Everything is Happening: Journey into a Painting
Book
Michael Jacobs was haunted by Velazquez's enigmatic masterpiece Las Meninas from first encountering...
An Elizabethan Assassin: Theodore Paleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer
Book
In this first biography of Theodore Paleologus, new documentary evidence exposes him as a hardened...
Telegram from Guernica: The Extraordinary Life of George Steer, War Correspondent
Book
On 26 April 1937, in the rubble of the bombed city of Guernica, the world's press scrambled to...
Fear and Loathing in La Liga: Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Book
It's Messi vs Ronaldo, it's Catalonia vs Castilla. It's the nation against the state, freedom...
George Orwell: English Rebel
Book
An intellectual who did not like intellectuals, a socialist who did not trust the state, a writer of...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated The Devil's Backbone (2001) in Movies
Feb 10, 2019
I think the plot itself and the entire setting are a very good idea, a ghost story mixed in with the Spanish civil war and an orphanage is a smart move. The problem is with the execution. Whilst the effects are good and there are hints of the supernatural, for me it wasn't enough. The plot unfolded much to slowly and needed a little more excitement and ghostly/creepy goings on to keep you entertained. The best parts of the film are with the boys, and it detracts a little when it moves to the adult characters who are sadly a lot less interesting.
Having watched this now, I can see the similarities between this and Pans Labyrinth. Its just a shame that Pan succeeds where this fails. There's so much promise here, it's just sadly not realised.
My Darling Mr Asquith: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Venetia Stanley
Book
This is the true story of one woman's life set against the backcloth of the great events of the...
Gertigstrasse 56
Book
A gripping narrative account of one family's struggle against fascism in Germany. Spanning...
Fado and the Urban Poor in Portuguese Cinema of the 1930s and 1940s
Book
Colvin studies the evolution of Fado music as the soundtrack to the Portuguese talkie. He analyzes...
The Wines of Northern Spain: From Galicia to the Pyrenees and Rioja to the Basque Country
Book
There's no doubt about it, Spain is the most exciting country in Europe when it comes to wine. As...