The Devil's Backbone

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Mason M This was my second Guillermo del Toro film, my first one was Cronos, which I absolutely hated. But this film just blew me away. It's a haunting ensemble character study about war, but more about that feeling of being trapped on the outskirts, being a ghost, and this was one of the better depictions of that feeling I've seen on screen. The film had a great balance between thrilling sequences that had me on the edge of my seat, and heartbreaking relationships between characters. The photography was simply stunning, and the imagery was beautifully done. And the kids were great in the film, their performances and characters felt believable and like kids I could've really known. This was a simply amazing and heartbreaking film. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/28/25 Full Review Connor J Guillermo del Toro has such a way of making the most evil villains, and perfectly builds his characters so that you care about them. Loved this one. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/08/24 Full Review Wayne K A few years ago, I decided to check out Pan's Labyrinth, one of Guillermo Del Toro's most famous and acclaimed films. With a potent blend of frightening imagery, heavy stakes and a dangerous, intimidating villain, it was a more than worthwhile experience. The Devil's Backbone, released 5 years earlier, feels like both a companion piece and trial run. Both are set during the Spanish Civil War, both feature a child as the lead, and both demonstrate the classic trope of human beings as the real monsters. TDB is, however, a inferior film in my eyes. The dialogue is less compelling, the villain isn't as memorable or effective, despite great work by Eduardo Noriega, and the story overall just doesn't hit the same. There's clear references to the war going on around, but it never feels as close as it does in Pan's Labyrinth. At times I even forgot it was happening. The ghost element is interesting, but it rarely feels scary since the characters have to go to it in order for anything to happen. The character development is probably the best element, as we see the children trapped by tragic circumstance, having to mature early and take on adult responsibilities. All things considered, The Devil's Backbone feels like something Del Toro made to test the waters, to see if something as ambitious as Pan's Labyrinth was actually possibly before he got the greenlight to make it. TDB has its moments, but more often than not I felt disconnected from it. Given the choice between them, I'd take PL any day. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/17/24 Full Review CKB Frustrated with meddling from Hollywood studios, in 2001 Guillermo del Toro decided to make an independent film based on a script he had begun in his film student days. The Devil's Backbone served as a trial run for Pan's Labyrinth, focusing on a child dealing with supernatural forces and human monsters against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War. What stands out from the beginning, however, is this film's Hollywood look: the actors are all a bit too prettified, the lighting is too attractively balanced, and the camerawork too daintily precise for the film's gritty, chaotic setting. So while attempting to break free of Hollywood's influence in this independent film, del Toro still seems afraid to express himself freely, and keeps falling back on the usual Hollywood tropes to make his points. He also loves his special effects too much, and the interesting appearance he has conjured for the ghost boy quickly becomes an unscary distraction, as does the director's fascination with the stump of the head mistress's missing leg and watching her strap on her 1930s prosthesis. Then there is the plot, involving a boy placed in an isolated orphanage who meets a ghost boy seeking revenge on his murderer. Del Toro likes to say that the worst monsters are human, and this film has two: Jacinto, the orphanage's psychopathic caretaker intent on stealing gold hidden at this otherwise impoverished place (it is being saved to fund the Loyalist fighters); and the unnamed General Franco, by far the worst monster as he wages war on his own people, and the film's main characters are his victims as much as Jacinto's. Franco's presence is signified in the aerial bomb stuck vertically into the ground of the orphanage's courtyard, where it had landed without exploding. Most viewers will know too little about the horrors of the Spanish Civil War to appreciate del Toro's references to it, however. This seems like a practice film, and it rings as hollow as Franco's empty bomb, while even its finer moments have a calculated, we've-seen-this-before quality. Making it may have served a purpose for del Toro's development as a director, but it does not work well for viewers. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/13/24 Full Review Godmirra Tough watch in late October 2023 with everything going on in the Middle East. The horrific impact of war on its youngest victims is a timeless tale. Executed to perfection by one of favorite auteurs, Guillermo del Toro. Muy bien! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/28/23 Full Review Wolfgang G The Devil's Backbone ist ein spanisch-mexikanisch co-produzierter Horrorfilm von Guillermo del Toro und Pedro Almodóvar… Nach dem Carlos - ein Zwölfjähriger, dessen Vater im spanischen Bürgerkrieg gestorben ist - in einem ominösen Jungen Waisenhaus ankommt, entdeckt er, dass die Schule verflucht ist und viele dunkle Geheimnisse hat, die er aufdecken muss… Eine solide Geistergeschichte, die sich eher in Mystery, Thriller, Drama und Horror einordnen lässt, denn der Film ist eher ein Horrorfilm der ruhigeren Art, der auf eine bedrohliche Atmosphäre setzt… Eine perfekte und authentisch inszenierte Geschichte, eindringlich und in schöne Bilder gesetzt… Ein immer wieder sehenswerter Film, den ich zu meinen Klassikern zähle. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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