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Kiss of the Spider Woman

Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

July. 26,1985
|
7.3
|
R
| Drama

The story of two radically different men thrown together in a Latin American prison cell. One is Valentin, a journalist being tortured for his political beliefs. The other is Molina, a gay window-dresser who fills their lonely nights by spinning romantic fantasies drawn from memories of old movies.

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Reviews

Hellen
1985/07/26

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Unlimitedia
1985/07/27

Sick Product of a Sick System

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Pluskylang
1985/07/28

Great Film overall

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Acensbart
1985/07/29

Excellent but underrated film

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Brian Johns
1985/07/30

This is in the top drawer of movies ever made to date. It is flawless, a work of art in which the whole canvas is filled with colour and richness, and the true meaning of the movie gradually unfolds through a harrowing course to a powerful, moving finale. Acting and direction are all superb, and in my opinion the placing of "the spider woman" as the central icon of the movie is sheer genius, made complete by the casting of Sonia Braga, a unique beauty. The final scene with the death of William Hurt's character, the unfolding of the last petal, reaches out and grabs our heart, not unlike the final words of "Chinatown" when Nicholson's sidekick takes him aside with "Forget it Boss, its Chinatown".

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Irishchatter
1985/07/31

I have just fallen in love with William Hurt and Raul Julia after watching this. William Hurt just played a flamboyant gay guy very well and with Raul Julia playing as a tough guy! I found that their friendship and love was very unique together. I actually was really sad and upset that Luis Molina got accidentally shot by the place then left for dead.It was even more sadder to think that they both separated and never saw each other again. I was really hoping they could reunite. You might think it's sick for me to like a pedophile character but it's still, this movie was terrific! I hadn't read the book but I just think again, the movie was excellent.I'm glad that this won an Oscar, not many movies that have Oscars aren't normally that great! This deserves it!

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MartinHafer
1985/08/01

"Kiss of the Spider Woman" was originally a novel and then a Broadway play--and it's pretty easy to imagine this. That's because almost everything takes place in a prison cell occupied by two men. Up until late in the film, the only times it's not set there is when either of the men is taken out to be questioned by authorities or when the transgender prisoner (William Hurt) tells tales--an adventure story involving spies, the Nazis and a gorgeous lady as well as a later tale about a Spider Woman.All of this sounds like a rather dreadful idea for a film or play as it's a prison film involving torture, illness and the like, but it manages to work due to good acting by Hurt and Raul Julia (his cell-mate) as well as some interesting plot twists. However, the very overtly gay plot is sure to upset or turn off many viewers and this film certainly is NOT for everyone regardless of the strong gay elements. After all, this IS set in an oppressive South American prison where torture and the like are commonplace.By the way, although William Hurt was excellent and received the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance, it is odd that he doesn't seem the least bit like a Latino....not the least.

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Michael Neumann
1985/08/02

Two very different prisoners—a flamboyant homosexual and a hardened political activist—share the same small cell in a nameless Latin American dictatorship, eventually overcoming their mutual hostility to accept what the other has to offer: compassion on the one hand; a political conscience on the other. The reason for their mutual incarceration only becomes clear after half the film is over, but by then the characters are fully drawn: one yearns for freedom while the other dreams of escape, via intimate narration of his favorite movie plot—a romantic melodrama he doesn't recognize as Nazi wartime propaganda.The plot is developed with gradual precision, unlocking layers within layers of contrasts and parallels. In the end the film is a study in opposites: gay and straight; dignity and exploitation; the freedom of daydreams versus the cold reality of imprisonment. Hurt won a well-deserved Oscar as the gay prisoner, Molina, but Raul Julia is equally fine in the less splashy role (Sonia Braga appears in each of the separate narratives, becoming the unifying link between them).The film itself exhibits surprising freedom and range despite being confined within a prison cell. Remarkably, it's not the least bit claustrophobic, sagging only in the final scenes, outside the prison walls. Sad and touching, this is a brilliant, bittersweet parable of repression: political and otherwise.

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