Don't Miss Out On THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (EL ESPINOZA DEL DIABLO)
07-15-02, 12:57 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: los angeles
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't Miss Out On THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (EL ESPINOZA DEL DIABLO)
Just a few comments and a MAJOR recommendation to check out Guillermo Del Toro's master work, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE on dvd. This is one helluva magnificent film! The entire picture works flawlessly as poem, and such lyricism informs every single frame of TDB. The film depicts some very brutal events and is very much a tragedy, but the sheer beauty of the breathtaking cinematography (by Guillermo Navarro) and the song-like flow of the dialogue make this one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Do not be mistaken, though, this IS a ghost story. There are quite a few moments of terror to keep the scare-junky happy, but cheap scares are not the goal of the filmmaker. The film works so well because it connects with us emotionally. There's no broad emotional manipulation here, ala Spielberg; just real people yearning for that which they have lost. Each and EVERY actor in this film is simply amazing in the way that they communicate thoughts and emotion - often completely without the aid of dialogue (there are many issues in this film which are never discussed openly, yet are perfectly understood). Kudos include the many young boys who all proved themselves in this film.
Don't look for any "clever" plot twists (e.g. - THE SIXTH SENSE, THE OTHERS) here, you won't find any. Sure, I could reveal a ton of spoilers here, but knowing the entire story would still not detract much from the emotional impact of watching the film.
When the dvd was released a couple of weeks ago, I had no small amount of difficulty tracking it down. My local Beast Buy said that they only received TWO COPIES of TDB on dvd, one of which was sold and the other was buried somewhere in the stacks (not anywhere near where it should have been displayed, of course). After about an hour of searching, I managed to locate the final remaining copy. I asked the sales clerk if they would be getting in more copies, and she replied that it was unlikely unless they received more requests for the title or unless the warehouse decided to ship them. What a tragedy. The ONLY reason this film isn't on everyone's lips is because the entire film is in Spanish. Judging from the pervasive illiteracy evident all over the internet (even the sharpest looking and most professional websites are usually riddled with horrendous spelling errors), it has become obvious to me that the average American is just too "slow" to read subtitles. I'm really only half-joking about this; I really believe that many Americans dislike subtitled films because they literally cannot keep up with the dialogue or are so limited in their capacities that they cannot read and watch at the same time. A sad state of affairs, if you ask me. This is a very exciting time for world cinema. Over the past ten or twelve years, many foreign directors have come into their own, and a few of them have been offered/directed Hollywood films (which are almost never as good as the films they directed in their homeland - witness John Woo). I'm all for importing talent, but those who will only watch films presented in the English language (either natively or dubbed) are missing out on some of the greatest and most brilliant filmmakers out there!
Since we are discussing dubbing/subtitling, I want to point out that the subtitling in THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is some of the best I've ever seen. Never do the translations draw undue attention, neither are they obtuse. I do not "habla espanol", so I cannot attest to the "accuracy" of the translations. All I know is that all of the dialogue has a flowing poetry so perfectly executed, it's hard to believe that the lines were not composed in English. In fact, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE may hold the title for the BEST English translation in many years.
A few words about the dvd...
Not quite a "special edition", THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE does include a satisfactory amount of supplemental features. In addition to an atmospheric AC-3 soundtrack, there is a short but informative "making of" featurette (about 20m or so, I believe) that is subtitled from Spanish to English. This is not the usual "fluff" piece that these last-minute additions usually turn out to be, and is actually very interesting for those who love the film. There is a storyboard comparison feature (five or six scenes) which demonstrates Del Toro's sketching talent and just how meticulously planned out this film had to be. There's one trailer for TDB and for a couple of other Columbia TriStar dvds. The best of the bonus supplements happens to be a feature-length commentary track from the duelling Guillermo's - Del Toro and Navarro (the DP). When I saw that the "making of" doc was in Spanish, I had assumed that Del Toro's command of the English language was limited. My mistake. Both Del Toro and Navarro speak excellent English, and their accents almost never obscure their comments. There's nary a moment of silence once the opening credit scrawl begins as these two are quite vocal about their love for the film (Del Toro says it is easily his favorite and best picture to date), though they never come off sounding smug or egotistical - perhaps because the film IS nearly perfect. The commentary covers nearly all aspects of production, including equipment descriptions for certain scenes (I learned about a small one-man camera crane that is popular in Spain, but oddly unavailable anywhere else), as well as entertaining anecdotes. Definitely among the best commentaries I currently own.
Don't look for any "clever" plot twists (e.g. - THE SIXTH SENSE, THE OTHERS) here, you won't find any. Sure, I could reveal a ton of spoilers here, but knowing the entire story would still not detract much from the emotional impact of watching the film.
When the dvd was released a couple of weeks ago, I had no small amount of difficulty tracking it down. My local Beast Buy said that they only received TWO COPIES of TDB on dvd, one of which was sold and the other was buried somewhere in the stacks (not anywhere near where it should have been displayed, of course). After about an hour of searching, I managed to locate the final remaining copy. I asked the sales clerk if they would be getting in more copies, and she replied that it was unlikely unless they received more requests for the title or unless the warehouse decided to ship them. What a tragedy. The ONLY reason this film isn't on everyone's lips is because the entire film is in Spanish. Judging from the pervasive illiteracy evident all over the internet (even the sharpest looking and most professional websites are usually riddled with horrendous spelling errors), it has become obvious to me that the average American is just too "slow" to read subtitles. I'm really only half-joking about this; I really believe that many Americans dislike subtitled films because they literally cannot keep up with the dialogue or are so limited in their capacities that they cannot read and watch at the same time. A sad state of affairs, if you ask me. This is a very exciting time for world cinema. Over the past ten or twelve years, many foreign directors have come into their own, and a few of them have been offered/directed Hollywood films (which are almost never as good as the films they directed in their homeland - witness John Woo). I'm all for importing talent, but those who will only watch films presented in the English language (either natively or dubbed) are missing out on some of the greatest and most brilliant filmmakers out there!
Since we are discussing dubbing/subtitling, I want to point out that the subtitling in THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE is some of the best I've ever seen. Never do the translations draw undue attention, neither are they obtuse. I do not "habla espanol", so I cannot attest to the "accuracy" of the translations. All I know is that all of the dialogue has a flowing poetry so perfectly executed, it's hard to believe that the lines were not composed in English. In fact, THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE may hold the title for the BEST English translation in many years.
A few words about the dvd...
Not quite a "special edition", THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE does include a satisfactory amount of supplemental features. In addition to an atmospheric AC-3 soundtrack, there is a short but informative "making of" featurette (about 20m or so, I believe) that is subtitled from Spanish to English. This is not the usual "fluff" piece that these last-minute additions usually turn out to be, and is actually very interesting for those who love the film. There is a storyboard comparison feature (five or six scenes) which demonstrates Del Toro's sketching talent and just how meticulously planned out this film had to be. There's one trailer for TDB and for a couple of other Columbia TriStar dvds. The best of the bonus supplements happens to be a feature-length commentary track from the duelling Guillermo's - Del Toro and Navarro (the DP). When I saw that the "making of" doc was in Spanish, I had assumed that Del Toro's command of the English language was limited. My mistake. Both Del Toro and Navarro speak excellent English, and their accents almost never obscure their comments. There's nary a moment of silence once the opening credit scrawl begins as these two are quite vocal about their love for the film (Del Toro says it is easily his favorite and best picture to date), though they never come off sounding smug or egotistical - perhaps because the film IS nearly perfect. The commentary covers nearly all aspects of production, including equipment descriptions for certain scenes (I learned about a small one-man camera crane that is popular in Spain, but oddly unavailable anywhere else), as well as entertaining anecdotes. Definitely among the best commentaries I currently own.
07-15-02, 08:51 PM
#2
Senior Member
ericbillo-
I couldn't agree with you more. This was a blind purchase I made with a gift certicate for Amazon and in the first five minutes knew I mae a good choice. Everything was nicely done...
I couldn't agree with you more. This was a blind purchase I made with a gift certicate for Amazon and in the first five minutes knew I mae a good choice. Everything was nicely done...
07-16-02, 12:30 AM
#4
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: los angeles
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
TDB is not about the destination, so much as the journey. As I stated in my review, knowing all of the story elements in advance would only slightly impede enjoyment of the film. I was genuinely refreshed by the lack of any "hook" in TDB (though, I will admit that I like both THE SIXTH SENSE and THE OTHERS - hooks and all), though the director's commentary reveals that he did attempt to integrate mystery elements along with traditional horror elements, though these are far from the point of watching the film. If you are more a traditionalist as far as these genres go, you will find far better examples of each than you will find in TDB. THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE transcends it's genre and simply uses genre trappings as a framework from which to spring it's emotional power.
07-18-02, 04:08 AM
#6
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 3,797
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Uhmmm..........
Many of you seem to have missed the point of the film.
The Devil's Backbone isn't a ghost story - it's technically an allegorical war film.
One clue - research the Spanish Civil War.
Many of you seem to have missed the point of the film.
The Devil's Backbone isn't a ghost story - it's technically an allegorical war film.
One clue - research the Spanish Civil War.
07-18-02, 09:46 AM
#7
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by Grimfarrow
Many of you seem to have missed the point of the film.
The Devil's Backbone isn't a ghost story - it's technically an allegorical war film.
One clue - research the Spanish Civil War.
Many of you seem to have missed the point of the film.
The Devil's Backbone isn't a ghost story - it's technically an allegorical war film.
One clue - research the Spanish Civil War.
The Bus, yes the disc is anamorphic. Why would you assume that it wasn't? Almost all new releases are these days.
07-18-02, 10:05 AM
#8
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: los angeles
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yeah - I think the Spanish Civil War allegory is pretty accessible, even to one such as myself that knows next to nothing about the details of that particular war. Del Toro's terrific commentary elucidates many other references to the war within the film as well. The film definitely aroused my curiosity about the Spanish Civil War, but I cannot STAND dry textbook-style historical accounts - they put me right to sleep. If anyone can name a good book about the Spanish Civil War that won't bore me to tears, please suggest one!
07-18-02, 12:05 PM
#9
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 3,797
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Okay.
The explosion scene (not a spoiler - it's in every trailer of the film) is a direct reference to the bombing of Guernica.
The principle and the doctor are representative of the Old Spain royalty - immensely rich, very religious and superstitious, and intent on keeping their power and way of life.
Eduardo Noriega's character represents the threat of fascism, or even Generalissimo Franco himself. He detests royalties, and is not averse to using violence to destroy any shred of the monarchy and the church.
The children are the representation of the future democratic Spain, sans fascism.
The schoolground itself IS Spain - all the conflicts and politics whitin its walls are the same type of power struggle that happened right before 1936.
Guess what the ghost represents?
I'll leave this to you guys. It's actually the most implicit idea in the film, because the ghost doesn't represent a group, person, or faction at all.
Again, I reiterate that the film isn't really a ghost film - the ghost is used as a symbolic and inferenced representation. As is everyone and even the schoolyard. The main storyline is that of Spain's and its future. If you think it's only about those children and the ghost, then you missed the point.
(Del Toro did an excellent interview explaining some of the ideas I mentioned above as well, so I'm not just pulling this out of my a**. I forgot which magazine it was - Film Comment?).
The explosion scene (not a spoiler - it's in every trailer of the film) is a direct reference to the bombing of Guernica.
The principle and the doctor are representative of the Old Spain royalty - immensely rich, very religious and superstitious, and intent on keeping their power and way of life.
Eduardo Noriega's character represents the threat of fascism, or even Generalissimo Franco himself. He detests royalties, and is not averse to using violence to destroy any shred of the monarchy and the church.
The children are the representation of the future democratic Spain, sans fascism.
The schoolground itself IS Spain - all the conflicts and politics whitin its walls are the same type of power struggle that happened right before 1936.
Guess what the ghost represents?
I'll leave this to you guys. It's actually the most implicit idea in the film, because the ghost doesn't represent a group, person, or faction at all. Again, I reiterate that the film isn't really a ghost film - the ghost is used as a symbolic and inferenced representation. As is everyone and even the schoolyard. The main storyline is that of Spain's and its future. If you think it's only about those children and the ghost, then you missed the point.
(Del Toro did an excellent interview explaining some of the ideas I mentioned above as well, so I'm not just pulling this out of my a**. I forgot which magazine it was - Film Comment?).
07-18-02, 02:10 PM
#10
DVD Talk Legend
Grimfarrow, all of your points may be true, but that doesn't negate the fact that this movie IS a ghost story. Adding allegorical references to a ghost story doesn't make it not a ghost story anymore.
05-26-03, 01:19 AM
#11
DVD Talk Limited Edition
I just watched this, and it was so much more than I expected. I'd go so far as to say it's the most beautiful and moving film I've seen in months. 
tasha
tasha
06-01-03, 05:07 AM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 363
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally posted by Grimfarrow
Okay.
The explosion scene (not a spoiler - it's in every trailer of the film) is a direct reference to the bombing of Guernica.
The principle and the doctor are representative of the Old Spain royalty - immensely rich, very religious and superstitious, and intent on keeping their power and way of life.
Eduardo Noriega's character represents the threat of fascism, or even Generalissimo Franco himself. He detests royalties, and is not averse to using violence to destroy any shred of the monarchy and the church.
The children are the representation of the future democratic Spain, sans fascism.
The schoolground itself IS Spain - all the conflicts and politics whitin its walls are the same type of power struggle that happened right before 1936.
Guess what the ghost represents? I'll leave this to you guys. It's actually the most implicit idea in the film, because the ghost doesn't represent a group, person, or faction at all.
Okay.
The explosion scene (not a spoiler - it's in every trailer of the film) is a direct reference to the bombing of Guernica.
The principle and the doctor are representative of the Old Spain royalty - immensely rich, very religious and superstitious, and intent on keeping their power and way of life.
Eduardo Noriega's character represents the threat of fascism, or even Generalissimo Franco himself. He detests royalties, and is not averse to using violence to destroy any shred of the monarchy and the church.
The children are the representation of the future democratic Spain, sans fascism.
The schoolground itself IS Spain - all the conflicts and politics whitin its walls are the same type of power struggle that happened right before 1936.
Guess what the ghost represents?
I'll leave this to you guys. It's actually the most implicit idea in the film, because the ghost doesn't represent a group, person, or faction at all.
06-03-03, 02:26 PM
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Great great GREAT film! Rented it from Netfix. Bought it (online) the moment I finished it. And everyone I've loaned the movie to loved it as well.
09-03-03, 01:34 PM
#15
DVD Talk Special Edition
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,067
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Awesome movie! i had this one highly recommended to me by some DVDtalkers and it was awesome...im definately buying this one after netflixing it.
thanks!
thanks!
09-04-03, 08:50 AM
#16
DVD Talk Legend
Another for this great movie - it only had limited theatrical release (which is when I first saw it) and it's great that people are now discovering it on DVD.
for this great movie - it only had limited theatrical release (which is when I first saw it) and it's great that people are now discovering it on DVD.
09-06-03, 07:41 AM
#19
DVD Talk Godfather
Originally posted by Josh Z
The Bus, yes the disc is anamorphic. Why would you assume that it wasn't? Almost all new releases are these days.
The Bus, yes the disc is anamorphic. Why would you assume that it wasn't? Almost all new releases are these days.
Not that I need the subtitles for a Spanish movie, but I got it along with Sex and Lucia and Talk to Her... Might see one of these today.
