Review: Frida (2002)
Steve Rhodes
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2002 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ***
Julie Taymor's FRIDA is a solidly entertaining biopic that's as easy to admire
as a Grant Wood painting, which is surprising since the movie tells the story of
controversial Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. At its worst it's like a
paint-by-numbers picture, but at its best, it sizzles with great Mexican folk
music and warmly inviting cinematography.
Kahlo is played energetically by Salma Hayek, who is like a mouse of a woman
next to her elephantine co-star, Alfred Molina who plays Kahlo's husband and
fellow artist Diego Rivera. Rivera, an infamous womanizer, brags that he is
"physiologically incapable of fidelity," something that Kahlo is aware of when
she signs on to be the third Mrs. Rivera. Kahlo turns out to have her own
roving eye, spotting male and female prey. Rivera, who lives a comfortably
middle-class existence, is an active communist. He likes nothing better than
arguing about Stalin vs. Hitler and socialism vs. communism. At one point,
Rivera lets Leon Trotsky take refuge in Kahlo's father's house. Trotsky is
played badly by Geoffrey Rush who adopts an awful Russian accent.
The most memorable sequence in FRIDA comes when Kahlo is injured for life in a
bus accident. The movie's follow-up to the disaster is less satisfying.
Although the artist was in pain for the rest of her life, in the movie she
appears rather spry and healthy in most of the post-accident scenes except for
the weeks just after the accident and just before the end of the film.
Unlike the best artist movies, FRIDA takes little time in examining the creative
process. Instead, it is much more interested in the artists' sexual escapades
and subsequent arguments. These are quite fun, however, and turn the film into
a nicely lurid soap opera, which has the twist of being based on a true story.
I like a good soap opera, and, on that level, FRIDA delivers. But the Oscar
buzz about it just isn't warranted.
FRIDA runs too long at 2:00. It is rated R for "sexuality/nudity and language"
and would be acceptable for older teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, November 1, 2002. In
the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas, the AMC theaters,
and the Century theaters.
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Laura Clifford
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The daughter of a European Jewish photographer and Mexican mother, Frida Kahlo
(Salma Hayek, "Traffic") was crippled by polio as a young girl only to suffer
extensive injuries years later in a bus accident that would keep her in
pain for the rest of her life. During her lengthy convalescence, Frida
began to paint and once she could walk again, she audaciously visited
famous muralist, Communist and womanizer Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina,
"Chocolat") for a critique of her work. Rivera swept Frida into a new
social circle and then his bed, before making her his third wife in 1929.
The emotional torment caused by her husband in addition to the physical
pain she already suffered defined the art created by "Frida."
Producer/star Hayek's long held passion for a film version of "Frida"
succeeded where many had failed before her. But while director
Julie Taymor's visual sense once again explodes on screen, the irony is
that passion is exactly what "Frida" lacks. The film is gorgeous to look
at but emotionally flat.
Four screenwriters (Clancy Sigeland, Diane Lake, Gregory Nava and
Anna Thomas) are credited for adapting Hayden Herrera's biography and
they tick through the defining events of Frida's life without getting
at the minutiae that would make it breath. Her experiences, such
as miscarriage, alienation in New York, bisexuality and horrific medical
treatments are tied to her paintings, but Kahlo's fierce identification
with her Mexican heritage is never commented upon.
Hayek always looks the part, believable as a young schoolgirl sneaking
trysts with teenage lover Alex (Diego Luna, "Y Tu Mama Tambien") as
equally as a middle aged woman of severely declining health, yet too
frequently her delivery is awkward enough to evoke the quotes around
her pronouncements. Much more natural is Molina as the bearish, larger
than life painter whose politics clashed with his commissions. Support
is also uneven. Valeria Golino ("Escape from L.A.") is fiery as Rivera's
ex-wife Lupe, but Ashley Judd is out of place as Rivera pal, photographer
Tina Modotti. Roger Rees (TV's "Cheers") is touching as Frida's father
(despite an accent that wanders a bit) while Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush
fails to convince as Leon Trotsky. Edward Norton ("Red Dragon") is fine
in a small role as Nelson Rockefeller while Antonio Banderas plays a role
so small one wonders why he's credited.
"Frida" soars highest with Taymor's inventive visuals, beautifully
realized by production designer Felipe Fernandez del Paso ("Men With Guns").
Watershed moments are shown in paintings which spring
to life. Frida's medical diagnosis is given by freakish Mexican Day of
the Dead puppets. A simple moment, as a young Frida approaches the
building where Diego is working, is striking in the juxtaposition of
the flaming red of Kahlo's blouse against a pale yellow church and pastel
blue sky, as caught by the eye of cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto ("Amores
Perros").
The success of "Frida" is that it inspires a desire to know more about
the artist. It's failure is that it doesn't suffice in and of itself.
B-
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Robin Clifford
Schoolgirl Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek), hidden from view, chides portly
painter Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina) for being fat just as he is about
to have his passionate way with his nude art model. The high-spirited
girl, a short while later, is on a bus that collides with a tram and she
is severely injured, requiring that she be encased in a full body cast.
To help alleviate the boredom of her ordeal, her parents buy her art
supplies and the soul of a painter is born in "Frida."
Director Julie Taymor follows up her stunning filmmaking debut, "Titus,"
with a work that her star, Hayek, strived for years to get made. The
resulting product is a beautifully crafted work, particularly on the
visual level, that does a solid job of telling the life story of Mexican
artist Frida Kahlo. While not quite the caliber of "Titus," "Frida" is a
decent follow up work but lacks the major talents that made the former
film such an outstanding achievement.
Salma Hayek does an earnestly stalwart job in portraying the title
character. She capably carries off depicting Frida as a teenager all the
way through to her end as she succumbed to the torments of her
long-suffering body a quarter of a century later. I think a more
multifaceted actress could have elicited more from the character but
Hayek is to be credited for following her vision to bring the life of
this remarkable woman to the screen.
The film could have been dubbed "Diego" as both the focus on the
larger-than-life Rivera and his wonderful portrayal by Alfred Molina are
the mainstay of the film. The character's presence is palpable, even
when Diego is not on screen, and somewhat overshadows Frida's story.
Molina does a terrific job in showing the bombastic artist's lust for
life. He is a dedicated communist, though he doesn't mind the
non-worker's perks that his talent has afforded him. He loves women,
perhaps too much as he has been through two divorces because of his
philandering ways. When Frida, still recovering from the terrible
accident, brings him her first works for an honest critique, he is
captivated by her unabashed charm and talent and takes her under his
wing.
Frida proves herself to be Diego's equal on many levels, even
understanding his lecherous ways - to a point. They get married after
Rivera promises to always be loyal to her and they have an exciting,
fast paced life surrounded by their artist friends. The couple gets
along mainly because they are equals and Frida gives as good as Diego
gets and willfully takes her own carnal knowledge with members of both
sexes, including famous Paris chanteuse Josephine Baker and
revolutionary leader Leon Trotsky.
Supporting cast has various degrees of success with Valeria Golino
getting the best chance to give her character, Lupe Marin, Diego's
passionate second ex-wife who still carries a torch for the charismatic
artist. Geoffrey Rush stretches believability as the intellectual Leon
Trotsky. I didn't feel for a minute that there was any tangible
attraction between him and Frida. Ashley Judd, as femme fatale Tina
Modotti, is unimpressive as is Edward Norton as Nelson Rockefeller, who
confronted Rivera over the controversial and infamous mural that was
supposed to grace the wall of Rockefeller Center. The conservatives
objected to the depiction of Communist icon Lenin in the painting and
Rivera refused to compromise, resulting in the destruction of the
artist's best-known work. Roger Rees, as Frida's loving father, has some
real chemistry with Hayek. Antonio Banderas appears in an almost
nonexistent cameo as David Alfaro Siqueiros that can only be a favor to
his friend Hayek.
Visually, "Frida" is a stunning achievement in imagination, art design,
set and costume. Director Julie Taymor and company quite literally bring
Kahlo's art to life with recreations of her work given to subtle
animation that is surreal eye candy. The helmer has a proven ability to
achieve visually arresting mise-en-scene and she puts her artistic eye
to work here as well. The techs working with her - cinematographer
Rodrigo Prieto, production designer Felipe Fernandez del Paso, art
director Bernardo Trujillo, costume designer Julie Weiss - are first
rate and help propel the film, looks wise, above the script and weaker
secondary characters.
The homogenized screenplay, based on Hayden Herrera's book Frida: A
Biography of Frida Kahlo, is episodic in nature and has the feel of many
hands involved. Indeed, there are four credited scripters - Clancy
Sigal, Diane Lake, Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas - and the film sometimes
feels like pieces were parceled out to each.
"Frida" is a good film that has some brilliant moments of artistry
throughout. Salma Hayek deserves kudos for working so long and hard to
bring her passionate vision of fellow Mexican Frida Kahlo to the screen.
I give it a B.
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