Pre credit and credit sequence
The pre credit mentions a ghost at the very beginning which suggests there is a link between the supernatural and the story. It also mentions blood and pain and there is a bomb at the start. This indicates violence and war is also part of the story. We see a murdered little boy and got thrown in the water to drown. Throughout the scene, there is sinister and mysterious music playing and the main colour theme is orangey-brown and black, almost a blurred vision. We see excerpts of a baby. There is a lack of clarity but the baby's spine is focused on. This relates to the title, 'The Devil's Backbone' and suggests that the baby is the devil because we are shown the spine.
Mise-en-scene in opening
It's set in the desert, there is a lot of sand and an old, rusty car is driving through it. The time period is in the 1930's, during the Spanish Civil War. There is a secret soldier, with a hidden weapon, which suggests the war has spread everywhere but where they are, it needs to be hidden. There is an orphanage for the sons of the soldiers who are fighting or already dead. There are too many boys living there and the headmistress is struggling. There are also two blocks of gold which prove to be significant to the man but seem to burden the headmistress Carmen. There is a big deactivated bomb in the middle of the yard which shows the physical effects of the war on the orphanage as well as other effects.
Carlos' Character
He's young, innocent and vulnerable. We know this because he doesn't know where he is or what's going on and the gun is hidden from him. When he reaches the orphanage, he's curious. He's obedient and likeable. On his first day, he starts seeing things. His curiosity gets the better of him as he walks towards the darkness, this may mean he will continue to do this in the film. He's been brought to a place where spirits seem to be present. He is clueless that his dad is dead, and is being lied to, to protect him. He's going to suffer at the orphanage and his life will change drastically but he seems unaware. He gets bullied by a boy bigger than him but he fights back which shows he's not afraid at this point in the film. When he gets left behind, the audience feels sorry for him. This is shown by having his face in the foreground and the isolated desert in the background. There are obstacles he's going to need to overcome.