Frida Still Life

Frida Still Life
Directed by	Paul Leduc
Written by	José Joaquín Blanco Paul Leduc
Produced by	Manuel Barbachano Ponce-Clasa Films Mundiales
Starring	Ofelia Medina
Cinematography	Ángel Goded
Edited by	Rafael Castanedo
Music by	Rafael Castanedo
Release date	1983 (1983)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Mexico
Language	Spanish

Frida Still Life (Spanish: Frida, naturaleza viva) is a 1983 Mexican drama film about artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera directed by Paul Leduc.^[1] The film was selected as the Mexican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.^[2]

Cast

• Ofelia Medina as Frida Kahlo
• Juan José Gurrola as Diego Rivera
• Max Kerlow as Leon Trotsky
• Claudio Brook as Guillermo Kahlo
• Salvador Sánchez as David Alfaro Siqueiros
• Cecilia Toussaint as Frida's sister Christina
• Ziwta Kerlow as Trotsky's Wife
• Margarita Sanz as Frida's friend

Plot

Frida Still Life opens with Frida Kahlo's coffin laid out in the Bellas Artes palace in Mexico City. Throughout the film, we see a series of flashbacks of Kahlo's life as she lies on her deathbed. The flashbacks show her relationship with Diego Rivera and Leon Trotsky, as well as her artwork, miscarriages, and physical ailments.

Reception

Critical response

Frida Still Life has been classified as a prime example of New Latin American Cinema of the 1960s and early 70s by film scholars such as Paul A. Schroeder Rodríguez, especially in the way it depicts Frida Kahlo as a marginalized subject.^[3] Additionally, film critics admire its use of mirrors as a way to show Kahlo's unique point of view.^[4]

Awards

The film was honored with the Gran Coral as the Best Picture of the 1984 Havana Film Festival of New Latin American Cinema (NCLA), and Ofelia Medina, in the role of Frida, received a Coral as the Best Actress.^[5]

See also

• List of submissions to the 58th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
• List of Mexican submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

References

1. "Frida, naturaleza viva (1983)". Cine Mexicano. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
2. Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
3. Schroeder Rodríguez, Paul A (2016). Latin American Cinema: A Comparative History. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520288638.
4. West, Joan; West, Dennis (1 January 1988). "Frida: Naturaleza Viva". Cineaste.
5. Bartra, Eli; Mraz, John (2005). "Las dos fridas: History and transcultural identities". Rethinking History. 9 (4): 450. doi:10.1080/13642520500307917. S2CID 145640923.

External links

• Frida Still Life at IMDb