Product Details

• Format: Color, Import, Widescreen
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1.0
• Run Time: 106.0 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BTLPRW
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #594,896 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

It is 1939, the end of three years of bloody civil war in Spain, and General Franco's right-wing Nationalists are poised to defeat the left-wing Republican forces. A ten-year-old boy named Carlos (Fernando Tielve), the son of a fallen Republican war hero, is left by his tutor in an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. The orphanage is run by a curt but considerate headmistress named Carmen (Marisa Paredes) and a kindly Professor Casares, both of whom are sympathetic to the doomed Republican cause. Despite their concern for him, and his gradual triumph over the usual schoolhouse bully, Carlos never feels completely comfortable in his new environment. First of all, there was that initial encounter with the orphanage's nasty caretaker, Jacinto, who reacts even more violently when anyone is caught looking around a particular storage room the one with the deep well. Second, and more inexplicable, is the presence of a ghost, one of the former occupants of the orphanage named Santi. Not long after Carlos' arrival, Santi latches onto Carlos, badgering him incessantly at night and gloomily intoning, "Many of you will die." As if that wasn't enough to keep the orphanage's occupants in an unrelenting state of terror, there's the un-exploded bomb that dominates the orphanage's courtyard, still ticking away; With the orphanage left defenseless by its isolation, and the swift progression of Franco's troops, the ghost's prediction seems depressingly accurate. Nevertheless, with every step of the plot, it becomes apparent that the ghost's predictions as to who (or what) will die, the real source of danger and even the definition of death itself may be more ambiguous than first thought.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars "Like An Insect Trapped In Amber" ~ A Spanish Ghost Story, December 16, 2007

By 

Brian E. Erland "Rainbow Sphinx" (Brea, CA - USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: L'Echine du Diable (Original Spanish Version with English Subtitles) (DVD)

Note: Spanish with English subtitles.

`The Devil's Backbone released in '01 is an intelligent, stylish and atmospheric film set in a remote orphanage in 1939 during the Spanish Civil War. The story revolves around a new arrival at the orphanage named Carlos who is assigned the bed of a missing student. When Carlos begins to hear unidentified sighs in the night he becomes determined to discover the whereabouts of the missing child.

The film begins with a short, profound narration which caught my attention immediately and got me excited about what was to follow. It didn't quite live up to my expectations. The storyline was a little slow in development and the ending was unoriginal and predictable. On the positive side, the production values are first rate and director Guillermo del Toro creates a wonderful ghostly atmosphere that will keep you watching to the end.

4.0 out of 5 stars STYLISH SPANISH GOTHIC..., December 23, 2006

By 

Lawyeraau (Balmoral Castle) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: L'Echine du Diable (Original Spanish Version with English Subtitles) (DVD)

Well directed by Guillermo Del Toro, this is a stylish, Spanish gothic film with remarkable performances by the entire cast. The entire film takes place during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s in a remote, ramshackle school in the middle of nowhere that houses boys who have been displaced by the war. Many of them are orphans. An unexploded bomb, courtesy of the fascists, lies half buried in the courtyard of the school, a stark reminder of what is happening beyond the boundaries of this isolated spot.

One such boy, Carlos (Fernando Tielve), who is unaware that his father was killed in the war, is brought to the school by his tutor and left in the care and custody of its one legged headmistress, Carmen (Marisa Paredes). A Leftist, she is a passionate woman who has been funding the Left in its losing battle against the fascists. Cesares (Federico Luppi), one of the professors at the school, is a kindly, older man who befriends the bereft and bewildered Carlos. He is also an incurable romantic, in love with and devoted to Carmen, yet too much of a gentleman to consummate his passion for her. She. too, however, has a secret passion, and it is not him.

As the new kid on the block, Carlos attracts the attention of the school bully, Jaime (Inigo Garces), but manages to hold his own against the bigger and older boy. It is just as well, as there is something else going on at the school that demands both their attention. It seems that Santi (Junio Valverde), a boy who has been classified as missing, is eerily making his presence felt. Moreover, the school handyman, Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), the handsome "prince without a kingdom", much like the devil himself, appears to be up to no good, while Conchita (Irene Visedo), the school's young housekeeper, has set her cap for him.

Amidst the war, the haunting, and the destructive violence of Jacinto, Carlos unexpectedly comes of age. Jaime, who is part of Carlos' rite of passage, matures into a natural leader. What they must face together will ultimately bind them in friendship. This is a complex, multi-layered film, dealing with themes of anger, betrayal, greed, love, and hate, all of which are played out and lead to the stunning climactic ending.

Marisa Paredes gives a rich, three dimensional performance, as Carmen, a woman who is tired by the ongoing civil war and who finds herself questioning the leftist cause, the very cause that she financially supports, while harboring a secret passion. Federico Luppi imbues his character, Cesares, with a depth of emotion that simmers just below the surface, as well as with an old-fashioned grace that is touching. Eduardo Noriego, as Jacinto, gives an emotional portrayal of evil, yet manages to infuse a certain poignancy in his character. The children all give very good performances. This deftly directed, well acted film is worth watching.

The DVD offers a widescreen version of the film with first rate audio and visuals. Along with a commentary by the director and the cinematographer, it offers an interesting featurette on the making of the film from the point of view of the director, Guillermo Del Toro. This is a DVD well worth having.