Review of Devils Backbone, The

Introduction

It`s the Spanish Civil War and a remote orphanage is host to a bunch of young boys, a motley crew of teachers and helpers. And a ghostly creature who wanders the corridors of the orphanage terrorising the boys. The creature is named "The One Who Sighs" and some of the boys feel that it came with an unexploded bomb that fell on the orphanage. Some, however, suspect that it might be Santi, one of their own who disappeared the night the bomb fell.

Into the orphanage comes Carlos, a young boy who is initially teased and picked on (as you would expect) but who starts to get close to the dark secret behind the ghost. The ghost states that "Many of you will die". But is this a threat or a warning? And who should Carlos really be afraid of - the dead or the living?

Guillermo Del Toro is the new wunderkind of horror. Starting his career with the vampire rework of Chronos, he has survived the Hollywood mashed Mimic and garnered universal acclaim with the subtle gothic horror of The Devil`s Backbone. It got a fairly limited release in the UK and this DVD is an excellent opportunity to savour this fine movie.

Note that initial copies of the DVD featured a pressing error where the DD 5.1 track was not present. This error has ben fixed in later versions and if you have a copy without a DD 5.1 track (you`ll have two audio tracks but both will be DD 2.0) you should return it for a replacement.

Video

The video is the big disappointment in this package. Instead of the rich, detailed Anamorphic transfer that The Devil`s Backbone deserved, we get a rich, detailed Letterboxed 1.78:1 transfer. It`s actually very good - making the most of Del Toro`s typically muted palette of orangey browns. Everything looks fabulous, from the occasional sunlit desert shots to the gothic interiors. Colours are spot on and the detail in the image is flawless. Direction and cinematography work seamlessly to create a truly sumptuous looking film.

An indication of the visual flair on display is the nebulous swirl of dust, insects and blood that surround the ghostly Santi. Fabulous.

It is just a shame that we haven`t got an Anamorphic transfer.

Audio

Audio is presented in both Spanish DD 2.0 and Spanish DD 5.1. The DD 2.0 track is good, presenting dialogue, ambience and mood effectively. The DD 5.1 track, though, is much better. It opens out the soundtrack and makes superb use of all channels. It isn`t splashy - subtlety is the order of the day - but it is very effective. Music and ambient effects move gracefully around the speakers contributing greatly to the sense of unease that the film creates.

The music isn`t particularly memorable but is effective at the time.

As indicated at the start, some early disks were missing the DD 5.1 and it is well worth returning such disks to get the 5.1 track.

Features

On the face of it, the extras aren`t overly generous - 3 featurettes, biographies, a trailer and a gallery - however, having watched them, the only obvious absence is a commentary.

The main Behind The Scenes featurette gives a pretty comprehensive look at the making of the film with interviews with the main players. The other two featurettes give a more in depth look at the special effects and storyboard processes. These are all interesting and worthwhile. The text based biographies are worth reading. I can`t see the point of still galleries though and this one has done nothing to make me see the light.

The menu system is effective but gives away the punch line of a scene towards the middle of the movie which is unfortunate.

Conclusion

In Mimic, Del Toro made an interesting failure - hinting at his potential and talent for understated gothic horror but with Hollywood insisting that conventions be adhered to. In reaction, he goes back to his native Mexico and steadfastly follows his muse without any outside interference. The result is superb and Del Toro`s best film by far.

Writing, direction, cinematography and acting are all excellent. They combine to make a believable, yet surreal world. Much of the film is either implicitly or explicitly viewed through the eyes of a young boy with the combination of innocence and wisdom that entails.

Many things are not as they seem initially. From the handsome Jacinto who may be less than wholesome to the crippled Carmen who is probably the strongest most capable character in the film. This ambiguity is beautifully portrayed by the actors, especially Eduardo Noriega who brings a menacing machismo to his role as Jacinto.

The ambiguity runs through to the menacing ghostlike presence - creepy, sure, but what is more dangerous - the living or the dead? As the film nears its conclusion, the answer starts to become clear and it isn`t what you expect.

The movie starts well with striking imagery of children floating in an amber liquid and races through to a satisfying and ultimately hopeful conclusion. In between, we get some of the most elegant and atmospheric cinema the (subtle) horror genre has seen in years.

This is a great film and a worthy DVD let down only by the lack of an Anamorphic transfer. It`s well worth buying.