Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

The Devil's Backbone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 10, 2017

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro's "El espinazo del diablo" a.k.a. "The Devil's Backbone" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. Te supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; audio commentary with Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro; Javier Soto's documentary "Que es un fantasma?"; deleted scenes; storyboard comparisons; and more. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

On the road to the orphanage

In the midst of the Spanish Civil War, ten-year-old Carlos (Fernando Tielve, Goya's Ghosts) is brought to an orphanage somewhere in the countryside after his father is killed in battle. He immediately becomes fascinated by the unexploded bomb sticking out right in the middle of the large yard where the rest of the boys like to play. Soon after he is shown his bed, Carlos learns that the boy that used to sleep there, Santi (Junio Valverde, Shiver), disappeared the same night the bomb landed in the orphanage.

While trying to find out exactly what happened to Santi, Carlos frequently irritates Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega, Novo, Open Your Eyes), who works and lives in the orphanage together with his fiancee Conchita (Irene Visedom, The Lost Steps). Jacinto and a few of his friends plan to steal the gold which the headmistress, Carmen (Marisa Paredes, All About My Mother, The Skin I Live In), and Dr. Casares (Federico Luppi, Cronos, Men With Guns), have collected to help the Republican cause.

Eventually, the curious Carlos realizes that only a few of the boys in the orphanage are willing to talk about their missing friend. The rest are afraid to even mention his name - and there is a good reason why. The boys tell Carlos that when they utter his name the ghost of Santi would quickly emerge from the orphanage’s large basement and haunt them.

Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone is often compared to his Oscar winning Pan's Labyrinth, but it actually has a lot more in common with Spanish director Victor Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive. In Erice’s film a young girl attends a screening of Frankenstein and her life changes dramatically. Throughout the film Erice uses light and shadow to create an atmosphere that is very similar to the one present in The Devil's Backbone. Like The Devil's Backbone, Erice's film also delivers an important political commentary.

The Devil's Backbone is divided into two uneven parts. In the first, and bigger one, the material is better. This is where the Mexican director’s passion for Gothic atmosphere gives the film its identity -- light and shadow are very carefully used to make the orphanage look as spooky as possible; the exchanges between the boys and the adults are also appropriately vague, forcing the viewer to keep speculating about the direction the film will follow.

The second part has all the important but rather predictable character transformations. There are different political overtones linked to them which at the end almost manage to change the identity of the film -- almost because even if the viewer isn’t familiar with Spanish history and does not understand what each character represents, the finale still makes sense.

The special effects in The Devil’s Backbone are not as elaborate as those seen in Pan’s Labyrinth, but this is something that actually benefits the film. Del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro use light, shadow and color in a variety of different ways and create some truly spectacular visuals that are guaranteed to impress even viewers who do not typically enjoy films in which ghosts are frequently mentioned. The visuals are also enhanced by a top-notch soundtrack courtesy of Javier Navarrete (Agustí Villaronga's In a Glass Cage, María Lidon's Stranded).

The Devil's Backbone was executive produced by acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.

*In 2002, The Devil's Backbone was nominated for Saturn Award for Best Horror Film.

The Devil's Backbone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

This new release of The Devil's Backbone is sourced from the same restored 2K master that Criterion produced under the supervision of Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and transferred to Blu-ray in 2013. (You can see our review of the U.S. release here). I could not see any meaningful discrepancies between the two releases. Perhaps there is some room for small encoding optimizations on the Australian release, but the basics are very solid and as far as I am concerned the end result is equally impressive. So all of the substantial improvements in terms of depth, clarity and fluidity are present on this release. Also, the same rich primary colors and the nice nuances are retained. (If you have only seen the old transfer of the film, keep this in mind because next to the substantially improved depth and clarity the color scheme has the most significant impact on the overall organic appearance that the 2K master boasts. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is terrific. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

The Devil's Backbone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The Devil's Backbone has a complex sound design that has an integral role in the unique type of atmosphere that Guillermo del Toro envisioned for it. For example, there are small whispers and tiny 'random' noises that are incredibly important. Thankfully, the 5.1 track was fully remastered and depth, clarity, and fluidity are superb. There are no audio dropouts or digital distortions to report.

The Devil's Backbone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction - director Guillermo del Toro introduces The Devil's Backbone. The introduction, which addresses the Blu-ray release, was recorded in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (1 min).

• Commentary - this audio commentary features director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, and it is not the same audio commentary that is included on the Criterion release of The Devil's Backbone. It is a light but very technical commentary that offers a wealth of information about the production history of the film, its visual style, and the symbolism that is attached to key relationships and visuals. In English.

• Spanish Gothic - in this video interview, director Guillermo del Toro discusses the original ideas he had for The Devil's Backbone and explains how after a scouting trip to Spain certain aspects of the project he had in mind had to be adjusted. The Mexican director also discusses the Gothic elements in the film and compares it to Pan's Labyrinth. The interview was conducted by Javier Soto in 2010. In English, not subtitled. (18 min).

• Que es un fantasma? - this documentary film, directed by Javier Soto in 2004, focuses on the production history of The Devil's Backbone. It features interviews with writer-director Guillermo del Toro, co-writer Antonio Trashorras, cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, art director Cesar Macarron, unit production manager Esther Garcia, make-up effects designers David Marti and Montse Ribe, and actors Marisa Paredes, Eduardo Noriega, Fernando Tielve, and Federico Luppi, amongst others. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (28 min).

• Introduction - in this archival featurette, director Guillermo del Toro and cast members discuss the shooting of different sequences and some of the unique qualities of the main characters in The Devil's Backbone. Also included is raw footage from the shooting of the film. In Spanish, with imposed English subtitles. (13 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are four deleted scenes. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles.
  
  1. Carlos and the Principal
  2. Encounter in the Plaza
  3. Carmen and Conchita
  4. "I'm Coming With You"

• Storyboard Comparisons - a large collection of storyboard comparisons. In Spanish and with music, not subtitled. (62 min).

• Director's Notebook - presented here the on-camera comments from director Guillermo del Toro that are included in the interactive gallery that is included on the Criterion release. In English and Spanish, with English subtitles where necessary. .

• Cover Art - reversible cover.

The Devil's Backbone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This brand new Australian release of Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone is sourced from the excellent 2K remaster of the film that was completed in 2013. It also has a wonderful selection of bonus features, though keep in mind that the audio commentary with the director and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro isn't the same as the one that is included on the Criterion release. Most importantly, this is a Region-Free release and it can be played in multiple territories. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.