In addition, the fact that the noise is drowned out by the music, it shows the audience that Ofelia is already entering her fantasy world. This then relates to the current state of Spain. What is important about this piece of music however, is that it sounds just like 'London Bridge is Falling Down', which is a nursery rhyme meant for children, although the meaning behind it is possibly about conflict and death. Although there was diegetic sound of the soldier's speaking in the background, along with Ofelia's mother, all of this noise is drowned out by the non-diegetic sound of music. With the reference to Auschwitz and with the non-diegetic sound of baby's crying in the background, it makes the scene a lot more haunting and a lot more important than one may seem.Īt this point, we notice that the fantasy world is already beginning to mix with the real world. It emphasises this idea of Spain in which it was so dictated that the country almost shut off from the world completely. 1.1 million people died there, yet many people in Spain at the time did not know about it as the media was heavily restricted. While it does make sense, the Pale Man eats the children and then he throws away their clothes, there's an immediate reference to Auschwitz. The camera tracks up from a low angle shot to make the pile look bigger. The next important scene is that of the children's shoes in a pile. In addition this over the shoulder shot emphasises how small Ofelia is compared to the Pale Man, presenting her as weak and vulnerable. This sound is of a loud crash, instantly placed on top of when Ofelia looks up this is a possible hint at the danger to come. When Ofelia notices the Pale Man, there is non-diegetic sound that catches the audience off guard, much alike the main character. It shows her facial expressions too, at how blown away she is by everything in front of her. This emphasises how long the table is and how much food is really on there. In a sense, she is the princess writing her own fairytale.īefore Ofelia realises that the Pale Man is sitting at the end of the table, there is a tracking shot of her walking down the side of the table. With Ofelia being too young to do any of that, she is lost and confused, and so takes comfort into going in and out of her own fantasy. The country, for Ofelia, is dismal and depressing, there is no real place for her as the men are often fighting and the women are serving them. On the other hand however, we also see a warm orange colour through the door this colour could relate to Ofelia's fantasy world. It could also relate to the sickness of Ofelia's mother, who is extremely ill throughout her pregnancy. Guillermo del Toro often uses the same aesthetic in his films, which is this green-blue aquatic coloured theme throughout this green-blue colour emphasises the idea of sickness and disease, which could relate to General Franco's idea of wanting to 'purify' the country of Spain. The medium to long shot shows the audience both outside, the main character and hints at what may be through the now opened door. When we first see the corridor which leads to the Pale Man, there is an immediate colour change.