Espinazo del diablo, El (2001)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Guillermo del Toro

Writers:

Guillermo del Toro (written by) and
Antonio Trashorras (written by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

20 April 2001 (Spain)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The living will always be more dangerous than the dead.

Plot:

It is 1939, the end of three years of bloody civil war in Spain, and General Franco's right-wing Nationalists...

Plot Keywords:

Female Nudity | Dead Children | Pajamas | Young Boy | Bomb

Awards:

6 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Eduardo Noriega	...	Jacinto
Marisa Paredes	...	Carmen
Federico Luppi	...	Casares
Fernando Tielve	...	Carlos
Íñigo Garcés	...	Jaime
Irene Visedo	...	Conchita
José Manuel Lorenzo	...	Marcelo
Francisco Maestre	...	El Puerco (as Paco Maestre)
Junio Valverde	...	Santi
Berta Ojea	...	Alma
Adrián Lamana	...	Gálvez
Daniel Esparza	...	Marcos
Miguel Ortiz
Juan Carlos Vellido
Javier González	...	Owl (as Javier González Madrigal)
Víctor Elías
José Luis Torrijo
Álvaro Vega
Jonas Batlecas
Daniel Cuño
Rubén Escamilla
Andreas Muñoz
Adrián Serna
Javier González Sánchez
Álvaro Román
Mikel Selles
Leandro Tejada
Izan Checa
Víctor Barroso	...	Luis
Martín Hernández	...	Octavio
Francisco Fernández
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jaime Fernández-Cid Buscató	...	Fusilado

Directed by
Guillermo del Toro

Writing credits
Guillermo del Toro		(written by) and
Antonio Trashorras		(written by) &
David Muñoz		(written by)

Produced by
Agustín Almodóvar	....	executive producer
Pedro Almodóvar	....	producer
Rosa Bosch	....	co-producer
Bertha Navarro	....	executive producer
Michel Ruben	....	associate producer
Guillermo del Toro	....	producer

Original Music by
Javier Navarrete

Cinematography by
Guillermo Navarro

Film Editing by
Luis de la Madrid

Casting by
Sara Bilbatúa

Art Direction by
César Macarrón

Set Decoration by
Pablo Perona Navarro
Pilar Revuelta		(as María del Pilar Revuelta)

Costume Design by
José Vico

Makeup Department
Paula Cruz	....	assistant hair stylist
Paula Cruz	....	assistant makeup artist
Fermín Galán	....	hair stylist
Manuela Guzmán	....	assistant hair stylist
Manuela Guzmán	....	assistant makeup artist
Jorge Hernández	....	makeup artist
David Martí	....	special makeup supervisor

Production Management
Esther García	....	production supervisor
Toni Novella	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jorge Dorado	....	assistant director (as Jorge C. Dorado)
Christopher Downs	....	trainee assistant director
Covadonga R. Gamboa	....	second assistant director
Pedro Lazaga	....	first assistant director
Luisfer Machi	....	assistant director
Jesús Salcedo	....	trainee assistant director

Art Department
Francisco Escriba	....	props
Carlos García Campillo	....	assistant set dresser
Enrique García	....	set constructor
Ángel García Palmeiro	....	assistant decorator
Carlos Giménez	....	storyboard artist
Pedro Hernández	....	carpenter
Tatiana Hernández	....	assistant art director
Kike Melia	....	props
Ajtor Mendizabal	....	trainee set decorator
Angela Nahlim	....	trainee set decorator
Pablo Naveda	....	props
Leoncio Vicente	....	painter
Tanja Wahlbeck	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Jaime Fernández-Cid Buscató	....	boom operator
Jaime Fernández	....	boom operator
Diego Garrido	....	sound mixing technician
Ray Gillon	....	sound re-recording mixer
Manel López	....	assistant sound editor
Salva Mayolas	....	sound recordist (as Salvador Mayolas)
Iván Mayoral	....	adr recordist
Miguel Rejas	....	sound
David Rodríguez	....	assistant boom operator
Ian Sasplugas	....	sound effects editor
Ian Sasplugas	....	sound recordist
Oriol Tarragó	....	sound editor
Edgar Vidal	....	sound effects assistant
Kiku Vidal	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Reyes Abades	....	special effects
Carmen Aguirre	....	special effects art director
Ángel Alonso	....	special effects technician
Arturo Balceiro	....	special effects makeup
Xavi Bastida	....	special effects makeup
Juan Carlos Corroto	....	special effects technician
José M. Meneses	....	special effects technician: DDT
Alfonso Nieto	....	special effects supervisor
Juan Serrano	....	special effects technician: Reyes Abades SFX

Visual Effects by
Nike Alonso	....	CGI assistant production
Helmuth Barnert	....	digital compositor
Raúl Batanero	....	CGI operator
Juan Bosco	....	Avid digital effects
Juanjo Carretero	....	digital effects technician
Gonzalo Carssón	....	CGI operator
Segundo Casero	....	CGI chief operator
Nacho Cepero	....	digital compositor
René Chesta	....	CGI operator
Manuel Delgado	....	digital compositor
Juan del Pozo	....	digital compositor
Daniel de Madrid	....	backdraft
Eduardo Díaz	....	CGI operator
Alejandro Dupry	....	Avid digital effects
Daniel Fernández	....	CGI operator (as Daniel Fernández Parra)
David Fernández Girón	....	CGI operator
Gabriel Garrido	....	digital compositor
Iñaki Gil	....	CGI chief operator
Noelia Gorrón	....	digital effects producer
Isidro Jiménez	....	digital compositor
Kike Jiménez	....	digital effects technician
Antonio Lado	....	CGI operator
Pablo Martín	....	CGI operator
Carlos Matella	....	digital compositor
Patricia Matiskei	....	digital compositor
Gonzalo Moure	....	digital compositor
Javier Nuñez	....	CGI chief of production
Emilio Pérez	....	digital compositor
Álvaro Rodríguez	....	digital effects producer
Emilio Ruiz del Río	....	modeler (as Emilio Ruiz)
Raúl Sánchez	....	digital compositor
Silvia Torralba	....	digital effects producer
Carlos Trijueque	....	digital compositor
Antonio Ubeda	....	CGI operator (as Antonio Úbeda)
Jon Uriarte	....	CGI operator
Rodrigo Vega	....	CGI operator
Óscar Villalba	....	backdraft
Úrsula García	....	visual effects coordinator: pre-production (uncredited)

Stunts
Sergio Atanes	....	stunt coordinator
Silvia Carballo	....	stunts
Salvador Martos Manson	....	stunts (as Salvador Manson)
Andreas Muñoz	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Javier Aguado	....	electrician
Óscar Aguado	....	electrician
José Alberto Arnal	....	electrician
Enrique Bello	....	chief electrician
Fernando Beltrán	....	electrician
Miguel Bracho	....	still photographer
Silvia Camacho	....	video technician
Pablo Carrión	....	electrician
Antonio de Benito	....	electrician
José Ramón Delgado	....	assistant camera
Roberto de Miguel	....	second assistant camera: second unit (as Roberto Miguel)
David Domínguez	....	assistant camera: second unit
José Manuel González	....	electrician
Joaquín Manchado	....	Steadicam operator
Joaquín Manchado	....	camera operator
Raúl Manchado	....	second assistant camera: first unit
José Luis Martínez	....	electrician
Antonio Martínez Roque	....	grip (as Antonio Martínez)
Carlos Miguel	....	key grip
José Luis Molero	....	electrician
David Rengel	....	trainee assistant camera
Raúl Rodríguez	....	electrician
Alberto Sánchez Beltrán	....	electrician (as Alberto Sánchez)
Marcelino San Eugenio	....	electrician
Anselmo Villalba	....	grip

Casting Department
Cristina Perales	....	casting assistant
Macarena Pombo	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rocío Redondo	....	wardrobe assistant
Mercedes Sanz	....	wardrobe coordinator

Editorial Department
Felisa Catalinas	....	negative cutter
Adoración G. Elipe	....	assistant editor
Ximo Michavila	....	telecine colorist
Laura Montesinos	....	assistant editor
Bernat Vilapana	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Martina Cigerová	....	musician: oboe
José Luis Crespo	....	music mixer
Jaroslava Eliasová	....	musician: piano
Martin Hubsch	....	musician: oboe
Mario Klemens	....	conductor
Marc Blanes Matas	....	score mixer
Pedro Navarrete	....	composer: additional music
Radovan Sancera	....	musician: concertino
Rubén Suárez	....	assistant music mixer

Other crew
Alfonso Aguirre	....	technical director
Conchita Araña	....	trainee production assistant
Yuyi Beringola	....	script supervisor
Yolanda Cáceres	....	technical director
Sergio Díaz	....	production assistant
Adela Donamaría	....	production secretary
Nuria Garcia Atienza	....	marketing: Sogecine
Lola García	....	office chief
Marga García	....	marketing
Antonio Giménez	....	marketing
Beatriz Gordo	....	cashier
Inés Miruri	....	coach: children
Yuriria Montero	....	tequila gang assistant
Rafael Pajares	....	production assistant
Antonia Sánchez	....	nurse
Francisco Sanchez Ortiz	....	marketing director
Chus San Pascual	....	location scout
Ana Sanz	....	secretary to producer
Rosa María Serrano	....	assistant accountant
Paz Sufrategui	....	publicist
Nicolás Tapia	....	production assistant
Óscar Valero	....	administrator

Production Companies

• Anhelo Producciones
• Canal+ España
• El Deseo S.A.
• Good Machine
• Sogepaq
• Tequila Gang

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (video)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (Argentina)
• Atlantic Film (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Future Film (2003) (Finland) (DVD)
• Gativideo (Argentina) (VHS)
• Irfan Film (2007) (Turkey) (all media)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (Germany)
• Sony Pictures Classics (USA) (subtitled)
• TVA International (2002) (Canada) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• TVA International (2002) (Canada) (DVD)
• Warner Sogefilms A.I.E. (Spain)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A. (Spain)
• Xanadeux Company (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Artsmara  graphic design
• DDT Efectos Especiales  makeup effects
• Estudios Cinearte  editing studies
• Filmové Studio Barrandov  music recording
• La Fraternidad  medical assistance
• Rafael Hosteleria Internacional S.A.  catering
• Rocky Mountain  camera equipment provided by
• Telson  digital effects

Also Known As:

The Devil's Backbone (Europe: English title) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

106 min | Australia:108 min

Country:

Spain | Mexico

Language:

Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Chile:14 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Japan:PG-12 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company:

Anhelo Producciones

Trivia:

The film's title refers to the medical condition of spina bifida.

Quotes:

Casares: What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber.

Movie Connections:

References The Searchers (1956)

Soundtrack:

Yo no sé que me han hecho tus ojos

A great ghost story!

I'm a massive fan of the horror genre, but I don't like ghost stories. To me, ghost stories are a poor manifestation of the genre. It's not the idea of ghosts that's the problem, it's the way the stories are presented; often dull, slow moving and uninteresting, and those are things that do not make a good movie. However, there is an exception to every rule; and this film is the case with that one. The Devil's Backbone is a mesmerising and inventive addition to the ghost story tradition. The film moves slowly, but that is a definite advantage to it. The slow pace allows us to get to know, and even care for the characters before the horror starts, and this makes the horror all the more potent when it does start. The Devil's Backbone has been touted as 'the Spanish Sixth Sense', and although this is unfair as this is hardly a bad film; I can see where that notion is coming from. The main difference between the two, however, and the reason why this film works and Shyamalan's doesn't is that the parts between the horror here aren't boring, are well acted and serve a purpose in that they allow us to get to know the characters; Shyamalan got too caught up in trying to make his twist work and the drama in-between caught the brunt of that, rendering the film boring.

The film can't really be accurately described as a 'horror film', it's more of a drama come character study with horror elements. The horror elements are pronounced, as the ghost is the centrepiece of the story, but the film doesn't focus on them enough for it to be considered horror. Entwined within it's plot is a coming of age tale, a story of revenge and a nice little section on 'what is a ghost'. I like it when a film delves into it's subject material and attempts to give something of an explanation; Return of the Living Dead did it for zombies (albeit comically), and The Devil's Backbone does it here for ghosts. The coming of age side of the story is brought to life brilliantly by some sublime acting courtesy of the young cast. Entwined within the story are themes of the kids being thrust into a situation that requires them to grow up fast, and it also sees them dealing with themes of death and revenge.

One thing you will instantly notice about this film is the fantastic cinematography. The film has a gritty style, but despite this it manages to come off looking crisp and clean. There are some shots that are incredibly beautiful. All shots with the ghost, which is one of the best crafted ever, come to mind immediately but also of note are the underwater sequences, the special effects and the capture of the location. The film is set in an orphanage somewhere the Spanish desert, and this location serves the movie magnificently. The fact that it's a day's walk away from the nearest town makes the film very isolated, which allows the horror more potency. Guillermo Del Toro is an obviously talented director. He has this film under his belt, along with Cronos (which I haven't yet seen, but have heard great things), but after that it's hit and miss. Blade 2 was a good film, and a refreshing one after the lackluster first part; but Mimic wasn't very good on the whole, despite some good moments. More recently he's gone on to direct Hellboy, which again I haven't seen but it looks like another fun film. I hope Del Toro makes a return to art soon, he has the talent and it would be a shame to lose him to 'decent' films.