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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 17, 1985)
rKiss of the Spider Woman ’ a palette of color Movie explores conflicting views of reality A rather strangely dressed William Hurt wraps a towel around his head as he begins telling a story to cellmate Raul Julia. The camera explores the cell, revealing a smattering of screen goddess pinups adorning Hurt’s wall, a couple of rickety bunkbeds. and a badly hurt Julia nursing some nasty wounds on his back, arm and face. The camera continues searching in an unbroken dolly shot as Hurt puts on Homo dobs of make-up and continues his tale. The lighting is definitely expressionist-chic, covering the cell in garish reds and blues, bringing some visual excitement to the drab, gray cell. At first we seem to be in the world of "Diva.” Later we realize we are merely in the world of fantasy. "Kiss of the Spider Woman" is a stylish exercise in chic filmmaking and —~—— . "» "■wmbu*' ~—I i-kjL Sonia Braga plays dualrobs in *:Kiss, of-the Spider.Woman." Haul Julia also star in the film dim:ted by Hector Babenco: , (irartny photo William'Hurt and clever plotting helmed by Brazilian director Hector Babenco, late of the critically acclaimed drama “Pixote.” Adapted by Leonard Schrader from the novel by Manuel Puig, the story is a curious combination of psychological drama, self-reflexive storytelling and neo-realist intentions, set in a frustratingly unexplored political con text and shot with the palette of modem colors. Hurt is the self-professed homosexual Luis Molina, in prison for having sexual relations with a minor. Julia is Valentin Arregui, his cellmate, a fighter for the revolution and a latino trying to live out the cultural standards of machismo. Thrown together in forced co-habitation, they must learn to live together, and that means learning to live with, and under stand, themselves. ' That's no problem for Molina. His ad mittedly frustrating existence is made bearable by the Hollywood romances he retells for his amusement . For Valentin, however, such fantasy escape is. well, unmanly. One does not iive in the mind, one lives in the real world. However. Valentin's conception of a real world that revolves solely (he thinks) around the revolutionary struggle, is about to change. Molina challenges his concep tions of manhood and offers a more open, emotional relationship with life. The complex plotting of the film, revolving predominantly around . (he relationship between Molina and Valen tin (superbly portrayed by Hurt and Julia), come down to ope simple conflict1 — living life in the immediate real world or retreating, if only for a time, to fantasy . ’ .. . .• This conception is both what is wonderful about the film and what is flawed. The hopelessly romantic movie that Molina relates is presented for us in all its golden, sepia-tinted splendor of yesteryear, innercut with the grim day to-day reality they face as prisoners. Yet the obviously expressionistic lighting in the cell dresses this reality up. and it in tum clashes with the totally inap propriate (and surprisingly sparse) neo realist shots of the prison at large. If these are different levels of reality and fantasy, the obviously complex merger is nowhere hinted at in the script. What ultimately hurts ‘‘Kiss of the Spiderwoman” is the sheer obviousness of the entire film. Everything is spelled out, albeit engagingly, in capital letters, and the more interesting aspects of the drama are glossed over. For example, Valentin’s challenged commitment to his revolutionary ideals are shown to vacillate but are never ar ticulated in any satisfying manner. Similarly, the whole issue of politica is trivialized in the pop thriller framework to. which the film regresses near the con clusion. For a meditation of reality vs, fantasy, we never get a clear picture of what Valentin’s reality is really like. Babenco hones in on the fascinating character study and the Conflict between fantasy and reality but at the expense of some even’ more fascinating issues. It’s engaging filmmaking, i'll admit, and Babenco has a fun' visual style, but maybe he- was overwhelmed .by the possibilities and simply backed off to a few manageable ideas. It’s too bad. “Kiss of the Spider Woman” has the promise to be great. Instead it's merely very good. By Sean Axmaker Got resume on the mind?? For quality typesetting - contact Oregon Daily Emerald Production. EMU Room 300 Former employee’s talk will evaluate CIA’s role Former CIA member John Stockwell will speak about the Cl As potential threat to democracy tonight at 8 in a lec ture In the EMU Ballroom. Stockman contends that the ° CIA seeks to increase global ten sion by supporting military dic tatorships and by aggravating situations in Third World coun tries His lecture is titled “The Secret Wars of the CIA.’:' Stock well, who has spoken about the CJA on BO Minutes and NBC Magazine, joined the CIA in 1964, serving as a case officer in Vietnam, chief of sta tion in Africa, and at the Na tional Security Council. Stockwell quit in 1977 after becoming disenchanted with the organization’s policies. Stockwell is also the author of •in Search of Enemies.” which analyzes the CIA’s covert ac tions in Angola. Stockwell was recently in Nicaragua resear ching the situation there. Tickets are $1 for students and $3 for the public and will be available at the door. The lec ture is sponsored by the KMIJ Cultural Forum. Group seeks local families as foreign student hosts The International Student Ex change program is seeking host families for foreign students from Brazil, Mexico, Japan, England, Spain. Germany and New Zealand. Students between the ages of 15-19 will live as members of local families and attend local high schools during their stay - - in the country. The students are carefully screened, covered by medical insurance and provide their own spending money. Persons interested in par ticipating in this program should write: International Stu dent Exchange. Inc., P.O. Box 58, Fort Jones, Calif., 96032, or call (916) 468-2264. Rent an Electric Typewriter. Rent now! Availability limited. At your Bookstore. MEMO TO: All U of O Students FROM: Fourth Annual Pacific Northwest Computer Graphics Conference October 28 - 29, Eugene Conference Center IF you are a student in any of these departments (or if you have an interest in any of these areas) mathematics education engineering business fine arts telecommunications computer science architecture geography journalism science computer education THEN this year’s Computer Graphics Conference is for you! • General Session Speakers • Special Interest Workshops • Art & Design Show • Trade Exposition • The Monday Evening Film & Video Show The low, Early Bird student Conference Registration rate of $35.00 has been extended. We want you to attend this event! AND THERE’S MORE. You can earn one hour of upper division/graduate credit by registering for AAA 410G, Computer Graphics Conference, picking up a course requirements sheet, and attending the Conference. Don’t miss this unique national computer graphics conference! Get your free Conference Brochure and Registration Form at 333 Oregon Hall. For more information call the Continuation Center at 686-3536.
