Kiss of the Spider Woman (Brazil/USA; 1985)
Original Japanese program
William Hurt won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as the gay, transgender prisoner, Molina, in Kiss of the Spider Woman. This award was the first Oscar ever given to a performer playing a gay/transgender character. Despite this landmark, however, the advertising campaigns in the United States made Molina invisible; instead, every poster and press book displayed the mythical black-clad “Spider Woman” of Molina’s stories. In some overseas markets, however, Hurt’s character was a focal point of the advertisements, as with this Japanese program book for the film.
GLBT Film Talent Lesbian and Gay Images Struggles with Stereotypes The Independent Scene
Transgender Images in Film Homosexual Adult Films
