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| The Devil's Backbone (Special Edition) | 
 enlarge | Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Actors: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega (ii), Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve, Inigo Garces
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
Buy New: $8.26
You Save: $6.68 (45%)
New (46) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $8.26
Avg. Customer Rating:  107 reviews
Sales Rank: 2850
Format: Ac-3, Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 108
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 043396056763
ISBN: 1404958754
UPC: 043396056763
EAN: 9781404958753
ASIN: B000274TLW
Theatrical Release Date: November 21, 2001
Release Date: July 27, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New and Factory Sealed Item Fast Shipping
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Amazon.com
Seething passions, wandering ghosts, and an unexploded bomb fill this beautifully filmed tale of war and suspense. Though The Devil's Backbone was advertised as a horror movie in the States, it's really more of a drama that happens to have ghosts in it. During the Spanish Civil War, young Carlos is abandoned at a completely isolated orphanage. The tensions therein have been building for years, exacerbated by the unexploded bomb resting menacingly in the courtyard. Bullies scheme, tempers flare, and a ghost that visits Carlos's bed seems to be the key to it all. The movie is full of excellent performances, especially by Marisa Paredes as the gruff-but-kind headmistress, Eduardo Noriega as the handyman with secrets to keep, and Federico Luppi as the benevolent professor who likes to keep deformed fetuses in jars. A rich, satisfying drama with some good, spooky fun thrown in. --Ali Davis
Product Description
No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: ALMODOVAR,PEDRO
Title: DEVIL'S BACKBONE
Street Release Date: 04/25/2006
Domestic
Genre: HORROR
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| Customer Reviews: Read 102 more reviews...
 Ghost story that is scary, stylish and intelligent April 14, 2003
36 out of 46 found this review helpful
"What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain perhaps. Somthing dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect taped in amber".
It is this rumination which opens THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE, a ghost story set during the Spanish Civil War directed by Guillermero Del Toro (Mimic, Blade 2) and presented by Pedro Almodovar.
Carlitos is an orphaned 12 year old who is sent to a boarding school that shelters orphans during the last days of the war.
One unwelcome occupant is the ghost of a murdered boy, called "The One Who Sighs" by the other pupils. Carlitos is unlucky enough to come face to face with the hideously disfigured apparition one night where as a dare, the other boys send him downstairs to get some water; but for some reason he ends up in the slug infested basement; where "The One Who Sighs" dwells in a pool conveniently located there.
The movie gets its title from the name given to the deformed spine of dead foetuses, which is preserved in alcohol by an ecentric teacher. The alcohol is then sold in town and touted as a "cure all" remedy...BR>THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is a horror thriller that takes its time getting started, but once it does it makes Hollywood's regular crop of horrors look anemic. Scary, stylish and twisty (in addition to twisted) THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE doesn't undermine the viewer's intelligence either. This is a must see for horror fans and film buffs.
Extra features on the DVD include a doco about the making of the movie, trailers, storyboard comparisons and commentaries by Del Toro and the cinematographer.
 Stunning, Genre Bending Movie August 6, 2004
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
A Beautiful, Stunning, Genre Bending Movie
The Devil's Backbone is the antithesis of the Hollywood Big Picture. A beautiful movie, with a large cast of equally important characters who dictate the pace as the story unfolds. The amount of time devoted to character development is really quite astonishing - and may be slow moving for many American viewers. Another anti-Hollywoodism is director del Toro's refusal to confine his film into a specific genre, I've read and heard complaints from a number of U.S. viewers (and friends) "he doesn't make up his mind if it's a horror film or a drama."
The beauty of this picture is that it shows that life can have supernatural elements to it; that everything can't always be explained away by science - not even by men of science.
del Toro captures the wonderful horror and cruelty of innocence, sexual desire, romantic longings, dreams of fame and fortune, the atrocities of war and sets them in an orphanage far removed from the rest of the world - yet deeply scarred and affected by it.
Throughout del Toro endows his film with heightened tension allowing us that giddy nervousness that the greatest horror films provide. One of the best of these occurs when Jaime and Carlos sneak out, stealing to the kitchen in the dead of night, to refill their water pitchers which the ghost has emptied out. (It'll make you think twice about getting up in the middle of the night for a drink of water!)
del Toro isn't afraid of using an abundance of symbolism either. Far removed from civilization the orphanage is dry, parched, dust laden, yet so much of the film is filled with liquid, be it the enormous pool-sized well in the basement, the ghost Santi's liquid environment, Dr. Casares jars filled with rum and human fetuses (cocktail anyone?) or the rest of the cast's blood, sweat and tears.
The "dead" bomb in the middle of the courtyard serves the same role as a statue of the Madonna would in a more standard setting, a silent observer, a mysterious presence, something come down from the heavens and is equally as dangerous as any religious icon. A brilliant stroke.
At turns violent, heart warming, humorous and frightening, The Devil's Backbone, for those who give it the opportunity, will unfold before you like few things you've seen. Stunning.
Quintessentially Spanish Surrealism July 4, 2002
22 out of 30 found this review helpful
THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is a visually elegant, beautifully photographed, seamlessly written and directed tale of ghosts. As the film's narrator explains, ghosts are bad deeds that never go away, are like faded photographs that will always reappear. The setting is a lonely, wastelands school for boys placed there by parents for protection during the Spanish Civil War. What these boys experience and uncover becomes a child's view of how adults react to evil. The performances are universally sensitive and fine. Comparisons to the ghost stories of Henry James are inevitable, but this beautifully produced movie goes beyond a simple story and somehow manages to find that duende of Spanish creativity which makes it uniquely mesmerizing.
Atmospheric melodrama July 14, 2002
17 out of 25 found this review helpful
"The Devil's Backbone" is a ghost story, but it is also much more. Set during the Spanish Civil War, the story chronicles the happenings in an isolated school for orphaned boys. The school admininstration consists of just a few characters, which makes the school seem even spookier and alienating. In the background, the war moves closer to the school, creating additional horrors. A new boy, Carlos, arrives and he begins seeing a ghost. These scenes are very chilling and well-directed, but not really scary per se. As the action progresses, it becomes clear that the ghost is not the only evil in the school. The plot is well-written and has some great plot twists. The actors are all terrific, with the kids putting in some impressive work in difficult roles. I really enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it for fans of psychological horror films, such as "The Others."
"What Is A Ghost?...An Emotion Suspended In Time" October 9, 2006
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
Directed by Guillermo del Toro, "The Devil's Backbone," is a film which incorporates mystery with a blend of horror. And it succeeds as both a mystery and a horror film. The atmosphere of the film is first rate, as the films narrative employs the suggestion and nuance of horror with depth, while at the same time showing the subtle and not so subtle emotions of the films protagonists and antagonists. This is turn leaves the viewer immersed in the story, as the narrative revolves around several characters. Moreover, it is not everyday one views a film where the ghost is the protagonist. This is a film I knew I was going to like from the narration in the beginning of the film, to the stunning visuals that accompany it.
Furthermore, the atmosphere of this particular film is great, as the surrealistic and ghostly images in the film, and especially the nuances of horror, were maximized to the fullest. And once again, this is a film that plays out more like a mystery and drama with the horror placed in the film. However, the horror is more intelligently done than many films of the genre. The film itself takes place during the waning days of the Spanish Civil War [1939], at an orphanage for children [boys] whose father's have been killed-in-action. And in a twist, the ghost is one of the the main protagonists in the film. Carlos (Fernando Tielve) portrays the latest addition to the orphanage. In the middle of the orphanages' yard we witness a diffused bomb, which is embedded in the earth. Possibly a metaphor for the war itself? The unexploded bomb keeps the viewers attention, and allows us to see that even in a place where children are supposed to be safe, there is much danger in the world.
Moreover, the ghost is not your typical malevolent ghost, but a ghost whose warnings of "Many of you will die" holds your attention as to who this ghost is. What does the ghost want? Is the ghost there to help the children? Or does the ghost see the living as merely a means to an end? Is this ghost using the children? Or is there more to the ghost than we are led to believe? This is not a mindless and directionless film---as Guillermo del Toro takes the viewer on a journey through not only the mind of a child, and the horror he views around him in his new surroundings, but introduces us to the of both apparition he sees and the true terror of the time period he is living through.
"The Devil's Backbone" takes the viewer into the dark unknown recesses of the world of the nonliving, while using the brutal Spanish Civil War as a backdrop. And the film succeeds magnificently in its narrative. Yes, Carlos is afraid of the ghost, yet he is also fascinated by this apparition that only he can see. There is an important side narrative going on in the film, which I do not wish to divulge, and thus spoil this film for you. Carlos (Fernando Tielve) gives a great performance as the young boy whom the ghost has made contact with. At first Carlos is scared, but his curiosity is too great for him to not investigate this ghost further. Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega) gives an outstanding performance as the antagonist in the film. He is in charge of the young boys, to some degree. More importantly, however, is that Jacinto has ulterior motives for staying at the orphanage. The ending is superb, and the acting is first-rate.
The beginning narration in the film is one of the greatest I have ever heard in not only a horror film, but any film period....."What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber.".....I highly recommend this film. If you like your horror films nuanced and layered with the suggestion of horror, while at the same time giving you a great story, then this film is worth the purchase. It will be a great addition to your horror cinema collection. There are tons of mindless horror films filled with blood and gore. Do yourself a favor and at least rent this film. It comes highly recommended. [Stars: 5+]
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