Kiss of the Spider Woman
Once upon a time... in a tropical island far away, there lived a strange woman…
1985 | 120m | English
Popularity: 4 (history)
| Director: | Héctor Babenco |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Leonard Schrader, Manuel Puig |
| Staring: |
| The story of two radically different men thrown together in a Latin American prison cell. One is Valentin, a journalist being tortured for his political beliefs. The other is Molina, a gay window-dresser who fills their lonely nights by spinning romantic fantasies drawn from memories of old movies. | |
| Release Date: | Jul 26, 1985 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Héctor Babenco |
| Writer: | Leonard Schrader, Manuel Puig |
| Genres: | Drama |
| Keywords | prison, based on novel or book, homophobia, politics, male homosexuality, torture, lgbt, gay theme |
| Production Companies | HB Filmes, Island Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $17,000,000
Budget: $1,250,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Nov 11, 2025 Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| William Hurt | Luis Molina |
| Raúl Juliá | Valentin Arregui |
| Sônia Braga | Leni Lamaison / Marta / Spider Woman |
| José Lewgoy | Warden |
| Milton Gonçalves | Pedro |
| Miriam Pires | Mother |
| Nuno Leal Maia | Gabriel |
| Fernando Torres | Americo |
| Patricio Bisso | Greta |
| Herson Capri | Werner |
| Denise Dumont | Michele |
| Nildo Parente | Leader of Resistance |
| Antônio Petrin | Clubfoot |
| Wilson Grey | Flunky |
| Miguel Falabella | Lieutenant |
| Walter Breda | Agent #1 |
| Luis Guilherme | Agent #2 |
| Walmir Barros | Agent #3 |
| Luis Serra | Prison Doctor |
| Ana Maria Braga | Lidia |
| Benjamin Cattan | Molina's Friend #1 |
| Oswaldo Barreto | Molina’s Friend #2 |
| Sergio Bright | Molina’s Friend #3 |
| Claudio Curi | Molina’s Friend #4 |
| Lineu Dias | Bank Cashier |
| Joe Kantor | Judge |
| Luis Roberto Galizia | Nurse |
| Péricles Campos | Prison Guard #1 |
| Edmilson Santos | Prison Guard #2 |
| Walter Vicca | Prison Guard #3 |
| Ken Kaneko | Prison Guard #4 |
| Geogers Schlesinger | Jewish Smuggler |
| Carlos Fariello | Jewish Smuggler |
| Frederico Botelho | Jewish Smuggler |
| Sylvio Band | Rabbi |
| Paulo Ludmer | Rabbi |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| John Neschling | Original Music Composer |
| Héctor Babenco | Director |
| Leonard Schrader | Screenplay |
| Alberto Gieco | Script Supervisor |
| Mauro Alice | Editor |
| Dennis McNeill | Color Timer |
| Rebecca Nicolaou | Post Production Coordinator, Assistant Editor |
| Rodolfo Sánchez | Director of Photography |
| Nando Cordeiro | Original Music Composer |
| Helen Hahn | Negative Cutter |
| Allen Hartz | Sound Editor |
| Hugo Weng | Sound Editor |
| Gary Gegan | Foley Mixer |
| Mark Berger | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Susan Dudeck | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Jeff Rosen | Sound Editor |
| Scott Ganary | Foley Mixer |
| Peter Waggoner | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Robert Dawson | Title Designer |
| Amilcar Monteiro Claro | Assistant Director |
| Clovis Bueno | Art Direction |
| Guilherme Pereira | Makeup Artist |
| Lorie O'Shatz | Sound Editor |
| Val Kuklowsky | ADR Editor |
| Paul Coombe | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| John Paul Lussier | Unit Production Manager |
| Felipe Crescenti | Set Designer |
| Manuel Puig | Novel |
| Lee Percy | Additional Editing |
| Flávio R. Tambellini | Assistant Director |
| Patricio Bisso | Costume Design |
| Burt Lancaster | Thanks |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Francisco Ramalho Jr. | Executive Producer |
| David Weisman | Producer |
| Michael Maiello | Associate Producer |
| Jane Holzer | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Globes | Best Actress | William Hurt | Won |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Actor | William Hurt | Nominated |
| Cannes Film Festival | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 14 | 22 | 9 |
| 2024 | 5 | 15 | 21 | 9 |
| 2024 | 6 | 14 | 19 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 | 16 | 31 | 9 |
| 2024 | 8 | 14 | 23 | 8 |
| 2024 | 9 | 10 | 15 | 7 |
| 2024 | 10 | 15 | 33 | 7 |
| 2024 | 11 | 12 | 29 | 7 |
| 2024 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 6 |
| 2025 | 1 | 12 | 18 | 7 |
| 2025 | 2 | 10 | 15 | 3 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5 | 17 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2025 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 11 | 542 | 746 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 407 | 690 |