Your Gold Box VHS Used Videos DVD DVD & VHS Movie Showtimes All Products Explore This Video buying info technical information editorial reviews customer reviews I dislike it I love it! 1 2 3 4 5 Edit your ratings Favorite Magazines! Explore our new Magazine Subscriptions store . Visit the DVD Store The Devil's Backbone DVD ~ Eduardo Noriega (II) Calphalon $50 Offer Spend $249 on Calphalon and save $50 on your next Amazon purchase. So You'd Like to... Visit Spain : A guide by queenoftea, Hoping Spain has Good Tea Create your guide Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering. Used & new from $4.48 Have one to sell? Don't have one? We'll set one up for you. The Devil's Backbone (2001) - Dubbed in Spanish - English subtitles see larger picture List Price: $14.95 Price: $14.95 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. See details . Availability: Usually ships within 2 to 3 days Used & new from $4.48 Edition: See more product details Great Buy Buy this video with Cronos VHS ~ Federico Luppi today! Buy Together Today: $ 24.94 Customers who bought this video also bought: Open Your Eyes VHS ~ Eduardo Noriega (II) All About My Mother VHS ~ Cecilia Roth Son of the Bride VHS ~ Ricardo Darín Our Lady of the Assassins VHS ~ Germán Jaramillo Belle Epoque VHS ~ Fernando Fernán Gómez Explore similar items Product Details Starring: Eduardo Noriega (II) , Marisa Paredes , See more Director: Guillermo del Toro Format: Color, NTSC Rated: Not for sale to persons under age 18. Studio: Columbia Tristar Hom VHS Features: NTSC format ( US and Canada only. This VHS will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about VHS formats .) Dubbed in Spanish Subtitles in English Color, NTSC From IMDb: Quotes & Trivia ASIN: B000066C83 Other Formats: DVD widescreen Average Customer Review: Based on 40 reviews. Write a review . Amazon.com Sales Rank (VHS): 5,705 What's Your Advice? Is there an item you'd recommend instead of or in addition to this one? Let the world know! Enter the item's ASIN ( what's an ASIN? ) in the box below, select advice type, then click Submit. I recommend: in addition to this product instead of this product Editorial Reviews Amazon.com Seething passions, wandering ghosts, and an unexploded bomb fill this beautifully filmed tale of war and suspense. Though The Devil's Backbone was advertised as a horror movie in the States, it's really more of a drama that happens to have ghosts in it. During the Spanish Civil War, young Carlos is abandoned at a completely isolated orphanage. The tensions therein have been building for years, exacerbated by the unexploded bomb resting menacingly in the courtyard. Bullies scheme, tempers flare, and a ghost that visits Carlos's bed seems to be the key to it all. The movie is full of excellent performances, especially by Marisa Paredes as the gruff-but-kind headmistress, Eduardo Noriega as the handyman with secrets to keep, and Federico Luppi as the benevolent professor who likes to keep deformed fetuses in jars. A rich, satisfying drama with some good, spooky fun thrown in. --Ali Davis --This text refers to the DVD edition. Spotlight Reviews (what's this) Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. 12 of 13 people found the following review helpful: STYLISH SPANISH GOTHIC... , July 27, 2002 Reviewer: Lawyeraau (see more about me) from Flushing, NY United States Well directed by Guillermo Del Toro, this is a stylish, Spanish gothic film with remarkable performances by the entire cast. The entire film takes place during the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s in a remote, ramshackle school in the middle of nowhere that houses boys who have been displaced by the war. Many of them are orphans. An unexploded bomb, courtesy of the fascists, lies half buried in the courtyard of the school, a stark reminder of what is happening beyond the boundaries of this isolated spot. One such boy, Carlos (Fernando Tielve), who is unaware that his father was killed in the war, is brought to the school by his tutor and left in the care and custody of its one legged headmistress, Carmen (Marisa Paredes). A Leftist, she is a passionate woman who has been funding the Left in its losing battle against the fascists. Cesares (Federico Luppi), one of the professors at the school, is a kindly, older man who befriends the bereft and bewildered Carlos. He is also an incurable romantic, in love with and devoted to Carmen, yet too much of a gentleman to consummate his passion for her. She. too, however, has a secret passion, and it is not him. As the new kid on the block, Carlos attracts the attention of the school bully, Jaime (Inigo Garces), but manages to hold his own against the bigger and older boy. It is just as well, as there is something else going on at the school that demands both their attention. It seems that Santi (Junio Valverde), a boy who has been classified as missing, is eerily making his presence felt. Moreover, the school handyman, Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega), the handsome "prince without a kingdom" much like the devil himself, appears to be up to no good, while Conchita (Irene Visedo), the school's young housekeeper, has set her cap for him. Amidst the war, the haunting, and the destructive violence of Jacinto, Carlos unexpectedly comes of age. Jaime, who is part of Carlos' rite of passage, matures into a natural leader. What they must face together will ultimately bind them in friendship. This is a complex, multi-layered film, dealing with themes of anger, betrayal, greed, love, and hate, all of which are played out and lead to the stunning climactic ending. Marisa Paredes gives a rich, three dimensional performance, as Carmen, a woman who is tired by the ongoing civil war and who finds herself questioning the leftist cause, the very cause that she financially supports, while harboring a secret passion. Federico Luppi imbues his character, Cesares, with a depth of emotion that simmers just below the surface, as well as with an old-fashioned grace that is touching. Eduardo Noriego, as Jacinto, gives an emotional portrayal of evil, yet manages to infuse a certain poignancy in his character. The children all give very good performances. This deftly directed, well acted film is worth watching. The DVD offers a widescreen version of the film with first rate audio and visuals. Along with a commentary by the director and the cinematographer, it offers an interesting featurette on the making of the film from the point of view of the director, Guillermo Del Toro. This is a DVD well worth having. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? Atmospheric melodrama , July 13, 2002 Reviewer: wdallan@uncg.edu (see more about me) from Greensboro, North Carolina USA "The Devil's Backbone" is a ghost story, but it is also much more. Set during the Spanish Civil War, the story chronicles the happenings in an isolated school for orphaned boys. The school admininstration consists of just a few characters, which makes the school seem even spookier and alienating. In the background, the war moves closer to the school, creating additional horrors. A new boy, Carlos, arrives and he begins seeing a ghost. These scenes are very chilling and well-directed, but not really scary per se. As the action progresses, it becomes clear that the ghost is not the only evil in the school. The plot is well-written and has some great plot twists. The actors are all terrific, with the kids putting in some impressive work in difficult roles. I really enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it for fans of psychological horror films, such as "The Others." --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? All Customer Reviews Avg. Customer Review: Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers. A Great Movie , February 24, 2005 Reviewer: stefonsaved from tacoma, WA USA I wasn't too sure about this movie, though I did have it on my wish list at amazon.com. I got it somewhere else and I have to say, this is one of the best horror films I've seen in a long time. It hits its mark, without all the blood and gore, which is cool, I like the blood and gore thing. This was a great break from all that. It's sparked an interest in films with subtitles too. --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? Creepy & emotionally haunting. , February 12, 2005 Reviewer: Laurie Shallah (see more about me) from Merrimack, NH USA The Devil's Backbone I'm not a huge fan of subtitled films. More often than not the subtitles tend to become a distraction for me. Often they're not done all that well and blend into the background scenery (this happened during my viewing of the Japanese film Audition) or I'm so busy trying to follow the written dialogue that I miss much of the film (this happened often during Amelie and occasionally during the Japanese version of The Ring). And, to be honest, I despise wearing my glasses (ah, vanity) and these subtitles force the issue. Because my experience with subtitles has been dismal at best I only picked up "The Devil's Backbone", a Spanish film with English subtitles, because it had been highly recommended as "must-see" by a reliable source. After the first five minutes of viewing this film I was hooked and my issues with subtitles were all but forgotten. Set during the Spanish Civil War the film immediately emits a sense of dread, desperation and hopelessness that is maintained throughout the length of the film. The constant threat of war, starvation, death and destruction looms ever closer while human weaknesses are explored as well as strength and action in the face of all of the hopelessness. All of these combined aspects, along with an interesting (but not terribly original) ghostly mystery, are what make the film far superior to most of what I've been viewing in the theatre. Carlos is a young orphan. His father died a casualty of the war but no one has the heart (or backbone) to tell him. Instead his tutor drops him off at an orphanage and cowardly runs away without a word of explanation. Young Carlos is left in the hands of strangers and is shown around his new "home" where he must adjust to an entirely new way of life. I felt a deep sense of empathy for little Carlos right away. As he tries to adjust a few of the other orphaned boys make his life just about as difficult as they can (starvation, disappointment and lack of compassion will do that to you). But Carlos accepts this as his fate. His confusion, fear and acceptance of it all seemed very true to life and all the more heartbreaking because of it. As if this weren't enough, Carlos sees a ghost-boy who warns him of imminent danger. Carlos flees for his life (like most of us would when faced with a ghost!). Before long Carlos learns there are things much more dangerous than a ghost-boy lurking within the stifling confines of the orphanage. The adult cast is relatively small but each adds interest to the plot. There's the older schoolmarm who hides a shameful secret, an older professor in love with the schoolmarm who hides his feelings, his poetic soul and his impotence from his true love, there's a hunky, cold-hearted young caretaker who believes the world owes him big-time and, finally, there's an innocent young maiden who sees the truth of things far too late. Her character seems unnecessary upon first view but the few moments of hope and light she brings into the dreary existence of the orphanage's resident "bully" make her character worthwhile. Finally, there's Santi a former resident of the orphanage who now haunts its halls. The boys all believe Santi ran away when a bomb was dropped (but never detonated) in their yard but deep down fear something terrible happened to him. The circumstances surrounding Santi's disappearance are kept a secret and when revealed they aren't surprising but they are jaw-droppingly awful to witness. Other than that I'm going to leave the rest of the plot alone. It's something that should be viewed and not synopsized to death. The appearances of the ghost are genuinely creepy despite the fact that his makeup is horribly bad and, much to my relief, this movie isn't stuffed with many gimmicky thrills (only one comes to mind). I didn't jump out of my seat in fear but instead felt that wonderful thrill one experiences only when viewing a movie that maintains an intense sense of relentless dread. I don't normally review films as I tend to forget all of the little details (and many of the big ones) as soon as I pop out the disk but this one just won't let go and its images refuse to leave me. If you're as tired as I am of the standard cheap thrill filled dreck being shoveled out that disguises itself as horror (When Darkness Falls, anyone?) this film is a must see. A haunting emotional experience to be sure. ~ Laurie Shallah --This text refers to the DVD edition . Was this review helpful to you? See all customer reviews... Customers who bought videos directed by Guillermo del Toro also bought videos by these directors: Pedro Almodóvar Alejandro Amenábar Chuck Russell Andrew Davis Peter Jackson Explore similar directors Auctions and zShops sellers and our other stores recommend: Devil's Backbone (2001) - Original UK Quad Movie Poster (Price: $19.99) So You'd Like To... see which movies from the 1990's I recommend you check out. : by Steven Y. , loser who would be much more productive if someone just took his video rental card away. Visit Spain : by queenoftea , Hoping Spain has Good Tea look outside the US and sample some european goodies : by nan_luke , Whole Wide World Addict Listmania! Top Horror movies : A list by Juan Luis Fasser , Technical Support Manager Great "Foreign" Science-Fiction/Fantasy Films : A list by Lawrance M. 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