Pan's Labyrinth Women and Gender Roles

In the film Pan’s Labyrinth, directed by Guillermo del Toro, recurring conflicts that occur are those between the male antagonist, Captain Vidal, and the three female protagonists Carmen, Ofelia, and Mercedes. The expected gender roles of the era this film is set in are defied through the use of camera angles, colour filters, diagetic and non-diagetic sound, and dialogue. Carmen, Ofelia, and Mercedes have all been maltreated by Vidal, and each uses her seemingly inferior feminine role to triumph over him in some way, leading to his eventual death.

The first female character we see Captain Vidal control is his new wife Carmen, who he views as merely a baby-carrying vessel for him in a loveless marriage. This is seen in the first interaction we see between the two, where, after welcoming her to the mill, he immediately asks her sit in a wheelchair to decrease the strain on her pregnancy. Carmen initially claims it’s not necessary, stating that she “could walk perfectly well,” but quickly succumbs to the Captain’s wishes and accepts the wheelchair’s seat, condemned there until her death. A slight low-angle shot is used when the audience views Vidal from over Carmen’s shoulder, suggesting him to be an imposing figure. This contrasts with the higher-angled shot when Vidal looks at Carmen, making her appear powerless against his male superiority. Ironically, accepting the wheelchair has placed Carmen even lower than her husband, thus physically and figuratively increasing his dominance over her. In this particular relationship between antagonist and protagonist, there is little conflict, due to Carmen’s submissive nature and willingness to avoid disputes. The only time we observe Carmen rebelling against Vidal is when she begs him to stop hurting Ofelia, and asks him to allow her to discipline her own daughter. To this Vidal uncharacteristically replies, “Fine. As you wish,” as the audience observes him retreat into the shadows, while Carmen grows slightly brighter as...