Search - Frida

After being attached to a number of actors, directors, and producers, this long-gestating biography of one of Mexico's most prominent, iconoclastic painters reaches the screen under the guiding hand of producer/star Salma Hayek. Hayek ages some 30 years onscreen as she charts Frida Kahlo's life from feisty schoolgirl to Diego Rivera protégée to world-renowned artist in her own right. Frida details Kahlo's affluent upbringing in Mexico City, and her nurturing relationship with her traditional mother (Patricia Reyes Spindola) and philosophical father (Roger Rees). Having already suffered the crippling effects of polio, Kahlo sustains further injuries when a city bus accident nearly ends her life. But in her bed-ridden state, the young artist produces dozens upon dozens of pieces; when she recovers, she presents them to the legendary -- and legendarily temperamental -- Rivera (Alfred Molina), who takes her under his wing as an artist, a political revolutionary, and, inevitably, a lover. But their relationship is fraught with trouble, as the philandering Rivera traverses the globe painting murals, and Kahlo languishes in obscurity, longing to make her mark on her own. Frida was directed by Julie Taymor, whose Broadway production of The Lion King won her international acclaim. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Salma Hayek - Frida Kahlo
Alfred Molina - Diego Rivera
Geoffrey Rush - Leon Trotsky
Ashley Judd - Tina Modotti
Antonio Banderas - David Alfaro Siqueiros

2002	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominee)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Alfred Molina
2002	Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama (nominee)	Golden Globe	Salma Hayek
2002	Best Actress (nominee)	Screen Actors Guild	Salma Hayek
2002	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominee)	Screen Actors Guild	Alfred Molina
2002	Best Actress (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Salma Hayek
2002	Best Art Direction (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Felipe Fernandez del Paso
2002	Best Costume Design (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Julie Weiss
2002	Best Makeup (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Beatrice De Alba
2002	Best Score (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Elliot Goldenthal
2002	Best Song (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Elliot Goldenthal
2003	Best Actress (nominee)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Salma Hayek
2003	Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominee)	Broadcast Film Critics Association	Alfred Molina
2002	Best Cinematography (nominee)	American Society of Cinematographers	Rodrigo Prieto
2002	Best Song (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Julie Taymor
2002	Best Makeup (winner)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	John Jackson
2002	Best Art Direction (nominee)	Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie	Hannia Robledo

Miramax took a famous painter and turned her art and life into the stuff of which good films are made. The biopic Frida, starring Salma Hayek, is just as enjoyable on the small screen as it was in theaters, if not more so. The packed, educational, two-disc DVD is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, complete with razor-sharp colors and realistic flesh tones. The 5.1 Dolby Digital track is adequate for this dialog-driven movie. No big sound effects were present to test the audio, yet Elliot Goldenthal's score sounds amazing. French is the alternate-language track, while subtitles are in Spanish. On the first disc, the "Conversation with Salma Hayek" provides insight into the actress' eight-year struggle to get Frida to the big screen. Director Julie Taymor provides an extremely detailed and pleasant audio commentary, complete with plenty of artistic inspirations and explanations. Composer Goldenthal's commentary on the musical aspect of the film is also worth listening to. This disc wraps up with some trailers and promo fluff. On disc two, Taymor is interviewed in two segments: a Bill Moyers interview and the American Film Institute's question-and-answer session. Both offer plenty of insight into the director, the cast, and the film in general. Chavela Vargas, singer and Frida Kahlo's lover, is interviewed in a moderately long and rather rambling segment. Three more brief, yet entertaining, music-based extras follow: "The Voice of Lila Downs," "The Music of Frida," and "Salma's Recording Session." "The Portrait of an Artist" is a traditional, behind-the-scenes fluff piece almost required on all DVDs today. It's worth watching, but the more in-depth information is found in the five featurettes. The first of those is "The Vision of Frida." This brief segment deals with the film's cinematography. "The Design of Frida" and "A Walk Through the Real Locations" both deal with Kahlo's art and recreating a historical setting in the film. "Amoeba Proteus" is about special effects, as is "The Brothers Quay." Finally, there is a fact-filled segment on Kahlo facts and trivia. No DVD-ROM extras are included. ~ Kyra Kirkwood, All Movie Guide

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?	Heroine of Hell (NR)
S	Great Women Artists: Frida Kahlo
?	The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo (NR)
S	Biography: Frida Kahlo
?	Frida Kahlo: The Ribbon That Ties the Bomb (NR)
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