Killer's Kiss (1955)

Director:

Stanley Kubrick

Writer:

Stanley Kubrick (story)
(more)

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:

Flashback | Dancer | Train Station | Mannequin | Taxi Driver

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Frank Silvera	...	Vincent Rapallo
Jamie Smith	...	Davey Gordon
Irene Kane	...	Gloria Price
Jerry Jarrett	...	Albert the manager
Mike Dana	...	Gangster
Felice Orlandi	...	Gangster
Shaun O'Brien	...	Landlord
Barbara Brand	...	Taxi Dance Lady
David Vaughan	...	Conventioneer #1
Alec Rubin	...	Conventioneer #2
Ralph Roberts	...	Bouncer #1
Phil Stevenson	...	Bouncer #2
Arthur Feldman	...	Policeman #1
Bill Funaro	...	Taxi Driver
Skippy Adelman	...	Mannequin factory owner
Ruth Sobotka	...	Ballerina / Iris
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jack Curtis	...	TV announcer (voice) (uncredited)
Peggy Lobbin	...	Gloria Price (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Stanley Kubrick

Writing credits
Stanley Kubrick		(story)
Howard Sackler		(screenplay) uncredited

Produced by
Morris Bousel	....	producer
Stanley Kubrick	....	producer

Original Music by
Gerald Fried

Cinematography by
Stanley Kubrick

Film Editing by
Stanley Kubrick

Production Management
Ira Marvin	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ernest Nukanen	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Walter Ruckersberg	....	sound recordist
Clifford van Praag	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Max Glenn	....	camera operator
Dave Golden	....	chief electrician
Jesse Paley	....	camera operator
Alexander Singer	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Anthony Bezich	....	assistant editor
Pat Jaffe	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Gerald Fried	....	conductor

Other crew
David Vaughan	....	ballet choreographer

Production Companies

• Minotaur Productions

Distributors

• United Artists (1955) (USA) (theatrical)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1976) (Finland) (TV) (TV2)
• TV3 (1988) (Finland) (TV)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1993) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Cinemagia (????) (Brazil) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Titra Sound Corporation  sound post-production (as Titra Sound Studios) (English-dubbed version)

Also Known As:

"Stanley Kubrick's Killer's Kiss" - Australia (TV title)
"El beso del asesino" - Argentina, Peru (imdb display title), Spain
"Le baiser du tueur" - Belgium (French title), France
"A Morte Passou Perto" - Brazil
"A gyilkos csókja" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Dödande kärlek" - Sweden (TV title)
"De kus van de doder" - Belgium (Flemish title)
"Der Tiger von New York" - West Germany
"Il bacio dell'assassino" - Italy
"Kohtalokas suudelma" - Finland (TV title)
"Morderczy cios" - Poland (informal title)
"O Beijo Assassino" - Portugal (imdb display title)
"Pocalunek mordercy" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Tappava suudelma" - Finland (imdb display title)
"To fili tou dolofonou" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 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 | USA:Approved (Certificate #17520) | 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:

In one scene Irene Kane was supposed to walk across 42nd Street, but a truck driver repeatedly blocked the way with his vehicle. The driver agreed to clear the area only if Kane would later meet him for a drink. She agreed and the scene was shot, but to this day no one knows if the rendezvous actually took place.

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:

Vincent Rapallo:If only you could know how low and worthless I feel.
Gloria Price:I didn't even know you had any feelings.

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!