What It’s About:  In the last days of the Spanish Civil War, two fighters for the Republicans bring Carlos (Fernando Tielve), the son of a deceased comrade, to a remote orphanage.  Sympathizers to the Republican cause, the widow Carmen (Marisa Paredes) and Dr. Casares (Federico Luppi, Cronos), run the orphanage, but it is becoming difficult to feed all the children.   Carlos is a smart, well-educated boy, and it is difficult for him to adjust, particularly when Jaime (Inigo Garces), the toughest kid in the orphanage, gives him trouble.  Of course, that the orphanage is also home to a cache of Republican gold and, more importantly, a ghost know as “The One Who Sighs” doesn’t help, either…
Why Watch it Today?: The Spanish Civil War ended on this date in 1939. Guillermo Del Toro’s “other” film set during the war, The Devil’s Backbone can be seen as a companion piece to his more successful (in the U.S.) Pan’s Labyrinth , a dark fairy tale that recalls the days when such stories were not made nice for children. Read our full review here.