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All-Reviews.com Movie/Video Review
Frida
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 out of 4
Review by Susan Granger
3 stars out of 4
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I suspect most people-on-the-street haven't a clue who Frida Kahlo
was but that didn't stop Salma Hayek, Jennifer Lopez and Madonna from vying to
make a film about her. Salma Hayek won and deserves an Oscar nomination for her
portrayal of the feisty, courageous Latina artist who died in 1954 after
conquering childhood polio and recovering from a devastating bus accident that
crushed her spine, leaving her with a lifetime of physical pain. In
conservative, Mexico City, Frida Kahlo was the daughter of a German Jewish
photographer (Roger Rees) and Mexican Catholic mother. Always controversial,
Frida became a boldly tempestuous, bisexual, Communist who agreed to a
tumultuous open marriage with womanizing muralist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina),
who not only bedded his nude models but also Frida's sister. In retaliation,
Frida cavorted with bohemian photographer Tina Modotti (Ashley Judd) and Russian
revolutionary Leon Trotsky (Geoffrey Rush). A surrealist, Frida specialized in
self-portraiture, concentrating particularly on her physical traumas and
tortured soul. While Salma Hayek duplicates her unibrow and slight mustache,
she's still spectacularly beautiful which Frida Kahlo wasn't. Adapting Hayden
Herrera's biography, five credited screenwriters excised the unsavory political
undertones - Frida was an outspoken Stalinist - while director Julie Taymor
("Titus," Broadway's "The Lion King") treats the Mexican cultural icon with
emotionally distant respect, concentrating on her passionate creativity, using
dazzling visuals with CGI effects to make Kahlo's paintings come to life,
dramatically capturing the bright light, intense colors and folkloric motifs. On
the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Frida" is a sensual yet superficial 7,
emerging as romantic arthouse film.
Copyright © 2002 Susan Granger
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