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| The Orphanage | 
 enlarge | Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Actors: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla
Studio: New Line Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $5.77
You Save: $14.21 (71%)
New (53) Used (28) from $5.77
Avg. Customer Rating:  122 reviews
Sales Rank: 756
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 105
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 1000038293
UPC: 794043120718
EAN: 0794043120718
ASIN: B0015ET3YO
Theatrical Release Date: January 11, 2008
Release Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Blu ray specs and features below March 6, 2008
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
This is just a heads up on the release of the film rather than a review, which I'll do later. I wanted to know when this was coming out seeing I missed it in theaters thought I'd pass along what info I found via blu ray's website and movieweb.
Blu ray
Sound and picture specs
Video will be presented in 2.35:1 1080p accompanied by a 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio Spanish soundtrack
Dvd Special features
Special Features
- When Laura Grew Up: Constucting The Orphanage featurette
- Horror In The Unknown: Makeup Effects featurette
- Tomas' Secret Room featurette
- Still gallery
presented in Spanish with English subtitles (similar to how 'Pan's Labyrinth', a film directed by Del Toro, was released).
One reviewer compared this to The Changeling which is one of the greatest ghost stories in my opinion as well.
Guillermo Del Toro who produced this film mentions his top 5 ghost story films on ew's website and listed The Changeling, perhaps it did have an influence.
 Supernatural Thriller as Meditation on History and Reality January 13, 2008
9 out of 14 found this review helpful
Like Victor Erice's exquisite masterpiece Spirit of the Beehive (1973) & the films of Guillermo Del Toro (Cronos, Devil's Backbone & Pan's Labyrinth)this film transcends the supernatural genre and succeeds on a much higher level as the film functions not only as a very effective thrill and chill ride but also as a profound meditation on the individual's relationship to history (personal and collective, social and political history) and the individual's (highly subjective) relation to "reality."
Hollywood productions have become so steeped in the artificial enhancement of reality--and the artfullness of the Hollywood film has become so compromised by star charisma and artless formula-- that alternative and international cinema are the only places to go for a glimpse of artfully explored reality and artful/soulful performances. Art does still exist, after all, its just Hollywood that has ceased to support it.
Plus this film is truly scary in the way that Turn of the Screw, the Henry James novella (and the film version of that novella, The Innocents), is scary.
For me substantively this film does not quite succeed on the same level as Spirit of the Beehive or Pan's Labyrinth, primarily because the film is not as invested in the political as those more accomplished works (which masterfully use supernatural content to comment on the politically enmeshed psyche's of their troubled/tortured protoganists). But the excitement of the film is in seeing that the remarkable traditions/accomplishments of recent (and not so recent) Spanish cinema will (hopefully) continue on into the next generation. This is a filmaker who has studied his master's (pacing, lighting, suspenseful quiet, evocative atmospheres...) well. Though the film is not as substantively rich as Erice's masterwork or Del Toro's work it is a pleasure to see that fine films with subtitles can still find their way in to American Movie theatres (even mall cineplexes). With everyone else who has seen this film, I look forward to seeing this director's future work.
Children of the Damned December 30, 2007
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Despite what you may have heard from critics, I've found 2007 to be a disappointing year. I have been unable to find one film that truly touched me. Every year I like to make a "top ten" list on amazon of my favorite films of the year. This year I can't do it. I cannot think of ten films that touched me on a personal and profound level. For all the talk this year about films such as "Juno" and "No Country for Old Men", both which I found to be a little over-rated, nothing spoke to me. No film involved me from beginning to end. That is until I saw this film.
Juan Antonio Bayona's "The Orphanage" is a magical nightmare. What appears to be taking us on a journey to hell actually becomes a sentimental, poignant, creepy, psychological, suspenseful, horror masterpiece. It is the best film of the year! And to think, this is the feature lenght debut film of Bayona's. He doesn't have many short films to his credit, he has even directed a music video, but, if he continues to make films of this quality, we have a new talent on our hands and I will eagerly await each and every single one of his films.
"The Orphanage" stars Belen Rueda as Laura. Laura grew up in a orphanage and has decided to move back to the orphanage to live and start her own orphanage along with her husband, Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and their adopted son, Simon (Roger Princep). Laura wants to give back. She knows the struggles these children go through. It is the least she can do for them.
Sadly Laura's good intentions don't work out. Her son talks of imaginary friends who like to play treasure hunt games and walk around with sack masks. They also tell the boy secrets which his parents do not think he is old enough to understand. One day Simon's child care worker shows up, Benigna (Montserrat Carulla) inquiring about they boy. And this is where our journey really starts to begin.
To say more about the plot would be a fool's mistake. I'd ruin it for you. The film works best when you just know the basics of the plot. What I would like to discuss though is the way Bayona sets up the film. It is a wounderous blend of horror, shock and drama and psychological suspense. The film never goes for an easy scare. The film plays with our mind. Just when we think some cliche cinematic scare is going to happen it doesn't. It is the unknown which scares us. The "what if" factor. What if that was me, what would I do? Once we put ourselves into the character's shoes we are hooked.
The film was produced by Guillermo de Toro who gave us one of last year's masterpieces "Pan's Labyrinth". There are some similarities between the two films. The messages are just about the same but I won't go into details for fear of spoiling the film.
The performances across the board are effective. Everyone is believeable in their character adding a certain human dimension which fleshes them out. The most effective performance though is given by Rueda as the mother. We go on this journey with her every step of the way. We feel her pain and share her delight at every turn. And I haven't been able to say that about many other characters I've seen in films this year.
Unfortunately critics haven't been hyping the film the way they have others, a shame. I hope audiences will seek the film out on their own. That is why much is being made of the fact de Toro produced it, hoping audiences will associate it with "Pan's Labyrinth" and go see it. The film has gotten a few award nominations including the Chicago Film Critics award for "Best Foreign Film" and it almost swept the Barcelona Film Awards taking "Best Picture". It is even Spain's official Oscar entry for next year's show.
Will my review inspire others to see the film? I doubt it. But if enough people tell their friends about it the film could pick up a lot of word of mouth. The audience I saw this film with seemed very pleased with it. We all jumped out of our seats at the right moments and got choked up at the sentimental moments. The entire audience was engaged, a few people were shouting at the screen. This should be a real audience pleaser. And that's why I think it's the year's best film!
Bottom-line: The best film of 2007! No film has come as close to touching me on a personal level. Juan Antonio Bayona has made a magical nightmare. A sentimental, poignant, creepy, psychological, suspenseful, horror masterpiece.
A Subtlety-Crafted, Beautifully Atmospheric Ghost Story July 22, 2008
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Before I start I'd like to clear up a wildly popular misconception about this flick.
It was not directed by "Pans Labyrinth" director Guillermo Del Toro.
He only produced this.
That being said.....
This was the best ghost flick I've seen since "The Sixth Sense"
(yes better than "The Others" & "The Ring" too)
and easily one of the most atmospheric to date.
Every facet of this film is beautifully crafted,
Attention is painfully given to each detail
& every angle is expertly covered.
There isn't a single scene that is irrelevant,
regardless of how subtle some might seem.
The most seemingly insignficant of which,
are easily the MOST relevant.
The plot, the characters, the setting, the atmosphere;
everything was Genius, pure genius!!
I damn-near cried at the conclusion,
which in my opinion could have been viewed as either happy, or sad, or both.
All around, it's an excellent flick!!
A worthy addition to any cinephiles collection.
I personally couldnt recommend it enough!
especially for those who loved:
"Tale of Two Sisters",
"Skeleton Key",
"Devils Backbone", or
"Pans Labyrinth"
MORAL OF THE STORY:
That which was lost, can always be found, because
That which was loved, can never be forgotten.
Chilling, creepy, heartbreaking and, ultimately, exquisite April 4, 2008
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
A true gothic chiller in every sense of the word. From the beginning, the viewer is made aware that there's something very disturbing about "The Orphanage" and its sense of dread and doom prevail through the duration. Laura returns to the orphanage where she once lived with the hopes of establishing a home for children with special needs. In tow are her adorable son and her loving, if, at times, skeptical husband. Life couldn't seem sweeter as they settle into the foreboding structure they now call home. Shortly upon their arrival, the boy (Simon) prone to fits of fancy announces to his mother that he has met a boy that lives inside a seaside cave, which they stumbled upon shortly after their arrival. This friend, Tomas, whom no one but Simon can see, starts revealing things to him; things that he would have otherwise never known, including among them, that he was adopted and that he is ill and will soon die. After several other unsettling incidents, Simon announces that he now has five additional imaginary friends. One afternoon, while Laura is preparing to host a gathering for prospective residents, Simon enrages her and she strikes and scolds him before heading out to attend to the arriving guests. During the party she has an unsettling feeling when she sees a child with a sack mask seemingly staring at her. A child that we later realize no one but she can see and one that bears a striking similarity to one her son drew earlier in a portrait of his new friends. She runs back inside the house to seek out her son but is unable to find him, ending up in the bathroom. As she stands in the doorway she notices the child with the sack mask standing at the end of the hall and who slowly starts moving in her direction. After a brief altercation in which she is knocked inside the bathtub, the masked child closes and locks the door. Simon, we are later informed, is nowhere to be found and the parents are understandably crestfallen. What follows is a series of disturbing events that slowly illuminate all that has transpired, all while the landscape darkens and the sensation of tragedy and doom are heightened and the viewer is left to hold his breath. This is first rate story telling and the director's talents are in full evidence from the word go. This is textbook example of content over bombast. There a no special effects to speak of and gore non-existent. The characters are finely etched and the performances, uniformly excellent. From the imposing architecture of the house, to the rain swept, rocky coastline, solitary lighthouse and shadowy interiors, The Orphanage is a treat for the true lover of gothic horror and suspense. The conclusion is positively heartbreaking, yet equally beautiful and no one that sees it will soon forget it. Exquisite filmmaking, proving, once and for all, that restrain and subtlety pay dividends and when characters and not characterizations propel a story. If you loved The Devil's Backbone, The Others, The Sixth Sense or my personal favorite ghost story, The Changeling, you will more than love this wonderful atmospheric experience.
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