Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
A Kiss Before Dying
Collapse
-
- Published: 05-18-2016, 08:36 AM
- 3 comments
X
Collapse
-
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.
-
#1Andrew MonroePallid HandsFind all postsView Profile05-19-2016, 09:10 AMEditing a commentGreat 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!
-
#2Mark TolchSenior MemberFind all postsView Profile05-19-2016, 09:17 AMEditing a commentHaha, 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!
-
#3C.D. WorkmanSenior MemberFind all postsView Profile05-19-2016, 10:33 PMEditing a commentYep, 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. -
Categories
Collapse
article_tags
Collapse
- album review (218)
- album reviews (274)
- arrow video (271)
- blu-ray (3225)
- blu-ray review (4149)
- comic books (1392)
- comic reviews (872)
- comics (988)
- dark horse comics (484)
- dvd and blu-ray reviews a-f (1969)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews G-M (1711)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews N-S (1757)
- DVD And Blu-ray Reviews T-Z (878)
- dvd review (2512)
- idw publishing (216)
- image comics (207)
- kino lorber (385)
- movie news (260)
- review (318)
- scream factory (279)
- severin films (298)
- shout! factory (537)
- twilight time (269)
- twilight time releasing (231)
- vinegar syndrome (497)
Latest Articles
Collapse
-
Released by: Universal Studios
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Zelda Williams
Cast: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Carla Gugino, Joe Chrest, Henry Eikenberry
Year: 2024
Purchase From Amazon
Lisa Frankenstein – Movie Review:
The feature-length directorial debut of Zelda Williams, 20214’s Lisa Frankenstein takes place in 1989 and follows a teenaged girl named Lisa Swallows (Kathryn Newton) who, two years ago, lost her mother...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:40 PM -
-
Released by: Severin Films
Released on: April 30th, 2024.
Director: Gianfranco Giagni
Cast: Roland Wybenga, William Berger, Stéphane Audran
Year: 1988
Purchase From Amazon
Spider Labyrinth – Movie Review:
Professor Alan Whitmore (Roland Wybenga) is an American who works as a Professor of languages studies and has a fascination bordering on obsession with translating pre-Christian religious texts. He was also locked in a closet...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:37 PM -
-
Released by: Mondo Macabro
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Arizal
Cast: Barry Prima, Eva Arnaz, W.D. Mochtar
Year: 1982
Purchase From Amazon
Special Silencers – Movie Review:
When director Arizal’s 1982 epic begins, we meet a man named Gumilar (W.D. Mochtar), a sinister dude who has constantly bloodshot eyes. He’s meeting with a man about some sort of business deal, but a flashback shows us how some time ago he killed...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:35 PM -
-
Released by: Vinegar Syndrome
Released on: March 26th, 2024.
Director: Piero Regnoli
Cast: Walter Brandi, Lyla Rocco, Maria Giovannini, Alfredo Rizzo, Marisa Quattrini, Leonardo Botta
Year: 1960
Purchase From Amazon
The Playgirls And The Vampire – Movie Review:
Piero Regnoli’s 1960 goofy gothic horror, The Playgirls And The Vampire, revolves around a quintet of beautiful showgirls - Vera (Lyla Rocco), Katia (Maria Giovannini),...-
Channel: Movies
04-03-2024, 03:30 PM -
-
Released by: Unearthed Films
Released on: April 9th, 2024.
Director: Nacho Cerdà
Cast: Anastasia Hille, Karel Roden, Valentin Goshev
Year: 2006
Purchase From Amazon
The Abandoned – Movie Review:
Directed by Nacho Cerdà, who co-wrote with Richard Stanley and Karim Hussain, 2006's The Abandoned opens in Russia in 1966 where a poor family sits at the dinner table only to be interrupted when a large truck stops suddenly in front...-
Channel: Movies
03-28-2024, 04:29 PM -
-
Released by: Blue Underground
Released on: April 23rd, 2024.
Director: Gualtiero Jacopetti, Franco Prosperi
Cast: Stefano Sibaldi, Susan Hampshire, Dick Gregory
Year: 1971
Purchase From Amazon
Goodbye Uncle Tom – Movie Review:
In what has to be one of the most unexpected ‘special edition home video releases ‘of the year, Blue Underground brings to 4k UHD (and to a separate Blu-ray edition) both versions of the extremely controversial...-
Channel: Movies
03-28-2024, 04:23 PM -