Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) and Moon Over Parador (1988)

I watched Kiss of the Spider Woman in honor of William Hurt's passing last week; it is one of those that has been in my queue to watch for awhile. It was so good, especially knowing some of the backstory that is was based on a play and before that, a novel that deals with prisoners in Brazil during a time of dictatorship and uprising in the 1970s. Brazil isn't mentioned (or at least I didn't hear it mentioned), but there is a shot of the Brazilian flag in the warden's office, so it is up to the audience to make sense of whatever isn't explicitly explained. 

Raul Julia is an imprisoned revolutionary looked upon as a dangerous criminal to the government. He's excellent, and shares a number of stories of the women he loves and misses, and of the cause he believes in. "I hate being a martyr" he grieves, and we sense he hates being in that cell. The William Hurt character is his cellmate. Just two people in the cell, which is interesting, because almost everyone in the prison seem to be in overcrowded cells. This cell almost seems luxurious in comparison. But still unpleasant nonetheless. The character's name is Luis Molina and it dawned on me that perhaps this character was meant to be Latine, and I thought what other\ actor in the mid 80s could play this character so well, and I'm not sure. Hurt is very good, though, as he plays a gay and overly effeminate prison who turns Raul Julia off at first but their relationship grows over the course of the film. 

The movie has some great suspense especially toward the end, as well as some slow parts. There are also some exterior, on-location shots of São Paulo Brazil including this one (below) that shows a very odd-looking waste/trash can that I have never seen before; it's so unusual. Perhaps it was part of a street carnival happening locally. 

What is this trash can supposed to be? Very curiously placed in between the two actors.

When I was younger I don't think I would have understood the interpersonal interactions between the two characters. It is a movie that holds up very well I feel, and very relevant to an audience that understands the themes such as political imprisonment, homophobia, and repressed sexuality. This movie could have ended totally depressing and bleak as some movies are. However, the ending of the movie isn't, which I appreciated.

Moon Over Parador came out in 1988 and I remember renting the VHS Tape to watch it; I didn't like it very much at the time but remember finding some of Richard Dreyfus' antics amusing. But overall I didn't like much else. I decided to give the movie a re-watch again after over 30 years. So I gave it another try, but it still seems like something isn't right. 

If you don't know about the film, it's a satirical comedy (heavy on the satire) where Dreyfus plays an American actor who impersonates a South American dictator after the dictator dies. Raul Julia plays the dictator's assistant and drama aficionado, who  coerces the actor to play the dictator, so he's essentially a villain character.  Dreyfuss: "You're asking me to be an imposter!" Raul Julia (as the dictator's assistant): "Ah..The essence of the stage!"  I liked how Dreyfus practices the salute, mannerisms, and voice of the dictator. My favorite part was the "Dream the Impossible Dream" speech, though. But there were few other moments like that. There is an interesting part where Julia's character seems to use an early version of the internet and prints out an article from The New York Times. I also liked the autographs in Julia's office - I spotted Michael Jackson, and Ronald Reagan and some other 80s figures. 

But overall the movie seems overly long and dull, especially towards the end or last half of the film. Raul Julia plays the dictator's aide  Sonia Braga (who was also in Spider Woman) plays the dictator's mistress who eventually finds out the truth during a sexual encounter. 

By the half of the movie, I stopped caring about who finds out and who doesn't and how things pan out. There are some political elements where Dreyfus experiences seeing a village torn and repressed by the government which adds some drama to the film, but ultimately it wasn't very satisfying. I may have to watch it again to appreciate it more, and appreciate what the writers and director (Paul Mazursky) were trying to accomplish. And sadly, the advertising/marketing of the film didn't emphasize Raul Julia at all; see the American poster (above) which gives the impression of an island honeymoon romantic comedy, which it's not. 

Both of these films were featured in the great documentary about Raul Julia called American Masters: Raul Julia: The World's a Stage which aired on PBS last year and I saw for the first time. It was all about Julia from his early years as a Shakespearean actor (acting at an outdoor Shakespeare fest in New Year with Meryl Streep) to his final films including The Burning Season which I have not seen but looks very interesting.

Tribute to William Hurt from Just a Cineaste:

http://justacineast.blogspot.com/2022/03/william-hurt-1950-2022.html