Kiss of the Spider Woman (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
by Hector Babenco
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: José Lewgoy, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, William HurtDirector: Hector Babenco
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 300 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-07-22
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: City Lights Pictures, Independent Cinema Restorative Archive
Movie Reviews of Kiss of the Spider Woman (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)
Movie Review: The most delicate of kisses...
Summary: 5 Stars
There are few films that are able to hold your interest with a simple conversation. Most movies pack on the action and suspense and travel from scenic route to scenic route in an attempt to strap you to your seat in excitement. It is truly a rare gem, a special treat, when one is able to just sit back and watch life unfold in the simplest yet most heartfelt of manners.
That is just what happens in `Kiss of the Spider Woman'.
The film opens with imprisoned homosexual Luis Molina telling a vivid story to his cellmate, Valentin Arregui. Molina acts out each scene in detail, and he croons over each and every word; his eyes lighting up as he reenacts the heroine's gown. Valentin is less than impressed, at least it would seem. Luis has been imprisoned for seducing a minor; Valentin is a political prisoner. The two couldn't be more different, yet the two of them form a bond behind these prison walls that is unlike any you or I have experienced on screen before.
The film rarely leaves the confines of the cell, departing from time to time to tell us a story (Luis likes to explain his favorite movie in great detail to help pass the time) but the film never comes off as boring. The relationship building between Molina and Arregui is enough to hold our interest for far longer than the films running time even, so don't be afraid that its small space will lead to early retirement.
William Hurt and Raul Julia are flawlessly compatible and brilliantly convey the true emotional connection between these two men. Originally they were to play opposite roles, but when chemistry wasn't right they decided to swap parts, and it worked so much better. That worked out wonderfully for Hurt (who acts down to his very tip toes), who wound up winning the Oscar for his tortured portrayal of Luis Molina.
The film is really a story within a story, as it broaches the effects of political tyranny as well as conditioned discrimination. And then there is the beautifully woven tale of Leni Lamaison, as told by Luis Molina. While Lamaison's tale is of political espionage it has a much deeper meaning, as can be seen when Molina tells his tale of the mystical Spider Woman or when Valentin confides in Molina of his love, Marta. The fact that all three of these characters are played by the same actress, Sonia Braga, help blur the boundaries of reality and fiction and help portray an aspect of these men's lives that is absent behind those cold cell walls; freedom. She represents there need to be free and she provides them escape while they are physically in bondage. You might even be urged to conclude that they represent one another; representing Valentin for Luis and Luis for Valentin, for it is within one another that they find true happiness.
The film is expertly constructed and marvelously directed by Hector Babenco who worked wonders with Leonard Schrader's adaptation of Manuel Puig's novel. The contrasts between the secluded confines of the prison cell to the gallant freedom felt on the Spider Woman's island are marvelous depictions of pure human emotion and help connect us to this beautiful tale. With brilliant performances by Hurt, Julia and Braga, accompanied by a tightly woven script and a delicate hand, `Kiss of the Spider Woman' is by far one of the best movies of all time.
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