Salma
Hayek, Alfred Molina, Antonio Banderas, Ashley Judd,
Geoffrey Rush |
Directed
by: Julie Taymor
Written by: Rodrigo García, Clancy Sigal, Diane
Lake, Gregory Nava, Anna Thomas, Edward Norton
Produced by: Lizz Speed, Jay Polstein, Nancy Hardin,
Liz Speed, Lindsay Flickinger, Salma Hayek, Sarah Green
Distributor: Miramax Films |
US:
25/10/02
UK: 28/02/03 |
True
story of a one-legged Mexican painter and 20th century
icon Frida Kahlo (Hayek. (No... it's not a Monty Python
sketch). Flick focuses on her often rocky relationship
with husband Diego Rivera (Molina), and their place
in Mexican society. Included in the mix will be David
Siqueiros (Banderas), Rivera's rival in the Mexican
art world, Tina Modotti (Judd), a famed Italian photographer,
and Nelson Rockefeller (Norton), who famously contracted
Rivera to paint the lobby mural of Rockefeller Center,
only to renege because it included a portrait of Lenin.
Others in their social circle included Russian leader
and refugee Leon Trotsky (Rush) (soon before Stalin
had him assassinated there), muralist Jean Charlot,
painter Pablo O'Higgins, composer Silvestre Revueltas,
and photographer Edward Weston. In addition to being
a great artist, Frida Kahlo was also a bisexual and
a communist, struggling with an abusive husband, a life
of wracking pain following a trolley accident, the amputation
of a leg, and finally, drug and alcohol abuse that killed
her at age 47. |
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Selma
Hayek gives Ashley Judd the once over - in a purely
artistic sense of course.
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Hayek's
long-cherished bio of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo finally makes
it to the screen, and the film itself is a work of art, thanks
to superior performances and the artistic imagery of director
Taymor (Titus). Hayek also gets the role of her career as
Kahlo. The film starts in the early 1920s just before Frida
is horribly injured in a bus accident, causing life-long health
problems but pushing her to express herself through painting.
The story traces her family life, her involvement in the lively
art scene in Mexico, New York and Paris, her two marriages
to another artist Diego Rivera (Molina) and her affair with
Leon Trotsky (Rush). Intriguingly, it presents her as a woman
who never recognises the impact of her work on others, even
though everyone around her is deeply moved by her paintings.
Taymor cleverly weaves in Kahlo's visual sense throughout
the film. There's nothing subtle about this; at times it's
a little annoying in that it keeps us at a distance from the
characters, but it opens up Kahlo's work for us to feel her
passion as an artist. Hayek plays the role beautifully--with
energy and life, both brightly funny and seriously hot-blooded.
And Molina is fantastic as Rivera, creating a full-bodied
character we both like and distrust in equal measure. Meanwhile,
a strong cast of big names play the intriguing people moving
in and out of their life. Technically the film looks amazing,
washed with colours in some scenes, drained to almost monochrome
in others, with excellent costumes, makeup, cinematography
and especially Elliot Goldenthal's music. Still, the whole
thing is a bit too mannered to let us in personally. It's
more observational than involving. But what an amazing story
to watch. |
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