Harrison, Pat.Jeane Kirkpatrick.American Women of
Achievement. New York: Chelsea House, 1991.
Kirkpatrick, Jeane.Making War to Keep Peace.New
York: Regan Books, 2007.
William T. Walker
See also Cold War; Elections in the United States,
1980; Foreign policy of the United States; Grenada
invasion; Israel and the United States; Reagan, Ron-
ald; Reagan Doctrine; Reagan’s “Evil Empire”
speech; Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI); United
Nations.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Identification U.S.-Brazilian dramatic film
Director Hector Babenco (1946- )
Date Released July 26, 1985
The film adaptation of Argentinean author Manuel Puig’s
1976 novel broke new ground for independent film and
earned international praise as one of the most successful in-
dependent films of its time.
Despite the film’s difficulties securing financial
backing,Kiss of the Spider Womanwon critical acclaim
at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival, where William
Hurt was awarded Best Actor, and the film soon real-
ized international success. The motion picture drama
became the first independent film to earn multiple
Academy Award nominations (for Best Picture, Best
Director, and Best Screenplay) and was also the first
to garner an Academy Award for Best Actor, again
for Hurt. The film’s other noteworthy performances
included those of Raul Julia as Valentin and Bra-
zilian actress Sonia Braga in the multiple roles of
Leni Lamison, Marta, and the Spider Woman.
Kiss of the Spider Womanis predominantly set in a
dingy cell of a nameless Latin American prison. Luis
Molina (Hurt), a homosexual window dresser im-
prisoned for corrupting a minor, is an idealist who
refuses to sacrifice fantasy for reality, instead im-
mersing himself in the nostalgia and glamour of
memories of his favorite films. Valentin Arregui ( Julia)
is a revolutionary, tortured and imprisoned for his
involvement with an anti-government party. In con-
trast to Molina, Valentin has chosen to sacrifice emo-
tion for political ideology. Despite the two men’s tre-
mendous dissimilarities, their confinement forces
them to confront their own beliefs and form a bond
that transcends the boundaries of sexuality and poli-
tics; the two men ultimately realize through their
love for each other what constitutes humanity.
Also noteworthy is a subplot with Sonia Braga’s
multiple characters at its center. In the prison cell,
Molina narrates tales to Valentin, one recapitulating
an old Nazi propaganda film, another about the
mysterious Spider Woman. These narratives offer
temporary escape for both men: The stories distract
Valentin from debilitating pain and anxiety; they
free Molina from the confines of physical maleness,
allowing him to access a world in which he might ex-
perience love. Molina’s storytelling permeates the
main plot, weaving an imaginative world of possibil-
ity and freedom into the men’s dark reality.Impact The independent U.S.-Brazilian coproduc-
tionKiss of the Spider Womangained international suc-
cess, demonstrating the viability of such a project. It
was also a significant critical success, garnering par-
ticular recognition for Hurt, whose performance as
the homosexual Molina earned an Academy Award.
While most attention devoted to this film was favor-
able, however, some critics were conflicted about
Hurt’s performance and suggested that his por-
trayal of a flamboyant, feminine homosexual perpet-
uated negative stereotypes. Despite some contro-
versy,Kiss of the Spider Womanhad a tremendous
impact upon the 1980’s, prompting questions about
politics, sexuality, and human nature.Further Reading
Hadleigh, Boze.The Lavender Screen: The Gay and Les-
bian Films—Their Stars, Makers, Characters, and
Critics. New York: Citadel Press, 1993.
Santoro, Patricia. “Kiss of the Spider Woman—Novel,
Play, and Film: Homosexuality and the Discourse
of the Maternal in a Third World Prison.” In
Framing Latin American Cinema: Contemporar y Criti-
cal Perspectives, edited by Ann Marie Stock. Minne-
apolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997.
Wiegmann, Mira.The Staging and Transformation of
Gender Archetypes in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,”
“M. Butterfly,” and “A Kiss of the Spider Woman.”
Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2003.
Danielle A. DeFoeSee also Academy Awards; Film in the United
States; Homosexuality and gay rights; Hurt, William;
Theater.The Eighties in America Kiss of the Spider Woman 565