Cinema
Kiss of the Spider Woman
O Beijo da Mulher Aranha
Héctor Babenco · 1985
Synopsis
In a prison cell in a South American country, two men share a cell. Molina, a homosexual convicted of a sexual offence, escapes by telling films to his cellmate, among them a Nazi propaganda melodrama. Valentin, a journalist and political activist who has been tortured, refuses to give up names. The prison governor has promised Molina early release if he wins Valentin's trust and extracts the secrets of his group from him.
Context
Adapted from the novel that the Argentine Manuel Puig published in 1976, the film, which the director had been trying to set up since 1982, was shot in English with William Hurt, Raul Julia and Sonia Braga, from a screenplay by Leonard Schrader; Burt Lancaster, first planned for Molina, had withdrawn. Financed without a major studio by Brazilian and American investors, for about 1.8 million dollars according to Latino Life, it caused a sensation at Cannes in 1985 and became the first independent film nominated in four major Oscar categories.
Who it is for
A two-hour film that takes place almost entirely in a cell; the films that Molina recounts are put on screen.
Prizes and reception
Academy Award for Best Actor for William Hurt, and nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.
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