GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Sameir Ali The first indie movie to be Oscar nominated for the Best Movie.A gay and a political prisoner are in a prison. Gay narrates the story of an imaginary movie to the other, in spite his bad interest. He narrates the stories of two different movies mixed with his own life story. The story narration soon becomes a medicine for their loneliness, sadness and pain.To create a beautiful movie within the limitations of space, and budget is almost impossible. Only a creative director can make it possible.William Hurt has given one his best character of his career. As the movie was running out of budget, he refused to receive the pay. He received the Academy Award for the best Actor for his role.

classicalsteve "Kiss of the Spider Woman" is not your typical film. Similar to the novel of the same name which was banned in Buenos Aires for many years, "Spider Woman" is a non-linear story which begins as a character study of two polar opposites who are reluctant prison-mates in a Brazilian prison. William Hurt offers a stellar performance for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor as Molina, a troubled homosexual who also exhibits transsexual tendencies. His prison-mate is Valentin, a journalist who entered into an underground political movement and was incarcerated as a political prison. By contrast, Molina's crime was engaging in a sexual relationship with a boy.The film begins with Hurt's voice-over as Molina while the camera pans above the hideous accommodations of the prison cell. The voice describes a character and a scene from an old romantic European movie probably made in the 1930's. For emphasis, Molina donning a decorated sheet drapes a towel over his head, re-enacting the scene of the heroine putting on her towel after a bath like a turban. The film then cuts to the actual film being described showing a dark-haired actress who appears like a cross between Gloria Swanson and Marlene Dietrich. We are now in the middle of a bygone era of glamorous film. The film in the present-moment is in color while the movie being described is in black and white, often using soft focuses and soft lighting for romantic effect. On several occasions, the present-moment story is halted and the older film is shown on-screen. One of the interesting contrasts is how the older movie exhibits plush settings, beautiful costumes, and attractive leads. The real setting of the prison is damp, dirty and just about as unromantic as a slimy villain.During different moments, Valentin snaps at Molina, occasionally puzzled and sometimes infuriated with Molina's simplistic view of reality which seems caught up in these old movies. At one point during one of Molina's movie descriptions, Valentin realizes the movie is some kind of Nazi propaganda film. There are resisters to the Nazi regime who are portrayed as less-than-human conniving degenerates. However, Molina is oblivious to this aspect, simply caught up with the heroine and her lover, Werner, a member of the Nazi high command. Molina cares nothing about the film's rhetoric but only the romantic interests and identifies strongly with the female lead. Several times he admonishes Valentin for "ruining the moment" with his political talk. One of the elements which makes the story interesting is the parallel between Valentin's predicament as a political prisoner and the film described by Molina which has fascist overtones.Much of the film is about the relationship between the prison-mates as much as a character study. Occasionally their relationship is strained and escalates into near-violent confrontation as Valentin finds superficiality with his prison-mate who is constantly moving and gesturing like the opposite sex. At one point, Valentin rages at him "You sound just like a...!" to which Molina responds "Say it, just like a woman." But over time, a strange friendship of mutual trust and respect evolves between the two men, and Valentin finds there is more to Molina than at first meets the eye.A very different and interesting film with absolute first-rate performances by the two leads but not for all tastes and certainly not for those uninterested in material which explores homosexuality. Part of the film's rhetoric is about showing aspects of homosexual sensibility. Valentin begins to learn and at one point appreciate his prison-mate's sexual dilemma. Part of Molina's ultimate quandary is that he is more than a homosexual: he feels much like a member of the female sex and longs for a "real man", not just a homosexual male. But "real men", by Molina's definition, want real women, and he can never satisfy this desire. So he escapes into romantic films and pretends he is the star.

sadenshi It was a rare window of opportunity for me at the time, to catch a few glimpses of the brutal reality - what would happen to an outsider - whether a homosexual or a political prisoner - in another country like Brazil.The Spiderwoman trapped in a web at the opening has haunted me even decades after watching the film. What was she doing there? Why did she stay on the web perhaps of her own making? Why did she not break free? Was she stuck forever? Was she actually safer in her own prison than the world outside?The film certainly showed us a side of South America to us in Hong Kong at the time, a time when most people were fretting over the 1997 handover, whether to break away to another country, which country.Every country, every place has a story of its own to tell.

Lucien Lessard In a Brazilian prison cell, there is two different people shares an cell. A homosexual man named Luis Molina (Oscar-Winner:William Hurt) is in prison for having sex with a minor and Valentin Arregui (The late Raul Julia) is a political prisoner for the revolutionary group. Which Valentin is been tortured by the prison guards for searching any answering for his political views. Luis keeps his spirit alive by telling old tacky Hollywood movies by past the day, although it entertains Valentin somewhat. As the two prisoners get to know each other, the more Valentin opens up to Luis. But Luis is hoping to get his prison time reduce, if he tells the prison warden (José Lewgoy) some of Valentin's secrets. While Luis is slowly falling in love with Valentin.Directed by Hector Babenco (At Play in the Fields of the Lord, Ironweed) made an intriguing drama that mixes romance, fantasy and comedy quite well. Hurt won an Oscar for his superb three-dimensional performance. The late Julia is also terrific. While Sonia Braga is amusing in three different roles, which two of the roles are in Luis' tales. This is unique movie that is surprisingly fast-paced and quite moving at times. The movie was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapated Screenplay by the late Leonard Schrader (Blue Collar, Naked Tango, The Yakuza) and Best Director.The DVD is the two-disc set. Disc One has an good anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an fine digitally remastered:Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (Also in the original Mono sound). Disc One also includes an trivia track in English and Spanish. Disc Two includes an fascinating documentary with the cast & the crew that runs 108 minutes. Disc Two also includes three featurettes, photo galleries and more. "Kiss of the Spider Woman" was an daring movie back in the 1980's, it is certainly much less controversial feature today. Still, the movie has its charms, thanks to Hurt's lovely performance and the late Julia's strong role. Based on a novel by the late Miguel Puig. (****/*****).