The Orphanage | 
 enlarge | Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Actors: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla
Studio: New Line Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $27.98
Buy Used: $8.63
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Rating:  102 reviews
Sales Rank: 1179
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 105
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 1000038293
UPC: 794043120718
EAN: 0794043120718
ASIN: B0015ET3YO
Theatrical Release Date: January 11, 2008
Release Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Product Description
A woman discovers dark secrets hidden within her cherished childhood home in the supernatural drama THE ORPHANAGE the feature film debut of acclaimed young Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona. A superbly atmospheric and emotionally powerful tale of love loss and guilt.System Requirements:Running Time: 105 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Rating: R UPC: 794043120718 Manufacturer No: 1000038293
Amazon.com
It's only his first film, but Spain's Juan Antonio Bayona has already figured out the secret to a successful supernatural thriller: emphasize character over special effects. Like Walter Salles's Dark Water and Alejandro Amenabar's The Others, The Orphanage pivots on a pretty woman and an unusual child. When her old orphanage goes on the market, Laura (Belen Rueda, Amenabar's The Sea Inside) and Carlos (Fernando Cayo) settle in with their son, Simon (Roger Princep). Once acclimated to the remote seaside surroundings, they plan to re-open it as a home for special-needs children. Meanwhile, their seven-year-old doesn't know he's adopted or that he has a life-threatening illness. He does, however, have a lot of imaginary playmates. When Simon disappears without a trace, his parents contact the police, but to no avail. Because Laura has been hearing odd noises and having strange visions, they proceed to consult a medium. Aurora (Geraldine Chaplin, speaking perfect Spanish) is convinced they aren't alone. Carlos has his doubts, but Laura makes like a detective and revisits her childhood--through photographs, home movies, and exploration of the spooky stone manor--to determine who or what abducted her son. Produced and presented by Guillermo Del Toro, The Orphanage is less fanciful than his works, though it does bear a vague resemblance to the ghostly Devil's Backbone. There are a few gory make-up effects, but Bayona mostly preys on our fear of the unknown to craft a first-rate fright fest. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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| Customer Reviews: Read 97 more reviews...
 The Orphange July 23, 2008
There should be a warning on the front of the DVD case that this movie is only available in Spanish... how can anyone enjoy a horror movie that they have to read through everything, I shut the movie off half way through and returned it to the store for a refund.
 A Subtlety-Crafted, Beautifully Atmospheric Ghost Story July 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Before I start I'd like to clear up a wildly popular misconception about this flick.
It was not directed by "Pans Labyrinth" director Guillermo Del Toro.
He only produced this.
That being said.....
This was the best ghost flick I've seen since "The Sixth Sense"
(yes better than "The Others" & "The Ring" too)
and easily one of the most atmospheric to date.
Every facet of this film is beautifully crafted,
Attention is painfully given to each detail
& every angle is expertly covered.
There isn't a single scene that is irrelevant,
regardless of how subtle some might seem.
The most seemingly insignficant of which,
are easily the MOST relevant.
The plot, the characters, the setting, the atmosphere;
everything was Genius, pure genius!!
I damn-near cried at the conclusion,
which in my opinion could have been viewed as either happy, or sad, or both.
All around, it's an excellent flick!!
A worthy addition to any cinephiles collection.
I personally couldnt recommend it enough!
especially for those who loved:
"Tale of Two Sisters",
"Skeleton Key",
"Devils Backbone", or
"Pans Labyrinth"
MORAL OF THE STORY:
That which was lost, can always be found, because
That which was loved, can never be forgotten.
Wonderful movie, good service. July 19, 2008
This is one of my most favorite movies since "The Devil's Backbone". A lovely story and quite scary. It's definitely a keeper.
 Not Really A Horror Film, Per Se... July 18, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
THE ORPHANAGE is a tough film to review, as it had some really good points but some really low ones, too.
The highest point comes from Guillermo del Toro's association with it. For those unaware, del Toro was the genius behind such films as Hellboy, the new Hellboy II and the exquisite Pan's Labyrinth. Visually wondrous and stark, del Toro has a discerning eye for what does and does not work, and one can easily see his input (as a producer this time) within The Orphange. Although he had a hands-off approach for this film, you can see it is distinctly del Toro in nature, with heavy shadows, complex film shots, and a movie that lets the images speak rather than a visceral score (which was minimal).
Spanish stage-star-turned-film-actress Belen Rueda pulls in a fantastic performance as a returning woman to the orphanage she once inhabited as a child, but this time as owner of the failing building. Her pouty eyes, ruffled hair, and slumped shoulders gave her just the right mixture of attractiveness and cookyness that such a role demanded. When Laura's (Belen Rueda) adopted son Simon (Roger Princep) goes missing from a party at the house/orphanage, Laura obviously does everything to try and locate him. Her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) also tries for many months but soon loses faith in ever finding the boy alive. He's probably right, too, since the boy was sick and needed daily medications. But Laura refuses to give up. She "feels" something in the house, just as Simon had before he disappeared. Simon kept referring to invisible friends who wanted him to stay and play with them. Laura and Carlos, of course, just assumed the boy to have an active imagination.
But Laura begins awakening to memories of her time at the orphanage, and with this comes a flood of troubled remembrances. When a group of paranormal researchers are called in to see if they can find out what happened to Simon, Laura's suspicions are aroused further, but cause a rift to grow between she and her husband. Carlos soon leaves but Laura stays, and she starts "playing the game" that these memories tell her to (including a game of hide and seek that results in some of the film's scarier moments, "1 ...2 ...3...Knock on the wall.")
Although the performances and filming were done with great care, the script itself was not. Deus ex machina rules the ending (just think of the movie The Others and you'll be real close). That this film has horror elements is undeniable, but genre-wise it doesn't quite fit. Although I don't think shoe-horning a film into a specific genre is a good thing, it does give the viewer a sense of what to expect and how the story will unfold. Not so here. The ending makes it a bit too sweet. Okay, so that might not be fair if you compare Pan's Labyrinth's ending and this one (true, they are similar). But Pan's Labyrinth had a much more cohesive story that came at you from a child's perspective. With The Orphanage, it is through Laura's eyes that we see this world, and she's a grown up with grown up ideals. Plus the brutality of Pan's Labyrinth was horrifically pulled off by the evil protagonist, while in The Orphange, it really had none other than its own circumstances.
But if you're in the mood for something visually appealing, this one will stimulate that portion of your brain. Just don't expect a smashing success ...or a horror film.
Wonderful gem of a thriller July 3, 2008
I hesitated to watch this movie as it was in spanish with subtitles. Boy am I glad I did.
This movie really pulls you along until the final moments. It starts with a good pace and gains momentum as the minutes go on. I felt myself completely drawn in, which is not easy to do.
I won't cover the plot here, that's been done already. I will say that if you want a movie that will make your skin shiver and have you jump at every noise then this is the one. Definitely made for scares and thrills. I hope we see more from this director.
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