FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: The Orphanage [DVD] [2007]

The Orphanage [DVD] [2007]
enlarge	Director: Juan Antonio Bayona Actors: Belen Rueda, Geraldine Chaplin, Fernando Cayo Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment Category: DVD List Price: ~~£15.99~~ Buy New: £3.49 as of 25/11/2009 20:14 GMT details You Save: £12.50 (78%) New (15) Used (12) Collectible (1) from £2.58 Seller: on-on-on Rating: 5 reviews Sales Rank: 8782 Format: PAL Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 106 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5055201806734 ASIN: B001KWHOB0 Theatrical Release Date: 2007 Release Date: January 5, 2009 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Customer Reviews: Brilliant Spanish movie February 3, 2009 Brendan O. Clarke (Edinburgh) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful Hitchcock used an example to explain the difference between surprise and suspense. If people are seated at a table and a bomb explodes, that is surprise. If they are seated at a table, and you know there's a bomb under the table attached to a ticking clock, but they continue to play cards -- that's suspense. There's a bomb under "The Orphanage" for excruciating stretches of time. br / br / br /I was expecting the slow-moving "Orphanage" to descend into routine shock and horror movie, or even into the pits with the slasher pictures. But it doesn't. Most of the movie is all waiting, anticipating and dreading. The jolts that come about midway are of a similar magnitude to movies such as Sixth Sense and Blair Witch Project. br / br / br /The story (no spoilers here) of `The Orphanage' focuses on Laura, who as a young girl was raised in the orphanage before being taken away one day and adopted. Now in her 30s, she has returned with her husband and their young son Simon (who has imaginary friends). They have plans to turn the Orphanage into a home for sick/ disabled children. But before they can embark on this venture, Simon vanishes. br / br / br /Laura is the main character in this movie; we are inside her tormented mind. Her husband only appears in a few scenes and all the other characters in the move are minor parts compared to Laura. Laura spends months trying to find her son and she seeks help from a psychic, the Police, and her son's imaginary friends. br /All the while Laura embarks on a quest to retrieve him that will push her to the limit of sanity. br / br / br /The film is slow moving, but it manages to expertly linger to create atmosphere, a sense of place, a sympathy with the characters, instead of rushing into cheap thrills. br /The Orphanage stands as one of the most beautiful and moving horror movies in recent memory. br / br / br /As it gears up for a truly unexpected, emotionally draining finale - destined to please or frustrate depending on how nihilistic you like your horror - this elegant ghost story ignores genre conventions to deliver a touching tale of motherhood, love and what may or may not lie on the other side. The last time a movie affected me as much as this was five years ago when I was blown away by `The Vanishing' (the original Dutch movie, not the USA remake). An insightful ghost story July 21, 2009 Ms. Ej Perry (Hereford, UK) I am a big fan of Guillermo Del Toro's films and I know that as he has a fascination with what actually constitutes a ghost (also questioned in his film 'The Devil's Backbone - another brilliant film), that this film would go in a different direction to what is expected. br / br /This film is a ghost story that is not a ghost story - it's the only way I can think of putting it! br / br /I found the characters believable- the mother is desparate and voices her physical pain, whereas the father is also in pain but is controlled, introverted and rational. The little boy is adorable and plays his part very well. The other characters are also well cast and their parts well written - there is one character in particular who is quite creepy in a night-time scene (don't want to ruin it). No special effects were used for the scene, just brilliant lighting and cinematography. br / br /If you are expecting the drama and 'flash' of Pan's Labyrinth, you may be initially disappointed. But keep watching as it is worthy of your attention and can be very creepy with very little 'interference' from CGI effects. Good old fashioned suspense scary film! November 3, 2009 Jane Kent (UK) br / br /I loved this film. I'm not into gorey, blood-laden, torture scary films but ones which slowly unwind and are full of suspense. br / br /The film unravels gently and the viewer is drawn in .... br / br /Don't be put off by reading Spanish subtitles. In a way it helps distance you and leave you hanging on even more than were you to immediately comprehend. br / br /There are many foreign films I admire and this is one of them. I recommend you br /watch this beautifully crafted film as you are snuggled up at home one evening ...! A Must See Movie, If You Havn't Already. October 9, 2009 Hollie (UK) As a huge fan of Pan's Labyrinth this film was a must see for me. Unfortunatly it can't quite compare to Pan's Labyrinth, but nothing else can either so that's not really a very negative remark. This film was terrifying. Not just in the conventional sense but in a very deep psychological way. I don't wish to spoil it for those of you who havn't seen it yet so I won't go into any detail but I'm sure any parent watching this movie will feel a chill at the core of their being when the final plot twist comes into play and you finally discover what happened. br / br /The story itself (I'm not going to go through it, read the back of the case) is brilliant. At times heart-warming but more often heart-breaking. The film is filled with suspense and trepidition and really draws you into itself. I found myself caring about the characters deeply and couldn't take my eyes off the screen for fear of missing a moment of the film. br / br /However, I could only rate this movie 4 stars for there is one major fault with it. It's a bit of a watch once kind of film. The story is so memorable that once you've seen it all the element of suspense is gone and any sense of true horror lost. I know that this is true of any movie to some extent but upon watching this film again I realised that without that initial lack of knowledge as to what is coming next the film is actually a little bit boring in places. I left it a few months between watches, perhaps a gap of a few years is needed. br / br /But still a must see movie, if you havn't already. Not really a horror film October 19, 2009 BS on parade 0 out of 1 found this review helpful Haunted house movies never really work in my opinion as they have to stretch an ambiguous terror over 90 plus minutes which is just too long (I have not seen The Haunting which is the Citizen Kane of the sub-genre). Slow incremental incidents that can't be solidly blamed on an evil supernatural force is only interesting for so long. And you know the lead characters can't be attacked for the first half so the scares are hard to feel when they go searching through the attic etc. I don't think this story suits being a 90 minute horror film. It would be much better suited to being a 40 or so page short story. br / br /The film is creepy and well made. The ending is genuinely sad and might make you shed a tear. I was personally pretty close to welling up. As good as the ending is, it also renders the whole thing a bit pointless (click on the comment box to read a spoiler about this). br / br /The music was also very unsubtle at times when it tried to make a scare out of nothing (specifically the cave scene at the start). It just comes across as shoddy try too hard work. br / br /I liked the film, it's fairly entertaining and it is a bit creepy, but it's not a great film like some people are suggesting. The Orphanage was sold as a horror movie but it's not really. Although I wouldn't recommend the film, I wouldn't warn against it. Just don't expect a conventional horror. It's maybe best to think of it as a drama with substantial supernatural elements. br / br /I happened by chance to read a four star review for it in Uncut magazine. It made an astute observation that it's Peter Pan from the perspective of the mother. br / br /I had a brief look at the extras. The on stage QA is unwatchable as it's unedited so you'll have to have a lot of patience to sit through it. I then started the subtitled interviews with the producer and director but they had nothing of interest to say so I gave up very quickly.

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