Frida (2002)

A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.

Director:

Julie Taymor

Writers:

Hayden Herrera (book), Clancy Sigal (screenplay),

Stars:

Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Antonio Banderas

Won 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Salma Hayek	...	Frida Kahlo
Alfred Molina	...	Diego Rivera
Antonio Banderas	...	David Alfaro Siqueiros
Valeria Golino	...	Lupe Marín
Diego Luna	...	Alejandro 'Alex'
Mía Maestro	...	Cristina Kahlo (as Mia Maestro)
Edward Norton	...	Nelson Rockefeller
Alejandro Usigli	...	Professor
Saffron Burrows	...	Gracie
Loló Navarro	...	Nanny (as Lolo Navarro)
Roger Rees	...	Guillermo Kahlo
Fermín Martínez	...	Painter on Bus (as Fermin Martinez)
Amelia Zapata	...	Maid
Ashley Judd	...	Tina Modotti
Roberto Medina	...	Dr. Farril

Storyline

"Frida" chronicles the life Frida Kahlo shared unflinchingly and openly with Diego Rivera, as the young couple took the art world by storm. From her complex and enduring relationship with her mentor and husband to her illicit and controversial affair with Leon Trotsky, to her provocative and romantic entanglements with women, Frida Kahlo lived a bold and uncompromising life as a political, artistic, and sexual revolutionary.

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Plot Keywords:

revolutionary | art | marriage | pain | artist | 

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Taglines:

Prepare to be seduced

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Canada Mexico

Language:

English French Russian

Release Date:

20 November 2002 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Frida Kahlo

Filming Locations:

Barrio del Alto, Puebla, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$453,103 (France) (18 April 2003)

Gross:

$14,164,253 (Europe) (23 May 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Handprint Entertainment, Lions Gate Films, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Salma Hayek did some of the paintings in the movie.

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Goofs

In the opening sequence, Frida is lying in her bed, which has been loaded onto a truck which is driving through Mexico City. She is staring directly upward at the mirror mounted on the underside of the canopy over her bed. In a close-up of her face, we can see her earrings dangling. But they are not dangling toward the ground, but rather toward her feet, indicating that she was upright for the closeup, not lying in bed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Frida Kahlo: Careful, guys. This corpse is still breathing. Try to get me there in one piece.

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Connections

References King Kong (1933)

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Soundtracks

"Paloma Negra"
Written by Tomás Méndez
Performed by Chavela Vargas
Published by PHAM
Courtesy of BMG México

User Reviews

A near miss

"Frida" is saved from mediocrity by the wonderful performances of Selma Hayek and Alfred Molina, and by its imaginative cinematography. Unfortunately, the underlying story of the love affair between the title character, Frida Kahlo, and her husband, Diego Rivera, tells an unpleasant tale of irresponsibility and betrayal. Nevertheless, Kahlo's art is cleverly used to tell her story and Hayek's and Molina's terrific performances manage to invest Kahlo and Rivera with an attractiveness I suspect they lacked in real life. This is a good although not a great film; recommended, 7 out of 10.