Frida | Based on a True Story
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The 2002 film about Frida Kahlo. She’s a fascinating figure, and the movie is ...meh - a bit meandering and disordered, but it somewhat works. Generally you’ll understand the woman herself from this film, though with some serious caveats to that, but honestly, that’s the least interesting thing about her. Let’s get through her biography real quick before we get to the more provocative historiography.
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See pinned comment and its replies for notes, responses, and errata
Bibliography
Seth Fein, “Film Reviews: Frida,” American Historical Review 108, no. 4 (2003): 1261-63.
Margaret A. Lindauer, Devouring Frida: The Art History and Popular Celebrity of Frida Kahlo (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1999).
Lis Pankl and Kevin Blake, “Made in Her Image: Frida Kahlo as Material Culture,” Material Culture 44, no. 2 (2012): 1-20.
Raquel Tibol and Elinor Randall, Frida Kahlo: An Open Life (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1993).
slate.com/culture/2002/10/doe...
www.theguardian.com/film/2010...
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Chapters:
0:00 promo
1:39 intro
2:34 reality
6:11 scholarship
9:41 accuracy
10:41 inaccuracy
14:26 outro
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Wiki: Frida is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Frida was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society.[2] Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist.[3] She is known for painting about her experience of chronic pain
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Hashtags: #history #Frida #FridaKahlo #review #BasedOnATrueStory
Thanks to brilliant.org/TheCynicalHistorian/ for sponsoring this video. Click the link to get 20% off an annual premium subscription Click "read more" for further info, corrections, and bibliography Thanks for watching! Please consider supporting the channel by buying merch: teespring.com/stores/the-cynical-historian Or by donating to my Patreon: www.patreon.com/CynicalHistorian *[reserved for errata]* *Bibliography* Seth Fein, “Film Reviews: Frida,” _American Historical Review_ 108, no. 4 (2003): 1261-63. Margaret A. Lindauer, _Devouring Frida: The Art History and Popular Celebrity of Frida Kahlo_ (Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press, 1999). Lis Pankl and Kevin Blake, “Made in Her Image: Frida Kahlo as Material Culture,” Material Culture 44, no. 2 (2012): 1-20. Raquel Tibol and Elinor Randall, _Frida Kahlo: An Open Life_ (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1993). slate.com/culture/2002/10/does-frida-nail-kahlo-s-life-or-her-art.html www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jun/17/frida-reel-history
As a Mexican myself, I find funny how people in my country only seemed to care about Frida's artwork after Americans took an interest on it. The same happened with Day of the Dead, which was not really a big deal in Mexico City but after a certain movie came out we have a parade every year.
Was it because of James Bond or that Disney film I'm forgetting the name of
Also you can thank the Hollywood centric movie industry. Not to say other countries don't have huge film movments, but when US American find something they like, they cant help shove it in everyone's face.
Eh, it was the northern state’s where it took a while to take root. Mostly because it was looked down upon for having indigenous roots. It already was a significant celebration in central Mexico, which is where I’m from.
Day of the dead not a big deal? Where in Mexico are you from? My family always treated like a big deal since they’re all religious
@@CynicalHistorian The Bond movie was the first parade. For Day of the Dead imagery, look to Jose Guadelupe Posada, printer and engraver based in Mexico City while the muralists were getting their academic artistic training. Posada created satirical Calaveras (skeletons) for newspapers. He awoke the young artists' interest in Mexican themes. Learn about the moralists. Their trinity was Communist Diego Rivera, with his colorful cartoonish images. Siquieros the Stalinist, who did try to kill Trotsky; the deed was accomplished by an undercover agent. Clemente Orozco may have been the greatest artist; he was unconvinced that politics were the answer Frida's art is easier to encompass than the murals mostly in another country. Although he and Clemente Orozco both created murals here. And influenced Americans who created murals, often sponsored by the New Deal
It's worth noting how much this film is Salma Hayek's baby. She optioned it, worked to get it made, and even had to fight executive producer Harvey Weinstein for its theatrical release (as well as dealing with his well documented abuse). Edward Norton, who plays Rockefeller in the film and was dating Hayek at the time, did an uncredited and unpaid rewrite on the screenplay as a favor to her. She did this because she wanted to show a different side of Mexican culture, far from the often racist depiction found in typical Hollywood movies. Interestingly, because the Weinsteins had so little faith in the film, they put no money into campaigning for it come awards time, but Salma Hayek was still nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards (I believe the first Latina to be nominated in that category) purely on her own merits.
That's amazing! Good on Salma for not giving up.
Just another reason why Salma is an absolute goddess ☺️
I saw this film on TV when I was Ten. I still can't believe my parents let me watch it with them. I fell in love with Frida's art thru this film. Great video!
Just shows that you had parents who were intelligent and not darkened by religious dogmatism that teaches people that nudity on film is worse than violence.
My Grandfather was Nelson Rockefellers Bodyguard. My mom said when his son disappeared he was destroyed. Never heard any stories about his relation ship with Frida or her Husband however.
So just to clarify the patreon vote for movies will end. However the Based on the true story series will still continue? Also thank you for adding the ethic guidelines for commenting and moderating your comment sections. A lot of KZheadrs don't care or see these flame wars as "engament" and ad cents to help the algorithm. Thank you for trying to keep your domain civil.
Yeah BoaTS is continuing. I've got episodes for Casino and Last Duel in the works right now
@@CynicalHistorian those are some excellent choices!
The transition into the outro is so seamless ) Frida is one of those movies stuck in „My List“ forever… I‘m going to watch it, I swear!
Why aren’t more people watching this great video
because it was released only a few hours ago
Because YT didn't show it to me at first
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! This is one of my most favorite historic movies that gets at the agony of some people's lives, even if they mess with some details 😅 Love your work Thank you again!!!
I have not seen this movie , but it doesn’t seem like the type of movie I would really enjoy except for the historical context and now that you have done an accurate version of that I am unlikely to spend my time on the film. I will however look into the woman herself more. Thanks for all that you do cypher, you and the podcast the dollop are truly the enlightenment of history I needed in my late 30s to come to better grips with situations around the world. *Big hug*
Frida's funeral was wild to say the least. First in Bella's Artes and covered by a strange red flag
Honestly, i'm just glad to finally know why every american movie vaguely involving mexico has a woman with a unibrow named "frida" Also, is the youtube channel guidelines thing a new feature?
I knew the film only told part of the story but enjoyed the imagery and the music. Not enough politics? Frida lay in state with the hammer and sickle draped over her casket. There were complaints until Lazaro Cardenas stood guard. Was he the only former Mexican president not considered a crook? (Then there is the story of how his son won the presidency until the computers all went down. They came back up and, hey. It was the PRI candidate after all.) Back to the music: Lila Downs played an unnamed young singer, another one of her lovers. Chavela Vargas, the real character, appears as an ancient woman who sings La Llorona to Frida. Please continue to explore Mexican culture and history. Mexican and Chicano are related but not identical. Then there are the Tejanos... Suggestion: the Tlatelolco massacre, alluded to but not named. US protesters thought Kent State was bad...
This is just now popping up on my feed even though it was uploaded 12 days ago.
Hey Cypher. The akimbo birdshot handguns aimed at a Che Guevara t-shirt is a hilarious image; and one that has me wondering: 'Is it at the man, t-shirt or both?' I've taken an interest in him as a historical figure for being - as I see it - a man lost in legend; either as a monster or saint. You could say he's lost in 'conspiracy theory' for both left and right. Have you considered doing a video on him to maybe dispell some of the myths that surround him and portray him exactly as he allegedly said he was - while being executed - 'just a man'?
Thank you for this video :)
As always, an imperial monarch demands the final word.
Long may he reign
Best history tuber imo
Chicano ≠ Mexican different cultures of same heritage, but I'd argue they're different enough to be considered separate things.
That's why i said "Chicano Movement." If you haven't heard of that, you should learn about it before trying to assign limitations
@@CynicalHistorian I noticed well done, just putting this comment here so people know. A lot of people think they're the same exact thing.
@@CynicalHistorian I could've phrased it differently so it didn't seem like a criticism towards you, everything you said was fine
gotcha, thx
I strongly resent you talking about 2002 as if it were a distant, bygone era. ;)
The last one? So will there be no more "Based on a True Story" videos? Thanks, btw
Last request taken
@@CynicalHistorian oh? good then, because this content is exactly what i'm subscribing for.
Guess she thought that Trotsky was hotsky.
he ended up coldsky to an icepickey to the back of his headsky
HOW. DID. YOU. KNOW. I. WAS. DOING. MY COURSE PROJECT. ON. FRIDA. THIS TERM. You and I are connected, and its damn creepy Cypher!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You have also literally posted a video on a topic that I was already covering for a different course project a couple months ago.
I am omniscient, that's how. Mwahaha!
@@CynicalHistorian while I am just plain old prescient 😇 I will bet that you'll do this again in the next 4 months!!
@@CynicalHistorian Also I wish there was the ability to DM, I've wanted to show off a comment my History professor gave me last term - he said that I had a future potential to become a historian and offered a letter of recommendation!!
@@royally-legal that's an excellent opportunity. They'll write a great letter then
You meanie! Give King the shiny sparkly! You can see he wants it! :-P
Just because you want something doesn’t mean you should get, especially if a cat wants it
@@SunflowerSocialist This is not just a cat, this is King.
Thank you for sharing King with us xD
Please don't stop making historical movie reviews. Please, don't stop 😢
Never said i was stopping
@@CynicalHistorian oh, I thought you said the last one you were going to do. Awesome!
@@formulajuan6038 last Patreon request
@@CynicalHistorian oooohhhh Got it. Thanks and keep that great content coming man!
Please do Matewan!
I despise that film
@@CynicalHistorian The more the reason to review it.
Oh, that honestly makes me even more curious. I first heard about it when I was beginning to look into the Battle of Blair Mountain, but haven't watched it. I suppose it's a skewed portrayal of historical events then.
At the San Diego house of blues they have her depicted without a unibrow
Thank you.
I officially subscribed thanks to King the Cat 😸
I hope FK's life brings a wider audience to Diego's work.
Due to the manufacture of America's obsession to worship personalities, I avoided learning anything about Ms. Kahlo. Thanks for shrinking the glamour enough for me to appreciate her as the common fellows we are. Was wondering the other day if Elon Musk had a mono-brow. His hair translpant doesn't look like it was plucked from his lowew bror. Great movie clip and photos of Trotsky too. Never saw him outside of expected textbook photos.
I humbly submit to the authority of King Richard I. Long may he reign!
Hey, I also have a unibrow
It amuses me to think of people buying Guevara tees. Recuperation at its most effective.
Make Mexico 🇲🇽 Great Again
Screw that name and fame that didnt make you happy while one is alive... what has one to do with name, fame and money once they are no more alive
the zapatistas reject the term anarchist
2nd view, hell yeah
As a Mexican myself, specifically Chicano. I liked the movie it wasn't great. I normally don't like Salma Hayek. I think she is just a sex symbol and not much else. But she was tolerable in this. I'm kind of mixed towards Mexican politics. I'm not one of those Mexicans that thinks all of the American southwest should return to Mexico. That's a pipe dream at This point. Seeing modern Mexico in its current state is a differently a good reason why. You should review more latin stuff.
Next month, I've got an episode on the Porfiriato coming
Also you might want to rethink that irredentism. It's quite a mental disease
@@CynicalHistorian ooh I’m excited for that one
I greatly admire the work you do, but really, Kahlo was at most peripheral to the Revolutionary movements of her time. Other than her clothing sense... which might be seen today as "cultural appropriation" (especially her Zapoteca outfits) ... and joining this and that demonstration, I really can't find where she was at all politically significant, or considered more than a "hanger on" at political gatherings.
Never said a singular thing about how important she was to radical movements. Think about what you're saying. That's an entirely incorrect interpretation
Thanks for flipping off commie Che. That's rare for my generation
I think you missed the point
@@CynicalHistorian lol, well don't tell me. I like my version hahaha. Have a good day and great videos, I'm glad to have subscribed