Guillermo del Toro mentioned somewhere, if I recall correctly, that he could almost understand a crime of passion, but it's atrocities borne of cold calculation that is an unfathomably inhumane sort of evil to him.
@The Apocalex Not sure I agree... even the Satanist goth/emo boy in junior high school classes who claims he's evil and likes it because Evil (circular logic) is probably really saying that normalcy failed or hurt him. Somebody in a dictatorial position is probably convincing themselves that it's what's best for people too inferior to know what's good for them. Even sadism isn't really evil for evil's sake if the motivation of a sadist is a sense of satisfaction or fun, not sadism for the sake of sadism...and because I think evil for evil's sake is rare, then I can't consider that characteristic of this species either. Not to resort to woo-woo but after a certain point I can't help thinking, "that's Not Human, there must be something else going on".
@@ellymarks6833 what would you consider evil? Is it what humans consider morally incorrect or is there objective truths to what evil is like species elimination and denying things like the necessities for survival? Not really going anywhere with this just curious
@@ooo662, pain that I cannot escape from makes a strong contender, especially when it's being directly caused by somebody I expect to have the capacity or understanding of somebody else's pain. It's more difficult to call a natural disaster or a large predatory animal "evil"-but, even with the understanding that some people are neurologically wired to behave sadistically, selfishly, dishonestly or deceptively to an extreme even to themselves, relentlessly cultivating dependency so that their targets cannot escape pain or cannot build boundaries to individuate because that's all they know how to do and can't or won't care to stop if it's explained to them why it's bad, and are internally compromised in providing compassionate empathy (except selectively, or transactionally)...then that's evil to me. Advanced enough ignorance that is willful and indistinguishable from malice gets the silver-and the systematic acts of undermining personal agency even in ways that don't cause pain, that wins the bronze.
The woo-woo side is more abstract, it's an idea I got from Marie-Louise von Franz's book "Shadow and Evil in Fairytales" in which, a roundabout way of describing Projective Identification... people heap what they don't like about themselves on a designated acceptable target, whether or not the target earned it by doing something harmful. This is technically psychology, this "heaping-onto" the image we have of a person within our minds, even if it comes from a person who exists outside of our mind. The woo-woo part is the response of the person outside of our minds to become the image that others make of them, whether or not that image was an accurate evaluation of that person before this Projective Identification process. This is not a Persona, or at least not a functional one, as a Persona should protect somebody's true self from what others think about them...whereas when the ego fully identifies with what others think about them, without the integration with the personal Shadow side (in the Shadow's aspect of creativity and wisdom, not only the rejected parts of the self), then that's when it gets strange. Because at the same time, in the broadest and most vague sense, Evil is what happens when a person is possessed to an overwhelming degree by the divine in a context that is inappropriate to host a divine presence. Sometimes the divine works through people in a tempered way, turning mere mortals into earthdwelling angels and inspiring harmony-if the life each person lives has honed them into a suitable vessel or host for the divine, in ways that heavy rituals and lifestyles based on the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment can only hope to imitate or replicate the conditions of. But when this divine presence is not tempered or compatible, then it could very well be the same type of divine force that overwhelms its host to extremely harmful action. In an odd way, we recognize this by our projection: "That's not human." Logically, that's ridiculous, of course human is still the species of a person who does this...but in a backhanded way, removing humanity is recognition of the divine (or elevation to divine) that the vessel or host of this uncanny divine presence is overwhelmed by.
@@ellymarks6833 appreciate the detailed answer, people always seem to have different views when it comes to "evil", I've always had a hard time seeing something as evil, my mind just goes to "that action was at the detriment to society so it's considered morally incorrect"
The look on his face as Mercedes tells him his son won’t even know his name is not one of surprise but of fear. The first time he expresses any true emotion in the entire film. He’s scary because he represents what a human is capable of once they let go of worldly attachment and sympathy in adherence to motivations of authoritarianism.
The most fascinating moment for me is when Dr Ferreiro assists Vidal's torture victim in suicide, despite Vidal's order to keep him alive. When Vidal looks him in the eye and says, "Why didn't you obey me?" he isn't angry or disappointed or scared, but confused. He legitimately cannot comprehend the idea that someone could NOT obey him. And that's also the downfall of fascism: there will always be people to disobey authoritarians.
I love Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s a strongly ethical, poignant, tragic and emotional masterpiece. It powerfully depicts the polar opposites of delicate fantasy and brutal realism, the parameters of our condition as human beings.
Did we forget about: 1. Giving the doctor carte blanch to allow his wife to die 2. The horrifying extent to which he gruesomely tortured the rebel 3. Killing the doctor because he didn’t “fix” the rebel up so that he could torture him some more 4. The cold blooded murder of his young stepdaughter despite having nothing whatsoever to gain from it I think Vidal got off a bit easy in this analysis. 🤔
Him shooting Ofelia in the gut and just leaving her to die was for me the worst part of the film. The best part came moments later when was killed by the rebels, I actually shouted YES! when that happened. Wonderful film.
He killed the doctor because he realized he was with the rebels. The doctor actually killed the rebel so that he couldn’t reveal any more information. He didn’t just not fix him up.
@@starkman78 No? I’m just saying that he didn’t kill the doctor for not fixing the rebel up. He killed him because he realized that he was with the rebels.
I almost felt bad for him when he was told his child would never even know his name, but then I remembered that he shot his stepdaughter and that sympathy disappeared.
There are two moments in the film where I just don't know what to make of Vidal's character. The first is the part at the dinner party after the other officer tells the story about Vidal's father and the watch. Rather than confirming the validity of the story, he scornfully lies and says his father never carried a watch. The second one is when he's shaving and he stares intensely at himself before holding his straight razor up to his own throat in the mirror and mock slashes it. I agree the the analysis largely, that Vidal's primary drive in life is to live up to the reputation that his father left behind. But I also believe that there was a part of him deep down, deeper perhaps than any other human emotion he buried away, that genuinely hated his father. In the first scene, the officer was telling a story about a heroic man who, in the face of defeat, smashed his watch so his son would know what time he died, and what it meant to die a man. And Vidal's response? "Pfft, that never happened." It was like he was trying to deny his father that one small bit of extra respect from the other guests around him, making it just slightly easier for Vidal to live up to him. The second scene I always interpreted as Vidal seeing his father's face in himself as a grown man, and he is so filled with anger towards his father that he acts out an imaginary scenario where he slits his father's throat. I don't know if I've interpreted these parts the way Del Toro intended, but that's what makes Vidal such a compelling villain, he's not just evil for the sake of it, there are little moments throughout the film that hint at the inner workings of his mind. I just wanted to bring these two scenes up because I've watched a few UA-cam videos that analyse Vidal as a character, and none of them make mention of either of them. If you've made it this far, I genuinely thank you for bearing with me!
i think you raise a very interesting point, i think his fathers heroic death to him may have felt as betrayal and abandonment and started his rejection of emotions, if his father didnt care about him and died as one more cog in the war machine then Vidal can justify living in such a detached way too, it doesn't have to hurt losing somebody and its impersonal to kill others, the story was too incongruent with his dehumanised worldview.
My interpretation of the father story was that he hated his old man, who probably put all the ideas in him, Vidal is now projecting in his son. Having a son that remembers him is Vidals way of making himself immortal. As long as Vidals son remembers his father as a heroic soldier, he remembers the perfect version of Vidal, that he wants to appear as. The mirror scene plays into that, because it shows Vidal as someone who isn't afraid of death, but welcome's it with open arms, like a soldier should (at least in Vidals mind). It shows that Vidal doesn't appreciate life, only how it ends. A cult of death that probably started with his father and ends with him.
I believe you are largely on to some of the proper points. In my view, the reason Vidal is scornful about the story regarding his farther's heroics, is likely twofold: Vidal is a narcissist, and it stands to reason that his dad also was. Vidal very likely had an abusive childhood. Likely psychologically abusive more than physically. At the very least it was emotionally distant. His mother loved Christ more than him and his dad loved country/army/whatever. Vidal's narcissistic traits forbids him to praise and idolate another human, because it takes focus away from him. At the same time he has romanticized his dad's accomplishments in his own head, so he is in a weird love/hate situation. Having other people praise his dad, though, isn't good. It makes Vidal look inferior by comparison. He doesn't like that. I think the mock slashing of his own throat is his human nature struggling with his assumed nature. I don't believe people are inherently sadistic, but it can be formed at an early age. I think Vidal hates himself. Deep down. He hates what he is, and he hates his father for not being there to help him be different. Vidal isn't ever happy. He smiles very few times in the movie. Like even a courtesy smile is hard to find. He might not be consciously aware, but I don't think Vidal likes life at all. He is constantly burdened with what he perceives as other people's inadequacies and he firmly believes rebels are trying to ruin his country. He is forced to live out in the country side instead of a more comfortable life in the city. I don't know. I think the throat slashing is the duality struggle inside him.
Yes, he's pretty damn evil. He was lustful over a young girl and as punishment for her "evil" influence on him wanted to hill her. He also manipulated and gas lit a poor disabled man.
Yet he serves the forces of order, oppression, statism, papism, collectivism, and totalitarianism. It's like he's caught between the dual extremes of master morality and slave morality.
That's just the actor showing the strain from having had to devolve his whole career from witty, eloquent roles towards what turned into his two biggest hits. Pay no, and I REPEAT! NO!! Attention to the ticking time bomb that is Mr. R...[edacted].
When he snatches his hand away from his wife's during her story, it was out of embarrassment. Those gossiping hens were implying that something scandalous had taken place. So then he immediately wanted to create physical distance between the two. He's such an ass. I don't know how she could fall for a man like that. Maybe he can turn on the charm when he wants.
It’s been a while since I saw the film but from what I remember she didn’t fall for him really. Her husband had died so she was left to take care of her daughter on her own which back then was really hard and also kind of a taboo of sorts so having a high ranked military man want to marry you probably didn’t seem like a bad choice compared to her other options at the time.
What Dj the turtle said. I'll add one thing: We, the lucky folks living in the 2000's, really CAN'T understand just how many horrible things used to be the norm for all of human existence.
hey, do you have the script for that by any chance? i'm in a drama group and a huge fan of this film, so I'd be really interested in seeing what the theatre adaptation is like to maybe perform it!
What about Tommy from Goodfellas? It still hits me in the stomach when I think of how he killed that poor kid just because Jimmy (jokingly) made him feel insecure . Or maybe do an episode with all 3 psychos, Henry, Tommy and Jimmy.
Absolutely with you on Tommy and Jimmy, but I'm not sure I'd call Henry evil. Violent definitely, he busts heads when needed but he never killed anyone.
I know this character isn’t from a movie, but you should TOTALLY do an episode on Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones. He’s such a charismatic and strong willed person and the actor portrayed him beautifully from book to screen.
Well he's discussed video game villains like Yu Yevon and Ganondorf, so I wouldn't think TV villains are off the table. If anything they should have an equal opportunity to get a video, as there's more content to analyse.
Tywin Lannister is far from evil. He is no Saint either but he is defiantly not evil. That is a title that is much more fitting of his grandson Joffery Baratheon, or Ramsey Bolton.
I'm happy to see you cover this one, Pan's Labyrinth is one of the best movie experiences I've had! I'm also glad to see that you too have gotten yourself a sponsor. Keep on making these awesome videos, they are appreciated and enjoyed!
@@dboymax1 I probably wouldn't have found out about this otherwise. Just switched to ExpressVPN. They proudly advertise as a selling point that they've never been hacked. Lol Thanks guys.
YES! There is just something off putting that I can't quite articulate, but I am sure Vile can do perfectly. I mean I know the killings are awful but something more primal and scary is in there too.
What a greatly made villain with a satisfying death. He doesn’t get pummelled or tortured to death, he gets a death he really deserves, struck right where it hurts the most. He wanted to live up to his father and wanted his child to do the same, as the watch showed it was the most important thing to him, and he probably meant for the child to inherit the watch, for some kind of legacy, and he was robbed of that. Years of torture couldn’t make him suffer like the one simple sentence which was the last thing he heard.
@@TheCapedCrusader39 I agree, but state is just a monopoly on violence. Power is about being able to enforce your will and do whatever is necessary to enforce it, killing people being the lowest of your worries. Wake up, can't stay blissfully ignorant forever
Very good analysis, but there is one thing which I wished you would have explored deeper: that of his distorted view of fatherhood. A main premise of the movie involves his strange order to have his pregnant wife be with him on the battlefield. Obviously, this disorder comes from his own experience. But it also drives so much of his character
that scene when he ask Merceds to taste the coffee, in fact he want to make sure it is not poison in the coffee, he wanna make sure that Mercedes taste it and if it is poisoned he will then know, at least that was the impression i got from that scene
I did an essay about the use of fairytales in del Toro's work as it related to this film, and your point about fastidiousness definitely came up. The vain stepmother is a common trope, but how often do we actually meet a vain stepfather in these kinds of stories, yeah?
I always interpreted the relationship between Mercedes and Vidal as one of one sided tenderness. Vidal knows he is intimidating to Mercedes, but he actually does like her, and so he's being uncommonly gentle and playful with her. In other words she is the woman he actually likes, not his wife, but he chose his wife as she had a child already and he's desperate for a son so he went with the proven fertile woman, not the woman he actually wanted. He's also uncommonly forgiving with Mercedes looking more hurt than terrified when she's cutting him up and calling him names - he looks more betrayed than terrified and again when she tells him his son won't know his name he again looks betrayed that she would think so little of him as to not even give him his final wish to tell his son that he died as a brave man - and again shows emotion as he's less terrified of death than of never getting to be a father to his son. It's the one time we see Vidal's gentler side.
But considering Vidal's sociopathy, he treated Mercedes the way someone would treat a prized trophy and in his mind, Mercedes doesn't register as a person, more as a possession.
@@jorgebersabe293 I’m going to have to agree with you. He probably sees it as his manly “Right” to have a side girl/mistress by his side but a loyal and faithful and dutifully wife
@@whitedragoness23 And Mercedes isn't going to allow herself to be Vidal's mistress in any way or form. Because both of her convictions and because she watched how he treats Carmen on a daily basis.
I've just finished this film for the first time. One thing I noticed is that Vidal almost prophetically brings fourth the events that lead to Ofelia entering the kingdom. He; pulls Ofelia and her mother to the area where the labyrinth is, makes her life so terrifying that she is willing to carry out the dangerous steps to fulfilling that prophecy, fathered the child who was needed for the final task and spilled Ofelia's "innocent blood"... Without him exactly as he is, none of this happens
I'm surprised you didn't mention he killed a little girl, his fucking step daughter, in cold blood because she took her brother. Vidal only really cares of his image and legacy
Thats an incredibly ignorant statement if I am honest. I'm sure the Russians and Americans who fought the Afghans would still consider their time as war. But I guess Vietnam was also 'not war' since rice paddy Vietcong are not exactly an equivalent to US military might.
@@iliftthingsupandputthemdow4364 That's an incredibly ignorant statement, if I'm honest. The movie takes place in 1944; five years after the Republic's defeat in the Spainish Civil War. There was no worthy resistance after 1939. He was only up against thugs.
"low intensity war" huh? Could you compare and contrast the unique individual challenges between, civil, guerilla, and total war? We had military officers who were heroes in WW2 go on to lose in Korea and Vietnam. But also the studies after the Vietnam war revealed the average soldier in Vietnam saw a significant amount more combat than the average WW2 soldier. Something on the order of 200-300%
I feel this movie got kinda forgotten about over the years, such a great movie! Never forget seeing this in threaters as a kid and having my mind blown!
One of my all time favourite film villains! Some other great villains that would be interesting to analyse are: Roy Batty - Blade Runner Begbie - Trainspotting Frank Booth - Blue Velvet Mr Bytes - The Elephant Man Evil Genius - Time Bandits Gus Fring - Breaking Bad Hans Gruber - Die Hard Hal 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey Baby Jane Hudson - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Li’l Zé - City of God Harry Lime - The Third Man Don Logan - Sexy Beast Reverend Harry Powell - The Night of the Hunter Professor Ratigan - The Great Mouse Detective Thanos - The Avengers Lorren Visser - Blood Simple
Dude i watched it for the first time when i was 12 and couldn't even get to the middle i was so traumatized. The scene where he bashes in the hunters face haunted my nightmares for years hahahahahha
Aside from the being unemotional, calm and fearless in a combat situation, which you need to be or you die too, he's a caricature of a soldier. Even Franco smiled around his family.
Little detail: when he shoots the elder man, he also nearly hits his own soldier. Showing that not only does he have a complete disregard for human life, not even the men under his own command are considered worth his time. Which maybe says a lot of how he actually sees soldiers. Since if he had killed his own subordinate with the shot, it would have been a dishonorable death
Do Delores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series and Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars series! I would like to see you unique analysis of the evil of those two characters...
@@1bridge11 Yes but I believe he is a hallucigenic manifestation of the narrators "shadowy side". The main character is clearly suffering from some form of mental illness, possibly DID etc. The fact that his Tyler alter ego is a wild brutal force of nature, underlines the narrators propensity for violence and destruction through a detached, uninhibited sense of self. I wouldn't call him evil in the traditional sense, but in terms of personal fragmentation and self destruction. Durden is the man he'd like to be if he had more bravado and machismo. That's why there's a disconnect between the two, i.e. a battle between self repression, the narrator, and mayhem, Durden. Along with this inner shadow or evil, one could also argue that the Narrator's villainy comes from self detachment and avoidance . e. g He avoids truly coming to grips with his problems and only goes to therapy to reap pity and gratification. By avoiding his real underlining problems he enables Durden, his darker repressed side, to emerge as a consequence of his ongoing dissatisfaction with society and his inability to find real worth and connection. Ultimately his evil is a personal one, a dark edgy phantom that lurks inside all of us just waiting for the right circumstances.
A lovely listen, thank you. I think for me I really felt he had an obsession with legacy and being remembered just like his father was. When he realized his son would not know anything about him that's when he showed true fear.
I'd rather to see the other anthagonist of the same movie, Percy is almost childish even in his evil ways, the other character is ruthless and sees fun in it, much scarier imo
I've had a bit or time to think it over and I have a few recommendations for future videos. 1. Tom Marvolo Riddle/Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter/Witches and Wizards Franchise 2. Light Yagami from Death Note (The Anime) 3. The Major from Hellsing Ultimate 4. Ardyn from Final Fantasy XV
6:10 - to repair a watch while wearing leather gloves is a disturbing metaphor - for control, for discipline, for the mortification of the flesh (a recurring Catholic trope)... and is a great insight into the character of Capt. Vidal.
Captain Vidal is the kind of person who seeks out a job where he can be in charge, ends up in a minor position of authority, and is a sadist. He reminds me of a teacher I had who would give out the most outrageous punishments for not answering fast enough. I think that if he could've tortured boys or beat them with whips, he would've. He was always dressed in a black suit, and his speech was very clipped. But he never raised his voice or showed anger in his face and speech. Now if that teacher had been in a position where he could legally torture and kill people, I bet he would have. That's what happened with Franco, Hitler, and Pinochet. It was a great place to be a criminal: you could rape, torture, and abuse, as long as you did it for the state.
This is absolutely fantastic. I’m going to share this with my professor if you don’t mind. I’m in school right now involving creative approaches to film. Keep this up.
Tale Foundry suggests that the Pale Man is a manifestation, or maybe a metaphor, of Vidal’s soul: Ugly, weak, pale, blind, cruel, and capable only of killing and consuming. A neat interpretation!
I think a very beautiful detail shown in this movie (but missed upon many) is Ophelia's initial reaction to Vidal when introduced to him. Mind you, throughout the movie, she is meeting many creatures and monsters that could possibly harm her in the worst of ways. however, she looks at all of them in awe; curiosity, but also wonder. Although, in the introduction of all the characters and seeing Ophelia interact with Vidal for the first time her face is full of fear and uncertainty. She extends her hand as a peaceful gesture, but his reaction makes puts her caution on edge. It's as if no monster she comes across could compare to the most human resembling one that is keeping her mother and brother hostage, and he's the last monster she had to learn to overcome.
I like that in a movie with some scary supernatural elements, it is a plain but competent killer without emotions in a uniform that terrifies me the most.
@@Waxwell1 yea I saw that it was well done I wanted to get his take lol jk on the man I think the way he does it is unquestionably unique and want to see what it would be like hey man thanks for the recommendation
Just discovered your channel a few days ago and love this analyzing evil. Recommendation for you would be Gideon from The Scott Pilgrim comics/movie/game. I think taking a look at a comedy character that also had some really evil tendencies would be really cool. Hopefully I'll see this in the future. Thanks
Re: the song. I believe the choice of music is very intentional I believe that Videl, NOT the rebels, who is the true prisoner reflected in the lyrics. The shaving scene concludes with him making a throat-slitting gesture towards his own reflection. I've heard the term Death Cult being used a lot surrounding Fascism and the captain's own personal connection to death on the battlefield through his father means even when he wins, he's driven by a death wish in the long term. This, combined with his narcissistic traits you mentioned means he's locked in a prison of his ideology's making.
I watched this for the first time yesterday. I feel about Vidal similarly as Barnes in ‘Platoon’ - in another situation, I feel like he would have been a strong and admired member of his community.
@@SwfanredLotr I believe you're talking about "Griffith Did Nothing Wrong" correct? I actually found myself watching that video not too long ago. I highly recommend it. Thank you for the suggestion!
Dude, as soon as i have the money I'm joining your patreon! What an incredible analysis of this character! I love this channel. I can't believe you're actually going to analyze Alexander DeLarge!! I am sweating with anticipation! Keep up the great content and i appreciate the work you do. God bless The Vile Eye.
Great video, as usual, i would like to recommend taking a look at the character "Mick Taylor" from the underrated 2005 horror film "Wolf Creek", i think he'd be absolutely perfect for one of these videos, also the film has a sequel and a TV series, but i haven't seen them.
This character was designed to be so evil, sometimes it is hard for me to believe it. Normally other villains have some hint of humanity, but this one is like a robot
I’d love it if you could make a video explaining how you come to the conclusion that a specific character is evil and what to do with characters that do evil things without actually being evil. Or if evil is audience perception and if we’re firmly on their side can they actually be considered evil. Case in point Dani in Midsommar and the family in Hereditary
@@jorgealvarado2471 yeah i agree with you but it's slightly different . Im Bengali (muslim bengali) and the ideal man is extremely different to what machismo or manlyness in England or latin culture would be .
Captain Vidal perfectly embodies the evil side, scares his human monstrosity much more than the rest of the beings that populate history, Vidal does not hesitate to use cruel procedures to carry out brutal torture to achieve his goal (such as the sequence in the disfiguring a hare hunter with a bottle). His arrogance and military pride end up shaping this character that it is not easy to get rid of after finishing watching the film, the film by Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro has managed to portray as few times that essence mixture of fear and harshness that the character instills.
Just watched Pan's Labyrinth, I ended up having such a massive respect for Vidal as a person and character. Especially when he stitches his Glasgow Half-Smirk, he never lets up or flinches! Even at his death, he walks to meet his fate with dignity.
Guillermo del Toro mentioned somewhere, if I recall correctly, that he could almost understand a crime of passion, but it's atrocities borne of cold calculation that is an unfathomably inhumane sort of evil to him.
@The Apocalex Not sure I agree... even the Satanist goth/emo boy in junior high school classes who claims he's evil and likes it because Evil (circular logic) is probably really saying that normalcy failed or hurt him. Somebody in a dictatorial position is probably convincing themselves that it's what's best for people too inferior to know what's good for them. Even sadism isn't really evil for evil's sake if the motivation of a sadist is a sense of satisfaction or fun, not sadism for the sake of sadism...and because I think evil for evil's sake is rare, then I can't consider that characteristic of this species either. Not to resort to woo-woo but after a certain point I can't help thinking, "that's Not Human, there must be something else going on".
@@ellymarks6833 what would you consider evil? Is it what humans consider morally incorrect or is there objective truths to what evil is like species elimination and denying things like the necessities for survival? Not really going anywhere with this just curious
@@ooo662, pain that I cannot escape from makes a strong contender, especially when it's being directly caused by somebody I expect to have the capacity or understanding of somebody else's pain. It's more difficult to call a natural disaster or a large predatory animal "evil"-but, even with the understanding that some people are neurologically wired to behave sadistically, selfishly, dishonestly or deceptively to an extreme even to themselves, relentlessly cultivating dependency so that their targets cannot escape pain or cannot build boundaries to individuate because that's all they know how to do and can't or won't care to stop if it's explained to them why it's bad, and are internally compromised in providing compassionate empathy (except selectively, or transactionally)...then that's evil to me.
Advanced enough ignorance that is willful and indistinguishable from malice gets the silver-and the systematic acts of undermining personal agency even in ways that don't cause pain, that wins the bronze.
The woo-woo side is more abstract, it's an idea I got from Marie-Louise von Franz's book "Shadow and Evil in Fairytales" in which, a roundabout way of describing Projective Identification... people heap what they don't like about themselves on a designated acceptable target, whether or not the target earned it by doing something harmful. This is technically psychology, this "heaping-onto" the image we have of a person within our minds, even if it comes from a person who exists outside of our mind. The woo-woo part is the response of the person outside of our minds to become the image that others make of them, whether or not that image was an accurate evaluation of that person before this Projective Identification process. This is not a Persona, or at least not a functional one, as a Persona should protect somebody's true self from what others think about them...whereas when the ego fully identifies with what others think about them, without the integration with the personal Shadow side (in the Shadow's aspect of creativity and wisdom, not only the rejected parts of the self), then that's when it gets strange.
Because at the same time, in the broadest and most vague sense, Evil is what happens when a person is possessed to an overwhelming degree by the divine in a context that is inappropriate to host a divine presence.
Sometimes the divine works through people in a tempered way, turning mere mortals into earthdwelling angels and inspiring harmony-if the life each person lives has honed them into a suitable vessel or host for the divine, in ways that heavy rituals and lifestyles based on the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment can only hope to imitate or replicate the conditions of.
But when this divine presence is not tempered or compatible, then it could very well be the same type of divine force that overwhelms its host to extremely harmful action.
In an odd way, we recognize this by our projection: "That's not human." Logically, that's ridiculous, of course human is still the species of a person who does this...but in a backhanded way, removing humanity is recognition of the divine (or elevation to divine) that the vessel or host of this uncanny divine presence is overwhelmed by.
@@ellymarks6833 appreciate the detailed answer, people always seem to have different views when it comes to "evil", I've always had a hard time seeing something as evil, my mind just goes to "that action was at the detriment to society so it's considered morally incorrect"
The look on his face as Mercedes tells him his son won’t even know his name is not one of surprise but of fear. The first time he expresses any true emotion in the entire film. He’s scary because he represents what a human is capable of once they let go of worldly attachment and sympathy in adherence to motivations of authoritarianism.
It's a mixture of emotions obviously. Which is good acting from the guy playing the most wooden character in the movie
That's still his genetic son.
@@shamuu13 Genes don't mean shit boy! We follow the found family troupe in this house hold!
@@matthewgallaway3675 Goof
The bottle scene will always make me feel scared
The most fascinating moment for me is when Dr Ferreiro assists Vidal's torture victim in suicide, despite Vidal's order to keep him alive. When Vidal looks him in the eye and says, "Why didn't you obey me?" he isn't angry or disappointed or scared, but confused. He legitimately cannot comprehend the idea that someone could NOT obey him. And that's also the downfall of fascism: there will always be people to disobey authoritarians.
Well said👍
...and you can see what happens next to the ones who dissobeys authoritarians.
Eventually we see the downfall of authoritarianism. Most people want to be free.
Communism isn't better than fascism.
@@bethfinne3260what is freedom
I love Pan’s Labyrinth. It’s a strongly ethical, poignant, tragic and emotional masterpiece. It powerfully depicts the polar opposites of delicate fantasy and brutal realism, the parameters of our condition as human beings.
Did we forget about:
1. Giving the doctor carte blanch to allow his wife to die
2. The horrifying extent to which he gruesomely tortured the rebel
3. Killing the doctor because he didn’t “fix” the rebel up so that he could torture him some more
4. The cold blooded murder of his young stepdaughter despite having nothing whatsoever to gain from it
I think Vidal got off a bit easy in this analysis. 🤔
Him shooting Ofelia in the gut and just leaving her to die was for me the worst part of the film. The best part came moments later when was killed by the rebels, I actually shouted YES! when that happened. Wonderful film.
I kept waiting for mention of 1, 2, and 4.
He killed the doctor because he realized he was with the rebels.
The doctor actually killed the rebel so that he couldn’t reveal any more information. He didn’t just not fix him up.
@@capncake8837 umm… are those elements supposed to be excuses for Vidal? 🤷🏽♀️
@@starkman78 No? I’m just saying that he didn’t kill the doctor for not fixing the rebel up. He killed him because he realized that he was with the rebels.
I almost felt bad for him when he was told his child would never even know his name, but then I remembered that he shot his stepdaughter and that sympathy disappeared.
Yeah, no. That's exactly what he deserves.
@@MySerpentine The child has the right to know who his father was. He has the right to choose his path.
@@frollo5332 I feel like it would only hurt him to know, if he's the slightest bit decent.
@@frollo5332 Yall stay glazing dads, even ones that are inherently evil man gtfoh
@@MySerpentine No shit, Sherlock. Did you read the last part of my sentence, or are the type who doesn't listen but just waits for his turn to talk?
There are two moments in the film where I just don't know what to make of Vidal's character.
The first is the part at the dinner party after the other officer tells the story about Vidal's father and the watch. Rather than confirming the validity of the story, he scornfully lies and says his father never carried a watch.
The second one is when he's shaving and he stares intensely at himself before holding his straight razor up to his own throat in the mirror and mock slashes it.
I agree the the analysis largely, that Vidal's primary drive in life is to live up to the reputation that his father left behind. But I also believe that there was a part of him deep down, deeper perhaps than any other human emotion he buried away, that genuinely hated his father.
In the first scene, the officer was telling a story about a heroic man who, in the face of defeat, smashed his watch so his son would know what time he died, and what it meant to die a man.
And Vidal's response? "Pfft, that never happened." It was like he was trying to deny his father that one small bit of extra respect from the other guests around him, making it just slightly easier for Vidal to live up to him.
The second scene I always interpreted as Vidal seeing his father's face in himself as a grown man, and he is so filled with anger towards his father that he acts out an imaginary scenario where he slits his father's throat.
I don't know if I've interpreted these parts the way Del Toro intended, but that's what makes Vidal such a compelling villain, he's not just evil for the sake of it, there are little moments throughout the film that hint at the inner workings of his mind.
I just wanted to bring these two scenes up because I've watched a few UA-cam videos that analyse Vidal as a character, and none of them make mention of either of them.
If you've made it this far, I genuinely thank you for bearing with me!
i think you raise a very interesting point, i think his fathers heroic death to him may have felt as betrayal and abandonment and started his rejection of emotions, if his father didnt care about him and died as one more cog in the war machine then Vidal can justify living in such a detached way too, it doesn't have to hurt losing somebody and its impersonal to kill others, the story was too incongruent with his dehumanised worldview.
Oh, this is an amazing analysis! Finally, I have a possible explanation for those two scenes!! Thank you so much!!!
My interpretation of the father story was that he hated his old man, who probably put all the ideas in him, Vidal is now projecting in his son. Having a son that remembers him is Vidals way of making himself immortal. As long as Vidals son remembers his father as a heroic soldier, he remembers the perfect version of Vidal, that he wants to appear as.
The mirror scene plays into that, because it shows Vidal as someone who isn't afraid of death, but welcome's it with open arms, like a soldier should (at least in Vidals mind). It shows that Vidal doesn't appreciate life, only how it ends. A cult of death that probably started with his father and ends with him.
That's an extremely good analysis and it makes a lot of sense
I believe you are largely on to some of the proper points. In my view, the reason Vidal is scornful about the story regarding his farther's heroics, is likely twofold: Vidal is a narcissist, and it stands to reason that his dad also was. Vidal very likely had an abusive childhood. Likely psychologically abusive more than physically. At the very least it was emotionally distant. His mother loved Christ more than him and his dad loved country/army/whatever. Vidal's narcissistic traits forbids him to praise and idolate another human, because it takes focus away from him. At the same time he has romanticized his dad's accomplishments in his own head, so he is in a weird love/hate situation. Having other people praise his dad, though, isn't good. It makes Vidal look inferior by comparison. He doesn't like that.
I think the mock slashing of his own throat is his human nature struggling with his assumed nature. I don't believe people are inherently sadistic, but it can be formed at an early age. I think Vidal hates himself. Deep down. He hates what he is, and he hates his father for not being there to help him be different. Vidal isn't ever happy. He smiles very few times in the movie. Like even a courtesy smile is hard to find. He might not be consciously aware, but I don't think Vidal likes life at all. He is constantly burdened with what he perceives as other people's inadequacies and he firmly believes rebels are trying to ruin his country. He is forced to live out in the country side instead of a more comfortable life in the city.
I don't know. I think the throat slashing is the duality struggle inside him.
I recommend Disney's most heinous villain: Judge Claude Frollo.
I second this, he scared me so much as a kid and after watching him die most Disney villains are tame. 😆
Since Star Wars is now a part of Disney, Palpatine/Sidious takes over as the most heinous Disney villain...
Yes, he's pretty damn evil. He was lustful over a young girl and as punishment for her "evil" influence on him wanted to hill her. He also manipulated and gas lit a poor disabled man.
Frollo's evil is the closest to the real world!
Good choice
He embodies classic narcissistic self preservation. Guillermo is a wonderful storyteller.
Yet he serves the forces of order, oppression, statism, papism, collectivism, and totalitarianism. It's like he's caught between the dual extremes of master morality and slave morality.
Guillermo Del Toro is a genius! I loved his work ever since his version of HellBoy.
@@emilyglass5313 And he made his version of Pinocchio a masterpiece which gave a lesson about disobedience as a virtue and the value of life
@Héctor G. Vega Osuna I watched that movie a few months ago, and it was amazing! It deserves that Oscar win.
Analyze mister bean. He has some evil thoughts behind those empty eyes.
That's just the actor showing the strain from having had to devolve his whole career from witty, eloquent roles towards what turned into his two biggest hits. Pay no, and I REPEAT! NO!! Attention to the ticking time bomb that is Mr. R...[edacted].
Honestly, that would make for an extremely amusing analyzing evil video.
he isn't clumsy, he's trying to kill people!
@@Hurmeri he's an electrical engineer
@@seabreeze4559 I think a masters or double major in it
A brilliant performance by Sergi Lopez. The character of Captain Vidal would be a hard mile for any actor but this is pitch perfect.
He even said that Captain Vidal is the most evil character he has ever played!!
When he snatches his hand away from his wife's during her story, it was out of embarrassment. Those gossiping hens were implying that something scandalous had taken place. So then he immediately wanted to create physical distance between the two. He's such an ass. I don't know how she could fall for a man like that. Maybe he can turn on the charm when he wants.
It’s been a while since I saw the film but from what I remember she didn’t fall for him really. Her husband had died so she was left to take care of her daughter on her own which back then was really hard and also kind of a taboo of sorts so having a high ranked military man want to marry you probably didn’t seem like a bad choice compared to her other options at the time.
@@djtheturtle1399 Exactly, she only married him out of necessity.
What Dj the turtle said.
I'll add one thing:
We, the lucky folks living in the 2000's, really CAN'T understand just how many horrible things used to be the norm for all of human existence.
@@djtheturtle1399 that's very true
His mammoth dong.
I played Vidal in a Theatre adaptation back in 2012. It was a really interesting character to get into and much fun to play!
hey, do you have the script for that by any chance? i'm in a drama group and a huge fan of this film, so I'd be really interested in seeing what the theatre adaptation is like to maybe perform it!
@@mayanell7942 If the script still exists it is somewhere at my parents place. But I can take a look when I visit over the holidays
@@mayanell7942 Oh and it'll be in German... but I can do a rough translation for you if you don't speak German
@@theriflemaan that would be super thank you so much! don't worry about the translation if its a lot of hassle, I'll try do it myself :)
@@mayanell7942 I dream of shipping where Ophelia hugs big Vidal and he becomes kind.
What about Tommy from Goodfellas? It still hits me in the stomach when I think of how he killed that poor kid just because Jimmy (jokingly) made him feel insecure . Or maybe do an episode with all 3 psychos, Henry, Tommy and Jimmy.
Absolutely with you on Tommy and Jimmy, but I'm not sure I'd call Henry evil. Violent definitely, he busts heads when needed but he never killed anyone.
@@roosterthembones4475 he killed 3 people in real life
@@cearig Fair enough, I didn't read Wiseguy so I don't know what he did in real life, I was just going on the fact he didn't kill anyone in the film.
I know this character isn’t from a movie, but you should TOTALLY do an episode on Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones. He’s such a charismatic and strong willed person and the actor portrayed him beautifully from book to screen.
Well he's discussed video game villains like Yu Yevon and Ganondorf, so I wouldn't think TV villains are off the table. If anything they should have an equal opportunity to get a video, as there's more content to analyse.
I wouldn't call him evil honestly.
Tywin Lannister is far from evil. He is no Saint either but he is defiantly not evil. That is a title that is much more fitting of his grandson Joffery Baratheon, or Ramsey Bolton.
@The Apocalex What’s more stupid is making a statement without valid reasons to back it up.
@@desertmortician9332 Well he did a video on him so here we are. Lol
You definitely have to do a analysis on Alonzo Harris from Training day.
Absolutely...he's was such a despicable character...I also like Agent Smith, Keyser Soze & Bill The Butcher
Captain Vidal rocking that trench coat and specs is the ultimate villain look. Fucking perfection
I agree with you 💯
I genuinely love this analysis because I love when horror manages to tie perfectly into politics.
I dream of shipping where Ophelia hugs big Vidal and he becomes kind.
I dream of shipping where Ophelia hugs big Vidal and he becomes kind.
Hands down, the way you breakdown the antagonist in the movies is just brilliant.
I'm happy to see you cover this one, Pan's Labyrinth is one of the best movie experiences I've had!
I'm also glad to see that you too have gotten yourself a sponsor. Keep on making these awesome videos, they are appreciated and enjoyed!
I dream of shipping where Ophelia hugs big Vidal and he becomes kind.
"Nord VPN is a military-grade virtual private network..."
Also Nord VPN: gets hacked and doesn't tell its clients
Just like the government would! Lol
@@Reduxalicious haha, you may have a point
Do an analyzing evil video of Nord VPN...
@@dboymax1
I probably wouldn't have found out about this otherwise. Just switched to ExpressVPN. They proudly advertise as a selling point that they've never been hacked. Lol
Thanks guys.
@@kgpspyguy Give it time.
Hannibal Lector from ‘Silence of the lambs’
It's on the way
Or Buffalo Bill
@@gimmetheloot1213 I feel like Buffalo Bill is already analysed in the movie tho
@@kithurren6520 he’s a shy boy. Or was that the red dragon
Alex Forrest from Fatal Attraction
Now this is a great villain you should do an analysis of louis bloom from nightcrawler.
YES! There is just something off putting that I can't quite articulate, but I am sure Vile can do perfectly. I mean I know the killings are awful but something more primal and scary is in there too.
@@lefonzowesley5652 agree with you here 100 percent.
A good performance but too cartoonish.
@@andocando8734 I could argue captain Vidal is too cartoonish I think Lou would be a great character to analyse
dude this would be incredible
What a greatly made villain with a satisfying death. He doesn’t get pummelled or tortured to death, he gets a death he really deserves, struck right where it hurts the most.
He wanted to live up to his father and wanted his child to do the same, as the watch showed it was the most important thing to him, and he probably meant for the child to inherit the watch, for some kind of legacy, and he was robbed of that. Years of torture couldn’t make him suffer like the one simple sentence which was the last thing he heard.
@@TheCapedCrusader39 I agree, but state is just a monopoly on violence. Power is about being able to enforce your will and do whatever is necessary to enforce it, killing people being the lowest of your worries. Wake up, can't stay blissfully ignorant forever
You've done one Del Toro villain. Might as well do another from a particularly fishy film.
Very good analysis, but there is one thing which I wished you would have explored deeper: that of his distorted view of fatherhood. A main premise of the movie involves his strange order to have his pregnant wife be with him on the battlefield. Obviously, this disorder comes from his own experience. But it also drives so much of his character
that scene when he ask Merceds to taste the coffee, in fact he want to make sure it is not poison in the coffee, he wanna make sure that Mercedes taste it and if it is poisoned he will then know, at least that was the impression i got from that scene
Mayor Humdinger from Paw Patrol as an April Fools video.
Paw Patrol is Copaganda for kids.
@@sint0xicatemewhat?
@@sint0xicatemedude we need the police for our security
I did an essay about the use of fairytales in del Toro's work as it related to this film, and your point about fastidiousness definitely came up. The vain stepmother is a common trope, but how often do we actually meet a vain stepfather in these kinds of stories, yeah?
I always interpreted the relationship between Mercedes and Vidal as one of one sided tenderness. Vidal knows he is intimidating to Mercedes, but he actually does like her, and so he's being uncommonly gentle and playful with her. In other words she is the woman he actually likes, not his wife, but he chose his wife as she had a child already and he's desperate for a son so he went with the proven fertile woman, not the woman he actually wanted. He's also uncommonly forgiving with Mercedes looking more hurt than terrified when she's cutting him up and calling him names - he looks more betrayed than terrified and again when she tells him his son won't know his name he again looks betrayed that she would think so little of him as to not even give him his final wish to tell his son that he died as a brave man - and again shows emotion as he's less terrified of death than of never getting to be a father to his son. It's the one time we see Vidal's gentler side.
But considering Vidal's sociopathy, he treated Mercedes the way someone would treat a prized trophy and in his mind, Mercedes doesn't register as a person, more as a possession.
@@jorgebersabe293 I’m going to have to agree with you. He probably sees it as his manly
“Right” to have a side girl/mistress by his side but a loyal and faithful and dutifully wife
@@whitedragoness23 And Mercedes isn't going to allow herself to be Vidal's mistress in any way or form. Because both of her convictions and because she watched how he treats Carmen on a daily basis.
@@jorgebersabe293 Vidal is a psychopath if anything, he shows almost no emotion unlike sociopaths.
@@madgavin7568 Nevertheless, Vidal doesn't see Mercedes as a person, more as a possession, a toy for him to use, not an individual person.
The bottle scene haunts me to this day.
Brutality
It has scarred me.
Great scene
@@zaza-ik5wsnightmares?
I've just finished this film for the first time. One thing I noticed is that Vidal almost prophetically brings fourth the events that lead to Ofelia entering the kingdom. He; pulls Ofelia and her mother to the area where the labyrinth is, makes her life so terrifying that she is willing to carry out the dangerous steps to fulfilling that prophecy, fathered the child who was needed for the final task and spilled Ofelia's "innocent blood"... Without him exactly as he is, none of this happens
I'm surprised you didn't mention he killed a little girl, his fucking step daughter, in cold blood because she took her brother.
Vidal only really cares of his image and legacy
Claude frollo from the hunchback of notre dame.
Coachman from Disney's Pinocchio ( 1940 )
The kind of officer who thrives in low-intensity war, but wouldn't last a day with an opponent of equal strength.
Hey he was a good shot so maybe he was a skilled combatant aswell u never know
Thats an incredibly ignorant statement if I am honest. I'm sure the Russians and Americans who fought the Afghans would still consider their time as war. But I guess Vietnam was also 'not war' since rice paddy Vietcong are not exactly an equivalent to US military might.
@@iliftthingsupandputthemdow4364 That's an incredibly ignorant statement, if I'm honest. The movie takes place in 1944; five years after the Republic's defeat in the Spainish Civil War. There was no worthy resistance after 1939. He was only up against thugs.
@@mikhailiagacesa3406 how so you think war with insurgents is insignificant?
"low intensity war" huh? Could you compare and contrast the unique individual challenges between, civil, guerilla, and total war? We had military officers who were heroes in WW2 go on to lose in Korea and Vietnam. But also the studies after the Vietnam war revealed the average soldier in Vietnam saw a significant amount more combat than the average WW2 soldier. Something on the order of 200-300%
I feel this movie got kinda forgotten about over the years, such a great movie! Never forget seeing this in threaters as a kid and having my mind blown!
Why is no one talking about how good Sergi López’s performance was. He was so captivating and threatening and did such a good job
One of my all time favourite film villains!
Some other great villains that would be interesting to analyse are:
Roy Batty - Blade Runner
Begbie - Trainspotting
Frank Booth - Blue Velvet
Mr Bytes - The Elephant Man
Evil Genius - Time Bandits
Gus Fring - Breaking Bad
Hans Gruber - Die Hard
Hal 9000 - 2001: A Space Odyssey
Baby Jane Hudson - What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
Li’l Zé - City of God
Harry Lime - The Third Man
Don Logan - Sexy Beast
Reverend Harry Powell - The Night of the Hunter
Professor Ratigan - The Great Mouse Detective
Thanos - The Avengers
Lorren Visser - Blood Simple
Batty wasn't a bad guy.
And fuck the Tyrell Corporation.
are you considering to make one about Robert de Niro's character "Max Cady" from Cape Fear?
Maybe even a comparison with Robert Mitchum's Max Cady from the earlier film of Cape Fear.
@@fabrisseterbrugghe8567 Harry Powell in The Night of the Hunter would be another good Robert Mitchum one
@@bobbyperu3773 Hoo Boy. Yes.
I watched Pens labyrinth when I was 9 years old, I didn't realize how terrifying the captain was until I watched it again when I was older.
Dude i watched it for the first time when i was 12 and couldn't even get to the middle i was so traumatized. The scene where he bashes in the hunters face haunted my nightmares for years hahahahahha
Luther from The Warriors, Candyman, candy from Django, Amon Goeth, commodus, keyzer Söze,
Goeth and Söze deffo
One of your wishes came true
Aside from the being unemotional, calm and fearless in a combat situation, which you need to be or you die too, he's a caricature of a soldier. Even Franco smiled around his family.
UA-cam recommending quality! No idea how I never found this channel earlier but instantly subscribed.
Little detail: when he shoots the elder man, he also nearly hits his own soldier. Showing that not only does he have a complete disregard for human life, not even the men under his own command are considered worth his time. Which maybe says a lot of how he actually sees soldiers. Since if he had killed his own subordinate with the shot, it would have been a dishonorable death
Do Delores Umbridge from the Harry Potter series and Darth Sidious/Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars series! I would like to see you unique analysis of the evil of those two characters...
Excellent work as always. Absolutely love every single video you produce. Keep on keeping on.
This is a fine subject for a video. Your content never fails to impress.
Analyzing Evil Tyler Durden from Fight Club that'll get you a million views
How can he be evil if he never existed as a real character?
@@1bridge11 He's the shadow made flesh of a man who has lost touch with reality.
@@ethancoster1324 That's very poetic, but I think he's supposed to be a hallucination of the narrator's id.
@@1bridge11 Yes but I believe he is a hallucigenic manifestation of the narrators "shadowy side". The main character is clearly suffering from some form of mental illness, possibly DID etc. The fact that his Tyler alter ego is a wild brutal force of nature, underlines the narrators propensity for violence and destruction through a detached, uninhibited sense of self. I wouldn't call him evil in the traditional sense, but in terms of personal fragmentation and self destruction. Durden is the man he'd like to be if he had more bravado and machismo. That's why there's a disconnect between the two, i.e. a battle between self repression, the narrator, and mayhem, Durden. Along with this inner shadow or evil, one could also argue that the Narrator's villainy comes from self detachment and avoidance . e. g He avoids truly coming to grips with his problems and only goes to therapy to reap pity and gratification. By avoiding his real underlining problems he enables Durden, his darker repressed side, to emerge as a consequence of his ongoing dissatisfaction with society and his inability to find real worth and connection. Ultimately his evil is a personal one, a dark edgy phantom that lurks inside all of us just waiting for the right circumstances.
A lovely listen, thank you. I think for me I really felt he had an obsession with legacy and being remembered just like his father was. When he realized his son would not know anything about him that's when he showed true fear.
Its really telling about Vidal that the greatest monster in this movie wasn't even one of the strange fantasy creatures Ofelia dealt with
This guy’s voice is so relaxing ngl
Like ASMR for vile evil ppl.
It’s weird how different his chill talking voice is to his voice in these videos
You should do Percy Wetmore from Green Mile.
YES
I'd rather to see the other anthagonist of the same movie, Percy is almost childish even in his evil ways, the other character is ruthless and sees fun in it, much scarier imo
@@Scrubermensch who?
I second this!!! I hope it gets more likes.
@@ayekantspeylgud Wild Bill
it would be super cool to see you cover a more existential antagonist, such as Possum from it's namesake movie
I second this
I've had a bit or time to think it over and I have a few recommendations for future videos.
1. Tom Marvolo Riddle/Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter/Witches and Wizards Franchise
2. Light Yagami from Death Note (The Anime)
3. The Major from Hellsing Ultimate
4. Ardyn from Final Fantasy XV
I'm glad to see you're getting sponsors, you make quality vids
6:10 - to repair a watch while wearing leather gloves is a disturbing metaphor - for control, for discipline, for the mortification of the flesh (a recurring Catholic trope)... and is a great insight into the character of Capt. Vidal.
Captain Vidal is the kind of person who seeks out a job where he can be in charge, ends up in a minor position of authority, and is a sadist. He reminds me of a teacher I had who would give out the most outrageous punishments for not answering fast enough. I think that if he could've tortured boys or beat them with whips, he would've. He was always dressed in a black suit, and his speech was very clipped. But he never raised his voice or showed anger in his face and speech. Now if that teacher had been in a position where he could legally torture and kill people, I bet he would have. That's what happened with Franco, Hitler, and Pinochet. It was a great place to be a criminal: you could rape, torture, and abuse, as long as you did it for the state.
Both Franco and Pinocht were pitiful men with voices like a deflated balloon, a lot like Jordan Peterson
@@ReprodestruxionJordan Peterson is a genius
@@Reprodestruxionyou are a woke social justice warrior
@@frollo5332 in his own dwindling mind
@@frollo5332 gracias
Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood!
Captain Vidal is a genuinely vile man.
This is absolutely fantastic.
I’m going to share this with my professor if you don’t mind. I’m in school right now involving creative approaches to film.
Keep this up.
Has anybody ever told you how great a narrating voice that you have?
This was brilliantly done, thank you.
The only word to properly describe this man is simply vile. Thank you for another great video
Tale Foundry suggests that the Pale Man is a manifestation, or maybe a metaphor, of Vidal’s soul: Ugly, weak, pale, blind, cruel, and capable only of killing and consuming. A neat interpretation!
Thank you. He's one of the most infuriatingly great villains I've ever seen!
I think a very beautiful detail shown in this movie (but missed upon many) is Ophelia's initial reaction to Vidal when introduced to him. Mind you, throughout the movie, she is meeting many creatures and monsters that could possibly harm her in the worst of ways. however, she looks at all of them in awe; curiosity, but also wonder. Although, in the introduction of all the characters and seeing Ophelia interact with Vidal for the first time her face is full of fear and uncertainty. She extends her hand as a peaceful gesture, but his reaction makes puts her caution on edge. It's as if no monster she comes across could compare to the most human resembling one that is keeping her mother and brother hostage, and he's the last monster she had to learn to overcome.
I would love to see a Homlander video from The Boys
I like that in a movie with some scary supernatural elements, it is a plain but competent killer without emotions in a uniform that terrifies me the most.
Gus from breaking bad
the Take has a great video on Gus called Man as Corporation or something
@@Waxwell1 yea I saw that it was well done I wanted to get his take lol jk on the man I think the way he does it is unquestionably unique and want to see what it would be like hey man thanks for the recommendation
Thank you for doing this! This is one of my favorite movies and I don't see it talked about much.
These Uniforms look lit as fuck
Though maybe not an evil villain, but Gerard Butler’s character from Law Abiding Citizen would be an interesting character study
I see him as a good man who becomes evil because of a corrupt justice system.
Just discovered your channel a few days ago and love this analyzing evil. Recommendation for you would be Gideon from The Scott Pilgrim comics/movie/game. I think taking a look at a comedy character that also had some really evil tendencies would be really cool. Hopefully I'll see this in the future. Thanks
Your vocal views on these characters are always very intelligent, keep it up!
suggestion: Roy Batty from Blade Runner
Dont think roy was evil
@@Jack-ng4cl neither was arthur fleck from joker but he still got featured in a video :)
I find these analysis strangely interesting and compelling. Very well researched
Can I recommend doing "the professional" Gary oldman's character I can't remember the detective's name "stansfield" I think
Norman Stansfield. Nicknamed Stan by the other corrupt government agents.
The main character from “you” might be interesting
and in a similar vein, Tom Ripley
Re: the song. I believe the choice of music is very intentional I believe that Videl, NOT the rebels, who is the true prisoner reflected in the lyrics. The shaving scene concludes with him making a throat-slitting gesture towards his own reflection. I've heard the term Death Cult being used a lot surrounding Fascism and the captain's own personal connection to death on the battlefield through his father means even when he wins, he's driven by a death wish in the long term. This, combined with his narcissistic traits you mentioned means he's locked in a prison of his ideology's making.
Great video by the way!
I watched this for the first time yesterday. I feel about Vidal similarly as Barnes in ‘Platoon’ - in another situation, I feel like he would have been a strong and admired member of his community.
Really any analysis of any character in Reservoir Dogs would be good
Mr Blonde is probably the most memorable villain, Mr. Pink is also great but not really portrayed as the bad guy.
Fletcher from Whiplash would be a good episode
Griffith from Berzerk would be pretty spot on for the Analysing Evil series
That would be a 5 hour documentary, not a 30 minute video lol
@@gronizherz3603 Even better!
What about Aleczandxr's videos? Those are good.
@@SwfanredLotr I believe you're talking about "Griffith Did Nothing Wrong" correct? I actually found myself watching that video not too long ago. I highly recommend it. Thank you for the suggestion!
Dude, as soon as i have the money I'm joining your patreon! What an incredible analysis of this character! I love this channel. I can't believe you're actually going to analyze Alexander DeLarge!! I am sweating with anticipation! Keep up the great content and i appreciate the work you do. God bless The Vile Eye.
Evil suggestions: Eve Harrington (All about eve), Aaron Stampler (Primal fear), Dolores Umbridge (HP) & Killmonger (Black panther)
Great video, as usual, i would like to recommend taking a look at the character "Mick Taylor" from the underrated 2005 horror film "Wolf Creek", i think he'd be absolutely perfect for one of these videos, also the film has a sequel and a TV series, but i haven't seen them.
Love this channel - can you try John Ryder from The Hitcher ? One of my favourite villainous performance by Rutger Hauer.
This is the true definition of a perfect movie.
Analyzing evil: Hiesenburg
Yes!!! I also want Tony Soprano
Who is that? Or did you mean Heisenberg?
@@AVKnecht pretty sure he did lol. That would be a good one. Some anti hero action
he's more of an anti-villian.
Jeffery Lebowski from The Big Lebowski... or Jackie Treehorn.
This character was designed to be so evil, sometimes it is hard for me to believe it. Normally other villains have some hint of humanity, but this one is like a robot
Ever meet a genuine sociopathic narcissist?
I’d love it if you could make a video explaining how you come to the conclusion that a specific character is evil and what to do with characters that do evil things without actually being evil. Or if evil is audience perception and if we’re firmly on their side can they actually be considered evil. Case in point Dani in Midsommar and the family in Hereditary
I'm happy for him getting the bag, but Zaddy Vile Eye reading that Nord VPN ad felt a bit weird lol
I find it interesting that psychos feel no joy or emotion, but always feels joy through hurting folks. It's always sadism that lights them up.
The Spanish context you included was amazing , great job especially with including the idea of Machismo which is still prevalent today
It funny how Anglo-Saxons perceive Latin or Spanish culture as machista, I’m not saying it doesn’t exist but, it also exist in American culture.
@@jorgealvarado2471 yeah i agree with you but it's slightly different . Im Bengali (muslim bengali) and the ideal man is extremely different to what machismo or manlyness in England or latin culture would be .
Captain Vidal perfectly embodies the evil side, scares his human monstrosity much more than the rest of the beings that populate history, Vidal does not hesitate to use cruel procedures to carry out brutal torture to achieve his goal (such as the sequence in the disfiguring a hare hunter with a bottle).
His arrogance and military pride end up shaping this character that it is not easy to get rid of after finishing watching the film, the film by Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro has managed to portray as few times that essence mixture of fear and harshness that the character instills.
Just watched Pan's Labyrinth, I ended up having such a massive respect for Vidal as a person and character.
Especially when he stitches his Glasgow Half-Smirk, he never lets up or flinches!
Even at his death, he walks to meet his fate with dignity.
Frank Booth from "Blue Velvet"
John Kreese from "The Karate Kid/Cobra Kai" Series
Ellen Berent from "Leave Her to Heaven"
Would love for you to do Darth Sidious from the Star Wars saga (Episodes 1 to 6)
Vidal was pure evil down to the core.