Kiss of the Spider Woman

Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

Directed by Hector Babenco

Screenplay by Leonard Schrader

Based on the novel by Manuel Puig

Stars: William Hurt, Raul Julia, Sonia Braga, José Lewgoy and Milton Gonçalves

I have heard of this movie basically from the Broadway musical version of it. I knew a couple of things about the movie. I knew that one of the characters were gay and that was it. The film was nominated for four Oscars and won the Best Actor for William Hurt. I thought that this movie was disgusting for a gay person to watch.

Detained in a South American prison, the movie focuses on two of the most unlikely cellmates, Luis Molina (Hurt), the flaming homosexual that flails about in kimonos and all that. The other is a political prisoner named Valentin Arregui (Julia). Most of the action takes place in their cell where Luis talks about a Nazi propaganda movies where he talk about the love story in it. The warden (Lewgoy) wants to make a deal with Luis to get him parole that will test his friendship with Valentin.

I thought that the movie would be interesting to me, but it wasn't. I did not understand why this movie was made. Why was the movie nominated for Best Picture? I didn't care about the endless stories Luis was re-interrupting to Valentin. There would be a good story if it focused on the relationship between Valentin and Luis. I didn't care for it. Did I say that already?

When I said that this movie is disgusting for a gay person to see is that in the early 80s, portrayal of gay men were less than flattering. Luis has to be a flaming queen that gets to be called fag or faggot by every character in movie and then he has to die. The fag has to die. It's not a spoiler it was commonplace in the early 80s where a gay man is portrayed as a limp-wristed queen who preys on little boys and spreads disease and should die for his perversion. That is the main reason why I hate this movie so much. It was a waste time. I don't know why William Hurt won the Oscar for this role. I am disgusted with this movie. I'm insulted.

My Rating