Kiss of the Spider Woman - On DVD 10/21

When you think about the genesis of the independent film, you may think of Pulp Fiction or The Crying Game, but the first breakthrough indie film was actually Kiss of the Spider Woman which garnered four major Oscar nominations and earned William Hurt the Best Actor Academy Award.

Based on a novel by Manuel Puig, the story of two polar opposite prisoners--one a hopelessly romantic homosexual named Luis Molina (Hurt), the other a fiercely passionate political prisoner named Valentin Arregui (Raul Julia)--who transcend their imprisonment via the power of story and form bonds that transcend their differences spawned a play, a film and a Broadway musical.

In the film, the luminous Sonia Braga plays three very different women in the film--a forties film icon adored by Luis, Valentin's bourgeoisie girl friend and the eponymous Spider Woman--each representing a facet of the feminine. As forties film icon Leni Lamaison, Braga portrays the role of a French chanteuse turned reluctant French resistance fighter in the film within the film which becomes Luis' method of coping with his imprisonment. Leni's story also parallels Luis' journey of deception, betrayal, heroism and redemption.

In addition to the feature film, the DVD special features include:

* Trivia Track in English and Spanish
* Feature Length Documentary: “Tangled Web: Making Kiss of the Spider Woman”
* Manuel Puig Mini-Documentary: The Submissive Woman’s Role
* Spider Woman on Broadway: Mini-Documentary with Hal Prince, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Chita Rivera, Terrence McNally, Manuel Puig
* Slide Show Commentary: Transition from Novel to Film
* Photo Galleries: Over 150 Exquisite Images