El espinazo del diablo
Item
Title / Título (Original)
El espinazo del diablo
Title
The Devil's Backbone
Director
Release Date / Fecha de estreno
2001
Language / Idioma
Spanish / español
Country / País
Production Company / Compañía de Producción
El Deseo (Spain)
Tequila Gang (Mexico)
Tequila Gang (Mexico)
Description / Descripción
Esta historia, ambientada durante los últimos días de la Guerra Civil, tiene lugar en el orfanato Santa Lucía, un impresionante edificio de piedra situado en una meseta desolada. Carlos, un niño de 12 años, se enfrenta al escalofriante lugar ya que su tutor no puede hacerse cargo de él. Nada más llegar, el niño notará la presencia de un ser extraño. Poco a poco, Carlos descubre que esa misteriosa presencia corresponde a un niño asesinado brutalmente en el pasado, cuyo fantasma vaga sin rumbo por el orfanato... (Sensa Cine)
Coming on the heels of Cronos and Mimic, The Devil’s Backbone, Del Toro’s third feature, feels more like his first, thanks to the creative freedom he enjoyed making the film, which he considers among his best. After losing his father in the Spanish Civil War, Carlos (Fernando Tielve) is placed in an orphanage haunted by a ghost. When gold is revealed to be hidden on the grounds, the orphanage doctor (Federico Luppi) and a band of children must defend themselves against Jacinto, the corrupt caretaker (Eduardo Noriega) who will stop at nothing to have it for himself. Naturally, the ghost, looming ominously in the background, intervenes in the proceedings in a memorable way. Del Toro’s auteurist vision comes to the fore here, as we encounter the symbols and character types that are often repeated in his later work. Notably, the Jacinto character can be seen as the inspiration for Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) in Nightmare Alley, and the ghost’s embrace of a character underwater introduces a visual motif that is most notably seen again in The Shape of Water. (MOMA Film Series Event)
Category / Categoría
Subject Coverage / Tema
Cinematic Period / Periodo cinematográfico
Collection
Citation
“El espinazo del diablo,” Cinegogía, accessed April 27, 2024, https://cinegogia.omeka.net/items/show/946.