Script To Screen: “Pan’s Labyrinth”

The scene in the 2006 movie Pan’s Labyrinth, written by Guillermo del Toro, wherein the Protagonist (Ofelia) moves out of the Ordinary World and into the Extraordinary World, courtesy of the Trickster: Faun.

Story Summary: In the fascist Spain of 1944, the bookish young stepdaughter of a sadistic army officer escapes into an eerie but captivating fantasy world.

ROTUNDA AT CENTER OF LABYRINTH ­- NIGHTThe Green Fairy alights on an ancient monolith at the edge of an
empty stone pool. It’s decorated in Celtic lettering, just
like the one in the forest.Another monolith stands at its center.Ofelia nears the edge of the pool.OFELIA
Hello?!The pool returns her cry, again and again. The tree trunks
creak­ and a cloud covers the moon.OFELIA
Echo! Echo!Then, she hears the sound of something big clattering about
on hooves, like a horse or a bull.VOICE
It’s you­- It’s you­- You’ve returned!!The VOICE is cold and full of sibilance. The cloud moves
aside…On its hind quarters in the shadows is the twisted and
sinister figure of a FAUN. He’s covered in roots and moss.Ofelia backs away­- speechless.FAUN
No­- no­- don’t be afraid­- I beg you!!
Look!!He opens a small wicker basket and from it emerge two more
FAIRIES: one BLUE, one RED.Ofelia smiles.OFELIA
My name is Ofelia. Who are you?FAUN
Me? I’ve had so many names. Old names
that only the wind and the trees can
pronounce.The Green Fairy flies toward its colorful companions.FAUN
I am the mountain, the forest and the
earth. I am… a faun.As he bows to her, moonlight dapples his body. His coarse
hooves and the strange angle of his legs make his courtly
manner clumsy yet oddly gracious.FAUN
Your Highness­-OFELIA
No, I’m- ­FAUN
You are Princess Moanna, daughter of the
King of the Underworld.OFELIA
No­- My father was a tailor.FAUN
You are not born of man. It was the moon
that bore you.Look on your left shoulder and you will
find a mark that proves it.Ofelia instinctively touches her shoulder, with a strange
expression on her face.FAUN
Your real father had us open portals all
over the world to allow your return. This
is the last of them.He opens his arm and gestures at the well around them.FAUN
But we have to make sure that your
essence is intact, that you have not
become a mortal.To insure your return, you have three
tasks to fulfill ­- before the moon is
full.The Faun steps back a few paces. He deposits a large leather
bound book on the ground, as well as a leather bag.FAUN
This is the Book of Crossroads. Open it
when you’re alone and it will show you
your future ­ show you what must be done.Then he and the Fairies fade back into the shadows.Ofelia goes to the book and opens it. No matter how many
pages she turns­--­they are all blank.OFELIA
There’s nothing here­-But she is alone. Absolutely alone in the well.

Here is the scene in the movie in the original Spanish:

One of the single best things you can do to learn the craft of screenwriting is to read the script while watching the movie. After all a screenplay is a blueprint to make a movie and it’s that magic of what happens between printed page and final print that can inform how you approach writing scenes. That is the purpose of Script to Screen, a weekly series on GITS where we analyze a memorable movie scene and the script pages that inspired it.

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