Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)

Spider Woman on Blu-ray

I can honestly say after all these years of watching a crummy VHS copy of *Kiss Of The Spider Woman* that I never thought I''d see the film finally hit DVD. To my surprise it jumped to Blu-ray too. Quick note before the Blu-ray review. The two disc standard DVD edition is selling for 34 dollars exclusively on Amazon. While the Blu-ray edition is selling for only 27 dollars exclusively on Amazon. Both editions include the exact same features except the Blu-ray is of course in 1080p HD. If you've got a blu-ray player, it's a no brainer which one to buy.

The Blu-ray image for *Kiss Of The Spider Woman* is good. On a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best. I'd give this a 2.5 to 3. The image is not perfect. This is a very low budget film made in the early 80's. The print source has clearly not been kept in the best of conditions. I suppose they did the best they could restoring it. There are scratch marks every once in a while. Not a lot, but enough to notice. There's usually presence of grain through out the entire film. This is to be expected though. Grain is simply a natural element seen in most movies. Blu-ray just makes it clearer now. Lets talk about the positive now. The color is fantastic. This is such a gritty and dark film that I was surprised by how much the color stuck out. The film uses a lot of natural lighting. William Hurt's red lipstick or his red dress really stick out. Even the dirt and grime in the corner of the jail cell. This is where Blu-ray clearly shows it's superiority. The image is surprisingly sharp. I thought the image would be soft, but it wasn't. This is probably the best the film has looked since it's theatrical release. Like I said, this film is dark and gritty and takes place inside a jail cell for the most part.

I'll post a screenshot comparison from the Blu-ray and my original VHS. Even though it will be from a TV screen with my digital camera thus reducing the quality. You'll clearly be able to see the color difference between the two. Though I haven't viewed the standard DVD edition to compare. Anyone who's watched a few quality Blu-ray can tell you that this is certainly going to look better then it's standard DVD counterpart. The biggest difference will be the flesh tones IMO. On this Blu-ray they simply look great and natural. Colors are brighter. Details are a little more clearer.

The special features are the same on both editions. The *Tangled Web* making of documentary runs a lengthy 1 hour and 48 minutes. It's packed with interviews form everyone involved. It's really the best fans could ask for. It's packed with info. There's also three shorter featurettes titled *Manuel Puig: The Submissive Woman's Role* (9 minutes) Making The Musical: Spider Woman On Broadway (11 minutes) From Novel To Film (36 minutes) So almost another hour of making of material. There's also a trivia track, a photo gallery, and trailers. The 4 docs is where the meat is. All the special features are presented in 480 standard definition BTW.

What about the film though? The only thing I can compare it to is Brokeback Mountain, Midnight Express, or Papillon. It's about a gay window dresser bonding with a revolutionist in a Latin American prison. Odds are if you didn't want to see Brokeback Mountain then you won't want to see this. Hopefully you give it a shot though. *Spider Woman* takes it's time with it's two leading characters. Which is a very good thing because William Hurt and Raul Julia give two of their finest performances. They ARE these characters. We see there relationship grow form the beginning all the way to haunting ending. I wouldn't really call it a love story, but it's certainly about a very strong friendship. If it weren't for Kurosawa's *Ikiru* I'd probably call this the best character study on film. Yes, it's that good.

The Film: 5 / 5
Special Features: 4.5 / 5
Blu-ray Picture Quality: 2.5-3 / 5 September 16, 2008

KISS OF THE SPIDERWOMAN 2 DISC EXCLUSIVE EDITION

THE MOVIE IS QUITE GRIM. BUT THATS ONLY ON THE SURFACE.HURTS AND JULIAS PERFORMANCES ARE MIND BOGGLING. THEY LITERALY SUCK YOU INTO THE MOVIE . WILLIAM HURT IS DRFINATLY GAY. WHILE RAUL JULIAS IS A POLITICAL PRISONER. THEY COULDNT BE MORE OPPOSITE. BUT THATS THE BEAUTY OF THE FILM MAINLY JULIAS ACCEPTANCE of THE GAY HURT. THE EXTRAS ON THE SECOND DISK ARE FANTASTIC I WOULD RECOMEND THIS. IF YOU HAVE PREJUCES IN GAYS I ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEE THIS. AND YOU WILL FIND THAT THE HUMAN SPIRIT IS AT WORK HERE. THIS MOVIE MAY NOT BE FOR EVERYONE' BUT IF YOU LIKE GREAT ACTING, AND TWO PEOPLE MOST OF THE MOVIE TRAPPED IN A PRISON CELL. GIVE IT A LOOK. 5 STARS. August 25, 2008

very disappointing transfer quality

I am delighted to finally have this movie in my movie collection again. I have sorely missed this title since I got rid of my laserdiscs. But I am shocked by the quality of the transfer. I consider my standards low - I have been thrilled with the quality of some titles that have been poorly reviewed by those with higher standards, like reviewers at dvdfile and highdefdigest. But I was truly shocked by this title. I am sure that my laser looked better. And this is a blu-ray! Still, I am thrilled to at least have the film, and the documentary included is outstanding. I do hope that this title receives the attention of professional reviewers. Consumers need to be warned by voices they trust. August 16, 2008

What about spanish language subtitles?

hi there ¡ ...I'm looking for information about this DVD edition; ...the thing is; I need to know if spanish language subtitle is availabe for this movie, ...maybe dubbed to spanish? ...anyone can answer it to me?.Thanks.
THIS MOVIE IS REALLY A MASTER PIECE OF CINEMA , DON'T MISS. August 15, 2008

Disappointing Blu-Ray transfer

Since this was the DVD and Blu-Ray debut of KOTSW, I was expecting a decent transfer if not an outright restoration. We got neither. The video on the Blu-Ray shows a softness akin to VHS or laser disc and there are numerous artifacts that appear throughout the film. If someone went through all the trouble of releasing a deluxe edition they should have at least made it more presentable. August 15, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...