The Devil’s Backbone: Special Edition (Blu-ray)
As Guillermo Del Toro films go The Devil’s Backbone is a defining moment
in his career, breaching the gap between International Art House and mainstream
Hollywood success, it being his last film before Blade 2. Based within an
orphanage during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s, the film is driven by its
characters and, just like his previous films (Cronos and Mimic),
it draws on the supernatural to outline and re-define exactly what it is that
drives them.
Although Del Toro insists that this is not a film about the Civil War, by
trapping and threatening its inhabitants the orphanage inevitably becomes a
mirror for the events outside. These four walls become a place of protection for
boys who have been orphaned during the war, a place for them to lead a
relatively normal existence full of school life, bullying and adventure. Their
main source of the latter being Santi, a young ghost who haunts the halls
looking for revenge for his recent murder. Yet the pivotal character who evokes
real fear in the children is not the spirit, but the greedy, selfish Jacinto
(Eduardo Noriega), a former orphan, whose experiences have left him with deep
emotional scars. With a strong cast and even stronger imagery (created by
cinematographer Guillermo Navarro) Del Toro whips up a hauntingly effective film
about love, life and the afterlife.
On the DVD: entering the extras literally through the keyhole, there
are several opportunities to obtain a deeper understanding of this disturbing
film. A “Behind the Scenes” featurette includes the cast’s own character
profiles and interpretation of the story, as well as Del Toro explaining his
thoughts about the film and how he achieved some shots. Two of the
sequences—”Aerial Bombardment” and “The Ghost”–can be seen in further technical
detail, with film footage and computer animation combined to make a whole scene.
A selection of storyboards can also be viewed which run alongside the soundtrack
to the scene, with the option to intercut between storyboard and finished film.
A theatrical trailer, a picture gallery and written biographies are standard.
The film and additional features are in Spanish with English subtitles and menu.
With Dolby 5:1 sound and a widescreen picture, the film not only looks and
sounds, but also feels fantastically chilling. —Nikki Disney
