This was Salma Hayek 's baby for seven years.

DVDs:


	• Frida Salma Hayek, Mía Maestro Miramax Home Entertainment, 2003 average customer review:based on 192 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

An Exotic Flower

I recently read an article in the New York Review of Books (May 15, 2008) analyzing the work of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo that reminded me how much I liked this film, especially the performance by Ms. Hayek (who received an Oscar nomination for her efforts and who bore a striking resemblance to Frida in the film). The gist of the article, which included some biographical detail that is also explored here (her various severe mental and physical problems, his stormy relationship with her fellow artist and husband the world famous muralist Diego Rivera, her bisexuality), is that while much of Kahlo's artistic work reflected her strong psychic attachment to Mexico it also placed her squarely in the camp of naturalist painters.

I am not enough of an art devotee to make comment on that above mentioned critique, however, from the several paintings of Kahlo's that I have seen I would argue a little more toward the surrealist school that virtually every Mexican artist in the 1920's and 1930's drew from as they created their work. But enough of that argument for now. This film, in its own round about way, by presenting the various psychic pains (failure to have the children she desperately wanted, her topsy- turvy relationship with Rivera as she tries to make her own space in the art world and the underlying tensions of combining politics and artistic endeavor) gives a fairly decent gloss, for a commercial film, on the trials and tribulations of being a Mexican woman artist in the early part of the 20th century.

Of course, for this political junkie and admirer of Leon Trotsky the names Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera conjure up political connections as much as art. One of the strands working its way through the film is this couple's relationship with the exiled Trotsky when President Cardenas granted him a visa in 1937. All sources that I have read and photographs that I have seen have mentioned that Trotsky was smitten with Frida's exotic beauty (to the furor of his companion, Natalia). However, it was rather startling to watch the episode where Trotsky jumps into bed with Ms. Kahlo. I have noted elsewhere that the old time revolutionaries, especially the Russians, were extremely reticent about discussing personal sexual matters in their memoirs and autobiographies. Trotsky was no exception. Is that scene merely cinematic license or was Trotsky really just a dirty old man? You decide. I will concentrate of his political wisdom. And Frida's strangely exotic paintings.

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"Frida" hits all the bases

This film is outstanding in so many ways: First, the musical score is a tremendously exciting! Second, the sets, the photography and use of color are artistic achievements on thir own. Third, the integration and melding of Kahlo's art work into a film is brilliant. Fourth, the acting, especially by Selma Hyak. is excellent and she really channels Frida. My only reservation about the film is that it should have been done in Spanish, with sub-titles
which would have been no problem for Selma.

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Great Movie

I adore this movie! It's a very interesting look in Frida's life. I really enjoyed the way her artwork was integrated into the movie. Salma Hayek was a perfect choice for the role - a strong and talented woman must be played by an equally strong and talented woman. I highly recommend this movie to anyone interested in her life or Mexican art in general.

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This was Salma Hayek 's baby for seven years.

It is a great story but beyond that it is beautifully filmed cinema & some of Hayek's best work to date.
As portrayed, Frida was quite a woman. She was severely injured early in life leaving her with lifelong disabilities. The bus accident was recreated in horrific detail. An excellently produced scene.
A gifted artist, she was mentored by by Diego Rivera, well done by Alfred Molina. He was perhaps Mexico's most celebrated artist & leader of the Communist party as was Frida in the 30's. He was a serial cheat & knowing this Frida became his third wife. Frida: "Will you always be faithful?" Diego: "I will always be loyal." To his chagrin, she become good friends with his second wife. She was a better artist than he but not nearly as well known. He received a commission from Rockefeller. She sublimated everything for her husband's career & traveled with him to the US, probably to keep an eye on him. He could have been internationally famous but would not soften his communism, & lost his commission. She also traveled to France. The movie claims she had an affair with Leon Trosky. He was a guest in her home on the run from Stalin. After he left the security of her home he was assassinated. She had always desired her own show but that did not happen until she was bed-ridden & near death.
There is a lengthy interview extra on the dvd with Salma Hayek. She is beautiful & seems very nice. There is a great bit of detail on the making of the movie, her decision on the director & the life of Frida.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Nominated for six 2002 Academy Awards(R), including Salma Hayek for Best Actress, FRIDA is the triumphant motion picture about an exceptional woman who lived an unforgettable life! A product of humble beginnings, Frida Kahlo (Hayek) earns fame as a talented artist with a unique vision. And from her enduring relationship with her mentor and husband, Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina -- CHOCOLAT), to her scandalous affairs, Frida's uncompromising personality would inspire her greatest creations! Also starring Antonio Banderas (SPY KIDS), Ashley Judd (KISS THE GIRLS), Edward Norton (RED DRAGON), and Geoffrey Rush (QUILLS).

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