The Orphanage (2007 film)

The Orphanage
Film poster illustrating a woman cradling a baby covered in cloth in a dark room in front of a bright window. Five small hands are seen covering the window from the darkness. Text at the bottom of the poster reveals the original Spanish title, production credits and release date.
Spanish release poster
SpanishEl orfanato
Directed byJ. A. Bayona
Screenplay bySergio G. Sánchez[1]
Produced by
  • Mar Targarona
  • Joaquín Padró
  • Álvaro Augustin
Starring
CinematographyÓscar Faura[1]
Edited byElena Ruiz[1]
Music byFernando Velázquez
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures Spain[1]
Release dates
  • 20 May 2007 (2007-05-20) (Cannes)
  • 10 September 2007 (2007-09-10) (Spain)
Running time
97 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageSpanish
Budget€4.5 million[4]
Box office€65 million[4]

The Orphanage (Spanish: El orfanato) is a 2007 supernatural horror film directed by J. A. Bayona in his directorial full-length debut. The film stars Belén Rueda as Laura, Fernando Cayo as her husband, Carlos, and Roger Príncep as their adopted son Simón. The plot centers on Laura, who returns to her childhood home, an orphanage. Laura plans to turn the house into a home for disabled children, but after an argument with Simón, he goes missing. The film is an international co-production film between Spain and Mexico.

The film's script was written by Sergio G. Sánchez in 1996 and brought to the attention of Bayona in 2004. Bayona asked his long-time friend, director Guillermo del Toro, to help produce the film and to double its budget and filming time. The Orphanage is an international co-production between Spain and Mexico. Bayona wanted the film to capture the feel of 1970s Spanish cinema; he cast Geraldine Chaplin and Belén Rueda, who were later praised for their roles in the film.

The film opened at the Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2007, where it received a standing ovation lasting more than 10 minutes. It received domestic critical acclaim in Spain, and won seven Goya awards, including Original Screenplay and New Director. On its North American release, The Orphanage was praised by English-speaking critics, who described the film as well directed and well acted, and noted the film's lack of "cheap scares"; subsequently, New Line Cinema bought the rights to the film for an American remake.

  1. ^ a b c d e f "El Orfanato" (PDF) (in Spanish). ICAA Spañol Film Catalog. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
  2. ^ "El orfanato (2007)". the-numbers.com. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "cinencuentro.com". cinencuentro.com. November 28, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Díaz-Salado, Javier (March 5, 2021). "'El orfanato': 10 curiosidades y secretos de rodaje de la película de terror de J.A. Bayona". Fotogramas.