Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

A Kiss Before Dying

Collapse
X
Collapse
  •  
    Mark Tolch
    Senior Member

  • A Kiss Before Dying



    Released By: Kino Lorber
    Released On: May 3, 2016
    Director: Gerd Oswald
    Cast: Robert Wagner, Joanne Woodward, Jeffrey Hunter, Mary Astor, Robert Quarry
    Year: 1956
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Movie:

    Was there ever a greater on-screen slimeball than Robert Wagner in A Kiss Before Dying? Perhaps, but I'm hard-pressed to think on one at this moment. Wagner plays Bud Corliss, a 25 year-old University student who lives with his mom and spends more time trying to figure out how to make it big than actually putting in the hard work required to be successful. He does have one thing going for him, though; smoldering good looks and a perfect hairstyle that makes the ladies swoon. In an effort to marry into money, he uses his great hair and athletic frame to woo classmate Dorothy "Dorie" Kingship (Joanne Woodward), the daughter of a wealthy mining magnate. Bud gets a little too far ahead of himself, however, and gets Dorie knocked up, an event that will certainly lead to Mr. Kingship disowning the pregnant girl. When Dorie decides that she doesn't need her father's money and that her love for her baby daddy will triumph over all, Bud decides to cut his losses and introduce Dorie to the slippery rooftop view from a nearby municipal building.

    Learning from his mistakes, Bud readjusts his sights to settle on Dorie's sister Ellen (Virginia Leith), figuring that going slower on the impregnating thing might be a solution for success. Bud is the perfect gentleman, courting Ellen as it should be done, winning the young girl over and gaining favour with Mr. Kingship. Everything seems to be going well, if not for Ellen's nagging feeling that something other than depression-related suicide ended her sister's life. Her amateur detective skills get her nowhere at first, but when she pools her resources with Dorie's former tutor (Jeffrey Hunter), the results send Bud scrambling to cover his tracks.

    Ira Levin's novel of the same name is such powerful source material, A Kiss Before Dying could've been somewhat decent even in the most incompetent of hands. Fortunately, we have a whole raft of talent here, driving the film to greatness. Wagner is fantastic as Bud Corliss, playing every scene as a grease-dripping scumbag who has no emotion outside of self-indulgence, but looks so damn good at the same time. The supporting cast is stellar as well, but must take a backseat to Mr. Wagner as he and his perfect hair steal every scene that they're in. That's definitely not a slam against the talented likes of Joanne Woodward, Virginia Leith, Jeffrey Hunter, and Robert Quarry; they all nail their roles in a way that's sadly lacking in so many films.

    Directorial newcomer Gerd Oswald knocks his first film out of the park, with brilliantly shot scenes throughout...with the scene between Bud and Dorie on the roof standing out as one of the most suspenseful moments ever found on celluloid...and an eye for good composition. Combined with a grandiose score by the experienced Lionel Newman, Oswald's creations achieve new heights, peppering A Kiss Before Dying with enough on-screen genius to make the minor plot holes inconsequential. Few films fit in the category of being practically perfect on every level; A Kiss Before Dying definitely rates.

    Video/Audio/Extras:

    Kino brings A Kiss Before Dying to Blu-ray in an AVC-encoded 2.35:1 transfer that looks great for a film that's turning 60 years old. Colours are vibrant for the most part, and detail is crisp, with minimal dirt and damage, but a healthy amount of grain present. Some scenes look better than others, however, and there are instances of some interesting fluctuations in colour, as well as some minor issues with scene transitions...but otherwise, a bright and aesthetically pleasing look.

    Audio is handled by the English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, which sounds perfectly adequate here. Dynamic range is good, and the stereo track never sounds confined or tinny. Dialogue is clear throughout, and balanced well with the sweeping score and sound effects. No subtitles are provided.

    A very yelly Trailer for the film is included.

    The Final Word:

    A fantastic film gets a nice HD upgrade from Kino.


    Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!






















    • Andrew Monroe
      #1
      Andrew Monroe
      Pallid Hands
      Andrew Monroe commented
      Editing a comment
      Great review, Mark. I'm glad to see some appreciation for this film, it's sort of neglected when thrillers of that time are discussed. While I do think the novel handled the aspect of the killer in a better, more shocking way (not revealing it until about midway through), that approach wouldn't have worked well in the film obviously. Also, I have a thing for Virginia Leith (see also VIOLENT SATURDAY and THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE(!))...that husky voice sends me!

    • Mark Tolch
      #2
      Mark Tolch
      Senior Member
      Mark Tolch commented
      Editing a comment
      Haha, I can see that, she is pretty stunning. The film is pretty amazing, Wagner is SUCH a dirtbag haha. But damn, does he look good doing it!

    • C.D. Workman
      #3
      C.D. Workman
      Senior Member
      C.D. Workman commented
      Editing a comment
      Yep, that's a very good review. You have a breezy, relaxed way of writing that's very good at pulling the reader in.
    Posting comments is disabled.

Latest Articles

Collapse

  • Hot Spur (Severin Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Severin Films
    Released on: April 30th, 2024.
    Director: Lee Frost
    Cast: Joseph Mascolo, Virginia Goodman, John Alderman
    Year: 1969
    Purchase From Amazon

    Hot Spur – Movie Review:

    Director Lee Frost and Producer Bob Cresse's film, Hot Spur, opens in Texas in 1869 with a scene where a pair of cowboys wanders into a bar where they call over a pretty Mexican waitress and coerce her into dancing for them. She obliges, but
    ...
    03-22-2024, 11:53 AM
  • Death Squad (Mondo Macabro) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Mondo Macabro
    Released on: April 9th, 2024.
    Director: Max Pecas
    Cast: Thierry de Carbonnières, Jean-Marc Maurel, Denis Karvil, Lillemour Jonsson
    Year: 1985
    Purchase From Amazon

    Death Squad – Movie Review:

    Also known as Brigade Of Death, French sleaze auteur Max Pecas’ 1985 film, Death Squad, opens with a night time scene outside of Paris in the Bois de Boulogne Forest where cars pass by a small gang of transsexual
    ...
    03-22-2024, 11:46 AM
  • Roommates (Quality X) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Quality X
    Released on: February 28th, 2024.
    Director: Chuck Vincent
    Cast: Samantha Fox, Vernoica Hart, Kelly Nichols, Jerry Butler, Jamie Gillis
    Year: 1982
    Purchase From Amazon

    Roommates – Movie Review:

    Directed by Chuck Vincent and released in 1982, Roommates opens with a scene where a young woman named Joan Harmon (Veronica Hart) gets a hotel room with an older man named Ken (Don Peterson, credited as Phil Smith),
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:10 PM
  • Night Of The Blood Monster (Blue Underground) UHD/Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Blue Underground
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Jess Franco
    Cast: Christopher Lee, Maria Rohm, Dennis Price
    Year: 1970
    Purchase From Amazon

    Night Of The Blood Monster – Movie Review:

    Directed by Jess Franco, The Bloody Judge (or, Night Of The Blood Monster, as it is going by on this new release from Blue Underground) isn't quite the salacious exercise in Eurotrash you might expect it to be, and while it
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:07 PM
  • Phase IV (Vinegar Syndrome) UHD/Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Saul Bass
    Cast: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford, Robert Henderson, Helen Horton
    Year: 1974
    Purchase From Amazon

    Phase IV – Movie Review:

    Saul Bass’ 1974 sci-fi/thriller Phase IV is an interesting blend of nature run amuck stereotypes and Natural Geographic style nature footage mixed into one delicious cocktail of suspense and
    ...
    03-15-2024, 01:02 PM
  • The Bounty Hunter Trilogy (Radiance Films) Blu-ray Review
    Ian Jane
    Administrator
    by Ian Jane


    Released by: Radiance Films
    Released on: March 26th, 2024.
    Director: Shigehiro Ozawa, Eiichi Kudo
    Cast: Tomisaburo Wakayama, Minoru Ôki, Arashi Kanjuro, Bin Amatsu, Chiezo Kataoka
    Year: 1969-1972
    Purchase From Amazon

    The Bounty Hunter Trilogy – Movie Review:

    Radiance Films gathers together the three films in Toie Studios’ Bounty Hunter Trilogy, starring the inimitable Tomisaburo Wakayama. Here’s how the three movies in this
    ...
    03-13-2024, 11:30 AM
Working...
X