Le baiser de la femme-araignée

A bizarre, evocative film which seems strange even now -- I can't imagine what audiences made of it in 1985.

William Hurt and Raul Julia play cell mates, one gay, the other straight, rotting away in a Latin American prison under the iron thumb of a tyrannical dictatorship. At first, Julia's Latin machismo makes him repelled by Hurt's flamboyant femininity, but the two gradually bond, thrown together as they are, and discover a kind of love that transcends conventions about love and sex and that can probably only exist between two people surviving in extreme conditions.

Hurt, already known as a strapping leading man at the time, took quite a risk playing this fey character, especially at a time when movies still weren't comfortable with mainstream portrayals of gays, but his risk payed off -- he won that year's Best Actor Academy Award and became just about the hottest actor in town for a few years there in the mid-80s. Julia has a much less showy role, but the success of the film is dependent upon the strength of both male leads, and he delivers. Sonia Braga plays the eponymous spider woman, a dream figure cobbled together by both men from their imaginations and memories of old movies.

This film is a big downer, but if you enjoy well-acted, well-written stories, then the depressing ending is worth it.

Grade: A

"Kiss of the Spider Woman" is a fine portrayal of how two completely different men can come to understand one another and how unselfish love can transcend sexual preference. The story slowly reveals itself as the movie progresses, and in the end,the film is about much more than is first apparent. I admired the gutsy performances by Hurt and Julia, and the direction by Brazilian Hector Babenco, who uses long, involved shots, instead of cutting away quickly (which, unfortunately, is used so often). The film hasn't remained very well known since it was released in 1985, but it is definitely worth seeing if you can find it. 8/10

Slow-paced but amazingly compelling and moving drama, mainly set in the filthy prison cell of a never-named Latin American dictatorship country. It is here that the flamboyant homosexual Molina shares his escape-fantasies with the idealistic (but heterosexual) revolutionary warrior Valentin. The stories they tell, either coming from Molina's vivid imagination or from Valentin's struggling past, all feature a similar woman. This primarily Brazilian film is a quintessential piece of artwork. No wild car-chases, gunfights or steamy sex sequences here but you'll be fascinated by the strong dialogs, the mesmerizing acting performances and the professional directing skills of Hector Babenco. The growing relationship between the two opposite protagonists is masterfully illustrated and the depressing set-pieces only increase your sympathy for the both of them. "Kiss of the Spider Woman" is the only film I've seen so far that successfully implements a complex structure containing flashbacks as well as dream-sequences - and even film-in-film images – without becoming overly confusing. Raul Julia and William Hurt both deliver their finest performances ever, and the latter righteously got rewarded with an Oscar. A definite must see for every demanding fan of film-making.

Luis Molina and Valentin Arregui are cell mates in a South American prison. Luis, a trans individual, is found guilty of immoral behavior and Valentin is a political prisoner. To escape reality Luis invents romantic movies, while Valentin tries to keep his mind on the situation he's in. During the time they spend together, the two men come to understand and respect one another.

William Hurt won the Academy Award for Best Actor. The film was also nominated for Best Picture (the first independent film to do so -- it lost to "Out of Africa"), Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Hurt also won Best Actor at the BAFTA Awards, the 1985 Cannes Film Festival and several other festivals. The film was awarded the inaugural Golden Space Needle award from the Seattle International Film Festival.

William Hurt is incredible, but so is Raul Julia. It seems he is today (2015) best remembered for playing Gomez Addams, but he was so much more than that.

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. (****/*****).