In our class we researched the artistic, critical and historical context of Pan’s Labyrinth, and split into pairs to do so. My partner and I were studying the historical aspect, and were tasked with summarising a Britannica article on the Spanish Civil War from 1936-1939.

The historical context of Pan’s Labyrinth became crucial to our understanding of the deeper meaning of the film, as Mercedes’ side of the dual narrative is essentially a war/historical fiction movie in of itself, with her aiding the local Republican rebels. As well as this, while sinister on his own, the true fear behind the Pale Man is drawn out when you look at him not just a monster, but as a parallel for fascism in Spain. Vidal’s antagonism is also heightened by his role as a Captain in General Franco’s Nationalist army, as it offers an insight into how he obtained the power and status that he abuses and flaunts throughout the film, and associates him with the evil of that regime.

Additionally, we learnt from the groups studying the artistic context of the film that Pan’s Labyrinth can perhaps be interpreted as a sister-piece to another of Del Toro’s works, The Devil’s Backbone. This allows for intertextual analysis, which could draw comparisons and identify differences between the two films, giving us a better understanding of the director’s intentions in Pan’s Labyrinth and also encouraging the audience to view both of the movies from a new perspective. An example of this intertextual analysis might be that both films use supernatural, fairy-tale elements to investigate and critique political ideas and movements, which supports Del Toro’s idea that ‘the only monsters are humans.’

Finally, the critical context of the Pan’s Labyrinth, while not definitive in determining one’s own opinion of the film, at least gives us an insight into the wider reception of the film at the time, and might indicate how successfully Del Toro conveyed his ideas and perspectives. Therefore, since the reviews were overwhelmingly positive, we can gather that he was successful, and it is worth analysing the film to discover its subtleties and nuances.