The Devil's Backbone (2001)


 

 

Cronos, Guillermo del Toro's feature debut, received international acclaim.  One of those who praised it was Spanish director Pedro Almadóvar.  He liked it so much that he offered to produce del Toro's next movie.  However, due to the success of Cronos on the art film circuit and on video, Hollywood came calling.  Thus, instead of making the movie he wrote in college about an isolated boys' school during the Mexican Revolution that happened to have some supernatural goings on, he made a movie about cockroaches in the New York subway.  

It was an interesting story about a genetically created breed that eventually mutated and turned on those that created them.  The movie bombed but has since become a cult classic.  Unfortunately for del Toro his first Hollywood foray was for the now-disgraced Weinstein brothers and their company Miramax.  They had no faith in the young director and hounded him throughout the production, later laying all the blame for the movie's box office failure on him rather than poor marketing and studio interference.

As a result, del Toro took Almadóvar up on his offer.  The Devil's Backbone had been written before Cronos so, at this point, he had some perspective on what he needed to do to bring it to the screen.  The story was relocated to Spain, set during the Spanish Civil War, and the main plot became a story not only about ghosts but about inhumanity and the blurring of moral lines during political upheaval.

Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is brought by a communist revolutionary to a school for orphans run by Dr. Casares (Federico Luppi) and his partner Carmen (Marisa Paredes).  Most of the teachers have gone due to the encroaching Francoist troops, and the school has been used as a safehouse by the communists, thus putting them at risk of reprisals if discovered.  Carlos is unaware of most of this, with his concern being Jaime (Iñigo Garcés), an older child that at first bullies Carlos until he realizes the new kid isn't as weak as he thinks he is. 

There is also another occupant of the school: Santi (Junio Valverde), also known as "The One Who Sighs".  He haunts a cistern on the property where he drowned, and Carlos soon begins to see and communicate with him.  Elsewhere, the school's caretaker Jacinto (Eduardo Noriega) is carrying on with Carmen and is aware of gold kept in a safe on the premises - something he hopes to get a chance at with the fascists quickly approaching.  

Del Toro has said he feels this to be a companion piece with Pan's Labyrinth.  Both are Spanish-language films set around the same time period, one featuring a young boy and another a young girl, both affected by the changes ravaging Spain.  It is also one of his personal favorites.  I can understand why.  While Cronos is a particularly good debut and a new take on vampirism, The Devil's Backbone feels like the work of someone who is experiencing the freedom to do what he wants.  He's not relegated to making a Hollywood movie, but instead just the type of movie he wants to see.

It helps that the cast and acting is superb, right down to the child actors.  Also, the main villain in the film isn't introduced as such until about the third act when the audience becomes aware of just what type of person Jacinto is.  There are hints here and there, but he never turns into a campy bad guy.  He remains, like all the characters in the movie, strikingly human.  

That is why this movie endures.  The ghost is not a frightening spirit, but rather one who just wants to right a wrong.  It wishes no ill will upon any of the children.  Ghosts are an important part of the story, but they are still just as human as the living.  Like any truly good story it doesn't wrap everything up in a neat package at the end, but it still leaves the viewer with at least a modicum of hope that one's spirit can endure almost anything. 

The Devil's Backbone (2001)
Time: 106 minutes
Starring: Fernando Tielve, Federico Luppi, Marisa Paredes, Iñigo Garcés, Eduardo Noriega, Junio Valverde
Director: Guillermo del Toro



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