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Kiss of the Spider Woman

Extras

From a Book to the Screen to the Stage

There is a dramatic contrast between Manuel Puig's original novel, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and its subsequent incarnations.

Each artistic version of Kiss of the Spider Woman uses its industries to develop the identity of the Spider Woman and her relevance to the central characters, Molina and Valentin.

Puig's novel does not actually mention the Spider Woman until its closing pages. Here Molina informs Valentin that his is the Spider Woman, that he is waiting to trap men in his spider's web.

The subsequent film develops the title character in a different direction. Valentin's girlfriend, Marta, is visualised as the Spider Woman on a deserted island. There she ushers him in to the sea.

While the final scene of the book leaves much to the interpretation of the reader, the film shows Marta and Valentin together, probably heading toward Valentin's contented death.

However, the impact seems a little weakened as the scene is shown to the audience rather than fuelled by the imagination of the reader.

Puig's novel closes with a simple, yet beautiful line, 'This dream is short, but the dream is happy.' It is surprising that this almost lyrical text did not find itself among Molina's final words in Kander & Ebb's musical version.

Some might feel that the film and the musical infringe on Puig's ideas and perceptions of his own characters.

It is important to recognise that whilst a novel may act as the basis for many other art forms, the original story will often mature and evolve as it is retold and often retold again to a wide spread variety of audiences.