The Devil's Backbone

Rating:
Summary: What Was so Great About this Average Film?
Review: I have to certainly ask myself what the other people saw in this film. To me, this film suffers from a lack of interesting plot, laughable interaction amongst the characters and a mediocre and conventional approach to a ghost story. To me, there was absolutely nothing interesting or "frightening" about the ghost and the 'ambiance' was typical fare. The story concerns a child who is left at an orphanage in the middle of the desert in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and instead of analyzing his soul, which one would hope would happen, considering this is a foreign movie, we are merely given cliched storylines like "the ghost is here for a reason," or "there's a ghost in this building," and its really all empty. Nowhere do we get to understand the nature of the inner dimensions of the characters.

There is the typical mean kid bully, the nice teacher and then the sexual young man who is having sex with the older matriarch in one of the most brainless events in the film. Most of the effects were done with a computer and that takes away any imagination. The war planes flying above, the explosion in the rectory and even the ghost itself were "enhanced" with digital imaging and it further ruins this attempt at life so we are basically left with a modicum of interest.

What is lacking is something inherently interesting, or movable, so there is a ghost, so what? What does he mean to us? By the end, we are numbed by the excessive and irrelevant use of violence from one of the characters. It all fails in the end when this becomes just another good vs bad soap opera in the world film. The only commendable part was the beginning and the end, where the teacher is contemplating the nature of what a ghost is, other than that, this is blantantly unintelligent. Grade D-


Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Horror-Drama Crosses
Review: One of the greatest crosses of the drama and horror genres ever made, each aspect of "The Devil's Backbone" is so effective it could have stayed solely within one field and still succeeded greatly. It could have been 'just' a deep and tragic drama about a destitute orphanage during the Spanish Civil War and the orphans and their caretakers and come out a first-rate film without any of the 'supernatural' elements. Or it could have restricted itself to being 'just' an eerie, darkly atmospheric, suspenseful ghost story and, without the elements that provide commentary of the effects of war on the innocent and all the other 'drama' elements, succeeded brilliantly as one of the best examples of the 'ghostly haunting' subgenres of horror. As it is, it simultaneously hits all the right notes on both the paths it takes and ends up even better thn it would have been as 'only' a drama or 'only' horror, and is a credit to both genres.

Starts off with a young boy becoming the newest arrival at the orphanage, initially being befriended by some of the other children and immediately running into problems with others. Soon the newcomer encounters the ghost of a child who died at the orphanage some time before. In the first few minutes it seems like the movie may come off unbearably depressing, but that turns out not to be the case thanks to the huge likability of many of the characters, including some lovable children whose plight is heartbreaking, and the caretakers who are both devoting their lives and riskiing their lives to stay in this war-torn place and try to not only keep the children alive but give them some quality of life despite the circumstances and limited resources. Also, some of the more beligerant children who seem like they're going to be highly unsympathetic because of their behavior toward the other kids, become considerably more tolerable as you learn more about their circumstances and as bonds form between the characters and break down the hostilities. That's not to say there aren't also some reprehensible people in here, but it's the likable characters who save the movie from being overrun with despair and gloom.

It seems like I'm talking only about the 'drama'-type elements and giving short shrift to the horror angles, but that's only because they only come into dominant play later in the film, and I usually try not to say too much about the latter stages of a movie. Rest assured these elements are there, waiting to rise up.

Outstandingly acted with epic cinematography, a great musical score, and numerous other pluses that combine to make this so great, "The Devil's Backbone" is extremely recommended for horror fans and drama fans alike.

Rating:
Summary: Well Made
Review: Great performances and strong direction throughout. The film is anchored by an engrossing story filled with creepiness and the effective social commentary of the period. On par with the other Del Toro films I have seen (Hellboy, Blade 2). Worth seeing if you're a fan of his other films. Better than most films of its type.

Rating:
Summary: Lingers
Review: This is one of the best horror films that I have seen in a long time. The story was very good that acting even better. This is the kind of movie that lingers on in your mind for a long time, like cold breath on a warm neck....

Rating:
Summary: Del Toro's masterpiece
Review: Nowadays Guillermo Del Toro is best known for high-profile actioners such as "Hellboy" and "Blade 2" and while both of those films are excellent in my opinion they can't hold a candle to this 2001 Spanish film. "The Devil's backbone" is a sophisticated and stylish piece that effectively transposes elements of the classic ghost story, Victorian fairy tale, symbolic metaphors, and human tragedy into a bleak Spanish Civil War setting. It is, simply put, Del Toro's masterpiece.

The action takes place in 1939 towards the end of the Spanish civil war. Carlos, a young boy whose father was killed in the line of duty, is brought to a secluded orphanage in the middle of the desert. The orphanage is nothing fancy but it does the trick; every child has their own bed, there is enough food to go around and quality teachers to educate the children. The backyard of the orphanage however holds quite the ominous sight, a giant bomb stuck in the sand that somehow never exploded upon falling. On the day the bomb fell a child named "Santi" disappeared from the orphanage. Speculation ran rampant as to what exactly happened to Santi and it was speculated that the boy ran away and is now either safe with the sheppards or died at the hand of cutthroats. But Carlos and the other boys keep hearing strange noises at night that make them think that dead or alive, "Santi" is still lurking on the grounds of the orphanage...

The success of this film lies in the immaculous amount of detail and meaning Del Toro injects in almost every individual scene. The director's commentary track is a virtual lesson in the history of Spanish art, architecture and folklore. Every scene in the film is deliberate and full of meaning. The performances are phenomenal, especially the young kid who plays "Carlos". The kid is pure genius, much better than anything Joel Haley Osmond could ever muster. There's no "He's scared but he looks so cute" feel here. He looks scared but subdued at the same time, avoiding the overacting that tends to plague performances of young children in flight flicks.

At first Carlos is ostracized from the rest of the group and bullied around for being "the new kid". But when the ghost begins to appear, the group develop a sense of comraderie that becomes fascinating to watch. The group dynamics involved in fighting a common evil are admirable and we as viewers really get to love these kids. And then halfway through the film Del Toro throws a kicker, a major event that pulls the film out of its lull and turns things completely around. From then on, the movie becomes a triumph of style AND substance. And just when we start to forget about the supernatural elements in the face of the occurring human tragedies BAM! the ghost is thrown right back into the mix. Emotional and tragic, "The Devil's Backbone" is the kind of gutsy film experience so rarely seen nowadays. As well-deserved as Del Toro's current commercial success is, I hope he someday makes another film along the lines of this one.


Rating:
Summary: Orphaned Boys Confront Fear and Death: A Spanish Ghost Story
Review: To call this Guillermo del Toro film creepy is not wrong at all, but to say so might be misleading. It is a ghost story, sure, but del Toro succeeds in creating the convincing characters, children and adults alike who must confront the fear ... that of ghost, or whatever else. See this one as such, and you'll not be disappointed.

But as many reviewers say, the center of the story is a ghost. The place is in Spain, and the time is 1939 when the Civil War is getting over, with Franco's army winning. Now a boy Carlos is sent to an orphanage in the middle of the desert, and somehow in the middle of that orphanage you see a rusted, unexploded bomb stuck into the ground.

There, Carlos must stay. The kind schoolmaster takes good care of him, and provides a bed for him, but someone, or something, Carlos feels, is hiding and looking at him, perhaps from the old disused building. Does this have something to do with the missing boy nobody wants to talk about? And who used the very bed Carlos is sleeping on?

The identity of the ghost (or whatever it is) is not so important as the truths behind the 'ghost.' Carlos, and the audiences alike, realize that all the characters -- the schoolmaster, the greedy janitor (Edward Noriega, 'Open Your Eyes'), the sexy maid, and other orphaned boys -- are trying to avoid seeing the inevitable truths -- that is, people are dying out there, and the ghost warns; 'Many will die.'

But how? The second part which would reveal it is unpredictable and gripping, without losing the supernatural tone that is set up in the first part, which is slow, but creepy all the same. You may jump in your seat several times, but the strength of 'The Devil's Backbone' is not only that; it is also about the war-time people among the deaths, or those who escaped the deaths ... for now.

This film is closer to Mexcian director del Toro's roots, a story with more gothic taste in which every small item matters. The blue clear sky of Spain looks never more sinister than in this film, in which ghosts could be human, and humans act very atrociously. A must for fans of atmosspheric horrors.

Rating:
Summary: Average; not close to Others or Sixth Sence, a solid story.
Review: Don't believe the hype if you think this is going to be in the same league as "The Others" or "The Sixth Sense," because it's not. Not even close. The story is very good. A country in crisis (Spain) and on the verge of civil war. Just outside the city is an orphanage that houses kids who lose their parents in the war.

A wanted man (Jacinto) who used to live at the orphanage returns, and helps out. He is a wanted man, and on the lamb. He also knows a secret, the orphanage has gold. It is supposed to be used for the resistance, but the guy who left it for that purpose is no longer there.

On comes the power struggle to get the gold and the conniving manners to obtain it.

Something bad has happened to an orphan (Santi), killing him. During the power struggle for the gold, something bad is going to happen, and he tries to warn the kids of the orphanage through the main character (Carlos).

In the end, it is a drama, w/a very nice story. It should not even be put in the same category as Others and Sixth Sense (which is what I thought I was renting).

Rent it for the story, not to be scared. Also strongly recommend renting before buying, this is not a movie for everyone. At some points, it is very, very slow.

Grade: C+


Rating:
Summary: A ghost story that doesn't skimp on the human drama
Review: During the Spanish Civil War, young Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is sent to a remote orphanage where a kindly but self-absorbed doctor (Federico Luppi) and a stern headmistress (Marisa Paredes) care for the orphaned sons of Communist partisans. There he encounters a complicated web of secrets, betrayals and ghosts. This is a very fine film by director Guillermo del Toro, who has since made some big Hollywood productions. The drama in "Devil's Backbone" is compelling and often pushes the more ghostly elements into the background. The setting is inspired. This film is never predictable and ultimately quite moving.

Rating:
Summary: Stunning, Genre Bending Movie
Review: 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.