Pan's Labyrinth- Representation- Gender

-Responsible for creating life- Carmen giving birth to son and Metaphorically (Ofelia's re-birth)

-Carmen and Mercedes reflect two sides of Ofelia- the need to conform tofu into new family's life and rebel against Fascism.

Representation of men

- Captain Vidal is obsessed by his Fathers military exploits and is equally determined that his own son (He refuses to believe it will be anything other than a male) is born close to him. However, the health of his sick wife is only of secondary importance to him and is dismissive of his step-daughter Ofelia. when Ofelia and Carmen stop out too the car, the camera pans down as Vidal feels Carmens stomach while exiting the car. Vidal forces Carmen to sit in a wheelchair to emphasize his physical dominance over her. 

For the Mise En Scene, there is an emphasis on Vidal's pocket watch which he keeps constantly checking. This shows he is a fastidious time keeper.

- The final scene where he tells the rebels who will soon execute him that his son must know who he was show's the final exhaustion of the patriarchy he represents, as Mercedes tells him that his son will never know who he was.

Politics

-Notice during Vidal’s dinner party when the Mayor states “one ration card per family is not enough”, and the priest replies “he has already saved their souls.Their body does not matter.” This would suggest the ignorance (a religious Crusade allegory) of those institutions who profited (and subsequently turned a ‘blind eye’ towards the inequalities associated to a Spanish fascist regime) from the ultra right-wing mode of politics. 

This scene is the real life version of the Pale man scene. the crackling of the fireplace represents the fires of hell.

 Servants moving along the outside edges of the shot (including Mercedes) – the workers work but Fascists plot. 

Extravagant display of food is hypocritical representation of power juxtaposing bourgeoisie wealth to working classes. Franco’s army unit is represented as a brutalising force of occupation and its commanding officer, Captain Vidal, as a sadistic epitome of evil: cruel to everyone including his own wife and step-daughter. His evident pleasure in torture is straight out of a psycho-horror film. The ruling elite who attend a banquet given by him are equally venal and corrupt and Del Toro clearly has little empathy for the priest and the organised Catholicism he represents.