyrinth was a very interesting movie.  It was a little weird to me because I felt like it was two different stories in one.  Ofelia I suppose sly a Princess and she has to accomplish three tasks to return to her throne.  Her mother’s husband is all about war and taking over, and he wants to have a baby boy that will be able to succeed after him.  Women had a very traditional role in the movie.  Female were Made, Cook, and most of the time serve men and stay home for household tasks.  Ofelia was one of primary female character.  Her mother got married to a captain and was pregnant with a baby boy.  She was a princess and had to accomplish certain tasks to be able to return to her family.  Her mother was also a primary female character.  She spent her time in bed because of her painful pregnancy and she also trying to facilitate Ofelia’s transition to her new life and new father.Mercedes was another primary female character.  She was in charge of household task and caring for Ofelia’s mother.  She was also an ally with the militia against Vidal.Ofelia journey started when she found a piece of wood with and eye sketched on it on a way to Vidal’s house.  She found the tree that piece belonged to and replaced it.  She succeeded on the first task where she had to get the keys from an old tree invaded by a frog.  She made and error on her second task where she ate two grapes when the Faun told her not to eat any of the food.  She is trying to save her mother and her brother from Vidal and she wants to discover her palace.  The last trial was a critical one for Ofelia, the Faun was trying to see how good of a person she was, he wanted to see if she would give her little brother’s life up to be a princess and be an immortal.  She succeeded that last tasks and refused to have her brother killed.  I think that the Vidal was a very “on time” person and every single seconds counted for him.  Has a sign of Honor, he was also supposed to leave his watch to his son to mark his existence.  The faun was also symbol because he was like her advisor for Ofelia, a little like Atena with Odysseus.  The second symbol was the flowers at the end of the movie.  They were evidence of her life on hearth.  Obedience was very important throughout the movie.  Ofelia had to obey to the different rules giving by the faun other wise something bad would happen to her during her trials.  She also had to Obey to the fun when he told her to put the branch thing under her mother’s bed, in order for the pain to go away.  Trauma Happened throughout the movie.  Ofelia dealing with her sick mother, stepfather, new home, different trials she had to accomplish in order to return to her palace seemed to be like most of the fairy tails story for example Cinderella.   The faun is the one who explains that Ofelia is the long-lost Princess Moanna; he provides her with a book talking about her story and gives her hints to different tasks she had to accomplish. 

I really liked the film and felt that it did an excellent job of avoiding cliche's designed to attract box office dollars (ie big boobs and explosions). I particularly liked how each task was not dauntingly hard but still challening for ofelia's character. The women in the film were portrayed in several ways. Mercedes was shown to be couragous and moral versus ofelia's mother who is weak and concerned only with keeping a man and having her daughter look pretty in a green dress. Ofelia by far was my favorite character, especially because of her bravery and unwavering devotion to doing the right thing. While she does disobey pan and eat a grape, that is hardly immoral. But when given the choice of giving up her brother, she doesnt hesitate to deny the sacrifice. Regardless of whether or not her trials were real or in her mind, they were real to her and she showed courage because she believed the trials were real. I think that ofelia's journey at first is about adventure, but as the story progresses and it becomes real to her with her mothers illness it then becomes about doing the right thing. I think the symbols are the little child/root which could signify her brother and as long as she nourishes the child her mother is able to get better. also her brother is symbolic of innocence or sacrifice, while the captain is symbolic of mercilesness.I think the captains watch is symbolic of his own mortality and his link to his father. He seems to look at the watch frequently right before making a decision, almost wondering what his father may have done perhaps? Even right before his death he looked at the watch, and I got a sense of “history repeating itself”, especially when he wanted his son to know his name.  Two other symbols could be the Dr. himself and stuttering. The dr. is portrayed (along with Mercedes) as being strong and ideal, thinking for himself even if its detrimental to his own well being. This culminates when he turns his back to the captain after chastising him, even though he knows the captain likely will shoot him. Stuttering on the other hand is correlated with weakness. The captain gives him a chance to save his own life, but he is unable to do so and is subsequently tortured. The theme of obeying works with the captain by his example. When he executes the mountaineers, his troops follow suit.  Ofelia disobey’s the faun when she eats the grape, and it shows her willingness to think for herself. She also does not obey the fairy’s instruction about which lock box to use the key on, again showing independence. She also goes so far as to question the faun himself, asking him why she should trust him and how she should know what he says is true. Trauma is most evident at the very end when the captain shoots ofelia. On one hand it works to show the sadistic qualities of the captain, but it also serves the purpose of sending ofelia home. While you don’t know whether or not the place her spirit returns to is real or not, you do know that she believes it to  be true by her dying smile. One work I was struck by was alice in wonderland, not only because ofelia goes into the rabbit hole/fig tree but also because her outfit looked just like alice’s. other than that I felt like this was a really original film and did an excellent job of avoiding clichés and other movie aspects that had been done before. I think the faun serves as the guide for ofelia. While at first I thought he was a deceiver, at the end you realize that he truly did want to send the spirit back home to her father. He served to heal her mother, helping ofelia to complete her tasks as well as to give her fairy’s to help guide her.  

My personal reaction to the film was that it was a decent movie a little on the creepy (with the faun and the dude pounding the guys nose into his head...)side but definitely an enjoyable watch.Women are portrayed in this film over all as subservant to the dominant male figure who although clearly evil has a commanding presence to all around him.  The women are as followsOfelia:  She's a girl going through traumatic times with a very active imagination, very curious and quite intelligent. The protagonist of the film.Her Mom:  The type of woman who knows life isn't all about fairy tales and is trying to provide for herself and her family...in particular the unborn child and ofelia.  Submissive to the Captain who I get the feeling she isn't really in love with just a means of support.  I thought she was the character of what Ofelia would become if she gave up on fairy tales and embraced reality.Mercedes:  The strong silently rebeling type who bides her time till she is reunited with her brother.  I thought she played the part of what ofelia would have become if she hadn't been shot, cleary she loves her brother the dearly maybe as much as ofelia who gives her life for her baby bro.Her heroic journey Well she goes to a sort of hell like Odyseus (in the tree vs. the frog) she comes back with the key, she errs by eating the grapes and gets her companions killed (like Odysseus) she succeeds in everything I though she dies at the end to make this a tragidy as well as becomes the princess which makes it a comedy, so bravo to the film for the duality of the whole thing.  I thought that of the symbols in the trails the key was one of the most obvious if the tree with the frog is hell then the key is the thing to better mankind.  You could definitely argue that the whole movie was about Ofelia becoming a woman but I took the movie as a heroin lives in two worlds on in her head and a reality and she fills all of the things it takes to be a hero/heroin.The "captain's" watch was his time left, the story about the great general who broke his watch so his men could see the exact time he died was like a forshadowing/hey this is a symbol here!  The two other symbols I saw in the movie were:  the color red, as death with the creature in the picture's hands the whole lighting in the room of the creature was red and the book was red; the other symbol I saw was the chalk as a link between the two worlds Ofelia's and reality.  The one thing in the movie that just threw me off was the chalk at the end of the movie because she was able to draw a door to the "dream world" and also into the Captian's room so I concluded that it was a link between the two.The theme of "obeying" in the film was also like a sort of duality that the director created.  On one hand the doctor refused to obey and on the other Ofelia was compelled to obey but in both when each chose to disobey death followed.  So its kind of like damned if you do damned if you don't the kill your brother or die save the soldier or die the one constant was the idea of sticking with one's beliefs and morality which did end up killing both the doctor and Ofelia.Trauma was physically present in the death of Ofelia's mother which revives the fairy tales (the faun comes and gives ofelia a second chance) as well as emotionally when ofelia first discovers the fairies is during the transition phase of moving into her new home and then the faun (a much bigger fairy tale character) when she is moved to the maid's quarters.  Trauma had the biggest affect on the narrative theme of the movie by (and we see this in the ominous voice) telling the tales at the beginning, and in the transitions of the trauma a voice that obviously isn't the same as the reality ie you hear fairy tales when the captain traumatizes the audience by beating the dude's nose into his face.  The other works that had a pretty big nfluence on the film was greek mythology in general I think ie. the faun from the greek god Pan, the Labyrinth from the minotar story, the eye-afflicted monster = the cyclops.  Time ticking away is like the three fates who cut the thread.The faun the creepy/mysterious old dude/stranger who starts the hero on the quest ie. Gandalf, Morpheous, etc.

I thought Pan’s Labyrinth was a good film.  I'm not sure that it is a film I would want to add to my collection of DVDs, but I liked it.  At the beginning I had a hard time putting everything together and it just seemed really random, but toward the end I got more into it.  The main female characters in the film were Ofelia, her mother, and Mercedes.  The men in the film, especially the Captain, treat the women terrible.  They are almost treated as the men’s possessions.  The women all take care and look out for each other though.  Ofelia’s journey in the film involves her going to places out of reality.  In one part when she is not supposed to eat anything she eats two grapes.  Because of this she almost gets attacked by a monster type guy and the fairies that are with her get hurt. The faun tells Ofelia how she can help her mother get well, and she succeeds in that until the Captain throws the ‘plant’ into the fire.  In the end Ofelia dies as a mortal, but she ends up in another world with the faun, her mother and her father.  The captain’s watch may symbolize his end coming.  Ofelia’s dress might symbolize her being removed from mortality.  Also, Mercedes knife symbolized her rebellion against the Captain.  Throughout the film many of the characters are supposed to obey someone.  Ofelia is supposed to do everything that the faun tells her to do.  Mercedes, the other maids, and the doctor are supposed to obey everything that the Captain says.  Also, the soldiers under the captain are supposed to obey him.  The Captain and his soldiers kill multiple people during the film.  Ofelia’s mother dying creates a lot of trauma in the film.  Mercedes attacks the Captain.  The Captain attacks Ofelia.  All of this trauma and violence makes the film very suspenseful.  I’m not sure what other works have influenced this film.  It’s not really like any other movies I remember seeing.  The faun acts as Ofelia’s guide through her journey throughout the film.  Overall, the movie was interesting and quite different from anything else I’ve seen.

            I thought the style of the movie was surprising.  The use of fairytales to lighten a story isn’t a new concept but it’s used with less frequency as of late than we saw it used years ago.  I was expecting a movie that was about war and roles of women to have that sort of mythological aspect to it but I thought it was a fasinating element.                         Well the movie wasn’t exactly a feminist movie focused on women’s rights.  It was set in an area, or perhaps just during a time, in which women were viewed as the inferior sex.  Women’s primary use, as with Ophelia’s mother, was to bear children (hopefully boys) who could carry on their Father’s name.  They were “baby makers”.  They weren’t treated with respect and marriage was not a relationship, it was a more of a contract or obligation.  This was made apparent when the captain told the doctor that if the babies safety was at risk at all, let the mother die.  He had no feelings for her, no emotional attachment.             Ophelia, because she wasn’t the blood of the captain and because she couldn’t bear his name and carry it on, was considered useless.  She had no value, no real point.  She was viewed as a annoyance.  She was shoved out of the way.  It was also interesting that she was not schooled in any way, and that people frowned upon her ability to read and her love for learning.  Afterall, what would a girl do with such a skill, right?             Mercedes was able to succeed at being a spy because no one even suspected her.  Women were not thought to be intelligent, they were not looked upon as capable of what she was pulling off being within the very captain’s house and communicating with the other side.  This was how she was bale to go nearly the entire movie without being questioned, even when signs lead to her the captain continued to brush the thought of her aside, it couldn’t be her.             Ophelia was given three tasks, after which she would be allowed to take her place as princess and rule from her thrown.  She succeeded in the first of the tasks, without much trouble.  During the second, she gave way to temptation and ate the food that she was not to touch, which got the fairies eaten, and should have kept her from ever gaining her birthright place as princess, because she never completed task number two.  Given a second chance she “completed” task number three, which was to steal her brother and bring him the Labyrinth.  However, she’s told to hand him over to be sacrificed and she refuses.  Only after she has spared the life of her brother, and given her own in his place, is she told that that was the true success.  Now she can become the princess.             Her journey is to herself.  To find herself within the story.  To figure out who she is as a person and to gain character.  How can someone rule as princess with no real life experience?  She needed to be tested to gain the ability to gain the understanding of people required to rule over them.  That’s what Ophelia’s journey was all about.             The watch.  When I think of the watch I go back to the story that Ophelia read early on in the movie that talked of the noble man who broke his watch so that his son would always know that his father died with honor, and when.  You were made aware of the captain’s watch all throughout the movie but it didn’t really gain it’s meaning until the end when he tries to do the same, leave his watch as a token to his son of who he was.  However, unlike the story of the noble man, the captain’s son, as he is told me Mercedes, will never even know that he existed.  This to him, was the ultimate slap in the face.             The faun was symbolic.  In the stories we read of Greek mythology there is always a sort of “sidekick” to those on their journey to being a hero.  Someone who aids them along the way, who rights a mistake here and there.  The faun was this to Ophelia.  He gave her tasks, but he also gave her advice on how to complete those tasks.  She told her what to do, what not to do.  She aided her along the way, and gave her a second chance when she messed up.             The fruit that Ophelia eats was also symbolic to me.  Fruit, as in the story of Adam and Eve, and others, is used as the temptation.  Adam and Eve were told the same, “do not eat the fruit” and when they did, there was a consequence.  They were told they would die, as was Ophelia, but neither of them did so right away.  The endured punishments though.  Adam and Eve were sent from the garden, while Ophelia had to see the two fairies be killed and was told she could never reign now with her real father by her side.             Obeying meant life or death in the film.  Every time someone didn’t do that they were supposed to do, every time a rule got broken, someone paid for it.  That’s how the mother died, Mercedes brother, the fairies, etc.  Obedience meant though, that nothing would chance.  If Ofelia hadn’t broken in to put the plant below her mother’s bed, she never would have gotten better, and her brother never could have been born.  If the doctor hadn’t killed Mercedes brother, then he would have suffered and told their secrets, but the died to pay the price for it.  The couldn’t be flippant about following the rules, but sometimes they had to make decisions not to follow the rules, and pay whatever price it may hold.             Trauma?  Well, I think the whole movie was emotionally and physically traumatizing to the characters involved.  Ramman Kenoun once said, “In war, there are no winners”.  What he meant, I think, is that war doesn’t leave anyone untouched.  Surviving a war, doesn’t mean that you don’t take it’s aftermath with you, whether on the winning or losing side, for the rest of your life.  Every person in this movie experienced emotional trauma, all either witnessed or experienced the physical as well…no one escaped unscathed.             The movie had many things in common with fairytales…the frog, the abused “princess”, the death of the mother during the film, the already dead father, a stepparent.  All of these are theme’s throughout fairytales that are well known to us from our childhoods.  Those are what stood out to me as influences throughout this movie.   Whew…that was quite a blog.  Ok, sorry to have rambled on forever…I’m finished now.

I didn't know what to expect of the film since I had never watched an entire film with subtitles before, but I actually enjoyed it and the subtitles didn't make a difference. I also liked that it was in spanish because I was recognizing things from taking years of spanish. I liked that the film had its realistic parts along with fantasy. I usually don't like fantasy style films, but this one kept me interested throughout the entire film. It almost seemed like two different stories put into one with the realism and fantasy. I thought that women were potrayed as just not important and second to men. A prime example of this in the movie was when the Captain was being stabbed by Mercedes and he had no idea that it was coming and he was making comments about underestimating Mercedes. Everyone also underestimated Ofelia and what she could accomplish. For being such a young girl she outsmarted the Captain and was able to read into people and knew he was not a good person. She tried to protect her mother and borther throughout the film and performed tremendous feats brought on by the faun. Her mother was also a main female character, but she was not as strong as Ofelia and Mercedes. She let the men in her life treat her as second rate and did not argue. Ofelias journey from being a young girl, to the end where she is basically on her own with her younger brother was a difficult one. She succeeded in putting her brothers life above her own and sacrificing herself. She ended up being back with her mother and father who she loved very much. She failed at one point when she ate the fruit, which caused some of the fairies to be eaten by the monster with hands for eyes. She was the main character in the narrative to which most of the action occured around her. She was sent to perform many task by the faun each leading into the next, such as retrieving the key from the frog, to getting the knife, and returning to the labyrinth on time. Each of these could represent something different as they each get harder as the film progresses showing that Ofelia's journey is not over and life does not get easier. In the film it seems like Ofelia is growing up as the film progresses. She takes on a motherhood figure in the end of the film and this could also represent her moving into womanhood. The Captain's watch is symbolic of his father. The Captain died exactly like his father did except now the curse is broken because the baby boy will never know of his real father or what time he died. At the Captains time of death he still felt proud like he was dying with diginity by smashing his watch like his father, but really he was dying a coward who had just killed a little girl. I think the fairies were symbolic of leading Ofelia from being a child into a strong woman. I also think that when the magic that was under her mothers bed was thrown in the fire was symbolic of nobody believing in Ofelia and that she had to get things done on her own. It seemed like in the film everyone except the Captain was obeying someone. Ofelia had to obey her mother and the faun or else they would become angry. Mercedes had to obey the Captain or else he would go into a rage. Ofelia's mother also had to obey to the Captain. There was also a lot of emotional and physical trauma. There was emotional trauma towards Ofelia's mother at the dinner table when she was insulted by her own husband in front of guests. There was physical trauma with the rabbit hunters, the stuttering man and with the Captain himself. Throughout the  film this trauma occured to every main character in the entire film. I cannot think of a specific film, but this kind of ending occurs in many films where someone will give up their own lives to save another. The faun is a creature living in the labyrinth who gives Ofelia tasks throughout the film. He continously keeps in contact with Ofelia and claims that she is a princess.

This movie was pretty good. I guess I had something completely different in my head so I was not really expecting it to be like that. I like blood and guts movies so I really enjoyed it. It was very entertaining and I did not get bored watching it. Women once again are potrayed as less worth then men. The captain would rather save his sons life then his wifes, he doesnt mind killin Ofelia and he was going to torture the poor maid, I forgot her name. Women were there to cook, clean, and provide sons. Ofelia's journey is to pass three tests that allow her to return to her kingdom and reign as princess. All of her journey is successfull except when she eats the grapes, and ruins her mothers dress (I felt bad for the mom.) Her road of trials are the three tasks and also her step father. I would compare him to Poseidon as in The Odyssey. I would not say Ofelia is becoming a women, I would say it was an escape from the life she is living. The three tasks have things such as temptation, strength, smarts, and sacrifices. The captains father also had a watch that he broke when he died in war. It was a sign that his son should continue on his fathers footsteps and the captain wants to do the same thing for his son. All of the women had to obey the men no matter what. Ofelia had to obey the older people and even the doctor was supposed to obey the captain. Starting with Ofelia, her and everyone above her had to obey those who were higher in rank. At the top of the pyramid was the captain. Even the other soldiers had to obey every word he said. I think that the whole movie was trauma. The captain gave emotional and physical abuse to everyone he came on cpntact with. Ofelia had to deal with her mom dying and having a brother and surviving. She experienced a lot of trauma throughout this whole story which I think is why she created this own little world of hers. The original Labyrinth because of the maze, Alice in Wonderland because both girls create their own world, most all disney movies because there is the good main character, a task to overcome, and a bad guy who is defeated. The faun represents (I forgot what it was called) but the middle man who point Ofelia in the right direction. He wants her to succeed but he knows she has to earn it.

I liked the movie. It was definantly an interesting one, minus the grusome parts that I had to close my eyes on (haha). I think women were shown in a very negative way and I think that was clear despite my slightly "feminist-like" views. First of all, I can probably count the number of women in the movie as compared to men.  There was Merecedes who was the maid, cook, and the "sneaky" one who ran back and forth in the woods to supply food, mail, and weapons to her brother and his army. Then there was the Captain's wife, who's primary and only job was to bear his son, who would supposedly carry on his name. It became clear that she wasn't really all that important in the movie when the Captain told the doctor that if he must chose between his wife's life and his son's that the doctor should save his son. All the other women were just cooks and maids as well, and we didn't even get to know their names. Lastly,there was Ofelia who was given 3 tasks to complete in order to earn her place as princess and who obviously held the most interesting part of all the other women. Her first task was to find the giant toad that lived in a dead tree and get 3 stones in to his mouth so that she could get out the key. She succeeded in this task fairly well. Then she given a piece of chalk and told to use it to open a door into some place(?) where she would have to use the key to open a safe and get out a knife. She was warned of a feast and not to eat a single thing. She was also told that she must be back through the door before the hour glass ran out. Ofelia however, became tempted and ate from the table as well as not making it back in time, which almost cost her her life. Although she still got the knife, she failed in this task because she gave into temptation and got several of the fairys killed. Her last task was to get her baby brother and bring her to the Labyrinth. She completed this task because after bringing him and realizing what she had done she sacrificed her own life to save another's. In a way I think her task were used to see exactly where her heart lies and to prepare her for her thrown. Because a princess must be of noble and caring heart, she was being put to the test to see if she possessed those characteristics. Within the three tasks there were several symbols. The first task, I think the symbol was the key, which represented opening new doors. Ofelia was not to happy living with the Captain and I look at it as being when 1 door is closed another is opened. I think the knife was a symbol of strength and power, both things Ofelia must have to succeed in her task. And the blood of a innocent sacrifice represented, purity and new life. Ofelia shed her blood so that her brother can have life. The Captain's watch was symbolic because it represented his life and the story he was told about his father. He kept looking at his watch throughout the movie and I thought of that as him marking his final hour. I look at Ofelia's books as a symbol. She was always reading fairytales and that seemed to have reminded the watchers that although she had these great task to complete she was still a child. There was a lot of "obeying" in the movie as well as what happens when one fails to obey. Ofelia had to obey the faun and when she didn't he became angry. Mercedes and the doctor had to obey the Captain and when they didn't he became angry and it caused the doctor his life. Physical trauma in the film was when Ofelia's mother was having complications with the pregnancy and emotional trauma was when her mother died. Also physical trauma was when the Captain was torturing the "stutterer" for information and another example of emotional trauma was when the doctor had to inject him to end his misery and pain. I think both work in the film to give it a sympathetic feel. Even with the army having to hind in the woods and Mercedes having to endure the Captains evil ways, the audience could sort of pity them. Whenever Ofelia had to go down the spiral stairs of the Labyrinth, I thought of The Portable Dante, and how he traveled downward into hell. Though not a work looked at in class, this film also made me think of "The Little Princess" because it was also a movie about a little girl whose mother dies and she as well was mistreated and was living as less than a princess and was made fun of for daydreaming and living in fairytales as well. But just like in this movie, she had to overcome certain obstacles and through her big heart for others proofs herself and turned out to really be a princess too. The faun was Pan, the half-man, half-goat that was in charge of giving Ofelia her task and in the end was a subject of the King and Queen.

that this movie was pretty intense and it had a lot of the same flavor as many of the stories we have read in class- it combines a fantasy tale with a real life event in history and i believe that this film was very well done-- I think that the women are seen as second-class by most of the officers in the movie, but overall, they are brave, cunning, adventurous, and very brave- ofelia is very brave and believes in many tales that she reads about, and eventually they come true for her- i think mercedes is shown as the typical maid on the outside but is very cunning and shows alot of heart in trying to help her brother and ofelia in the end- even the mom is very strong, trying to have a baby in the middle of a war and shows intense emotions towards her daughter in trying to get her to be brave- i think overall, the women in this movie are very strong-minded and show that they can be very independant and brave--ofelia is to complete a series of tasks in order to become the immortal princess that she was born to be- she is very succesful in her early mission to feed the frog, but she then errs when she eats the grapes at the feast and is unable to keep the roots under her moms bed secret- i think here function in the movie is to be a source of good out of a bad situation, war, she was put into this bad situation pretty much against her will, told who her father was, and was to lead a sort of life in which she was always taking orders- i dont think that her road of trials, all of the missions the faun gave her, was a way for her to become a woman, but it was a way for her to become free- she led a pretty heartbreaking life with her dad dying, the her mom, and i think that for her surviving this and other hardships, the faun was giving her a chance to become a princess, and lead a privileged life--the roots in the last task were a symbol of her unborn brother, i think that the eyes that were in the funky looking monsters hands were a sign of theft when she ate the grapes, i don't know the symbol with the frog, it was eating all the insects that was killing that tree, but i don't know where what she fed it symbolized anything, except that balls turned into bugs--the captain's watch represents the time when his father dies- it said in the movie that when his father died, he smashed the watch in battle so that his son knew what time he died and how he died bravely- i think the cpt himself planned on doing the same thing but things did not go as smoothe for him- he didnt die with as much honor- another symbol was the green dress ofelia's mom made- i think when she made it, it showed how ofelia was still a little girl that did what her mother said, etc, but after her first task into the tree, she took off the dress, and her little child image, and went into the tree as a brave new person and come out different, more as an adventurer, and thus, the dress was ruined- she was no longer mom's little girl-- the theme of obeying is pretty much the entire movie- ofelia must obey her mother, then the faun, merceded and the mom must obey the captain- then the major plot turns in the movie when you find all these different people disobeying orders- it eventually leads to alot of peoples deaths- i think the movie tries to protray when it good to disobey and when it is bad, and vice versa; obedience is the central theme of the movie and responsible for much of the suspense-- alot of trauma happens in the movie- it happens alot to ofelia- her first encounter with the faun, defeating the frog, almost being captured by the hand-eye monster, getting caught by cpt with the roots, her mother dying, her having to steal here brother etc.- a lot of trauma is done to mercedes as well; she thinks her brother has been captured, she eventually get found out by the cpt, she loses ofelia, etc- i think the movie shows how these women faced and overcame much of the trauma presented to them- the cpt faces some trauma too, but i think the movie is more focused around the women--i thought of the story of adam and eve when ofelia ate the grapes- the faun is a mystical creature that serves as the guide to how ofelia is to complete her tasks- he has a little bit a mythical flavor towards him and he is trying to give ofelia her rightful chance to become princess, which she was originally destined to do- i kind of see him comparable to Athena in the Odyssey or the like