Search - Kika on DVD

Content Advisory: Not For Children, Adult Humor, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1993 DVD Release: 11/26/1997 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: Spanish Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 54 mins Studio: Image Entertainment Members Wishing: 22 Genres: Comedy, Black Comedy, Sex Comedy, Urban Comedy, Media Satire

Spanish director Pedro Almodovar returns to his recurring framework of offbeat sexuality and death with this colorful comedy. Kika (Veronica Forque) is a Madrid makeup artist who falls in love with Ramon (Alex Casanovas), a dead man whose face Kika is hired to prepare for a funeral. Kika's attraction resurrects Ramon, and the two begin cohabiting. Kika becomes embroiled in a pair of criminal schemes, one involving her maid Juana (Rossy De Palma) and Juana's amorous, retarded brother Pablo (Santiago Lajusticia), the other involving Ramon's father, Nicholas (Peter Coyote). After Kika is raped by Pablo, she learns the incident was videotaped by Ramon, the footage ending up on a tabloid television program hosted by Andrea Scarface (Victoria Abril). Kika and Ramon split, but the latter discovers his father's complicity in the demise of his mother, leading to a violent confrontation. Because of Almodovar's humorous treatment of the film's rape, Kika was his third feature in a row that resulted in critical accusations of misogyny and exploitation. His subsequent material became more dramatic and less tinged with black humor. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Verónica Forqué - Kika
Peter Coyote - Nicholas
Victoria Abril - Andrea Caracortada
Alex Casanovas - Ramon
Rossy de Palma - Juana

Many critics found fault with Pedro Almodóvar's Kika, deeming it too campy, outrageous, and long. The DVD suffers from the exact opposite of excess; it's what's missing that's the problem. For starters, the widescreen transfer isn't up to par. The aspect ratio is billed at 1.85:1, and while the black bars suggest this is correct, the opening credits and key scenes tell a different story. The sides of the frame are cut off -- clearly evident during the opening titles, where entire letters fall off the screen. Further, the print is not of a high quality; the movie seems to have been transferred to DVD from a VHS tape. Colors are muted and the image is grainy and dull. The Dolby Digital Sound is acceptable, though the score sounds muffled. Also, there are no supplemental features. The main menu serves only as a scene access menu for the DVD's 24 chapters. The white English subtitles are part of the source print; they can't be switched off, but are nearly impossible to read during brightly lit scenes. A movie released in 1993 simply shouldn't look this aged and battered. Almodovar fans will undoubtedly be disappointed in the quality of the DVD. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Movie Guide