Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free First Class Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
15 used & new from £3.68
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Devil's Backbone [DVD] [2001]
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images

The Devil's Backbone [DVD] [2001]

DVD ~ Marisa Paredes
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
RRP: £19.99
Price: £4.98 & eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £15.01 (75%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Items for dispatch to UK will be sold by Amazon's Preferred Merchant. (Why?) Gift-wrap available.

9 new from £4.93 6 used from £3.68
Learn about Lovefilm
Amazon's choice for DVD rental.
With a 14 day FREE trial. Learn more

Frequently Bought Together

The Devil's Backbone [DVD] [2001] + The Orphanage [DVD] [2007] + Pan's Labyrinth [DVD] [2006]
Total RRP: £55.97
Price For All Three: £14.94

Show availability and shipping details

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Devil's Backbone [DVD] [2001]
64% buy the item featured on this page:
The Devil's Backbone [DVD] [2001] 4.1 out of 5 stars (29)
£4.98
Pan's Labyrinth [DVD] [2006]
22% buy
Pan's Labyrinth [DVD] [2006] 4.5 out of 5 stars (253)
£3.98
The Orphanage [DVD] [2007]
8% buy
The Orphanage [DVD] [2007] 4.4 out of 5 stars (65)
£5.98
The Orphanage [DVD] [2007]
3% buy
The Orphanage [DVD] [2007] 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)
£4.98
Explore similar items

Product details

Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Special Features
Wide Screen
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1
Special effect Sequence Breakdown
Storyboard To Screen Sequences
Behind The Scenes Featurette
Theatrical Trailer
Potimum Trailer Showreel


See all Reviews

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Orphanage [DVD] [2007]

The Orphanage [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Belen Rueda
4.4 out of 5 stars (65)  £5.98
Pan's Labyrinth [DVD] [2006]

Pan's Labyrinth [DVD] [2006]

DVD ~ Ivana Baquero
4.5 out of 5 stars (253)  £3.98
City Of Lost Children [DVD] [1995]

City Of Lost Children [DVD] [1995]

DVD ~ Ron Perlman
4.6 out of 5 stars (5)  £3.98
The Spirit Of The Beehive [DVD] [1973]

The Spirit Of The Beehive [DVD] [1973]

DVD ~ Fernando Fernán Gómez
4.1 out of 5 stars (16)  £4.98
The Lives Of Others [DVD] [2007]

The Lives Of Others [DVD] [2007]

DVD ~ Martina Gedeck
4.7 out of 5 stars (115)  £3.87
› Explore similar items

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below
(2)
(1)
(1)
(1)
(1)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
5 star:
 (15)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a good old fashioned ghost story, and so much more besides, 27 May 2007
By Mr. Rwj Nixon "the pres" - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Sometimes it is a genuine joy to see a good old fashioned genre done so well that it takes your breath away, and so I am proud to present for your consideration The Devils Backbone, as effective and full blooded a ghost story as you are ever likely to see.
Written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro, the mastermind behind such fantastic pieces of cinema as Cronos and Pans Labyrinth, as well as the slightly disappointing super-hero movies Blade 2 and Hellboy (hey, even the best of us can make a mistake), the film centres around Carlos (Fernando Tielve). The year is 1939 and the Spanish Civil War is coming to its bloody end. Carlos is brought to an isolated orphanage by his tutor and guardian where he is left, unaware that his father, a Republican, has been slain in the war. Carlos accepts his fate, but life is anything but simple for him, in spite of the presence of the kindly Dr Casares (Federico Luppi), as young Carlos must contend with bullying from some of the other boys and the attentions of the sadistic caretaker Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega). But these tribulations are as nothing when Carlos becomes the focus of attention for a ghost that haunts the orphanage, the ghost of a fellow orphan Santi, who disappeared (or died) in mysterious circumstances, and appears to Carlos to warn him that "many will die". As the war closes in on the orphanage and much of Santi's warning comes to pass, the orphans must band together to fight the real evil that threatens them.
This is both a superb ghost story, a riveting drama and a coming of age tale all rolled into one, and the isolated location of the orphanage coupled with the impending threat of violence, from the war, from the bullies, from Jacinto or from the ghostly warnings of Santi, give the film an almost unbearable sense of tension and dread. And when true horror is visited upon the orphanage and the boys must band together, the film becomes a morality tale as well as a study of what people are capable of in the most dire of circumstances (shades of Lord of the Flies methinks).
The film is never less than beautiful to look at, and Del Toro uses an economy of direction, avoiding showy special effects and letting the story do all the work for him, pulling a series of superb performances from his cast, in particular Federico Luppi as Dr Casares, a kind and dignified man who promises never to abandon the boys, and remains true to his word throughout the film, and Eduardo Noriega as Jacinto, a terrific study of sadistic bullying and greed, as well as abandonment and loss. This film is easily the equal of anything Del Toro has done previously, and something of a companion piece to his following movie, the justly celebrated Pans Labyrinth. By turns beautiful, atmospheric and when it wants to be, scary as hell.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Devilishly Brilliant & Superbly Shot Masterpiece, 24 Jun 2002
By Dylan Thomas (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
A beautifully shot film contrasting the bright white landscapes surrounding the orphanage with the foreboding almost gothic corridors and rooms inside. Superbly acted by both adults AND children alike (Del Torro obviously knows how to select his actors and get their best performances) and very well produced. If you know anyone adverse to watching subtitled/foreign films then this is the one that will break them because the story and subject matter simply overcome the language barrier. A truely gripping piece of cinema that begins with one simple(?!) question "What is a ghost?..." By the end of this film you will be asking yourself that same question over and over.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Great film, piss poor DVD, 6 Nov 2008
This isn't a review of the film, which is excellent, what really annoyed me were the subtitles. They're completely out of sync with the dialogue, sometimes with a delay of a couple of seconds, which was really distracting and means that you often can't tell who's actually speaking. The subtitle even freezes for a couple of minutes half way through at the worst possible moment, completely distracting from what's going on. Such a shame for a film that's so technically perfect.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Not the dead but the living
The Devil's Backbone is rich in metaphor between the real,historical and supernatural realms.The richness comes from the symbiosis of childhood wonder,it's ability to inhabit... Read more
Published 1 month ago by technoguy

4.0 out of 5 stars Evil is alive and human
Guillermo Del Toro has gone on to greater things but all the elements of his skill can be seen here. The story is solid and all characters interesting. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Gisli Jokull Gislason

4.0 out of 5 stars Daylit scares
Most reviews I've read compare this to Pan's Labyrinth and find it wanting, well this isn't as good. Read more
Published 4 months ago by N. Carley

5.0 out of 5 stars Insect trapped in amber

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. Read more
Published 6 months ago by E. A Solinas

4.0 out of 5 stars No masterpiece but fine for a fiver
This is a good film, but not a great one. Probably it's biggest weakness is that it now seems like a warm up to Pan's Labyrinth (Del Toro's masterpiece) and the Orphanage (which... Read more
Published 7 months ago by P. Allen

3.0 out of 5 stars a decent film that drags at times
The devils backbone is a spanish film directed by guillermo del toro who found international success with pans labyrinth,this film was released 5 years prior to that and while its... Read more
Published 11 months ago by sean paul mccann

3.0 out of 5 stars PAIN IN THE DEVILS BACK (BONE)
I WAS DISAPPOINTED. SOME OF IT WAS CHEAP. SOME IF IT DID NOT TALLY. I THINK IT LACKED STORY, AND SO WAS FULL OF CHEAPNESS AND STUFF THAT DID NOT TALLY. COULE BE BETTER. C MINUS.
Published 12 months ago by N. Angus

1.0 out of 5 stars The Devils Backside More Like
After watching Pans Labyrinth which is fantastic we read the reviews about this Del Toro film and decided to buy it. Read more
Published 14 months ago by "stacy" n

3.0 out of 5 stars spineless
although this film does present sound selection of ideas, whilst watching it i found that it never quite realised the potential that i felt it was capable of. Read more
Published 16 months ago by M. Briggs

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly one of the best films ever made
This is one those very rare films that deserves 6 stars.

Superb acting by both the very young and older actors, excellent camera work, an imaginative and... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Tonkfan

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

›Shop the Powerball store

  

Beauty without the Beast

Olay Regenerist Daily 3 Point Treatment Cream
From au naturel to party glam, we have all the best names in cosmetics and skincare.

›Discover Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

  

Up to 50% off Dental Care

Braun Oral-B Professional Care 6000 Rechargeable Toothbrush - Pack of 2
Put a sparkle in your smile with up to 50% off selected Oral-B and Philips rechargeable toothbrushes.

›Up to 50% off power toothbrushes

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates