Stars: Frank Silvera, Irene Kane, Mike Dana, Felice Orlandi

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Summary: KILLER'S KISS, Stanley Kubrick's second feature-length film (though barely more than an hour), tells the story of a down-and-out boxer who falls for a comely female neighbor, leading to kidnapping and murder. Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith) has seemingly fought his last fight after being pummeled by Kid Rodriguez in the first round. Gloria Price (Irene Kane) is the hard-luck dame whose window faces Davey's. A dancer at Pleasureland, Gloria is trying to break up with her boss, Vincent Rapallo (Frank Silvera), but he would rather see her dead before allowing her to be with another man. So when Davey and Gloria start a steamy romance, it isn't long before murder enters the picture.<BR>Somewhat similar to his 1951 boxing documentary, DAY OF THE FIGHT, Kubrick's gritty black-and-white film noir, told in flashbacks, was shot on location in the streets of New York, effectively capturing the dark underbelly of the city at night. The camera rarely rises above Kubrick's waist, and the low-angle and ground shots give the film a menacing look. Kubrick believed that a film, like a symphony, must be created by a single individual, so he served as writer, director, editor, and producer on the project. The result is a small picture that provides a fascinating look into the early work of a man who would soon become one of the world's most important and influential filmmakers.

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An exercise in film noirfairytale, 1955's Killer's Kisswas Stanley Kubrick's second feature film (he had the first buried forever) and shows just how powerful a filmmaker he was right out of the gate. Followers of Kubrick's career will note the appearance of themes and images that recurred (a final axe-fight in a warehouse full of disembodied mannequin parts would not be out of place in The Shining), but this is also notably unlike later Kubrick films in its use of authentic locations and its 65-minute running time.

The plot is a tiny anecdote about a washed-up boxer (Jamie Smith), a dance hall dame (Irene Kane) and a slimy hood (Frank Silvera) during one crowded weekend of brutality and romance.

There's a sense of a young director playing games: the boxing match (a definite influence on Raging Bull) is all low-angle close-ups and subjective shots with plenty of thump and dazzle, and the traditional Expressionist look of noiris exaggerated with many a tricky shot or doomy plot twist. The three unfamiliar leads are all excellent as small-timers struggling with big passions, and there is already a potent use of raucous source music and subtle sound design to augment the stark, haunted black and white imagery.

On the DVDKiller's Kisson disc features no extras other than a blaring trailer ("a picture as brazen as the naked lights of Broadway, as hard as the New York streets in which it was shot!"). The black and white picture is 4:3, and comes with soundtracks in English, German, Italian and Spanish; subtitles in English, German, Italian, French, Dutch and Spanish. --Kim Newman

Aspect Ratio:	4:3
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Original Theatrical Trailer, Interactive Menu, Chapter Selection
Subtitles:	Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish
Year:	1955
Release Date:	July 15, 2002
Runtime:	64 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	16832 D V D
Keywords:	General, Kiss, Thriller, Killer's
Genre:	Thriller