A Kiss Before Dying (1956)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Gerd Oswald

Writers:

Lawrence Roman (screenplay)
Ira Levin (novel)

Release Date:

12 June 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Film-Noir | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

A ruthless college student resorts to murder in a futile attempt to marry an heiress.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Heiress | College Student | Belt | Left Handedness

US TV Schedule:

Thur. July 23

2:30 PM

TCM

Cast

Robert Wagner	...	Bud Corliss
Jeffrey Hunter	...	Gordon Grant
Virginia Leith	...	Ellen Kingship
Joanne Woodward	...	Dorothy ('Dorie') Kingship
Mary Astor	...	Mrs. Corliss
George Macready	...	Leo Kingship
Robert Quarry	...	Dwight Powell
Howard Petrie	...	Howard Chesser, Chief of Police
Bill Walker	...	Bill, the Butler
Molly McCart	...	Annabelle Koch
Marlene Felton	...	Medical Student

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording) | 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints)

Certification:

UK:12 | Norway:16 (1956) | USA:Approved (certificate #17419) | West Germany:18 (nf) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Crown Productions

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bud Corliss: Crying isn't going to help.
Dorothy Kingship: I just can't help it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Suddenly Susan: A Kiss Before Dying... on Stage (#2.8)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

A Kiss Before Dying

A well-delivered clash between genres and expectations

When his girlfriend Dorie becomes pregnant, Bud Corliss knows that he will be trapped into a marriage and a child that he didn't want. Telling her to keep the whole thing a secret, Bud fools Dorie up onto the roof of a civic building before pushing her to her death and making it look like suicide. The police see it as open and shut but Dorie's sister smells a rat and believes that Dorie was going to the building to be married and that her intended groom was the one that killed her.

Opening with a theme music and bright colours that suggested a 1950's comedy, I was worried that I had been misled by the title that suggested much darker fare. However the story quickly unfolds with a young couple in trouble, suggesting it would be a dated melodrama; but as the story progresses it does become more sinister and much more of a dark thriller. The story doesn't always ring true but it is more than enough to engage and makes for a good base for the film even if it is other aspects that make it stronger.

Oswald's direction is a big plus because he mixes styles and genres well. He uses the colours and sets of a typically 1950's melodrama but at times the lighting, shot framing and music of a noir of sorts. The clash of genres works well, complimenting one another and making it seem more tense for being such a tough story within such a colourful and homely world of college students. The performances are roundly good. Wagner steals the show of course with a ruthless and selfish performance that could easily have been an one-note affair were it not for the script and Wagner's ability to bring out character in a couple of strong scenes (including an excellent one with his mother at a pool party). Woodward is convincingly naïve and works well with her character but I didn't think Leith suited Ellen that well, although I didn't totally buy her character either. Hunter is solid if uninspiring and the support cast are pretty much the same.

Overall this is an enjoyable film that works thanks to strength in several areas. The story is engaging enough but it was the direction, visual style and use of music that impressed me more. Add to this a dominating central performance from Wagner and you have a film that is worth checking out.