The Life and Times of
Frida Kahlo (Art Documentary/PBS)
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: C Documentary: A
The life and times of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo come to
life in vivid detail in this amazing documentary DVD from PBS Home Video. Over the years the fine minds at PBS have
built a reputation of delivering quality television featuring exhaustive
research, wonderful footage and pictures, expert interviews, and plenty of
primary source material. The Life
and Times of Frida Kahlo (2004) is no different. Her talent born from a tragic accident, this production lays bare
the glorious and sometime gory details of the artist’s life. From her tumultuous marriage to fellow
artist Diego Rivera to her many lovers of both sexes, Frida lived her life to
its fullest, but filmmaker Amy Stechler does a wonderful job portraying the
deep loneliness the artist often felt as a result of her broken body.
A fine companion to the Frida feature film, this
runs a feature-length 90 minutes and is filled with stills and artworks
throughout. The 1.33 X 1 full screen
version provided on this DVD works adequately in portraying both the artwork of
Frida and Diego and the landscapes upon of Mexico, New York, and San Francisco upon
which their lives play out. Some of the
older footage is fuzzy, which is to be expected, but one wonders if a sharper
transfer might have conveyed a clearer picture in these instances. The stills look sharper and clearer than
usual, justifying the higher rating.
The decent visuals match well with the workman-like Dolby Digital 2.0
stereo sound, bringing the vibrant sounds of 20th century Mexico to
life. Some Pro Logic surrounds are
present. Extras are a bit thin on this
package, but do include interviews with Kahlo’s art students. A montage of Frida’s works might have been
nice, with each one matched to the date of its creation, but perhaps copyright
issues precluded such an idea.
Despite its few failings, this production provides a
top-notch introduction to the life and art of Frida Kahlo, whose art the world
is still catching up with.
- Scott R. Pyle
