PREPARE TO BE SEDUCED.
And so it came to be that Salma Hayek’s dream project was finally realized. It has several valuable ingredients, including the soulful score and the photographic tricks that make Frida Kahlo’s paintings become a vivid part of the film. The script tells her story in an engaging but conventional way, the sorrows of her life and her affairs with colleague Diego Rivera and Marxist fugitive Leon Trotsky. But focusing on a specific chapter from her life might have made the film more interesting. Some characters just come and go… but the two leads give excellent performances.Ā
2002-U.S. 123 min. Color. Directed byĀ Julie Taymor. Book: Hayden Herrera. Cinematography: Rodrigo Prieto. Music: Elliot Goldenthal. Makeup: John E. Jackson, Beatrice De Alba. Cast: Salma Hayek (Frida Kahlo), Alfred Molina (Diego Rivera), Geoffrey Rush (Leon Trotsky), Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas, Edward Norton… Valeria Golino.
Trivia: Madonna was allegedly considered for the part of Frida. For a Mexican take on Kahlo’s story, see Frida (1984).
Oscars: Best Original Score, Makeup. BAFTA: Best Makeup/Hair. Golden Globe: Best Original Score.Ā
