It is rare that a film that is basically an art house movie to make it to national attention. It is becoming a little more common with movies like ‘Juno’ making a splash wit the critics, awards and audiences. Back in 1985 a little film made in Brazil hit the scene stirring up controversy along the way. The film was ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’. Now this make sound like some fifties science fiction flick but it is really a deep, psychological drama that is as engrossing as it is simple in design. That is to say this is not a simplistic film by any means. It is deceptive with its Spartan set and only two main characters. A film like this is why everyone who loves the art of cinema should appreciate independent movie makers. A major studio would be highly reticent to give the go ahead to make this type of movie. In some ways this is an experimental film. It doesn’t play by the normal Hollywood rule book. It is not filled with explosive action and depends on a prolonged monologue to carry the story. There is a sizable cast but presenting the true impact of the movie is on the shoulders of the two extremely talented leading men. While an increasing number of films go from theaters to DVD in a matter of months it took almost a quarter of a century for this one to find its way to the outlet shelves. Earlier this year there was a special limited edition released for Amazon. Now City Lights Home Video has expanded the release scope with three variations that include a widescreen, special two disc edition and a Blu-ray release. There are a lot of reasons that this movie is perhaps more difficult to get into at first. It demands that the audience pay full attention to what is going on. You have to be aware of the use of lighting, sets and the nuances of some extremely complex performances to get the most out of this wonder film.

The foundation for the script was the novel by Manuel Puig. Ion that literary form it was an experiment in design and presentation. The book was written as a long string of narrative dialogue with a dash to indicate the change in the speaker. The story was adapted for the screen by Leonard Schrader. He had a lot of experience prior to taking on this intricate project. Mostly he worked with dramas, crime and a couple of documentary films. This made him the right man for the task of bringing the feel and intent of Puig’s novel to life. In much of the movie there is a feel of a brilliantly produced two person play off Broadway in the depths of Greenwich Village. Some of the best plays I have seen have been in that location because like this film they were non-conventional. Schrader started out his screen writing career on a high note with a script, ‘The Yakuza’ for Sydney Pollack that stared no less an actor than Robert Mitchum. The story here is set in a prison cell. Within it are two prisoners; Valentin Arregui (Raul Julia) and Luis Molina (William Hurt). Arregui is a political prisoner incarcerated for fermenting dissent and rebellion. Molina is homosexual and was accused of seducing an underage boy. The two men are different in every aspect of their personalities. Arregui is the typical tough guy willing to go to jail rather than compromise his integrity and personal beliefs. Initially he has but contempt for the highly affected and feminine Molina. Arregui is willing to put up with what their captors have in store for him with a stoic face to ward of the pain and isolation. Molina retreats to a fantasy world of his own making. He has put together as an elaborate a costume as possible under the harsh conditions. He wears a towel around his head as a turban and a floral sheet has his dress. To pass the time Molina weaves complicated stories based on his favorite movies. One was a Nazi propaganda movie while the other was as a cheap thriller. At first this annoys Arregui but over time he begins to become entranced by the tales. This story is one that transcends the obvious. It moves from a story about two diametrically opposed personalities learning to get along to one that challenges the very concepts of freedom.

Charged with the task of bringing this film to the screen is Argentinean director Hector Babenco. I don’t think an American director would have been so successful in charge of this production. Babenco brings the right Latin flavor to the movie with the contrasting views of what it is to be a man and how a person views masculinity. Here he is able to switch seamlessly between the stark realities of the prison cell with the elaborate fantasy sequences. He shows those fantasies not as a coherent ‘movie within a movie’ as most directors would. He captures the correctly the fact that these are not actual movies being presented. They are the recollections of Molina and how he remembers the films. This affords the opportunity to allow the two men, the activist who lives for the revolution and the dreamer who lives in his own head to find some common ground. There is also a vast difference in the performances Babenco encourages out of his cast. Hurt won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Molina. He is almost better suited for a stage play than a film in his presentation. Hurt makes Molina into an exaggeration rather than a stereotype. He is flamboyant with gestures that are over done and excessive. This works extremely well here since it conveys to the audience the need for attention that Molina lives for. Julia plays Arregui as a physically powerful man who is gradually growing weaker by some of the circumstances contained in the plot. As Molina in pulled into the real world Arregui moves to understanding the need to remove your mind from the harshness of the world. One other brilliant performance is from the beautiful and talented Sonia Braga. She plays the female leads it the two fantasy movies including the titular Spider Woman. This performance had to be filtered through the memories of Molina and bring to mind really bad performance in ‘B’ flicks. It takes an incredible talent to intentionally play a role badly but Braga nails it.

You might not be familiar with the distributor City Lights Home Video but it you are interested in quality cinema make it your business to get to know them fast. Every title of theirs I have been privileged to review has been a real treat. They have targeted the quality independent films that are true gems. It may have taken a long time to bring this movie to DVD and Blu-ray but thankfully they did it. The widescreen video is amazing. It holds together in the darkest of scenes. There is a plethora of options in how to hear this movie. The original mono soundtrack is provided in English, French and Latin American Spanish. There is also a Dolby 5.1 English soundtrack and stereo tracks in French and Spanish. You could get this on the one disc edition but for a few dollars more go for the two disc special edition or, if possible, the Blu-ray. The extras here are well considered; better than most Indy films sport.

Disc One