Rating: 
Summary: Visually Stuning Piece of Cinema
Review: This film is one of the best films I've ever see in years apart from LOTR of course. The plot is very interesting and will keep you gript to the film. Also it's atmosphere is a very calm and has a mellow surrounding that makes this a great film to watch. I've already seen the film because it was release in England before the US. The only disappointment is the other releases section on the dvd which is all black and white films. This disappointment makes the film look out of date. And in my opinion this section should have been left out of the release. Other than that the film is a good purchase and should be in everyone's dvd collection.
Rating:
Summary: One of the better horror movie in ages.
Review: First:Who could go wrong with a horror movie with Almadovar's name attached to the project.
Second:This is not a stupid American horror movie that has a cast of who's who fresh from the page of tiger/teen beat magazine who cant act scared to save their life..THIS IS THE REAL DEAL
I dont know where to begin,but what made me want to go out and watch this movie was a preview of the film I seen that compared it to a classic film called Night Of The Hunter which in it's self is a work of genius.Not only does this film have an erie atmosphere but also excellent acting especially by Eduardo Noreaga who was the star of Open Your Eyes (now remade into Vanilla Sky).
I am not going to give away any of the plot because I believe that you should go out and see this great piece of work especially you if you are tired of these lame film that Hollywood seems to crank out these days.
Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER FIRST-RATE-HORROR FILM FROM DEL TORO
Review: Another on-the edge-of-your- seat film by del Toro. who gave us 'Cronos', which I think is second to 'EL ESPANOSA DEl DIABLO;
(The Devil's Backbone)A great story and a great cast. Especially when it is viewed thru the eyes of innocent children. The story takes place in an remote Orphanage for young boys, who have been displaced by the civil war in Spain . As the scene opens , you follow a bomb dropped from a plane, heading for the orphanage, there is an explosion and the scene changes to a small boy laying in a pool of blood (Santi) (Jaime) is leaning over him and crying, then Santi's body is shown tied with rope and weights and sinking to the bottom of the cistern. Santi becomes the ghost that roam's the Orphanage . the boys are told that Santi ran off and is not coming back. There is a new arrival (Carlos) and he is picked on by a very mean older boy (Jaime) There is a period of adjustment for the new boy to fit in. It is Carlos who is in touch with Santi, but is too petrified to talk to him until much later. Eduardo Noriega (11), Jacinto plays the macho older orphan who has returned to try and get the gold that is hidden at the home. Marisa Paredes, (Carmen) "All About My Mother" is the Home's director and ward of the children. She is really great to watch, her face tells a thousand stories. There is a love triangle between Jacinto, Carmen and Casares, (Federico Luppi) "Men With Guns" Who is the resident Dr. And all play their parts out very well.
Ah, don't forget Little Santi. You will have a great time trying to figure out why he is a Ghost!! Ciao yaaah69
Rating:
Summary: Great Horror Flick, Great Film Period.
Review: I went to see this movie expecting a great horror flick and came away impressed because it was more than a great horror flick with its new and unique effects. It was a great movie period. The film had a good plot and setting. The actors were top caliber, especially Marisa Paredes. I would recommend this highly.
Rating: 
Summary: A terrific piece of history
Review: What is a ghost? There are so many in this movie. There is an actual ghost, a boy cloaked in bloody water, swimming through the orphanage where the action takes place. There is an old doctor in love with a woman whom he reads poems through the wall and whom he doesn't have the courage to touch. There is a principal of the orphanage who is saving the gold for the cause she doesn't even believe in any longer. There is a caretaker, "a prince without a kingdom," who is barely living in the present, concentrating on the past. All of them are frozen in time, none are truly there - and all are thrown into action by the force of history that doesn't stop ticking, like the bomb in the yard, who some believe is still going to detonate. Guillermo del Toro lets us feel the history as it's happening, through the eyes of the boys growing up in the time of Spanish Civil War, when the airplanes are flying dangerously low. They are the best actors in this movie, each giving a terrific performance. Through their actions, they literally mature before our very eyes. For those who are looking for a little more, you will find it... there was something for everyone: a warped love story or two, a truly frightening ghost, a mystery waiting to be unraveled and a wrongful death waiting to be avenged. For most of the movie, I was glued to my seat, breathless with either fear or worry for the characters - something I hadn't experienced for some time while sitting in the movie theater. See it... it's worth the subtitles.
Rating:
Summary: A Moralistic Ghost Story
Review: The color and texture of this film suggests a rich palette. Del Toro is a first-rate director. Set in the time of the Spanish Civil War, this film conveys more than the senselessness of war. Young boys are conveyed to a republican stronghold either because their parents have died or their parents are still fighting Franco's forces. Into this mix comes a sensitive young man who has the ability to see the ghost that everyone talks about. In the midst of this is a handsome young handyman who has devilish plans of his own, involving murder and robbery. The cast is first-rate with kudos to Eduardo Noriega for his hellish handyman portrayal. The explosive ending will convince you that justice does exist even from beyond the grave. Don't miss this flick!
Rating:
Summary: A Soul in Limbo
Review: "What is a ghost?" This powerful but frightening film challenges the audience to figure out who we should be more afraid of- the dead or the living? Using strong imagery and complex characters, Guillermo del Toro, explores the state of limbo- neither hell nor heaven- of Spanish orphans during the Spanish Civil War. The orphanage also has its own soul in limbo- a ghost-"the one who sighs"- looking for peace. The film's ending is both disturbing and an inevitable resolution.
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Summary: Ghost story about the ghosts of the Spanish Civil War.
Review: Despite the prevalence of phantoms and supernatural happenings, 'The Devil's Backbone' doesn't really work as a ghost story. With films such as 'The Sixth Sense' and 'The Others', to both of which it bears many resemblances, the audience is encouraged to enjoy the narrative and generic pleasures of the scary movie first, where ghosts are apparitions that frighten people, and to look for historical resonances second, if they want to. From the opening monologue of 'The Devil's Backbone', in which the narrator ruminates portentously on the nature of ghosts, we know that the ghost here will be primarily symbolic, that the mystery surrounding him will have a deeper cultural significance beyond genre. This sense is heightened by the film's setting. Although set during the Civil War, military realities remain a distant threat. The story takes place in an abandoned monastary in a desert: an unreal, theatrical symbolic space - the repetition of actions in key locations adds to the sense of a time-worn ritual being played out. The story's central conflict can be seen as allegorical too: the young orphans, who are housed by two aging leftists, and the macho janitor Jacinto, with his brutish, gold-crazed cronies. The former, linked to a community, a shared history, a system of moral values such as loyalty and sacrifice, science, wisdom, poetry and respect can be seen as embodying a spirit of the left, if not The Left; the latter, murderous, sexually violent, morally vacant, materially voracious, physically brutish, the spirit of Franco's Right. Although the Civil War has rarely been presented in post-Franco Spanish cinema beyond the level of glutinous soap opera, the scars of the conflict still clearly sear - there is a bitter anger driving this film, an admirable refusal to forget, to vacuously compromise. This gives the film a fierce power and integrity, but, dramatically, this black and white, us vs. them structure is somewhat inert. But director Del Toro isn't very interested in drama. Like many films set in troubled, historical times, the narrative is shaped as a young boy's rite-of-passage. This cliche has always given the audience a zone of comfort, an illusion of innocence in conflicts where adults become capable of appalling acts (it also puts the historically ignorant viewer on the same level as the hero, for whom age-old events become new and alive). But this thread soon gives way to the allegorical, and prolix speeches about symbols such as the title, still-born, deformed marinated babies. The film's originality lies in the blocking of the rite's passage, the turning of orphans, of children, of history, into ghosts, in a country where the Fascist regime destroyed all incriminating records, not just rewriting but wiping out history. This film celebrates the traces that refuse to fade away. It is clearly very accomplished - some of the heightened set-pieces, orchestrating sound, music, atmosphere, lighting and camera movements, are immensely powerful. But I saw this the same day as Bresson's 'L'Argent', another film about a young man whose soul is destroyed by money; the Frenchman's restrained sensations made Del Toro's pyrotechnics seem a little busy. I left the cinema feeling oddly disengaged.
Rating:
Summary: nicely done
Review: though some other amazon.com reviews put forth that this is a horror movie, that's not really the case--for the mere presence of a head-wound-gushing ghost and a gaggle of superstitious children does not a horror movie make. i'd say this is really more of a mystery--though that's not entirely accurate either, as the movie goes ahead and spills the beans about who the "bad guy" is early enough that you spend 2/3 of the movie just hoping everyone avoids him (as opposed to figuring out who he is). but TDB is definitely suspenseful, and filled with very well-drawn, well-played characters who are both complex and convincing. there's a certain formula to a good ghost story, and that formula is a simple one: (a). spooky ghost (b). tries to communicate in order to (c). illuminate the circumstances surrounding his/her death and possibly (d). achieve vengeance and/or (e). protect others from the same squicky fate. it's a good formula, and TDB follows it with an astounding level of expertise. for some reason, it seems that this is a set up that's easy to screw up; but when the formula is followed well, you end up with all the best elements of horror, suspense, mystery and even romance--all seasoned with a delightfully creepy paranormal ambience. this is most definitely the case with The Devil's Backbone. it is successfully spooky in parts, suspenseful throughout, and deeply romantic; yes, in accordance with the cliche, there's something for everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: another movie miscatagorized
Review: this was a horror movie?!?!?!?!?!?which part?i started sawing lumber shortly after the missile landed.(i did rent this while never releasing the FF button).ive read many reviews on this and the most common kudo given was the ''lush photography and set design''.............just what EVERY HORROR MOVIE NEEDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!blood,gore,action,violence?!?!?!?!?!?who needs that in their horror movies?!?!?!?!?this would have been better suited for the dull drama section as opposed to horror.the director knows what his diong and his crew is competent but this is hardly a scary movie.i cant blame him(or maybe i can)for this being a frightless horror movie but if it were catagorized as a drama,A)it still would have put me to slepp(sorry folks,lush scenery doesnt keep my eyes open)B)i probably wouldnt have seen this anyway.just as open waters was miscatagorized(thats an even lamer horror movie)that is what killed this(unless you love esquisite sets and tons of talking).and why was this rated r?!?!?!?
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