Rating: 
Summary: A GREAT (APPROPRIATELY) COLLECTIVE WORK
Review: Julie Taymor is in the driver's seat for this wonderful look at the life of Frida Kahlo, one of the greatest artists of the 20th century - but this is a collective effort in the truest sense of the term. Selma Hayek, who turns in what is very likely the performance of a lifetime as Kahlo, is listed as an executive producer - and the contributions of all involved in this masterful film are important and noteworthy. The cast and crew have managed to tell the story not only of the romance between Kahlo and the great Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, but also of a time and atmosphere that we will - sadly - unlikely see again.The Revolution in Russia - and the possibilities it presented for the working classes worldwide - lit a fire in the hearts of many, igniting hopes and passions for a better world. Each person touched by this flame saw it illuminate their life and their work in an individual way - and artists were certainly no exception. Diego Rivera's murals are legendary and timeless testaments to that passion. The passion that stirred between Rivera and Kahlo is a legend of its own - Frida knew full well before she even met Diego of his reputation as a womanizer. The love the blossomed between them drew them together despite - and very likely because of - the things that existed within each of them that, in many relationships, drive people apart. Taymor's film uses incredibly beautiful - and moving - images to augment the live action. Many of these are taken from Kahlo's works - there are a couple of scenes in which one of Frida's paintings is transformed into live action, to wonderful effect - and some are completely original, created especially for the film. A couple of these latter scenes are based on traditional images from the Mexican Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and are chillingly effective - and not without humor. The horrific accident which left Kahlo's body damaged for life certainly didn't kill her spirit - and it is this spirit, combined with the innate talent she possessed for turning her inner feelings into art, that make her work eternally relevant and inspiring. We all carry around pain inside of us that accumulates over the course of our lifetimes - Frida found a way to access that pain, to make it visible to others, to express it and process it. We could all learn a lot from her. Kahlo and her work should be more widely known - something that has begun to be corrected in the last couple of decades - and held up as a role model, not just for women and Hispanics, but also for human beings in general. The DVD is loaded with extras (you can check out the list above) that make the viewing experience even richer - unlike some releases, where the viewer is left with the feeling of sorting through filler. The film itself is worth the price of the DVD - the extras just sweeten the deal. This is a labor of love - members of the excellent cast working for scale, as they did - and it shows.
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie; Best Salma Movie
Review: It was a good movie, I was quite shocked. I learned alot about a person I had very little knowledge of, and thought it was a great start to a better career for Hayek, she is usually in small parts and/or small films. Hope to see more good acting from her. The movie was good, had a full range of emotions; from drunken stuper to sober hatred, from passionate love to "it's just a f*". Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: An artistic movie
Review: The color choices for movie sets and costumes in this movie are very artistic using mostly primary colors. Weaving all this together with well chosen mexican music makes this movie a refreshing change from the usual studio movie. The scenery is sumptuous and Fridas passion for art is very evident. There isn't much of a story, just the biography of Frida and her art and how it interwines with the relationship she has with mural artist Diego Rivera. Nevertheless, I liked the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Frida's Eyebrow
Review: I had a hard time concentrating on the movie - I kept wondering if she had just one long eyebrow or if she connected the two she had with a pencil. Nobody else in the movie had eyebrow(s) like that. I didn't know anything about Frida but I did learn who she was; her paintings were eerie and I just did not enjoy anything about the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice but that's about it
Review: Like the reviewer from Sweden I agree that this movie focusses too much on Frida's relationship with Diego; you hardly see her painting. She is presented like some sort of housewife who paints in her spare hours.
And what about the pain in her life that was an inspiration for many of her paintings. You hardly see this in the movie. It's all presented too smooth and superficial.
But apart from that it's a nice movie to look at, beautiful sets and colors. Salma Hayek is ok.
Rating:
Summary: Frida
Review: Salma Hayek in her best role ever. Incredible.
Rating:
Summary: Should have been titled "Frida and Diego". . .
Review: As with any story about a person's life, this film could have taken many directions. As it happens, the primary focus here is on Frida's relationship with Diego Rivera. Frida's relationship with pain and Frida's relationship with politics/Leon Trotsky play secondary and tertiary roles. Though I don't know much about Frida Kahlo and who she was, I've always thought of her as an unusually independent, strong woman. This is why the movie came as such a surprise to me. Here we see a woman who knows what she wants and has few inhibitions, yet allows herself to be in a relationship she's not completely comfortable with. Although this might be disconcerting for those who have idealized Kahlo as a feminist icon, it speaks to the type of relationship Frida and Diego had. Diego couldn't (read: wouldn't) control his lustful urges, and told Frida that he was "physiologically incapable" of being faithful to any one woman. Frida, nevertheless, put up with this and the enormous amount of emotional pain it must have caused her. Why? It seems that the relationship of Frida and Diego was, above all, a spiritual one. They were able to reach a plane in their interactions with one another that went far beyond the selfish physical acts of Diego or the impetuous behavior of Frida. Their love for one another was something that had little to do with the current Western notion of romantic "love." And so, even though this was a relationship between "an elephant and a dove" (according to Frida's mother) with an age difference spanning a generation (21 years), this film portrays it as something precious and essential in the lives of both Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. This, for me, was the overarching theme of the film. Director Julie Taymor does her usual magnificent work here. She's got the King Midas touch: everything she touches turns to artistic gold, a result of her impeccable eye for visual detail. Though this is by no means her finest work, "Frida" is still a pleasure to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps with a little more depth it would become boring
Review: A vivid and sensual portrayal of the Frida's life in Mexico which makes this quite an absorbing, if not transcending movie. The story is well balanced, starting from her teens and then her direct encounter and then her relationship with Rivera till her death. We see much of Rivera, so much so that an alternative title to this film might as well read " Diego Rivera"! This is not altogether an adverse comment, for Rivera's part was so successful. But there is definitely too much of Trotsky. What is the point of all the details of the assisination of Trotsky anyway! A mere digression. Somehow, one's aware that these events aren't exactly seen through Frida's eyes, nothing like her inner voice nor the stream of her own consciousness or anything of that sort. One would rather see more of Frida's paintings and how she actually painted, or else her ideas of painting. The actual physcial pain that poisoned her happiness, or the pain so strikingly reflected in her paintings aren't sufficiently conveyed to the viewers. I'm afraid serious and curious viewers alike have to look else where for these things. In short, this is more a biography than an autobiography, and the wrong choice of viewpoint takes one star away.
Rating:
Summary: Beauty and Color
Review: I was not familiar with the story of Frida Kahlo and did not know anything about her or her husband Diego Rivera. After watching this colorful, passionate movie, I am sure I will not forget their story.
My first impression from the movie is colors - Frida's face, her red lipstick, her hair with the cloth woven through her braids, the strong colors of her dresses, the flowers she likes and off course the colors Frida uses in her paintings.
The colors are the rich strong colors of the Mexican culture, the houses, the greenery, and the women dresses.
My second impression is the expressiveness and beauty of Selma Hayak. This actress, whom I never appreciated before, does the role of her life in this movie. Some reviewers have commented that maybe Selma Hayak is too pretty for this role and their is a lot of truth in this comment but although Selma Hayak is no doubt beautiful she is still able to portray Frida as a very strong natured person with a unique personality, which is, so I feel, the essence and purpose of this movie.
I can appreciate what the critical reviewers wrote about some shallowness and the fact that the story is presented in a Hollywood manner. However, I think that all this is acceptable in order to bring us the interesting story of Frida which did come across. We see her background, and are given means to understand the pain and feelings that are shown in her paintings. I felt that some of the stories in the movie were not totally clear to me - as a viewer I did not feel I totally understood the reasons for Rivera and thus Frida's attraction to the Marxist movement. Another unclear example would be Frida's tolerance to the fact her husbands ex wife and kids live above them. However, even these misunderstandings helps to create her image as an "artist" in my eyes.
Bottom line: an interesting entertaining movie.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Powerful, and Informative
Review: The look and feel of this film transports viewers back in time to the Mexico of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Costumes, set design, and music intertwine with fabulous performances to tell a cohesive story that will make you lose track of time. I am sad each time it ends.
| 
