The Orphanage [Blu-ray]

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Actors: Geraldine Chaplin, Carmen Lopez, Andres Gertrudix, Fernando Cayo, Belén Rueda
Studio: New Line Home Video
Category: DVD

List Price: ~~$35.99~~
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Seller: newtownvideos
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars

159 reviews
Sales Rank: 7273

Format: Anamorphic, Color, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5

MPN: 1000038376
UPC: 794043120794
EAN: 0794043120794
ASIN: B0015ET3YY

Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: April 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

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Features:

Academy-Award nominated filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro (director of Pan's Labyrinth) presents The Orphanage, a chilling ghost story about a woman who discovers dark and horrific secrets hidden within her cherished childhood home and her desperate attempt to rescue her family from the nightmare into which she unwittingly led them. Format: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: HORROR Rating: R Age:&n

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Editorial Reviews:

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: BLU-RAY DISC Genre: HORROR/PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER Rating: R UPC: 794043120794 Manufacturer No: 1000038376

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 Amenábar's The Others, The Orphanage pivots on a pretty woman and an unusual child. When her old orphanage goes on the market, Laura (Belén Rueda, Amenábar's The Sea Inside) and Carlos (Fernando Cayo) settle in with their son, Simón (Roger Príncep). 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 Simón 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

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 1-5 of 159

1 2 3 4 5 6 ...32 Next »

C.R.A.Z.Y. November 2, 2009
Christopher J. Olson (Flagstaff, Arizona)
I heard good things from another person about this movie so I had to see it for myself and I am glad I did. It is not so much a scary movie more like, mentally scary. This orphan girl plays the part great and is psychopath at least. Really great twists in the movie especially about the dwarfism. The orphan girl is very cunning and human emotion means nothing to her. The only thing I did not like is when the Dad died at the end.

5 out of 5 stars

Movie Lover October 30, 2009
OKAT
One of the best ghost stories made. The actors (especially the children) were so good. The mother's pain so realistic. Love love love this movie!!! Guillermo Del Toro is awesome!!!

4 out of 5 stars

Ghost Story and Mother's Love August 17, 2009
Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan)
Those who like such films as "The Sixth Sense" and "The Others" (or Jack Clayton's "The Innocent" and Robert Wise's "The Haunting") should not miss "The Orphanage" ("El orfanato") directed by Barcelona-born Juan Antonio Bayona. The Spanish film is a rather remarkable effort in that, like a classic ghost story, the film, which cleverly uses some of the familiar elements from horror genre, favors atmosphere over logic, and it works.

The following paragraphs contain a mild spoiler.

[STORY] Laura (Belén Rueda) comes back to the abandoned orphanage by the sea 30 years after she left the place. This is where she was raised when she was a little girl, and Laura is going to open a new orphanage here for the handicapped children with her husband and adapted son Simón. When everything is going well, however, some strange things start to happen. And finally during the party Simón disappears suddenly, as if spirited away.

Some say "The Orphanage" is a ghost story, some a supernatural thriller. Whatever the film is, it owes its success to Belén Rueda as Laura. The Spanish star literally becomes the character she plays, a tormented mother whose beloved son is long missing. Her acting is so strong and her character's sadness sometimes so painful to see that "The Orphanage" ultimately becomes an intense mother-and-son drama, even though the son is not always there.

True, most of the narrative devices in the Spanish film "The Orphanage" are not particularly new - a little boy "speaking" with his "imaginary friend" or the "secrets" of an old house have been dealt with so many times before. But there is something very unique about The Orphanage," that is, something unnerving that curiously stays in your mind long after watching the film itself. It is hard for me to describe the nature of it. Maybe it is the shocking "truths" about the orphanage and the missing case. Or maybe it is some of the film's very spooky scenes or the ending that defies our expectations. All I can say is see for yourself.

The film is co-produced by Guillermo del Toro, of "Pan's Labyrinth."

3 out of 5 stars

Movie of Nothing August 16, 2009
Michael Kerjman (The Earth)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

As any film on unexplained or horror, a story of former orphan's plan to renovate her former closed orphanage building into a family-run seaside hotel, is lacking of any practical logic and far remote from reality as everything else occurred during run of plot rather psycho-delusive than worth being created at all.

There are much worse movies of such gender and if some wasted time and money to watch, it is good for producers anyway.

3 out of 5 stars

Moody but light on scares May 25, 2009
whitsbrain (Minneapolis, MN United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I've heard quite a few raves for "The Orphanage". I really liked the great set and wonderful less-is-more atmosphere presented in this film. I always appreciate the ability to tell a scary story without excessive gore. But after watching this twice, it doesn't stand up to other recent spooky treats like "The Others" or "The Sixth Sense" or even other Guillermo Del Toro related projects like "The Devil's Backbone". Perhaps I needed more involvement from Carlos (the father) or maybe a better child actor than the boy who played Simon.

The movie was certainly slow-moving but that is normally something that I have plenty of patience for. I can recommend "The Orphanage" for it's cinematography but not really on its characters or storytelling.

Showing reviews 1-5 of 159

1 2 3 4 5 6 ...32 Next »

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