Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

The Devil's Backbone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 25, 2013

Mexican director Guillermo del Toro's "El espinazo del diablo" a.k.a. "The Devil's Backbone" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interviews with director Guillermo del Toro; deleted scenes with an optional commentary; sketches and storyboards; documentary film directed by Javier Soto; audio commentary with director Guillermo del Toro; and a lot more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Mark Kermode. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

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 Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Supervised by director Guillermo del Toro and director of photography Guillermo Navarro, this new digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original 35mm camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Image Systems' Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain management, jitter, and flicker.

Transfer supervisors: Guillermo del Toro, Lee Kline, Guillermo Navaro.
Scanning: Deluxe, Spain, Madrid.
Colorist: Bryan McMahan/Modern VideoFilm, Burbank, CA."

The new and approved by director Guillermo del Toro and cinematographer Guillermo Navarro high-definition transfer is very impressive. Detail and image depth are dramatically improved, allowing one to essentially experience this very atmospheric film in an entirely new way. During the darker sequences, there are plenty of objects and facial expressions that were previously impossible to see on the DVD release. The far better color reproduction also gives the film a type of look that occasionally reminds of Mario Bava's work. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Sharpening adjustments have not been applied either. Unsurprisingly, from start to finish the film has a very solid, very pleasing organic look. Also, there are absolutely no debris, scratches, dirt, cuts, or warps to report in this review. Compression is also excellent. All in all, I think it is fair to say that Criterion's presentation of The Devil's Backbone will likely remain the film's definition presentation on the home video marketplace for years to come. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

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. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

Depth, clarity, and surround movement are excellent. Even a seemingly random sound or noise can easily be identified while viewing the film. During some of the most atmospheric sequences, surround movement also makes an impression as overall fluidity is indeed outstanding. The dialog is always crisp, exceptionally clear, and very easy to follow. Also, there are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review. The English translation is excellent.

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, 1080i).

• Del Toro's Thumbnails - this supplemental feature allows one to see the various miniature sketches the Mexican director created for specific sequences in The Devil's Backbone. When the feature is selected, the sketches will appears in conjunction with their corresponding sequences as the film plays.

• Summoning Spirits - in this new video interview, director Guillermo del Toro discusses how Santi, one of the most important characters in the film, was created. The director also discusses the various special effects that were used in the sequences where Santi appears. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2013. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• 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, 1080i).

• 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, 1080i).

• Director's Notebook - produced by Javier Soto in 2010, this interactive gallery presents pages from director Guillermo del Toro's notebook of preparatory drawings and concepts for The Devil's Backbone. When highlighted (look for the red key on each page), selected entries lead to on-camera comments by the Mexican director. (1080i).

• Designing The Devil's Backbone - in this new video interview, director Guillermo del Toro discusses the work of the artists and craftsmen that provided some of the initial designs and prosthetics for the key characters in The Devil's Backbone. The Mexican director's comments about the work of storyboard artist Carlos Gimenez are particularly interesting. A number of his designs are included here. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2013. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - four deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Guillermo del Toro. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. The commentaries are in English. (4 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Carlos and the Principal
  2. Encounter in the Plaza
  3. Carmen and Conchita
  4. "I'm Coming With You"

• Sketch, Storyboard, Screen - a collection of video pieces offering side-by-side comparisons of director Guillermo del Toro's initial thumbnail sketches, Carlos Gimenez's production storyboards, and the corresponding scenes from the final cut of the film. The video pieces were produced in 2004. In Spanish, with optional English subtitles. (12 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Prologue and Opening Credits
  2. Sleeping Quarters
  3. The Bomb
  4. The Ribbon
  5. Keyhole
  6. "Who are you?"

• A War of Values - new video interview with Spanish Civil War scholar Sebastian Faber, author of Exile and Cultural Hegemony. Mr. Faber discusses the political overtones in The Devil's Backbone. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2013. (15 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - original Sony Pictures Classics trailer for The Devil's Backbone. Music only, with English text. (3 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - audio commentary with director Guillermo del Toro. This is the same audio commentary that appeared on the R1 DVD release of The Devil's Backbone which Sony Pictures released back in 2004.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Mark Kermode.

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

This truly is a fantastic release. Not only does The Devil's Backbone look terrific in high-definition, but the impressive supplemental features allow one to gain an entirely new appreciation for the film. Frankly, I cannot think of a more enthusiastic director to have collaborated with Criterion than del Toro. It is easy to tell that he really wanted fans of The Devil's Backbone to have a truly special release of his film. Well done. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.