Brief Context in 3 Films

German Expressionalism and Tim Burton

• German Expressionism is the artistic movement in Germany after World War I. It embodied the mental and physical wounds inflicted after the war was lost.
• The German Expressionist movement carries a legacy that still holds to this day, especially with film makers like Tim Burton. 
• The Expressionist movement as a whole began in the late 19th century through various artistic media. The movement picked up in Germany and heightened with a new medium of art -film.

• Above: A still from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920. The movement is often characterized with dark, stylized sets, with characters whose movements reflect their environment. 
• In the above movie still, both characters shown are twisted and contorted, almost identical to their surroundings. 
• The entire scene (mise en scène) appears chaotic, possibly representing the feelings of the German people at that time.

• Edward Scissorhands was one of Tim Burton’s first major films. 
• His fan base became much of what it is today because of this movie. 
• Burton’s films have always come with the expectation of a unique experience. 
• Burton’s films also often quietly attack social normalcies and question his viewers of what they believe is acceptable, by creating loveable characters. 
• Most of Burton’s movies and productions involve a socially awkward lead who is able to find love or acceptance from someone in society or society itself.
• Using dark humor and unusual examples, Burton tells his stories in a way that only he can. 
• Burton pays homage to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari in Edward Scissorhands by essentially recreating the 1920s film.

In Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp plays a character (Edward Scissorhands) who looks similar to Conrad Veidt (Cesare). Both characters are rather awkward and manipulated throughout both films. Edward by society, Cesare by an evil hypnotist.

When Tim Burton had massive commercial success with his 1992 Batman Returns, it was obvious that Danny DeVito’s Penguin character derived direct inspiration from Dr. Caligari himself, as more of a dark, homicidal, and mentally unstable character as opposed to the intelligent, calculating, and wealthy renditions of the Penguin character in the Batman comics.

SOURCE: https://storify.com/StrangeMixtie/the-influence-of-german-expressionalism-in-tim-bur

French New Wave

In this video, we played with the idea of the French New Wave style of filming, in which we used jump cuts, hand held cameras. However we could've improved our clip with natural lighting and sound. We also could've improved upon the length of the clip, however we didn't have enough footage to put together a longer clip. If we had another chance to make the clip we would manage our time more wisely so that we have more footage to use. I used a black and white filter to give the footage an aged look, as well as a vintage filter to darken the edges.

Magical Realism

In this video I played with the idea of Magical realism and how someone is affected emotionally into thinking that something is there when it isn't. Our idea was that the man is dreaming about his lost lover who he is seen with in his dreams but she isn't there because they are no longer together. I faded the beginning black and white footage into the dream-like footage to make it seem like he's dreaming. I gave the footage a romantic feel to reflect what the man is feeling emotionally. Some footage wasn't useable so it was hard to put together a full clip but I feel that this short clip shows what the full clip would look like. I definitely think theres room for improvement, for example, there could've been more footage at the beginning of the man in reality, perhaps stumbling across items that remind them of his lover. I also think that if we decided on what props to use we could've taken our ideas in a different direction than a romantic relationship. For example, we could've taken a more comical route of a dazed man imaging things are there after being intoxicated; the camerawork, mise-en-scene, editing and lighting could reflect this. For me, it was important to understand the concept of Magical Realism because the film that I am studying, 'Pan's Labyrinth', shows Magical Realism through the main character Ofelia's belief in make belief which distracts her from the struggles she has to cope with in reality.

Styles of National Cinema

1. Magical Realism
2. French New Wave 

Both styles go against the mainstream styles in Hollywood films.

MAGICAL REALISM

An aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements are blended into a realistic atmosphere in order to access a deeper understanding of reality. Magical Realism is a form of fiction which inspires many unique interpretations.

Examples: 

1. "One Hundred Years of Solitude", when one of the characters is shot and his blood trickles all the way across town to his mother.
2. "House of the Spirits" is when a girl with green hair floats away into the clouds because she is so pure.

A professor from Colombia said that "magical realism exists because for us it has to. Life is so bad so often that we can only be happy with the hope of the impossible."

FRENCH NEW WAVE 

A movement in French cinema in the 1960s, led by directors such as Jean Luc Godard and François Truffaut, that abandoned traditional narrative techniques in favor of greater use of symbolism and abstraction and dealt with themes of social alienation,psychopathology, and sexual love. Also called nouvelle vague.

Examples:

Spanish Civil War

BRIEF BACKGROUND

• In the 1930s, Spain was a deeply divided country that was politically torn between right-wing Nationalist and left-wing Republican parties. 
• The Nationalist party was made up of monarchists, landowners, employers, the Roman Catholic Church and the army. 
• The Republicans consisted of the workers, the trade unions, socialists and peasants.
• Economically, the country had been deeply hit by the Great Depression after the Wall Street Crash. 
• Partly due to this turmoil, in 1929 the military dictatorship that had ruled Spain since 1923 collapsed.
• In 1931 the King abdicated after the Republicans came to power.
• There followed a period where the two political rivals had periods in power as the elected government. 
• The country was so divided and unstable that in 1936 the army rebelled and forcibly removed the Republicans from power. Civil war ensued.

IMPORTANCE OF SPAIN IN EUROPE

• If Spain fell to the Nationalists, France would be surrounded by Fascist powers (Germany and Italy). 
• If France was invaded by Fascist nations, the alliances between other anti-Fascist nations would be weakened. 
• In effect, there would be one less nation to resist Fascist plans to expand their borders - one less army to stand up to them.
• Spain also had strategic naval bases on the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean that could be used by the Fascists to control shipping and for setting up submarine bases.
• These could be used to put military and economic pressure on other European nations.

THE RESULTS

• The better organised and better equipped Nationalist forces won the war after Madrid was captured in March 1939.
• Hitler's position in Europe was now strengthened since he had another potential ally in the right-wing dictator of Spain, General Franco.
• Participation and co-operation in the Spanish war strengthened the bond between Italy and Germany. As a result, the Rome-Berlin Axis was formed. Italy and Germany were now firm allies.
• By ignoring the Non-Intervention Committee and its chief architects, France and Britain, Hitler had shown his strength in European affairs.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/higher/history/roadwar/spancivil/revision/1/

H/W & Reading: National Cinema vs Hollywood

• Summarise 5 points the article makes about National vs Hollywood cinema:

1. Language barriers affect how universal a film can be
2. Globalisation is dominated by Hollywood
3. Avant-garde cinema superior to Hollywood
4. Hollywood transformed cinema into an industry
5. National cinema will survive if it keeps getting public funding

• What are the traditional associations with Global Cinema/Art Cinema and what was it's reaction to Hollywood?

Often people prefer to watch Hollywood films because they feel that they are better funded, produced and edited. However many question why Hollywood has become more popular than art cinema in the first place as independent films allow directors to be more creative.

• Why do Nations fund their own cinema, what should they reflect or re-enforce? 

Public funding promotes the nation and the art culture which draws in locals and tourists. They should re-inforce a country's unity and often the cinemas will promote films that promote their nations, such as Guillermo Del Toro's 'Pan's Labyrinth' which bases its story around the Spanish Civil War.

• What is the resistance to Hollywood cinema and it's dominance in European countries?

Most European countries have a resistance to Hollywood cinema because cinema originally started in Europe but was taken over by invested in Hollywood who funded more and more films, turning filmmaking into an industry and making films more generic. Hollywood cinema is now becoming more popular in European countries as Hollywood films are more globalised in order to make a larger profit.

• Why have some European films been less reactive to Hollywood? 

European films are less popular to Hollywood films because they have less money invested in them which can mean that they may not be directed, produced and edited as well as Hollywood films. This means that often people will choose Hollywood films over European films because they'd get more for their money. European films are often watched to support the art culture and the fact that original and creative ideas are still being produced.

People are now getting bored of the generic formula and looking to art cinemas for interesting films to watch. European films can reflect on real events that give the viewers something to think about whereas Hollywood films are often scared to take risks for fear that they won't get the money back from big production costs. However people still prefer Hollywood films because they often produce satisfying endings and stock characters.

• What is the balance audience want from Global Cinema? 

Most audiences would want European films to have more fundings in order to allow better production which gives them a wider audience and better appeal. However, this could de-value small productions films and how this actually makes them be more creative. These films should get more funding to be shown in multiplex's which gives audiences a chance to choose between films rather than just choosing Hollywood films.

• How can you apply this to the messages and themes in your film?

'Pan's Labyrinth', is a take on the Alice in Wonderland tale with Spanish beliefs. The director Guillermo Del Toro ties his story to the Spanish Civil War, post-war and the role of woman in society. Guillermo applies the genre of horror to the fantasy tale as the little girl finds  refuge in an imaginary world. This related to the grown-ups in the modern day world who often want to escape, and watching 'Pan's Labyrinth' is almost like an escape from the real world.

'Pan's Labyrinth' expresses messages and themes through the fantasy characters that the girl escapes in, for example, the Pale Man, is a monster who lures children to his feast, then eats them. The irony is that he has this luxurious feast in front of him yet he cannot eat any of it because he only eats children. This relates back to the Captain who is hoarding food and medicine to make the rebels come to him, and he has most of the food and medicine yet the rebels still won't come to him. In the film, the Captain also uses a banquet to host the other men. Which shows that there must be something false about his intentions with the rebels.

Pan's Labyrinth Study Pack

Pan's Labyrinth Make-Up

• Elvira Guijarro....makeup reinforcement
• David Martí....sfx makeup artist
• Martha Marín....makeup reinforcement 
• Mar Paradela....assistant makeup artist
• Carmen Picazo....trainee makeup artist
• José Quetglás....chief makeup artist
• Blanca Sánchez....chief hairdresser
• Lorenzo Tamburini....prosthetic sculptor
• Sandra Tejedor....auxillary makeup artist
• Arjen Tuiten....special makeup effects artist: The Pale Man, DDT 

 

Pan's Labyrinth Synopsis

Spain, 1944. The end of the Civil War. Recently remarried Carmen moves with her daughter Ofelia into the house of her new husband, coldly authoritarian Vidal, a captain in Franco's army. Finding her new life hard to bear, the young girl seeks refuge in a mysterious labyrinth she discovers next to the sprawling family house. Pan, the guardian, a magical creature, reveals that she is none other than the long lost princess of a magical kingdom. To discover the truth, Ofelia will have to accomplish three dangerous tasks, tasks which nothing has prepared her to face...

Pan's Labyrinth Authorship

• Pan's Labyrinth (2006) took shape in the imagination of Guillermo del Toro as long ago as 1993, when he began to sketch ideas and images in the notebooks he always carries. 
• The Mexican director responded strongly to the horror lurking under the surface of classic fairy tales and had no interest in making a children's film, but instead a film that looked horror straight in the eye. 
• He also rejected all the hackneyed ideas for the creatures of movie fantasy and created a faun, a frog and a horrible Pale Man whose skin hangs in folds from his unwholesome body.

DIRECTOR AND WRITER: Guillermo del Toro

In his filmmaking career, del Toro has alternated between Spanish-language dark fantasy pieces:

• The Devil's Backbone (2001)
• Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

and mainstream American action movies: 

• Blade II (2002)
• Hellboy (2004) 
• Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
• Pacific Rim(2013).

In addition to his directing works, del Toro is a producer, his producing works including acclaimed and/or successful films such as:

• The Orphanage (2007)
• Julia's Eyes (2010) 
• Biutiful(2010)
• Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
• Puss in Boots(2011)
• Mama (2013)
• He was originally chosen by Peter Jackson to direct The Hobbit films; he left the project due to production problems but was still credited as co-writer for his numerous contributions to the script.

Pan's Labyrinth Review

Pan's Labyrinth (Spanish: El laberinto del fauno, "The Labyrinth of the faun") is a 2006 Mexican-Spanish dark fantasy film written and directed by Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by Esperanto Films.

The story takes place in Spain in May–June 1944, five years after the Spanish Civil War. The narrative of the film interweaves this real world with a mythical world centered around an overgrown abandoned labyrinth and a mysterious faun creature, with which the main character, Ofelia, interacts. Ofelia's stepfather, the Captain Vidal, hunts the Spanish Maquis who fight against the Francoist regime in the region, while Ofelia's pregnant mother grows increasingly ill. Ofelia meets several strange and magical creatures who become central to her story, leading her through the trials of the old labyrinth garden. The film employs make-up, Animatronics and CGI effects to bring life to its creatures.

Themes: Drama, Fantasy, Foreign, Science Fiction and War.

REVIEWS