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:

Working with practically no budget and largely without on-location filming permits, Stanley Kubrick had to remain unnoticed while shooting in the nation's busiest city, sometimes secretly shooting from a nearby vehicle.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Dave is reading the letter on the subway, the narration of the letter obviously very different from what is written on the page.

Quotes:

Vincent Rapallo: Like the man said, "Can happiness buy money?"

Movie Connections:

References La regina di Saba (1952)

A early start to Kubrick's fantastic career.

With 3 short films and a feature (Fear And Desire [1953]) under his belt, none of which had received any notice (in fact, Kubrick bought up all of the existing prints of Fear And Desire, because he thought it was poorly done [not to mention that it was being billed as a sexploitation film]), Kubrick decided to try out something new. He decided to go with Film-Noir.

The film is filled with Kubrick trademarks through and through. He uses boxing (which was the subject of his very first short Day of the Fight [1951]), zooming techniques, flashbacks (also used in his next film The Killing [1956]) and narration. The cinematography is exquisite, as usual, with many shots (particularly in the boxing studio and the train station) being backlit with a soft, grey light to give it a disconnected, almost rear-screen-projection feel. However, it is obvious that this is the early, naive Kubrick at work here. The entire movie, like Fear And Desire, is post-dubbed (much like a Fellini film), with all of the sound effects being done over by a meticulous Kubrick. And, of course, the Film-Noir. Davey Gordon (played to perfection by Jamie Smith) is the almost-stereotypical Noir anti-hero, with Irene Kane (aka journalist Chris Chase) as his anti-heroine. Frank Silvera, who had the lead role in Fear And Desire, is the slimy villain, whom you actually want to die (a good sign [for a villain]).

This Kubrick film can most be compared to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or Barry Lyndon (1975), in that, once you get past a slow beginning, the end is absolutely riveting. Kubrick knows that he wants to grab his audience, and he does so with perfection. Some of it is padded (the ballet sequence is not particular interest), but the rest it great, from the initial boxing sequence to the chase scene at the end. If you're a fan of Kubrick, see it. If you're a fan of great cinema, see it. If you're a fan of Film-Noir, see it (but take it with a pinch of salt). If you're none of these things, see it, and you will be.