Killer's Kiss (1955)

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writer:

Stanley Kubrick (story)

Release Date:

1 October 1955 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Film-Noir | Thriller

Tagline:

Her Soft Mouth Was the Road to Sin-Smeared Violence!

Plot:

As a man waits at a train station for his girl, he tells us about the recent past and we segue into a long flashback.

Plot Keywords:

Train Station | Dancer | Flashback Sequence | Director Also Cinematographer | Police

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Frank Silvera	...	Vincent Rapallo
Jamie Smith	...	Davey Gordon
Irene Kane	...	Gloria Price
Jerry Jarrett	...	Albert (the fight manager)
Mike Dana	...	Gangster
Felice Orlandi	...	Gangster
Shaun O'Brien
Barbara Brand
Skippy Adelman	...	Mannequin factory owner (as Julius Adelman)
David Vaughan	...	Conventioneer
Alec Rubin	...	Conventioneer
Ralph Roberts	...	Gangster
Phil Stevenson	...	Gangster
Arthur Feldman
Bill Funaro

Also Known As:

Kiss Me, Kill Me (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

67 min | Japan:43 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:T | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:L | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | UK:12 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:12 (re-rating) (2003) | Germany:18 | UK:A

Filming Locations:

Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Minotaur Productions

Trivia:

For the dream sequence, Stanley Kubrick used the negative image instead of the developed footage. This scene has been likened to the space corridor of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Vinnie drives Davy to the loft, they take a lift up to at least the second floor. However, when Davy jumps through the loft window, he falls only one story.

Quotes:

Davy Gordon: Something's happened.
Gloria Price: Yes, I know.
Davy Gordon: Do you know?
Gloria Price: Sure. You kissed me.
Davy Gordon: Is that all?
Gloria Price: That's all I saw, and I was watching all the time.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Edge of Outside (2006)

Kubrick's fully formed masterpiece at age 27

At an age when most wannabe filmmakers are still 'in training' Stanley Kubrick was producing full length feature masterpieces.

I'm still shocked at how many fans of Kubrick's later work do not appreciate Killer's Kiss. While the basic plot of the movie is nothing special and decidely more 'Hollywood' than Kubrick's later works there are more signs of his trademark style in this film than I feel there were in The Killing or Paths of Glory.

Kubrick's own cinematography in particular blew me away. The use of depth, light and shadow and of his trademark moving camera show us more skill and thought than directors with dozens of films and much better scripts under their belt. And Kubrick's trademark use of his camera to observe silently, capturing the true spirit of his characters when they are alone (no music, no dialogue) is seen over and over in the apartment. If Kubrick's direction could turn a story like this into such a masterful cinematic experience I shudder at what he would of done with this film had he made 10 or 20 years later.

If you love the unique cinematic idiosynchracies of Kubrick's later work then you MUST SEE KILLER'S KISS!