Devil's Backbone, The (2001) [Blu-ray]
Drama | Horror

The Criterion Collection [Blu-ray]

Tagline: The living will always be more dangerous than the dead.

One of the most personal films by Guillermo del Toro, The Devil's Backbone is also among his most frightening and emotionally layered. Set during the final week of the Spanish Civil War, it tell the tale of a twelve-year-old boy who, after his freedom-fighting father is killed, is sent to a haunted rural orphanage full of terrible secrets. Del Toro expertly combines gothic ghost story, murder mystery, and historical melodrama in a stylish mélange that, like his later Pan's Labyrinth, reminds us the scariest monsters are often the human ones.

Storyline: 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, 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 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. Written by Anonymous

Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov on July 25, 2013 -- Mexican director Guillermo del Toro's "El espinazo del diablo" a.k.a "The Devil's Backbone" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interviews with director Guillermo del Toro; deleted scenes with an optional commentary; sketches and storyboards; documentary film directed by Javier Soto; audio commentary with director Guillermo del Toro; and a lot more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Mark Kermode. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

In the midst of the Spanish Civil War, ten-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve, Goya's Ghosts) is brought to an orphanage somewhere in the countryside after his father is killed in battle. He immediately becomes fascinated by the unexploded bomb sticking out right in the middle of the large yard where the rest of the boys like to play. Soon after he is shown his bed, Carlos learns that the boy that used to sleep there, Santi (Junio Valverde, Shiver), disappeared the same night the bomb landed in the orphanage.

While trying to find out exactly what happened to Santi, Carlos frequently irritates Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega, Novo, Open Your Eyes), who works and lives in the orphanage together with his fiancee Conchita (Irene Visedom, The Lost Steps). Jacinto and a few of his friends plan to steal the gold which the headmistress, Carmen (Marisa Paredes, All About My Mother, The Skin I Live In), and Dr. Casares (Federico Luppi, Cronos, Men With Guns), have collected to help the Republican cause.

Eventually, the curious Carlos realizes that only a few of the boys in the orphanage are willing to talk about their missing friend. The rest are afraid to even mention his name - and there is a good reason why. The boys tell Carlos that when they utter his name the ghost of Santi would quickly emerge from the orphanage's large basement and haunt them.

Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone is often compared to his Oscar winning Pan's Labyrinth, but it actually has a lot more in common with Spanish director Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive. In Erice's film, a young girl attends a screening of Frankenstein and her life changes dramatically. Throughout the film Erice uses light and shadow to create an atmosphere that is very similar to the one present in The Devil's Backbone. Like The Devil's Backbone, Erice's film also delivers an important political commentary.

The Devil's Backbone is divided into two uneven parts. In the first, and bigger one, the material is better. This is where the Mexican director's passion for Gothic atmosphere gives the film its identity – light and shadow are very carefully used to make the orphanage look as spooky as possible; the exchanges between the boys and the adults are also appropriately vague, forcing the viewer to keep speculating about the direction the film will follow.

The second part has all the important but rather predictable character transformations. There are different political overtones linked to them which at the end almost manage to change the identity of the film – almost because even if the viewer isn't familiar with Spanish history and does not understand what each character represents, the finale still makes sense.

The special effects in The Devil's Backbone are not as elaborate as those seen in Pan's Labyrinth, but this is something that actually benefits the film. Del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro use light, shadow and color in a variety of different ways and create some truly spectacular visuals that are guaranteed to impress even viewers who do not typically enjoy films in which ghosts are frequently mentioned. The visuals are also enhanced by a top-notch soundtrack courtesy of Javier Navarrete (Agustí Villaronga's In a Glass Cage, María Lidon's Stranded).

The Devil's Backbone was executive produced by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

Note: In 2002, The Devil's Backbone was nominated for Saturn Award for Best Horror Film.

This truly is a fantastic release. Not only does The Devil's Backbone look terrific in high-definition, but the impressive supplemental features allow one to gain an entirely new appreciation for the film. Frankly, I cannot think of a more enthusiastic director to have collaborated with Criterion than del Toro. It is easy to tell that he really wanted fans of The Devil's Backbone to have a truly special release of his film. Well done. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[CSW] -4.1- Can a horror movie be beautiful and poignant? Guillermo del Toro's El Espinazo del Diablo or The Devil's Backbone certainly makes a case for turning a deservedly much maligned genre into something stirring and emotionally haunting. Backbone's writer and director, Guillermo del Toro, inexplicably transformed what should have been a routine ghost story into both visual and emotional gold. del Toro, manufacturers an often chilling, exceptionally effective tale that seems to give each major character his due while keeping the story moving until a final gruesome conclusion that no major American studio would ever allow. Even though it is in Spanish with English subtitles this is still one of those don't-miss movies.
[V5.0-A5.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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