Frida

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful pictures and good acting, but still....
Review: I'm probably one of the biggest Frida Kahlo fans on earth, reading everything I can find about her. I love her paintings: they give me so much comfort, they make me cry and smile at the same time. Frida was so corageous, so witty, so kind, so sweet. Despite all the sorrow and pain in her life, she made wonderful things.
I suppose it comes as no surprise I had been waiting for this movie for a year...and then, when I finally saw it, I was so disappointed!
Salma Hayek makes a handsome Frida and the pictures are beautifully knit together with the Mexican music. The scene in which Frida litteraly meets Death is haunting and very good. But all in all...no, this isn't a very good movie. It focuses too much on Frida's relationship with Diego Rivera and too little on her paintings - actually the most important thing in her life.
Short review: Frida, 47, lies dying in her bed, remembering her life. She is a young student, she's in love, everything's perfect. Crash, here comes the trolley, she's lying in the street, bleeding heavily, they put her in a body cast and she cries, then all of a sudden she's well and healthy. She marries Diego, they make love, he makes love to another woman, he makes love to her sister, Frida makes love to other men and other women, they argue, they reunite, Frida loses her leg, she cries, she screams, she dies. And all the time Salma looks absolutely perfect. No moustache, no body hair at all, no limping, just a tiny scar. Soon you get pretty tired at seeing Salma's feminine charms bounce before the camera. Why doesn't she paint?!?! And then, suddenly, in the end of the movie, she has a big vernissage with all her wonderful paintings, and it makes you wonder "WHEN did she paint them!?"
Of course Diego was the most important person in Frida's life, but it's so typical to let the woman be just a wife. Frida had a very strong personality, but you don't see much of it here.
I would recommend you all to see the Mexican movie "Frida naturaleza viva" (1984), starring Ofelia Medina. It's much, much better!
VIVA FRIDA!

Rating:
Summary: Standing ovation!
Review: For those unfamiliar with the union of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera this movie is a good starting point. And hopefully the movie will encourage people to read more about the lives of both of these intense people. Rivera came to San Francisco in 1940 to execute the Pan American Unity mural for the Golden Gate International Exposition. Frida Kahlo was a woman ahead of her time in many ways. Especially in light of the times she lived in when women were pretty much expected to be wives and mothers. One thing lovely about the movie is the gorgeous cinematography that shows off the vibrant colours that Kahlo and Rivera used in their works, as well as the colours that are the basis of Latino life.

Watching the movie I like to savor the sound, and simply soak in the visual richness. The movie is also a wonderful historical maze. Anyone who has seen the Anthony Hopkins movie Surviving Picasso, Henry and June or even Reds with Warren Beatty will appreciate this movie. And I personally believe that Salma Hayek, deserved the best actress Oscar simply because her role spanned decades and because this was a movie she had a major role in making. I did like Nicole Kidman in The Hours by the way...

This movie is simply a feast for all the senses....

Rating:
Summary: Honor to whom deserves it!
Review: Frida came to my life at the age of 12 and I became her admirer #1. Although there is more details to Frida's life, this movie followed an excellent biographer's book, Hayden Herrera. Frida just became known to whom she was unknown through this movie but she is, has been, and will be the most valuable icon that México has. Hayek knew that making this movie would be the passport to her success and especially have the support of her country, Mexico. I am finally proud of Salma, and believe me, her performance in this movie was fabulous,nothing like the soap operas she did (remember "Teresa" :() ). Read the book!!!

Rating:
Summary: A triumph!
Review: Salma Hayek worked for years to bring this story to the screen. The result is one of those rare, perfect films. The casting, cinema-photography, art direction, script, musical score and performances are all stunning. Hayek is clearly much more than a beautiful and talented actress. She has shown that she can take a project from beginning to end without missing a step.

I am also a painter, and have always been particularly touched by Frida Kahlo's ability to channel years of physical and emotional suffering into a body of lyrical and stunning work. Hayek's performance captures the complex nature of Kahlo's personality. Alfred Molina is wonderful as Diego Rivera. So often Rivera has been depicted as a one dimensional bad guy, but Molina's performance reflects a more nuanced understanding of this brilliant artist. He may have been a singularly flawed individual; but his reputation as one of the world's greatest muralists in unassailable. Geoffrey Rush was a real treat as Leon Trotsky, a figure whose own life story was cinematic.

This film not only tells a great story, but also is one of the best depictions of the creative process that I have ever seen. This DVD should be part of any movie lover's library.

Rating:
Summary: Frida: The Story Of A Unique Woman
Review: First of all, I was very skeptical about how this film would turn out. In high school Spanish and Art classes, I learned a bit about Frida Kahlo, so I knew a litle bit of what she was like. However, this film has been one of the most interesting, somewhat controversial ones I have seen. Nominated for six Academy Awards, FRIDA is the biography of the famous Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo.

Salma Hayek was exceptionally amazing in her Oscar-nominated title role! I haven't seen a whole lot of her work, but she truly nailed this performance down hard. Alfred Molina gave an awesome performance as Diego Rivera! (NOTE: If you think Alfred is great in this film, he is just as good in films like NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER.) I give kudos to the awesome acting in this film!! The other things I loved about the film are the cinematography, the music, effects, and the art! The filmmakers have had recreated Frida's world as if it is happening now. It has given audiences a chance to really experience the magic of these things. Frida had a passion of all aspects of life, and the cast and crew were able to make it possible to show that same passion, especially in her paintings. The history and politics also brought in an interest for me, for it showed how the characters were able to share their ideas, cultures, etc.

Frida lived in pain, emotionally and physically, dealt with intense infidelity caused by Diego, her husband, and had some scandelous affairs of her own. The reason for the four stars is this: TOO MUCH sexual content. Yes, Diego and Frida had endured a tumultuous marriage. Yes, Diego was extremely unfaithful to her, but they stuck together until her death. However, in my opinion, Hollywood really didn't have to get into very explicit details with the sex affairs, language, and nudity.

But, despite all that, FRIDA is a film that really showed who she was, and what she did. She was a perseverent cripple; she was a revolutionary at heart; she is still considered one of the greatest artists ever known in the world. But most importantly, she was a very unique woman. If you like biopics, this is one you should at least rent. The special features are just as wonderful. If you fall in love with it, it will be a great addition to your DVD collection!

Rating:
Summary: very entertaining-a little superficial
Review: Frida is a good movie with passionate and lively performances from Salma Hayek and Alfred Molina. Their exceptional acting is truly what holds this movie together, and the ups and downs of their relationship through the years as depicted is fascinating. The love they have for one another realistically emanates from their characters. It's at turns joyous and heartbreaking. I especially enjoyed the dialogue, it's crisp and spot-on (which is pretty rare in movies isn't it?), and the banter between the two is often humorous. The cinematography and art direction are vibrant and colorful, and also weird, maybe to the point of being a little too weird in some scenes. After a bad trolley accident in her youth, Frida spends the rest of her life in various physical pain, and this torment is expressed through her paintings. The director Julie Taymor tries to capture this torment with strange but creative sequences that must be seen because they can't be described here.

There are some flaws. Very little context is given surrounding Frida's life; I knew she was mexican, was in an accident, she painted, and her name was Frida. That's it. Something about communism was thrown into the mix. Why? How? Who? I don't know it's all fairly superficial. Next thing you know the famous russian Leon Trotsky enters the movie. What tha?! What motivates these characters, especially Alfred Molina's character Diego Rivera (Frida's husband), is only grazed upon. Viewers who are already familiar with the life of Frida Kahlo will probably enjoy the movie more, but others, like me, who have never heard of her may experience some difficulty keeping track of what's going on and why.

Otherwise, "Frida" comes with a hearty recommendation. Alfred Molina and Salma Hayek deserve high praise for their performances.

Rating:
Summary: As rich as her paintings
Review: I have read two biographies of Frida and studied her paintings closely, and totally disagree with a certain Washington Post reviewer who wrote that the film failed to capture the delicate texture of Frida's life. To the contrary, the film was teeming with wonderful visual references to Frida's multifaceted and colorful life, from the family members, pets and belongings she held dear, to the unique clothing and jewelry for which she was known, and the neighborhoods and houses where she lived. Perhaps the Post reviewer was not sufficiently familiar with the context to appreciate these details, which were recreated with such passion and fidelity that for me the film needed little else. I also felt the film effectively portrayed the torment Frida suffered over her lifelong love for Diego Rivera, (...), yet emotionally and professionally supportive, husband. That Diego's art overshadowed hers for most of their lives was of far less consequence to her than his marital infidelities. I personally would have enjoyed seeing the film do more with Frida's series of magical, and often tragic, self-portraits; this is a woman who suffered such crushing chronic back pain (due to a horrific bus accident) that she often painted while bedridden in the hospital for months on end, and at other times had to tie herself into a chair to paint. Painting was her therapy and she literally painted her love and her pain in images of herself, Diego, her broken body parts, and the plants, objects and creatures that brought her comfort. But I happily forgave those shortcomings for the pleasure of seeing this spectacular artist and human being brought to life in Ms. Hayek's vivid production.

Rating:
Summary: Good stuff.
Review: Frida (Julie Taymor, 2002)

Within the first few seconds of Frida's opening, it's obvious to anyone who's seen Titus that this is a Julie Taymor film. I've never seen that particular shade of blue anywhere but on Tony Hopkins' face.

Frida opens riskily. The first part of the film is, not to put too fine a point on it, boring as all get-out. However, somewhere in the midst of all the boredom, Taymor is seducing the viewer, and by the time you get to the movie's first unforgettably surreal image (after the trolley accident, with Salma Hayek covered in blood and powdered gold), you're hooked for the rest of the movie. And not just because Ms. Hayek spends so much of it unclothed, either (finally fulfilling a collective male fantasy in existence since From Dusk Till Dawn).

Hayek plays Frida Kahlo, husband Diego Rivera is played by Alfred Molina (recently on the big screen in Identity), and the movie centers around the two's volatile marriage. Rivera seems incapable of being faithful, which drives Kahlo's art deeper into the subconscious depths of pain and misery her art achieved. And yet still, somehow, the two of them love one another enough to keep trying to make it work, over and over again. Well, at least it made for great art.

The movie is also powered by a number of fine cameos, from Edward Norton to Antonio Banderas to Geoffrey Rush to Saffron Burrows and a whole lot of places in between. Add the trademark dadaesque scenes one expects from Taymor, and the film ends up being quite fine. Certainly worth a screening. *** ½

Rating:
Summary: Four Stars for a beautifully illustrative film
Review: I must admit I was a a bit of a skeptic of Frida at first, usually biopics tend to be a tad dragged out and boring, as well as the fact that Salma Hayek had never before been really tested professionally, but this film changed my mind on all of the above. Director Julie Taymor uses a greatly imaginative style to portray the interesting, though at times a little dull, life of Frida. The spectacular set and costume design were a highlight of the film, as well as the meaningful performance of Salma Hayak and the supporeting cast, i.e. Alfred Molina who is tremedous as the lead male. This movie at times seemed to drag but was quickly picked up by moments of excitement, not to mention the sheer audacity of Frida and her life. The film seems to focus far too much on how others thought of her work insted of letting the stunning visuals speak for themselves. I also felt that there was not enough attention given to artwork itself, in actuality her husbamd's work seems to be more important than hers in the movie. I thought the film was very intriguing, before it I had never gone into the depths of the true character of Frida, in all truth I knew little more than her name. This is a brilliant display of a tortured person who perseveers and makes a terrific artist of herself. Overall I thought it was a very interesting, decorative film and though it had its flaws definitely worht your viewing.

Rating:
Summary: good,but lacking
Review: Such a good movie in the cinematic sense. It was beautifully done, but I felt it lacked the depth of Frida's character. The relationship between she and Rivera was so much more than the movie made it out to be, but the two did excellent jobs portraying Frida and Diego Rivera. THe music was especially good in this soundtrack, I bought it too!