Dark Ties That Bind:
Hidden Riches, Sexual Intrigue and a Restless Ghost
Produced by Pedro Almodóvar, The Devil's Backbone is an independent gem that initially did not receive the attention it deserved. Guillermo del Toro's beautifully shot Spanish gothic ghost story combines murder mystery, suspenseful drama and the supernatural in a way that is emotionally layered and scary while offering redemption in a bittersweet ending.
Excellent performances and well-developed characters pull us into the spring of 1939 amidst the fall of Catalonia at the close of the brutal Spanish Civil War. Del Toro's judicious use of lighting, shadows and bright colors skillfully set the desired moods and transitions.
The location is a boarding school, now a sanctuary for orphaned boys whose Loyalist parents were casualties of the fascist insurrection led by Francisco Franco. The boys are protected by the elderly Dr. Casares, headmistress Carmen and the young cook Conchita. Their nemesis is Jacinto, the macho young caretaker who hates the school and the teachers who raised him.
Dark ties bind the inhabitants of the school: hidden riches, sexual intrigue, an unexploded aerial bomb lodged upright in the courtyard; plus the restless ghost of Santi, a young student who disappeared when the bomb fell.
Faced with real-life horrors of war, abandonment and murder, Carlos, Jaime and the other boys grow up quickly, learning that Santi's ghost is a sad messenger, scary but not evil. Forced to make adult decisions the young men realize that collective action is essential for their survival.
Contrasted with Hollywood escapist scare films, del Toro's story and frightening ghost is also a means to explore broader issues — good and justice in the face of greed and the massacre of innocents. While the film stands alone as a scary murder mystery, its historical context and political allegory tie to the chaotic events consuming a country decimated by the Spanish fascists and a continent fearing the rise of Hitler and Mussolini.
Reviews
"Del Toro has made a ghost story that's not only evocative and original, it's a pleasure to watch."— Desson Howe, Washington Post
"Blending terror with tenderness ... a first-rate, gutsy, full-blooded ghost story, as elegant as it is eerie and brilliantly realized. Go See."— Total Film
"What happens at the end is not the usual action scene with which lesser ghost films dissipate their tension, but a chain of events that have logic and poetic justice."— Roger Ebert
Rotten Tomatoes, 97% fresh (top critics) 92% (all critics).
Metacritic, 78 + 9.1/10. IndieWire, top 10.
Hidden Riches, Sexual Intrigue and a Restless Ghost
Produced by Pedro Almodóvar, The Devil's Backbone is an independent gem that initially did not receive the attention it deserved. Guillermo del Toro's beautifully shot Spanish gothic ghost story combines murder mystery, suspenseful drama and the supernatural in a way that is emotionally layered and scary while offering redemption in a bittersweet ending.
Excellent performances and well-developed characters pull us into the spring of 1939 amidst the fall of Catalonia at the close of the brutal Spanish Civil War. Del Toro's judicious use of lighting, shadows and bright colors skillfully set the desired moods and transitions.
The location is a boarding school, now a sanctuary for orphaned boys whose Loyalist parents were casualties of the fascist insurrection led by Francisco Franco. The boys are protected by the elderly Dr. Casares, headmistress Carmen and the young cook Conchita. Their nemesis is Jacinto, the macho young caretaker who hates the school and the teachers who raised him.
Dark ties bind the inhabitants of the school: hidden riches, sexual intrigue, an unexploded aerial bomb lodged upright in the courtyard; plus the restless ghost of Santi, a young student who disappeared when the bomb fell.
Faced with real-life horrors of war, abandonment and murder, Carlos, Jaime and the other boys grow up quickly, learning that Santi's ghost is a sad messenger, scary but not evil. Forced to make adult decisions the young men realize that collective action is essential for their survival.
Contrasted with Hollywood escapist scare films, del Toro's story and frightening ghost is also a means to explore broader issues — good and justice in the face of greed and the massacre of innocents. While the film stands alone as a scary murder mystery, its historical context and political allegory tie to the chaotic events consuming a country decimated by the Spanish fascists and a continent fearing the rise of Hitler and Mussolini.
Reviews
"Del Toro has made a ghost story that's not only evocative and original, it's a pleasure to watch."
"Blending terror with tenderness ... a first-rate, gutsy, full-blooded ghost story, as elegant as it is eerie and brilliantly realized. Go See."
"What happens at the end is not the usual action scene with which lesser ghost films dissipate their tension, but a chain of events that have logic and poetic justice."
Rotten Tomatoes, 97% fresh (top critics) 92% (all critics).
Metacritic, 78 + 9.1/10. IndieWire, top 10.
EVENT DETAILS
W H A T :
THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE
Director: Guillermo del Toro, Spain, 2001, 108 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles, rated (R).
Genre: Suspense / murder mystery / ghost story
The Cast:
Marisa Paredes as Carmen (Life is Beautiful, All About My Mother, The Skin I Live In);
Eduardo Noriega as Jacinto (Open Your Eyes, The Method);
Frederico Luppi as Casares (Men with Guns, Cronos, Pan's Labyrinth);
Fernando Tielve as Carlos (Goya's Ghosts, Pan's Labyrinth);
Irene Visedo as Conchita (The Lost Steps, Cuéntame);
Inigo Garcés as Jaime (Pan's Labyrinth, Secrets of the Heart).
DINNER
Join us for cocktails and dinner before the film, with delicious buffet and dessert beginning at 6:00 pm. Beverages from the bar available a la carte.
W H E N :
Wednesday, Oct 28, 2015
Cocktails and Buffet Dinner, 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Movie, 7:30 pm
W H E R E :
Highland Country Club
931 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, KY 41075
Easy Access & Free Parking:
Interactive Google Map
Take I-471 to Exit 2. Turn south onto Alexandria Pike. At the second traffic light (Grandview Avenue) turn right into HCC.
T I C K E T S :
Film: $10 advance, $12 door.
Dinner & Movie: $30 advance, $35 door.
No student/ETA discounts and no tickets at outlets for this event.
On-line:
By phone:
(859) 957-3456
Seating for 80 patrons, reservations recommended. If you might purchase at the door, check the CWC website for sellout status or call 859 957 3456 before 5 pm October 28.
QUESTIONS? Please
or call (859) 957 3456.
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Marisa Paredes as Carmen (Life is Beautiful, All About My Mother, The Skin I Live In);
Eduardo Noriega as Jacinto (Open Your Eyes, The Method);
Frederico Luppi as Casares (Men with Guns, Cronos, Pan's Labyrinth);
Fernando Tielve as Carlos (Goya's Ghosts, Pan's Labyrinth);
Irene Visedo as Conchita (The Lost Steps, Cuéntame);
Inigo Garcés as Jaime (Pan's Labyrinth, Secrets of the Heart).
Join us for cocktails and dinner before the film, with delicious buffet and dessert beginning at 6:00 pm. Beverages from the bar available a la carte.
W H E N :
W H E R E :
931 Alexandria Pike, Fort Thomas, KY 41075
T I C K E T S :
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