really unusual life: When Frida is a student, young, beautiful, full of live and in love with a gorgeous boy Diego Luna from "Y tu mama tambien" and "Dirty Dancing – Havanna Nights she experiences a horrible accident when her bus crashes with a tram. Frida then becomes a cripple for the rest of her life, but through this she experiences herself in a new way and starts to paint, mostly self-portraits where she deals with her pain, her family, political situations and people she loves. Soon after the accident a miracle happens: Frida learns to walk again and the first thing she does is to visit the famous artist and painter Diego Rivera to ask his opinion about her paintings – the beginning of an unusual and often complicated love story that should last a lifetime.We get to learn a woman who experiences so many tragic things in life that it should be enough to commit suicide, yet she never gives up, grows stronger and one thing that certainly helps her through hard times is her wit, her dignity and her love for life and art. She takes what she wants and needs which also includes love affairs with men and women but has also a lot to give. Plus her works, so honest, brutal but also beautiful in their truth, reveal one of the greatest talents of our time.A whole lot of this movie works of course through its female protagonist, whose role is not that easy and a real challenge sometimes. The wonderful and graceful Salma Hayek, who is immensely gifted, does really great work here and awakes Frida and her world to life again. Hayek perfectly holds the balance between triumphs and losses, joy and sorrow, madness and daily routine, life and death. She is just a pleasure to watch, she doesn't play Frida, she IS Frida. Another important character is of course Diego Rivera, the greatest love of Frida's life. Alfred Molina, a great British actor, is perfectly casted for this role and besides, has a remarkable resemblance to the real Diego. Outstanding performances also by the supporting cast: Valeria Golino, Ashley Judd with a great imitation of the Mexican accent , Geoffrey Rush and Edward Norton.Frida – a feast for the senses full of life and exploding emotions and a tribute to a truly unique and remarkable woman, who was the greatest female artist of the last century!

her if something so horrible happens to me. She was strong, she was a prey to conflicting emotions but she survived. The movie deserves a 10! My neck hurts from sitting in that uncomfortable chair we have in the dining room but I couldn't feel any pain while watching "Frida". Why?! Simply, because I thought.. "wow.. how was that woman capable of staying alive for so long? How did she bear all that pain?" This is a "have to see or regret for life".

Ashley Judd as Tina Modotti, Antonio Banderas as David Siquieros, Edward Norton as Nelson Rockefeller, and Geoffrey Rush as Leon Trotsky. A truly great movie.

was an artist in every sense of the word - taking and owning all that life gave her and transforming it into unflinching portraits of her soul. Supremely inspiring and deeply felt.

Instead of turning away from him, Frida thrived in being dominated by him. She was a woman of contrasts.It's ironic that Frida dead is more famous that the struggling painter who led a precarious life and probably made very little from her art.

aged 49. It portrays the complicated relationship between her and Rivera, at the time Mexico's most famous artist and communist, and presents a picture of a fascinatingly rich life that included love affairs with Leon Trotsky and Josephine Baker.Salma Hayek plays Frida and is perfectly cast as are many of the other actors, who physically resemble the people they play. One of the criticisms levelled at the film is that it is not in Spanish. This is a legitimate criticism as many of the cast, especially the bit players, are Mexican. It is deeply ironic that Frida who so identified with indigenous Mexico has her story told in English by an international cast. Nonetheless the film is well-made with authentic set design and captures the spirit of Frida's time.Taymor illustrates Kahlo's creative life, as much as her colourful existence, often using Frida's own paintings to create scenes. For example, when Diego and Frida wed for the first time they later divorce only to re-marry Frida's wedding portrait entitled 'Frida and Diego Rivera' 1931 represents the exchange of vows. First we see a still of the painting, then the painting in animation before this gives way to the actors in scene. Moments like this pepper the film; a clever device that constantly reminds us of Frida the artist.The film evokes the painful existence of Frida's physical life, again using her paintings to heighten the audience's sense of her injured body. There are many moving moments such as the miscarriage Frida suffered and the baby in bits, the steel girdle that encased her torso to support her spine in later life and her twilight years when she was bedridden. Her life was truly a triumph over adversity.Frida's paintings are described in the film as "agonised poetry on canvas"; this poignant line aptly sums up the 'agonised poem' that Taymor paints of Kahlo's brief life.

Frida's audacious self-introduction to the great muralist Diego Rivera, and her physical ailments... There is pain in this woman's life, a pain she don't deserve to have, a pain no one deserves to have... There's a line in the film where Kahlo says, 'at the end of the day, we can all endure much more than we think we can.' and I think this one line resumes everything about her...Salma Hayek proves herself that she's more than just another pretty face... Salma is full of vigor as the angry strong-willed female artist caught in a net of pain... It's pleasing to see Hayek in a production where she is totally confidant, sexy and lusty in an uncomplicated way... Salma captures the spirit of Frida and plays it with heart and style, longing for the healing touch... She dances a provocative tango with Ashley Judd, and goes to Paris to explore her bisexual side...The chemistry between Salma and Molina is terrific... Her passion for art is overtaken by her passion for him... She expresses her emotions by teasing him, by playing practical jokes, by exciting the jealousy of his wonderful wife, Lupe Marin Valeria Golino .But Frida remains in Rivera's shadow... She calls herself "a charming amateur." She focuses on her expressive self portraits of her physical pain, anger, and disappointment... Yet while viewers are left with the impression that there is undoubtedly more to Frida's life than what appears on screen, what we get instead is a love story, a tale of Frida's romantic, and tempestuous union to the unfaithful husband she marries twice and never stopped to love...London-born actor Alfred Molina is absolutely splendid as the lovable Rivera... He is a well-known womanizer who can never be faithful to any woman... Diego is a painter of conviction... A revolutionary painter who believes in Frida's anguished brush, and championed her work... He decides to create paintings which would speak directly to the common people...In a motion picture that sweeps from the late 1920s into the 1950s, Julie Taymor proves to be a director of taste and sensitivity... She captures the mood of the moment with genuine flair and style... Her imagery is exciting, and we are convinced that we are seeing Mexico in the first half of the 1900s, with its native markets, textiles, music, and food... Julie Taymor infuses it with elements of Frida's artistic creativity, bringing much of her work to life... Her film was nominated for six Academy Awards...Vague references to the political struggle between Trotsky and Stalin make their way into the script... The film ignores Siqueiros' central role in the unsuccessful attempt on Trotsky's life in 1940... But the motion picture details the mistake of Nelson Rockefeller commissioning Rivera a huge fresco for his public hall...

regard them as a work of art. "Frida" is definitely one of them!

his models, but when he has an affair with Frida's sister Cristina, their marriage ends and they divorce. In the 30's, Leon Trotsky Geoffrey Rush gets political asylum in Mexico and is lodged with his wife in the house of Frida's parents. Frida and Trotsky have an affair, when Trotsky's wife ask him to move to another place. Rivera moves to USA and Frida has a gangrene in her toes. They are amputated and Frida gets worse and worse, using pain killers, steel jackets and other treatment. But she starts painting maybe her best pictures. Rivera comes back to Frida and gets married with her for the second time, and stays with her until her death. The story of this Mexican artist is wonderfully presented in this movie, with a stunning performance of Salma Hayek. Frida is showed as a great artist, revolutionary human being, having a great sexuality, feeling pain due to her accident, but having a great pleasure in life. All the cast and the direction are excellent. The theme song `Burn It Blue' , from the Brazilian Caetano Veloso, is wonderful and won the Oscar. The make-up also won an Oscar. An excellent entertainment indicated for any audience. My vote is eight.Title Brazil : `Frida'