Kiss of the Spider Woman
Once upon a time... in a tropical island far away, there lived a strange woman…
Country
Production
Genre
Budget
$1 250 000
Box office
$17 005 229
Director
Actors
William Hurt, Raúl Juliá, Sônia Braga, José Lewgoy, Milton Gonçalves, Miriam Pires, Nuno Leal Maia, Fernando Torres, Patricio Bisso, Herson Capri
All actors and roles (10)
All actors and roles (10)
Scenario
Producer
David Weisman, Francisco Ramalho Jr.
Camera operator
Rodolfo Sánchez
Composer
Nando Cordeiro
Artist
Audition
Editing
Mauro Alice
Whole Team (35)
Whole Team (35)
Short description
The story of two radically different men thrown together in a Latin American prison cell. One is Valentin, a journalist being tortured for his political beliefs. The other is Molina, a gay window-dresser who fills their lonely nights by spinning romantic fantasies drawn from memories of old movies.
What's left behind the scenes
- The first independent film nominated for an “Oscar” in the “Best Picture” category.
- During filming, Sonia Braga did not speak English, so she memorized her lines without understanding their meaning.
- William Hurt's “Oscar” for “Best Actor” was the first awarded for a role portraying an openly gay character.
- Interior scenes were filmed in a closed prison, exterior scenes – in São Paulo.
- After filming wrapped, William Hurt and Raúl Juliá (1940-1994) spent another five weeks doing voice work. This allowed the screenwriter, Leonard Schrader, to rewrite their dialogue to shift the emphasis in line with his original intentions. Work on the film concluded with the end of the post-production period, which lasted 14 months.
- Almost the entire film budget went to filming, so there was a catastrophic lack of money for post-production. Moreover, the producers planned to finish everything in two months, but editing took almost a year.
- The interiors of the cells were filmed at 'Vera Cruz Studios' near São Paulo. For ease of filming, they were constructed so that the height of the walls could be changed.
- The film was created and released nine years after the first publication of the identically titled novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig (1932-1990) in 1976. The writer himself adapted the book for the stage, and the play was staged in 1985. In 1993, the novel was made into a musical.
- The main "film within a film" was called "Her True Glory." It was claimed that it was filmed by the Nazis in Germany during World War II, and that it is both a wartime romance and a piece of propaganda.
- Sonia Braga appears in the film itself, and in both "films within a film," playing a total of three roles – Leni, Martha, and the Spider Woman.
- William Hurt's Oscar for Best Actor was the first ever awarded for the portrayal of an openly gay character.
- After filming concluded, William Hurt and Raul Julia (1940-1994) continued with ADR for another five weeks. This allowed screenwriter Leonard Schroeder to rewrite their dialogue to shift the emphasis in line with the original intentions. Work on the film concluded at the end of the post-production period, which lasted 14 months.
- The film was produced and released nine years after the 1976 first edition of the eponymous novel by Argentine writer Manuel Puig (1932-1990). The author adapted the book for the stage himself, and the play was performed in 1985. In 1993, the novel was adapted into a musical.
- Sonia Braga appears in the main film as well as in both 'films within the film,' playing a total of three roles: Lenny, Martha, and the Spider-Woman.
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Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
