DVD

  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. DVD

"Frida" DVD Review

About.com Rating four out of Five

By Ivana Redwine, About.com

The Bottom Line

While I think "Frida" is only so-so as a character study or as a drama, I thoroughly enjoyed it as a historical spectacle and as a love story.
Pros
  • Visually arresting and has good musical score
  • Covers many historically interesting incidents
  • Entertaining as spectacle
Cons
  • Feels like a sequence of vignettes
  • Often has a docudrama feel
  • Sometimes feels too much like a costume drama

Description

  • Two-disc DVD set containing English-language movie "Frida" (2002)
  • Film is a biopic about celebrated Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (1907-54)
  • Movie nominated for 6 Academy Awards and won Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Makeup
  • Film stars Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera
  • Movie features appearances by Ashley Judd, Antonio Banderas, Edward Norton, Geoffrey Rush
  • DVD set contains many extras, including feature-length commentary by director Julie Taymor
  • Excellent picture quality
  • Excellent sound quality
  • DVD release date: June 10, 2003

Guide Review - "Frida" DVD Review

"Frida" is an English-language biopic about Mexican painter Frida Kahlo (Salma Hayek) and her husband, legendary Mexican muralist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina). While I think "Frida" is only so-so as a character study or as a drama, I thoroughly enjoyed it as a historical spectacle and as a love story. The film chronicles the key incidents in Kahlo’s life from age 15 to her death at age 47, and what a tumultuous life she led! I liked it that the movie tried to address Kahlo's development as an artist, her divorce from and remarriage to Rivera, and her affairs with Leon Trotsky and Josephine Baker. I loved the cinematography, musical score, sets, costumes, and locations, and I found Hayek and Molina to be charming in the leading roles.
Compare Prices
User Reviews Write Review

Explore DVD

About.com Special Features

Movie Comedies in 2009

Find out what belly laughs are in store at the 2009 box office. More >

Scrapbook Technique Gallery

Use these ideas to inspire your own uniquely beautiful pages. More >

DVD

  1. Home
  2. Entertainment
  3. DVD
  4. Other Reviews
  5. Capsule Reviews
  6. Capsule Reviews - D-G
  7. Frida DVD Review

©2009 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.