Frida
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Movie Reviews of Frida
Movie Review: Salma Kahlo
Summary: 5 Stars
Salma Kahlo
By Marcielle Brandler
I saw a Biography segment on A&E Channel on Salma Hayek of whom I was vaguely aware. She was shopping her biographical Frida Kahlo idea around Hollywood. Thank God she did not allow them overlay what I call the Hollywood Formula onto her idea. She finally got Julie Taymor (Lion King stage play) to direct it, and what direction it was! The colors! The moods, everything was so Mexican! Taymor's experience with puppetry was put to dazzling use in the entire film. I was blown away by her dream-like, or (should I say) nightmare-like sequence of doctors and spines, revealing the poignancy of Frida's physical pain and hospital stays. It was comic and horrific, harking back to Day-of-the-Dead comi-tragic imagery.
Kayak's courage in attempting some daring scenes and appropriate nudity caused me to admire this beautiful model. There is an erotic spirituality about this film. It is very woman-like, also with remnants of what among poets and fiction writers used to be called Magical Realism, peculiar to Latino writers of this century.
I enjoyed Frida's manly qualities and wondered if they really belonged to her or merely of Salma's interpretation of her. When Frida dances with Ashley Judd, I felt the sexual tension coming from Salma but not from Judd. In an interview, Judd said that scene made her uncomfortable. That moment was lacking for me, possibly because I have seen real tango dancers in Argentina with the sensually arrogant machismo both the male and female dancers exude.
A friend of mine complained that there was one huge flaw in the film. The real Frida Kahlo had several parrots and other birds in her home. Yes, that was part of Kahlo's life, but there were so many startling moments, that such a detail does not matter a damn to me. I told my friend that perhaps since it was such a complicated film to direct. that more animals would be a distraction from the story's tension. Bird images are very common to those who know, even peripherally, Frida Kahlo's paintings.
In other countries, people really do spontaneously break into song, and in this film such moments occured at just the right time to bare Frida's anguish and touch our souls.
It can be a temptation to make an unfaithful lover look like a complete cad, but Alfred Molina manages to play Diego Rivera (Frida's famous artist husband) as simpatico. We love him in spite of his numerous transgressions. That, in itself is a real coup.
Visit Marcielle Brandler's website at: [...]
She is a tv producer, college educator, author, and hiker.
Movie Review: Artistically Well-Done
Summary: 5 Stars
I am always a little aprehensive about "art movies". I should clarify that I use the term to mean movies about great artists (as opposed to what used to be the term to describe movies coming out of France and Scandanavia). The reason for my reluctance is that, if the art itself doesn't impress me, then the movie probably won't either. However, I recently watched "Amadeus" for the first time and was greatly impressed. So, when I saw "Frida" on IFC's schedule, I thought I'd take a chance on that one as well. Thank goodness that I did. This, too, is an impressive movie.
I will admit that I knew nothing about the true-life artist, Frida Kahlo, although I vaguely recognized the name of her husband, Diego Rivera. I'm sure that "Frida" must have been an exceptional experience for those who were already fans of her work before the movie came out. However, I was impressed that prior knowledge of the woman was not a requirement for being able to enjoy "Frida". The impact of the movie came from its' portrayal of the artist first and the art second. Frida Kahlo was a vibrant woman who overcame many things because of her passion for life and love. She backed-off for no one, even her wandering husband. She overcame a serious accident that left her in pain and follow-up surgeries most of her life. She did not compromise on expectations of anyone, including herself. All of this we saw through the excellent directing of Julie Taymor and the Academy Award-nominated acting of Salma Hayek in the title role. I did not see Nichole Kidman in "The Hours" so I can't complain too loudly about the injustice of Hayek not winning the award. Let's just say that, if and when I get around to seeing "The Hours", I'll be expecting a lot.
The use of art in "Frida" was expected but the unique ways that it was blended in were exceptionally well-done. History plays an important role in "Frida" as well with the assassination of Leon Trotsky (gee, I sure hope I'm not giving anything away with that) being a special focal point for me.
"Amadeus" excelled in how it brought the man, the music and the times to life. "Frida" excels by doing as well in all three areas. I may prefer Wolfgang and his music to Frida and her art but I must confess that Frida and her art stand pretty high in my opinion after watching "Frida".
Movie Review: Wow! An excellent Julie Taymore picture!
Summary: 5 Stars
Before watching this movie I had no idea who Frida was. I knew that the film was directed by Julie Taymor (Titus), which meant that it would have a striking visual style. I knew that the movie starred Salma Hayek and that she had wanted to play this role for years. I knew that it had been nominated for 6 Academy Awards including a Best Actress nomination for Hayek. But I did not know anything about the subject of the film. Frida is a biopic focusing on the life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek). As much as the movie focuses on the life of Frida, it seemed that the main thrust of picture was on Frida's relationship with her husband, painter Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina). The film does cover Frida's life from her childhood right up to her death. We begin the movie when Frida is a young woman aspiring to be a painter. Her father is highly supportive of her dreams. However, she is riding on a trolley one day when it gets into an accident. She has to be in a body cast for some time and it was in doubt whether she would ever walk again. She recovers, but she lives a life of pain. Frida meets the womanizing painter, Diego Rivera and they get married. This does not mean that he changes his ways and naturally this causes problems in their marriage. They remain committed to each other even when they are each sleeping with other people. Over the course of the movie we see Frida painting, but it seems that Frida the artist gets pushed to the side and we see Frida the woman/wife. I don't know enough about Frida Kahlo to know if this is a flaw in the movie or not, but it is just the way the movie is.
The acting in this movie is superb. Nothing feels wrong or forced. But, surpassing even the excellent acting is the visual presentation of Frida. Her artwork appears throughout the movie, but not simply as paintings hanging on the wall. Kahlo's artwork appears first as a painting, but that painting transforms into the scene itself. This also works the opposite way in that a scene will end up as a painting and the transitions between the two are so smooth it is very impressive.
I was very impressed with Frida. I didn't care for Julie Taymos's other film (Titus), so I didn't know what to expect. Everyone (Hayek, Taymor) exceeded my expectations for the movie. This was a very good movie.
Movie Review: A Sexy, Stunning, Sensationalist and Very Satisfying BioPic
Summary: 5 Stars
Many people I know who are long-time admirers of the life and times of the great Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, have mixed feelings about this film. On one hand, they admire the way the whole film itself looks like some of her paintings, but they are upset with the fact that it focuses more on her sex life than anything else.While this may be true, there are more than enough strong elements in this film to make it a dazzling success and, in my opinion, one of the best films of 2002.
Director Julie Taymor seems to have mastered the art of mise-en-scene with this film. Everything the viewer is subjected to is nothing short of stunning. Like Kahlo, Taymor uses a palate with so many different colors to shade this film.
Salma Hayek, who championed this project, gives the performance of her career. Whether she is playing the young, awkward, teenage Kahlo at the beginning of the film, the sassy and bold Kahlo in her twenties and thirties, or the frail, aging, yet determined Kahlo at the end of the film, Hayek is always convincing and intense.
As good as Hayek is, Alfred Molina, as Diego Rivera, all but steals the show. Molina has to be one of the most underrated actors out there. He perfectly captures the eccentric, moody, yet extremely lovable artist that Rivera was. Having put on tremendous weight for the role (or just wearing lots of padding), Molina portrays Rivera as an inspirational and lovable ladies man. How the Academy didn't even give him a nomination is beyond me.
Geoffrey Rush appears later in the film giving yet another excellent performance, this time as the Russian exile Trotsky. In addition, look for great cameos by the likes of Edward Norton, Ashley Judd and Antonio Banderas.
Some may be put off by FRIDA, thinking it to be just another biopic about a dead artist. This film is much more. Rivera was the communist party chairman for some time in Mexico and got into some trouble for his beliefs when he was in the US for a while, so besides giving the viewer insights to different aspects of Kahlo's life, this film also touches on the politics and history of not just Mexico, but the entire world during the 1930's and 1940's.
This is an important and daring film that comes off incredibly well. I highly recommend it!
Movie Review: Agonized Poetry Visualized Exquisitely
Summary: 5 Stars
Frida is luscious eye candy from beginning to end; so beautiful it could be enjoyed without sound. This is due to its subject, its star, and its director, Julie Taymor, who also gave us the astounding Titus. (If you have not yet seen Titus, do so before finishing this review - it is an art director's tour de force on a par with Brazil.)
Regardless of where one falls on the political spectrum, one can't help but be intrigued by the fascinating, and certainly unconventional, people of Frida. Diego Rivera, played superbly by Alfred Molina, boasted the traditional faults of great artists, (narcissism, thoughtless cruelty, obsessive egotism), while showcasing some exceptional ones, (art as propaganda device, naive political idealism). His flaws were as large as his murals, but he was never dull.
In addition to starring as Frida, Salma Hayek co-produced the film and pretty much moved heaven and earth to get it made. How wonderful that she did. Hayek has traveled under a Hollywood curse, appearing in one dreadful picture after another. This is clearly the film she wants to be remembered by, and her performance is note perfect. The story is so full of pain and passion that it could easily become maudlin and goopy, but Hayek never lets that happen. Her Frida is heart and steel all at once - amazing.
The take home message, if there is one, is that great art is never free. In the case of Rivera, others paid the price; he fed off others like a greedy child. In the case of Frida Kahlo, she herself paid the price, digging further and further into her own pain and laying it bare in a way that is almost unspeakably brave. There are moments of magic realism in Frida, where we move imperceptibly from the filmed image to paintings and vice versa - if nothing else this reveals the paintings for what they were, astounding autobiographical statements.
There are a few missteps. The liaisons with Trotsky and Josephine Baker feel almost obligatory, as if a form is being filled out. But blemishes this small are overshadowed by so many splendid moments, for example, when Rivera's dog urinates on his painting and he responds by calling him the best art critic in Mexico.
Beyond highly recommended - must viewing.