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, Geoffrey Rush

Won 2 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 46 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Salma Hayek	...	Frida Kahlo
Mía Maestro	...	Cristina Kahlo
Alfred Molina	...	Diego Rivera
Antonio Banderas	...	David Alfaro Siqueiros
Valeria Golino	...	Lupe Marín
Diego Luna	...	Alejandro 'Alex'
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:

bisexual woman | lesbian | sex scene | title directed by female | revolutionary | 

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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:

22 November 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frida Kahlo

Filming Locations:

Barrio del Alto, Puebla, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$205,996, 27 October 2002, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$25,885,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$56,298,474

Company Credits

Production Co:

Handprint Entertainment,Lions Gate Films,Miramax

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

On 12 December 2017, the New York Times published an article by Salma Hayek detailing Harvey Weinstein's abusive behavior towards herself and Julie Taymor, including allegations of sexual misconduct involving Hayek, attempts to add sex to the film and refusal to support it once finished. On 14 December, Weinstein issued a statement denying most of the allegations. He did however acknowledge that his behavior towards Taymor at an early screening was "boorish" and that he had insisted on removing the "unibrow" Hayek had adopted to play Kahlo, not because he wanted the actress to have more sex appeal but "because it diverted attention from the performances". The statement broke a long public silence from Weinstein following a slew of similar allegations from actresses.

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Goofs

One scene shows people on the streets singing revolutionary songs. The song chosen is "el pueblo unido jamas sera vencido". This song was composed around 1973 by Chilean composer Sergio Ortega.

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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

Referenced in The Andrew Klavan Show: Four Reasons We Get the Future Wrong (2017)

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Soundtracks

La Llorona
Written by Luis Mars
Performed by Chavela Vargas & Lila Downs
Published by PHAM

User Reviews

Splendid movie about two excellent Mexican painters and their troublesome relationship

The movie deals with the biography of Frida Kalho (well performed by Salma Hayek , though Laura San Giacomo was originally set to play her but was dropped when fans objected to a non-Mexican playing the role) who after a terrible accident with a trolley causes herself a crippling injury , then she gets away from her parents (Roger Rees and Patricia Spinola) to live on the paintings . She falls in love with famed muralist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina , he gained 50 lbs , 23 kg , for this character) who bears a separated marriage (to Valeria Golino) . Later on , Frida is wedded to Diego and the troubles come out .

The yarn relies heavily upon their tempestuous marriage , because the different artistic temperaments burst , creating a stormy relation . The picture is correctly based on historic deeds and even Edward Norton did an uncredited rewrite of the script . Thus , it appears Leon Trosky - who has romance to Frida- , but he's murdered with a hatchet by Ramon Mercader and then is framed Diego Rivera , though later being absolved . Besides , there are several famous people : Siqueiros (Antonio Banderas) , Nelson Rockefeller (Edward Norton) , Leon Trosky (Geoffrey Rush) and others very secondaries such as Andre Breton or Josephine Baker . Frida is specially known by her mustachioed and one-brow paintings and Rivera by his impressive murals and one of them was ordered to break by Nelson Rockefeller but reflected to famous communists on the ¨Rockefeller Center¨ . The film was perfectly directed by Julie Taymor and includes magnificent cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto as when imaginatively brings to life the scenes on the Kalho's paintings , where the color is glimmer and spellbound . The motion picture attained success and achieved enough box office , obtaining two Oscars for the awesome Musical Score (Elliot Goldenthal) and Make-up . Rating : Above average . Well Worth watching.