PRODUCTION KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
The level of planning is on display in the film’s beautifully constructed visual language, which moves between gritty realism and lush glamour. Schliessler was already familiar with Kiss of the Spider Woman ’s history – he’d read Puig’s novel and seen Babenco’s 1985 film – but he and Condon were determined to create something that felt entirely their own. DEFINING THE VISUAL WORLDS While it gave the filmmakers a fun challenge, having to effectively create two films in one was a lot of work, beginning with defining the rules of the two different visual realms. The goal for the fantasy sequences was to capture the authenticity of classic musicals by emulating the look of the three-strip Technicolor camera process. “We wanted rich, saturated colours and beautiful, creamy skin tones,” he explains. To guide their approach, Condon created an elaborate moodboard, drawing on visuals from iconic films like An American in Paris , Cover Girl , Meet Me in St Louis , Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Singin’ in the Rain . “These references became our creative bible, shaping guidelines for camera movement, composition and lighting,” remembers Schliessler. “The 1981 Argentine scenes, in and outside the prison, demanded a completely different approach,” he continues. “In the prison cell, we wanted the audience to feel trapped alongside Valentín and Molina, sharing their intimate, claustrophobic world.” A key inspiration for these scenes came from Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet . “I loved the way Audiard and WE SHOT 14 MUSICAL NUMBERS back-to-back in 17 days ”
cinematographer Stéphane Fontaine captured the raw reality of prison life, which was exactly the authenticity we were after for these scenes. We also drew inspiration from Sidney Lumet’s Serpico and Prince of the City , William Friedkin’s Sorcerer and Ulu Grosbard’s Straight Time . These films grounded their characters in environments that felt lived-in and intense.” While the two worlds in the film are visually very distinct, the director and DOP wanted to keep them connected and the transitions between the two subtle. One technique for doing this was
through stylised lighting changes, and another was adjusting the aspect ratio. The Technicolor sequences are framed in 1.66:1 (rather than the period-accurate 1.37:1 Academy ratio – the jump would have felt too jarring, explains Schliessler), while the prison scenes were shot in 1.85:1. VINTAGE GLAMOUR For the fantasy world, in which J.Lo takes on the persona of the alluring Ingrid Luna, the priority was finding a camera package that accurately replicated the three-strip Technicolor process. After extensive testing, they chose a Sony
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