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Kiss of the Spider Woman (film)

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Kiss of the Spider Woman
Theatrical Poster
Directed byHector Babenco
Written byLeonard Schrader
Story:
Manuel Puig
Produced byExecutive Producer:
Francisco Ramalho Jr.
Producer:
David Weisman
StarringWilliam Hurt
Raul Julia
Sonia Braga
José Lewgoy
CinematographyRodolfo Sánchez
Edited byMauro Alice
Music byNando Cordeiro
Michael Jary
John Neschling
Distributed byIsland Alive
Release dates
United States:
July 26, 1985
Running time
120 minutes
CountriesBrazil
United States
LanguagesEnglish
Portuguese

Kiss of the Spider Woman (Portuguese: O Beijo da Mulher Aranha) is a Brazilian and American film released in 1985 and directed by Hector Babenco.[1]

The movie was adapted by Leonard Schrader from the Manuel Puig novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña.

It stars William Hurt, Raúl Juliá and Sonia Braga, José Lewgoy, and others.

Plot

The film tells of the political prisoner Valentin Arregui (Raul Julia) and the homosexual and statutory rapist Luis Molina (William Hurt). They share an Argentinian prison cell.

Molina passes the time by recounting memories from one of his favorite films, a wartime romantic thriller that's also a Nazi propaganda film. He weaves the characters into a narrative meant to comfort Valentin and distract him from the harsh realities of political imprisonment and the separation from the woman he cares about.

Arregui allows Molina to penetrate some of his defensive self and opens up. An unlikely friendship develops between the two prisoners: the dreamer and the political activist.

As the story develops, it's clear that Valentin is being poisoned by his jailers to force him to reveal what he knows. Molina, it seems, may also have ulterior motives.

Background

The story is a "movie within a movie," featuring Luis Molina episodically telling Valentin Arregui the plot of a fictional movie called Her Real Glory allegedly produced in Germany during the Second World War by the Nazis.

Unlike most such internal presentations, it doesn't matter how the "movie within the movie" ends; the plot is what happens to the prisoners.

Cast and ratings

Template:Infobox movie certificates

  • William Hurt as Luis Molina
  • Raul Julia as Valentin Arregui
  • Sonia Braga as Leni Lamaison/Marta/Spider Woman
  • José Lewgoy as Warden
  • Milton Gonçalves as Secret Policeman
  • Míriam Pires as Mother Molina
  • Nuno Leal Maia as Gabriel, Molina's friend
  • Fernando Torres as Americo
  • Patricio Bisso as Greta
  • Herson Capri as Werner, Leni's German lover and Chief of Counter-Intelligence in movie fantasy
  • Denise Dumont as Michelle, Leni's best friend in movie fantasy
  • Antônio Petrin as Clubfoot, Resistance fighter in movie fantasy
  • Wilson Grey as Flunky, Resistance fighter in movie fantasy
  • Miguel Falabella as Lieutenant

Adaptations

The film is based on the 1976 novel El beso de la mujer araña (Kiss of the Spider Woman) by Manuel Puig. The Argentinian author was the first to adapt his own novel as a stage play.

A Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman, also based on the same story, was produced in 1993.

Awards

William Hurt won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Hurt also won Best Actor at the BAFTA Awards, the Cannes Film Festival and several other festivals. The film was awarded the inaugural Golden Space Needle award from the Seattle International Film Festival.[1]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Kiss of the Spider Woman at IMDb
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