The Devil's Backbone (Special Edition) List Price: $14.94 Our Price: $8.25 Your Save: $ 6.69 ( 45% ) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Starring: Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Federico Luppi, Fernando Tielve, Íñigo Garcés Directed By: Guillermo del Toro Average Customer Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Brand: Sony EAN: 9781404958753 Format: AC-3 ISBN: 1404958754 Label: Sony Pictures Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Sony Pictures Region Code: 99 Release Date: 2004-07-27 Running Time: 106 Studio: Sony Pictures Theatrical Release Date: 2001-11-21 Related Items Pan's Labyrinth The Orphanage Hellboy (Two-Disc Special Edition) The City of Lost Children Amores Perros Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: A Story Within A Story--And I Don't Know Which One Is Scarier Comment: Like The Orphanage and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's 2001 The Devil's Backbone is "thinking person's horror." Set in the immediate aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and taking place almost entirely within a creepy orphanage which has the singular feature of an unexploded bomb in its courtyard, this atmospheric tale of sadism, kindness, and postmortem revenge works very well on many levels. As was the case two years ago with Pan's Labyrinth I found myself every bit as interested in the real world goings on in this film as I was in the plot of the haunting of the orphanage by the spirit of a murdered, missing boy, and this duality of storytelling marks del Toro as every bit as talented a writer as he is creator of eerie movies. Not a lot of flash and special effects here, just a good old fashioned spooky ghost story. Customer Rating: Summary: An insect trapped in amber Comment: Guillermo del Toro is currently known as the guy who made the Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth," the "Hellboy" movies, and is going to direct "The Hobbit." But way back in in 2001, del Toro made a movie that serves as a sport of ghost-story prequel to "Pan's Labyrinth." With its mysterious specter, innocent hero and a story set during a bloody civil war, "The Devil's Backbone" is a unique kind of horror movie -- it deftly sidesteps the cheap tricks and scares that most ghost stories employ. Unaware that his father has been killed, Carlos (Fernando Tielve) thinks that he's being left at a remote orphanage only temporarily. Kindly Dr. Casares (Federico Luppi) sympathizes with the lonely new boy, but Carlos soon is distracted from his troubles. He keeps seeing shadows, footprints and falling pitchers -- and when he wanders down into the vaulted cellar, he catches a glimpse of a silent ghost with a bleeding head wound. Even worse, the ghost -- which was a boy named Santi -- informs him that many people there will die. But the most dangerous one at the orphanage is the brutal former-orphan Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), who is searching for a cache of hidden gold. As Carlos tries to figure out how Santi died -- and what angry, miserable Jaime (Íñigo Garcés) has to do with it -- the orphanage is suddenly turned into an explosive war zone. As Dr. Casares tries to protect the remaining boys, Carlos discovers the reason Santi died -- and what he wants now. "The Devil's Backbone" is a movie filled with death: the orphanage is a dying institution in a time of war, filled with orphans and surrounded by sun-burnt grass. It even has a defused torpedo stuck right in the middle of the courtyard. By the time the ghost shows up, it seems like almost a natural part of such a ruined, quietly sorrowful place. Fortunately Guillermo del Toro avoids cheap scares -- the ghost doesn't make weird noises or leap out at Carlos for no reason. Instead he evokes the fear of a child in a dark, creaky old house who is ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that there's something out there. Also some beautifully creepy visuals, such as blood floating in the air as if it were in water. But the whole creepy-ghostly-factor is eclipsed about halfway through the movie. After a slow buildup of tension, everything suddenly erupts when Jacinto suddenly reveals his true self. Suddenly we've got explosions, blood, shattered glass, mangled bodies and an all-too human enemy who is slowly closing in. It makes the ghostly Santi seem suddenly very... nonthreatening. And though the plot seems simple, del Toro spins a spiderweb of interconnected hints and plot threads -- comic books, slug collections, a wooden leg and blood-tinged water all come into play. There's loads of symbolism, and the beautiful scenes (Dr. Casares' final poetry recital to Carmen) are handled just as powerfully as the more gory, ghastly ones (the orphans' final assault). It's kind of amazing that this was Tielve's movie debut, because he's simply incredible -- his character slides through fear, courage, sorrow and confusion, all with a kind of unshakable innocence. Garcés is equally good; at first he seems like a mere bully, but we gradually see how troubled and guilty he feels over what happened to Santi. Noriega is thoroughly nasty as a greedy, sociopathic thug who cares about nobody except himself (even his fiancee), while Luppi is a kindly, cultured old man who obviously loves the boys as if they were his own. "The Devil's Backbone" is a haunting kind of ghost story, where the ghost is not the scariest thing you'll see. A powerful, striking movie. Customer Rating: Summary: Devil's Backbone Comment: Guillermo del Toro does a great job of telling a unique story through different mediums. All around an entertaining piece of work. Customer Rating: Summary: The Spanish Civil War Told in the Form of a Horror Picture Comment: I've seen Hellboy II and was disappointed in the basic emptiness of it. Guess it was because I've seen Pan's Labyrinth and expected a deeper story. This movie has it. The ghost story has a boy who has been murdered who wants revenge, but also has a story of people fighting against fascism who would like justice for all the wrongs done them. Very good story and the unexploded bomb says a lot about the life these poor people live. Customer Rating: Summary: "An Insect Trapped In Amber" Comment: THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is a well made Spanish language film with adequate English subtitles to tell this ghost/historical/war film to an American audience. The setting of the movie is a remote desert orphanage (totally unrelated to the setting of another Del Toro film titled THE ORPHANAGE) for boys during the Spanish Civil War. The acting is excellent all around with special kudos going to the child actors especially the young men playing Carlos and Jaime. And the film has one of the hunkiest villains ever in Eduardo Noriega II in the role of Jacinto. The movie is filled with atmosphere, gothic images and symbolism some of which are neatly tied in to the plot line and some of which are left dangling. This movie may not be as jump out of your seat scary as Del Toro's ghost story THE ORPHANAGE but overall THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is the better film of the two. Editorial Reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: A Story Within A Story--And I Don't Know Which One Is Scarier Comment: Like The Orphanage and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro's 2001 The Devil's Backbone is "thinking person's horror." Set in the immediate aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and taking place almost entirely within a creepy orphanage which has the singular feature of an unexploded bomb in its courtyard, this atmospheric tale of sadism, kindness, and postmortem revenge works very well on many levels. As was the case two years ago with Pan's Labyrinth I found myself every bit as interested in the real world goings on in this film as I was in the plot of the haunting of the orphanage by the spirit of a murdered, missing boy, and this duality of storytelling marks del Toro as every bit as talented a writer as he is creator of eerie movies. Not a lot of flash and special effects here, just a good old fashioned spooky ghost story. Customer Rating: Summary: An insect trapped in amber Comment: Guillermo del Toro is currently known as the guy who made the Oscar-winning "Pan's Labyrinth," the "Hellboy" movies, and is going to direct "The Hobbit." But way back in in 2001, del Toro made a movie that serves as a sport of ghost-story prequel to "Pan's Labyrinth." With its mysterious specter, innocent hero and a story set during a bloody civil war, "The Devil's Backbone" is a unique kind of horror movie -- it deftly sidesteps the cheap tricks and scares that most ghost stories employ. Unaware that his father has been killed, Carlos (Fernando Tielve) thinks that he's being left at a remote orphanage only temporarily. Kindly Dr. Casares (Federico Luppi) sympathizes with the lonely new boy, but Carlos soon is distracted from his troubles. He keeps seeing shadows, footprints and falling pitchers -- and when he wanders down into the vaulted cellar, he catches a glimpse of a silent ghost with a bleeding head wound. Even worse, the ghost -- which was a boy named Santi -- informs him that many people there will die. But the most dangerous one at the orphanage is the brutal former-orphan Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), who is searching for a cache of hidden gold. As Carlos tries to figure out how Santi died -- and what angry, miserable Jaime (Íñigo Garcés) has to do with it -- the orphanage is suddenly turned into an explosive war zone. As Dr. Casares tries to protect the remaining boys, Carlos discovers the reason Santi died -- and what he wants now. "The Devil's Backbone" is a movie filled with death: the orphanage is a dying institution in a time of war, filled with orphans and surrounded by sun-burnt grass. It even has a defused torpedo stuck right in the middle of the courtyard. By the time the ghost shows up, it seems like almost a natural part of such a ruined, quietly sorrowful place. Fortunately Guillermo del Toro avoids cheap scares -- the ghost doesn't make weird noises or leap out at Carlos for no reason. Instead he evokes the fear of a child in a dark, creaky old house who is ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that there's something out there. Also some beautifully creepy visuals, such as blood floating in the air as if it were in water. But the whole creepy-ghostly-factor is eclipsed about halfway through the movie. After a slow buildup of tension, everything suddenly erupts when Jacinto suddenly reveals his true self. Suddenly we've got explosions, blood, shattered glass, mangled bodies and an all-too human enemy who is slowly closing in. It makes the ghostly Santi seem suddenly very... nonthreatening. And though the plot seems simple, del Toro spins a spiderweb of interconnected hints and plot threads -- comic books, slug collections, a wooden leg and blood-tinged water all come into play. There's loads of symbolism, and the beautiful scenes (Dr. Casares' final poetry recital to Carmen) are handled just as powerfully as the more gory, ghastly ones (the orphans' final assault). It's kind of amazing that this was Tielve's movie debut, because he's simply incredible -- his character slides through fear, courage, sorrow and confusion, all with a kind of unshakable innocence. Garcés is equally good; at first he seems like a mere bully, but we gradually see how troubled and guilty he feels over what happened to Santi. Noriega is thoroughly nasty as a greedy, sociopathic thug who cares about nobody except himself (even his fiancee), while Luppi is a kindly, cultured old man who obviously loves the boys as if they were his own. "The Devil's Backbone" is a haunting kind of ghost story, where the ghost is not the scariest thing you'll see. A powerful, striking movie. Customer Rating: Summary: Devil's Backbone Comment: Guillermo del Toro does a great job of telling a unique story through different mediums. All around an entertaining piece of work. Customer Rating: Summary: The Spanish Civil War Told in the Form of a Horror Picture Comment: I've seen Hellboy II and was disappointed in the basic emptiness of it. Guess it was because I've seen Pan's Labyrinth and expected a deeper story. This movie has it. The ghost story has a boy who has been murdered who wants revenge, but also has a story of people fighting against fascism who would like justice for all the wrongs done them. Very good story and the unexploded bomb says a lot about the life these poor people live. Customer Rating: Summary: "An Insect Trapped In Amber" Comment: THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is a well made Spanish language film with adequate English subtitles to tell this ghost/historical/war film to an American audience. The setting of the movie is a remote desert orphanage (totally unrelated to the setting of another Del Toro film titled THE ORPHANAGE) for boys during the Spanish Civil War. The acting is excellent all around with special kudos going to the child actors especially the young men playing Carlos and Jaime. And the film has one of the hunkiest villains ever in Eduardo Noriega II in the role of Jacinto. The movie is filled with atmosphere, gothic images and symbolism some of which are neatly tied in to the plot line and some of which are left dangling. This movie may not be as jump out of your seat scary as Del Toro's ghost story THE ORPHANAGE but overall THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is the better film of the two. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 04/25/2006 Run time: 108 minutes Rating: R Ask about this healthcare product "The Devil's Backbone (Special Edition)" in the forum Give review on this healthcare product "The Devil's Backbone (Special Edition)" in the forum Search related information in the forum