Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

This is the story of two cellmates in a Brazillian prison who form a unique bond despite coming form very different backgrounds - one is a political prisoner played by the late, great Raul Julia (The Addams Family, Presumed Innocent) and the other is a homosexual window dresser played by the late, great William Hurt (Broadcast News, Body Heat) in the role which won him his only Oscar.  Their story takes several unexpected turns as a poltiical thriller, prison drama, and even a tale of fantasy.  The titular Spider Woman (Sonia Braga) appears within the fantasy portion and what results is a very emotional tale of survival and compassion which ended up receving four Oscar nominations including for Best Picture that year.  It's helmed by Hector Babenco (Ironweed, At Play In the Fields of the Lord) who also received an Oscar nomination for Best Director. 

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon

Editor: Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN - 1985

Directed by Hector Babenco

Starring William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, Jose Lewgoy, Milton Goncalves, Miriam Pires, Nuno Leal Maia, Fernando Torres, Patricio Bisso, Herson Capri, Denise Dumont, Nildo Parente, and Antonio Petrin

Genre: Prison Drama (Audio clip)

I had always heard nothing but praise for this film, but had very little clue as to what it was about....a prison drama with a forbidden romance at its core? 🤔 Sorta...maybe....the plot is actually tricky to describe: part prison drama, part political thriller, part fantasy melodrama. At the very least before actually seeing this, I was aware that this also featured the performance which earned the late, great William Hurt his Best Acting Oscar....

Undoubtedly this is an indelible performance from William Hurt who walks a very fine here....as the story takes his character Molina on quite the journey. As a homosexual window-dresser now imprisoned for his lifestyle (sort of), his character is often drifting into stereotype though it's for a purpose. He clearly has a very vivid imagination (or memory), describing romantic movies to his cellmate, scene by scene. Beyond that, there are additional layers to the point where you're feeling there's a deception and you're not sure whether you can trust him...but whether you believe him or not, it doesn't end up mattering because HE clearly believes it. I'm probably making this sound more confusing than it needs to be. 😮 

Regardless Hurt is AMAZING - this was clearly the peak of a really strong run in the '80's especially when some of his work (The Big Chill, Broadcast News) sometimes felt a bit too mannered or surface-level...at least for me as if he was acting on a stage above the other performers but not here. Granted he was still always strong during that '80's run (especially Body Heat) but this MIGHT be his best performance alongside The Doctor as far as I'm concerned.

Equally impressive is the late, great Raul Julia as Valentin, a political prisoner who is Molina's aforementioned cellmate. Their relationship is the core of this story and it's a very touching one of two very different people forming a bond....a unique sort of bond which actually isn't fully clarified until the very end if of the movie. Julia's performance is definitely more muted, at least for him - he's often veering between macho swagger and pathos though it's always convincing considering the setting.. There are histrionics for sure but they serve the story at just the right spots. 

And where their story goes....I couldn't predict it and I would dare not spoil it. Let's just say add that there's a third key figure played by scene-stealing Sonia Braga who I THINK ends up portraying about four different characters including two who are purely fictional in the context of this world. Yes SHE'S the titular "Spider Woman" and she leaves an impression even with minimal dialogue! 

Beyond that, the late great director Hector Babenco blends the disparate tones and settings alternating between reality and fantasy in such a lush, sweeping manner that you can easily see how this was eventually adapted into an acclaimed musical on the stage AND….a film adaptation of that VERY musical also coming out this Fall starring Diego Lune and Jennifer Lopez. (Audio clip) 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

The music for this film was composed by Nando Carneiro and John Neschling who both hail from Braziil – their score is mostly heard during the sequences when Molina is narrating a movie taking place during World War II and is quite lovely.  The standout is of course the main “Kiss of the Spider Woman” theme which is definitely a throwback, harkening to lush romantic orchestral scores from the classic Hollywood era….lots of lilting horns and strings.  It’s used especially effectively towards the end as the lines between reality and cinema are blurred during a closing sequence when we see Valentin reunite with his great love Marta on a tropical beach as they then sail off together… it's a touching note to end the movie on. (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

For a time, Raul Julia was one of THE best out there when it came to chewing the scenery even though he's really not doing that here.  From the late ‘60’s until the mid ‘90’s, he had a pretty strong career in film, television, and screen with over 50 credits including an Primetime Emmy which sadly he was awarded posthumously.  For me personally, I enjoyed him the most with comedy…with my personal favorite performance of his being a sharp acid turn as the Roberto, the ruthless Chief of Secret Police for the fictional country of Parador in….Moon Over Parador. (Audio clip) 

Originally born in Puerto Rico, Julia became a trailblazer for Latino actors throughout the ’80’s and ‘90’s with other memorable roles in Presumed Innocent, Tequila Sunrise, One From the Heart, and likely his most famous role as Gomez Addams in The Addams Family.  He dies rather prematurely at the age of 54 due to complications from cancer surgery in 1994.  It goes without saying that Julia's death at was a tragic one in that we lost him too soon. But it's even more tragic that most of his prime years were relegated to the '80's in a lot of genre films, that was just the marketplace then.  Can you IMAGINE the great character work we could have seen from an aging, graying Raul Julia well into the '90's or beyond....working with a Tarantino, Cuaron, Soderbergh, Aronofsky, or the Coens?? 🙁 All the memorable performances we missed out on....he’s undoubtedly amazing here regardless. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

At its core, it's a story about empathy if nothing else. We see this in one VERY delicate sequence about half-way through when Valentin becomes increasingly ill and Molina simply tends to him in the calmest manner possible. What's especially emotional about this sequence is Julia's reaction as Molina....he simply can't believe this kindness being shown to him and is having trouble figuring out how to reciprocate it.  This whole scene is shot very matter-of-factly but still incredibly affecting. 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

Even though the lead performances are truly stellar, the vision driving this film is still its director’s.  Babenco justifiably earned an Oscar nomination for Best Director and this was smack in the middle of what turned out be a VERY unique filmmaking career.  He was originally from Argentina AND Brazil, he directed films in both countries AND the US as well.  No matter the setting nor country, his focus often seemed to be on social outcasts on the fringe of society…including child criminals in Pixote along with homeless and alcoholics in Ironweed.  As with those films, he presents TWO such outcasts in this film – they’re both flawed men engaging in some degree of deception but through his lens, we can see both the desperation AND the beauty with which they form a relationship.  For directing what might have been his masterpiece, Hector Babenco is the MVP.   

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5 

Happy 40th Anniversary to a pretty special movie even though I'm at a loss as to how to best describe it. 😉 Just a high recommend featuring two now-passed acting legends at the height of their respective games.

Streaming on Max, The Criterion Channel, and Prime Video

And that ends another COMPASSIONATE review!