Main Cast: William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, Jose Lewgoy, Nuno Leal Maia
Release Year: 1985
Country: US/BR
Run Time: 119 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Political prisoner Valentin Arregui (Raul Julia) and homosexual pederast Luis Molina (William Hurt) share a Brazilian prison cell in this fantastical drama from the book by Manuel Puig. Sensitive and flamboyant, Molina helps pass the time by recounting memories from one of his favorite films, a wartime romantic thriller that just may also be a Nazi propaganda film. He weaves the characters into an ongoing narrative meant to spur Valentin's imagination and distract him from the brutal realities of political imprisonment and separation from the woman he loves. Hard around the edges, and willing to die for his political principles, Valentin nonetheless allows Molina to penetrate some of his defensive shell. An odd friendship forms between the two vastly different prisoners, the dreamer and the activist. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that Valentin is being poisoned by his captors, to compel him to reveal names and secrets, and that Molina may have other agendas that belie his honesty and openness with Valentin. The intense character study builds toward a surprising conclusion. Kiss of the Spider Woman received Oscar nominations for best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay, and Hurt took home the best actor trophy for his portrayal of the soulful and conflicted Molina. The film was later adapted into a Broadway musical. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Review
It's surprising that Kiss of the Spider Woman didn't hit the stage until after it was filmed: Much of the narrative takes place inside the contained space of a Brazilian jail cell, all the more isolated by being boarded off from the rest of the prison. Hector Babenco's sensitive direction avoids claustrophobia by visiting dreamy images from a romantic fantasy/Nazi propaganda film, which William Hurt's Molina describes to Raul Julia's Valentin to distract him from reality. Just as quirky as it sounds, the film triumphs as a study of how imprisonment alters behavioral tendencies -- and inspires unforeseen motivations -- in the prisoners' attempts to simulate normalcy. The gruff Valentin adheres to Molina's flight of fancy and confronts an awakening sexual curiosity, while Molina, the apolitical drama queen, courts danger by agreeing to assist Valentin's rebellion. Both leads show major acting chops here, generously layering their portrayals. Spider Woman is less interesting when it ventures outside the cell, including the muddled, unsatisfying ending. But there's a lot of substance here, and more laughs than one might expect from a prison film, though this certainly strays from that genre. The details of the hokey propaganda film are especially funny. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
The film tells of the leftist political prisoner Valentin Arregui (Raúl Juliá) and effeminate homosexual and statutory rapist Luis Molina (William Hurt). They share a Brazilian prison cell.
Molina passes the time by recounting memories from one of his favorite films, a wartime romantic thriller that's also a Nazipropaganda film. He weaves the characters into a narrative meant to comfort Arregui 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. Despite their arguments over the politics of cinema, an unlikely friendship develops between the two prisoners: the dreamer and the political activist.
As the story develops, it's clear that Arregui is being poisoned by his jailers to force him to reveal what he knows. Molina, it seems, may also have ulterior motives, namely his romantic feelings for Arregui.
Background
The story features 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.
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.
