The Kiss of the Spider Woman (RIP Hector Babenco)

[FelipeSobreiro 54]

Hey guys! Hector Babenco passed away last night, sadly, and that make me think a bit about his movies. An interesting film of his to discuss for inclusion in The Canon would be THE KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN from 1985.

 

It has amazing performances by Raul Julia and William Hurt (who won an Oscar). It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, and lost in all those categories to Out of Africa (!).

 

Despite being in English, it's a South American movie (as I've previously mentioned in another thread, there's yet to be a single movie from down here considered for inclusion in the Canon).

 

There's a lot of interesting themes for Amy and Devin to talk about: it's a prison movie, it's a political movie, there are some gay themes, there is a meta "movie-within-a-movie", etc.

 

And, well, the sad fact that Babenco was an interesting director who never got a lot of audience abroad (i.e. there in the United States), other than stuff like Pixote, Ironweed and Carandiru.

 

Thanks!