paulclaassen
Good acting and great visuals highlight this interesting yet bit of a slow moving film about a group of orphans. The film deals with different issues, from greed to revenge, and also has a few great action sequences, and some truly scary moments. Being only his third film as director, the film already carries Guillermo's stunning visual trademark. The child actors were very good.
Red-Barracuda
Set at an orphanage in a remote corner of Spain during the Spanish Civil War, the narrative here mixes a great deal of human drama in with a supernatural ghost story. The owners of the orphanage hide a large cachet of gold somewhere within and the aggressive and violent handyman constantly seeks its location. The boys live in fear of this bully, as well as of the ghost of a boy called Santi who vanished the day of the arrival of a bomb. A bomb which remains unexploded and buried vertically in the courtyard.Like his later masterpiece Pan's Labyrinth (2006) Guillermo del Toro has concocted another tale with a backdrop of the Spanish Civil War which intertwines grim reality with a supernatural thread. In the case of this movie, the War is far more in the background yet so too is the ghost story. In fact, the horror is very downplayed here with what is essentially a sympathetic ghost and little in the way of genuine scare-oriented scenes. It is a technically very well-made film and it does sport good performances. It is a fine movie in many ways, yet at the same time it sort of feels like it could have added up to more. Perhaps the human drama section is not strong enough, given its main prominence in the story overall and perhaps the characters just aren't as interesting or sympathetic as they need to be. Whatever the case, it feels like something is missing here. Yet, I would still have to say it is certainly a good film on account of some of its visual ideas and de Toro's sure directorial hand but ultimately this is one I would recommend yet perhaps suggest is slightly over-rated.
SnoopyStyle
The Republicans are losing the Spanish Civil War to General Franco and the right-wing Nationalists. Carlos is sent to an isolated orphanage run by Republican sympathizers one-legged Carmen and Dr. Casares who are hiding a cache of Republican gold. He hasn't been told that his father was killed on the frontlines. Dr. Casares sells his spiced rum "limbo water" to the villagers from a glass jar containing a baby with an exposed spine or the Devil's Backbone. Carlos encounters the ghost of Santi, a boy who disappeared when a giant bomb landed in the middle of the courtyard. The bomb is suppose to have been defused. Carlos is bullied by Jaime and the other boys. Carlos rescues Jaime from drowning and they become friends. Angry groundskeeper Jacinto was once one of the orphans being cared for and Conchita is the beautiful teacher.Carlos has a childhood innocence and this is an intriguing childhood ghost story from Guillermo del Toro. This is not scary but it has the tension of the Spanish Civil War like his later masterpiece "Pan's Labyrinth". It has a mood of dread and feel of wonder. The characters are all compelling. It would be nice to have Carlos and Jaime battle it out a little longer. It's all very well made.
Claudio Carvalho
During the Spanish Civil War, the twelve year-old boy Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is left behind by his family in an orphanage in the middle of nowhere. Dr. Casares (Federico Luppi) and his wife Carmen (Marisa Paredes) run the orphanage and the former orphan Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), who lives with the teacher Conchita (Irene Visedo), is responsible to take care and for the maintenance of the place. Jacinto is an ambitious and violent man and has a love affair with Carmen trying to steal the key of the safe where Dr. Casares and his wife hide the gold that is used to support the Republican forces. Carlos is bullied by the strong boy Jaime (Íñigo Garcés), who is the leader of the other boys. One day, Carlos feels the presence of a ghost and soon he learns that he is the orphan Santi (Junio Valverde) that is missing. Carlos sees Santi several times and one day he learns the dark secret of his disappearance."El espinazo del diablo" is a sad and creepy ghost story in a dramatic environment. Having the background of the Spanish Civil War, Guillermo del Toro discloses the melancholic story of a boy abandoned by his family and his difficulties to adapt to his new life. The greedy Jacinto represents the worst that exists in the mankind, a cold and despicable man moved by ambition only. The performances are outstanding and the conclusion is heartbreaking since the boys are left with no perspectives in life. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "A Espinha do Diabo" ("The Devil's Backbone")
AD
