After lingering without a DVD release for years, Kiss of the Spider-Woman is coming to DVD and Blu-Ray on the 22nd. It's a marvelously acted story, almost completely confined to the prison cell in a richly layered story about two cellmates, a naive homosexual named Luis (Hurt) and a Marxist radical, Valentin (played by the late Raul Julia). This stands as one of the best films concerning sexual politics and is worth a look - like The Crying Game, it's an exceptional film in the history of Hollywood in that it managed to gain significant press and acclaim in spite of the subject matter.

Dolce called it one of the "Best of the Rest" in a series she wrote for KJ. It's an inspired, enchanting film. William Hurt won Best Actor at the '86 AA, and the film picked up noms for Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. It's a personal favorite of mine. I know some of you (Raffi!) have it saved on your netflix queue, but if you don't, add it! I'd love to hear what you've got to say about it! Dolce? Christian?

I WANT THIS badly. My VHS copy can only survive so many cockroach nibblings...

It's just a wonderful film. And the underrated Sonia Braga also deserved accolades.

Both the Puig book and the film adaptation of Spider Woman were my coming-of-age literary and film influences. I can't express what reading and watching this story meant to me at the time and still does. I find the movie to be one of the few that stayed true to the spirit of the book but that didn't feel bound to its structures (it couldn't actually, due to the footnoting, but it was very creative in giving voice to those footnotes on film). I also first fell in love with Hurt after watching this movie.

Everyone has to see this movie. It is in the famous tradition of movies that depend on just a dialogue between two people in a cramped, closed space, and it traces their emotional development and downfall. The Sonia Braga bits serve as an escape--both for the movie's viewer and for the cell-mates themselves--and the Nazi propaganda imagery and Dirty War environment that pervade this film are subtle and astute. How many people loved Gone With the Wind before they even knew what its subtle undertones where about? How many people still are captivated by it? I've seen the 'cat-people' movie that the first short is based off of in the book, and I understand due to copyright issues none of the books very directly citational sources could be used. Having seen Cat People and seen the Braga bits, this movie just understood the spirit of the book so much it didn't need to directly copy it.

Everyone watch this DVD. I am buying it right now. Thanks for letting me know its finally coming to DVD Zennier.

I want to see it too.

I'm definitely interested in this one.