The Pale Man - Key Scene Analysis

 The Pale Man - Key Scene Analysis 

I believe this is one of the important screenshot's from the scene due to the type of shot used which is a medium full shot. The movement of this shot is important as well, the camera quickly moves over the food on the table to give the audience a view of the enormous amounts of food there is and how important it is to have Ofelia in the scene as well, especially since the camera moves directly to her face. Afterwards, we know Ofelia cannot resist and eats the grapes, ignoring what the Faun had said. This scene is crucial as zooming in on the food and giving us a overview of the food justifies Ofelia's temptation to eat the grapes. Another reason this shot is crucial is because of how it parallels to the banquet scene earlier on. The banquet scene concludes Captain Vidal at the end of the table and everyone else surrounding him. What stuck out to me the most was how similar Captain and Vidal and the Pale Man are in these two shots - Vidal is at the end of the table and so is the Pale Man. They are both in charge and have the ultimate power. I believe the Pale Man is a symbol of fascism and portrays Captain Vidal himself. I also noticed the contrast of the colors in this scene - when Ofelia enters the Pale Man's room, you can clearly notice the vibrant and how warm the tone is. However before Ofelia enters, her room is filled with dark lighting and only blue tones. The food on the table is mainly red, emphasing blood, this foreshadows the danger the food will potentially cause. The paleness of the Pale Man represents the color of the leader of the church, the Pope; Del Toro uses this effect to establish that the church are just as guilty and corrupt as the fascists - The Pale Man has this banquet however still eats the innocent, the Catholic Church have the wealth but still threaten the people of Spain with threats and violence. 

This shot is important to me because of the type of shot used - a long shot. The camera pans over Ofelia's shoulder and the audience's focus is immediately turned to the Pale Man after she eats the grape. This was used to create dramatic irony as the audience acknowledges the danger behind her yet Ofelia has not realized. The Pale Man's performance has been done really well. He is stiff and slow - His slow movements has been done purposefully to build tension and suspense to the scene. We are also put in the shoes of how the fairies feel as well - they warn her not to eat the grape and panic when they see the Pale Man awaken. They warn her multiple times but yet they fail. This is how a normal audience would react to this shot as well.

As Ofelia enters the lair, there are many paintings on the walls and on the ceiling, showing graphic images such as the Pale Man killing and devouring children. The lair is decorated and has a warm tone to it, contrasting to the dull environment she had previously been in. From this, we know Ofelia is n longer in the real world and she is has entered the fantasy world. The Pale Man's character is obsessed with children - his paintings on the walls and ceilings show this, as well as the shoes from the children in a pile in his lair. We can make the assumption in this shot the Pale Man is possibly devouring children to survive. This links back to Captain Vidal and his idea that his unborn child will be a boy to carry his bloodline. He needs his children to carry on and keep the bloodline alive. 

Ofelia's attention in this scene turns to the pile of shoes in the corner, which is interpreted as children's shoes from how many he has devoured. It is a representation of the Pale Man's evil intentions. The dark lighting used is contrast to the warm and orange tone in his lair. The gray and dullish colors represents the children's sadness. The depiction of the shoes has strong connotations of the holocaust. This references back to the time period and feeding off the lives of innocents. 

The type of shot used is a medium shot. This helps us to conclude the nature of Pale Man's appearance and his character. The Pale Man's bloody hands and the eyes in hand present a threatening image to the audience and the blood represents violence/danger that will occur later in this scene. Del Toro took influence and inspiration from Saint Lucia or better known as Saint Lucy. She was Roman Christian martyr who was one of the earlier Christian saints to achieve popularity. Due to various traditions associating her name with light, she was thought to be the patron of sight and depicted by paintings with her eyes on a platter and blood pouring from her sockets. This was a direct influence from the Pale Man. 

The long shot shows a view of the entrance to The Pale Man's lair. In this shot, the camera moves away from Ofelia as she enters the lair; this conveys how insignificant Ofelia is and how she is swallowed by the massive surroundings. The lighting represents the difference between fantasy and reality. Ofelia's room is darkly lit whereas the Pale Man's lair has brighter lighting, as shown in the later scenes. This displays that Ofelia's reality is depressing and despite the danger she faces in her fantasy, she feels more comfortable as there is more light remaining. This shot dissolves into the corridor - showing how large the corridor is. This is crucial we notice this since Ofelia is being chased at the end by the Pale Man. This heightens our fear as we know how long it is.