MTA 104 ("Understanding Theatre")

Instructor: Walter Metz

Reading Notes:  Manuel Puig, The Kiss of the Spider Woman (1976)

The Argentinian novelist Manuel Puig wrote a novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman, in 1976.  It is an aggressively modernist novel about a Marxist political prisoner, Valentin, who shares his cell with an imprisoned gay man, Molina.  The modernism of the novel is best encapsulated by Puig's strategy of telling the story on the top of the page and giving an ideological analysis in a footnote at the bottom.  Early on, the ideological analysis is a Freudian critique of homosexuality, although later on the footnote is more progressive, offering feminist and Marxist critiques of the fascistic Argentinian dictatorship of the late 1970s.

Shortly after the publication of the novel, Puig adapted it into a stage play.   The major difference between the novel and play versions of Kiss of the Spider Woman is that the play refuses to leave the prison cell, while the novel uses a conventional narration showing Molina's interviews with the warden.  The play does away with the multiple settings by using an aggressive sound design through which we see the cell but hear Molina's interviews with the Warden.

The play version of Kiss of the Spider Woman fits neatly with post-World War II theatre in which two characters are placed on a stage together, forced to bicker the time away.  We have encountered this structure numerous times, in Beckett's Waiting for Godot, Pinter's The Dumb Waiter, Havel's Audience, and Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.  Consider the equivalences between Pinter's The Dumb Waiter and Puig's Kiss of the Spider Woman:

CLIP:  The Dumb Waiter (Robert Altman, 1984):  Opening

In each case, we have one character who questions everything (Gus, Valentin) who is confronted with another character (Ben, Molina) who just wants to live quietly without thinking too much.

In the play version of Kiss of the Spider Woman, Molina relates the story from two films.  The first is a Hollywood horror film, Cat People (Val Lewton, 1942), while the second is a Nazi-era romantic thriller.  The first film allows Valentin to psychoanalyze Molina (1204, 2), while Molina just enjoys the film for its romanticism.  The second film allows Valentin to criticize Molina for not realizing the political nature of the film, just caring for its romantic story.  The film version of Kiss of the Spider Woman, made by Brazilian director Hector Babenco in 1985, shows clips of the made-up Nazi film as Molina is telling it.  This completely transforms our relationship with Molina, as when we see the ridiculously melodramatic film in front of us, Molina cannot help but look ridiculous himself for liking the film.

CLIP:  Kiss of the Spider Woman (Hector Babenco, 1985):  Last clip from Nazi film 

Important Events in Kiss of the Spider Woman

• The Warden poisons Valentin's porridge (1208, 1)
• Valentin shits in his pants (1210, 2)
• Valentin and Monlina hold hands (1212, 1)
• Molina gives Valentin a bath (1214, 2)
• Molina and Valentin have sex (1219, 2)
• The Marxist revolutionaries kill Molina (1223, 2)

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This page was last updated on June 16, 2001

Questions or comments?  Please phone me at (406) 994-6403 or send an e-mail to:  metz@montana.edu

Walter Metz, Department of Media and Theatre Arts, Montana State University--Bozeman