The Kiss (1929 film)

Last updated

The Kiss
The Kiss (1929 film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jacques Feyder
Screenplay by Hanns Kräly
Story byGeorge M. Saville
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography William Daniels
Edited by Ben Lewis
Music by William Axt (uncredited)
Production
company
Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • November 16, 1929 (1929-11-16) [1]
Running time
62–65 minutes [2] [3]
CountryUnited States
Languages
BudgetUS$ 257,000[ citation needed ]

The Kiss is a 1929 American synchronized sound drama film directed by Jacques Feyder, starring Greta Garbo, Conrad Nagel, and Lew Ayres in his first feature film. The film has no audible dialogue but featured a synchronized musical score and sound effects. The soundtrack was recorded using the Western Electric Sound System sound-on-film process. The soundtrack was also transferred to discs for those theatres that were wired with sound-on-disc sound systems.

Contents

The film is based on a short story by George M. Saville, The Kiss bears the same title as the 1896 short that "shocked" the American public by being the first motion picture to depict a couple kissing. [1] This 1929 production is notable for being the last major film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) without dialogue and the final non-speaking performances by both Garbo and Conrad Nagel. [2]

Plot

The story is set in 1929 and begins inside the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon, France. Two lovers – Irene Guarry (Greta Garbo) and André Dubail (Conrad Nagel) – feign interest in artwork as they discuss their clandestine romance. Irene is a young woman unhappily married to Charles Guarry (Anders Randolf), a wealthy, much older businessman, whose company teeters near bankruptcy. André is a successful lawyer, unmarried, close to Irene's age, and determined to face Charles and profess his love for Irene. Despite being trapped in a loveless marriage, Irene fears her husband's violent temper and his reaction if André were to confront him. "He's madly jealous," she tells André, and insists that her marriage situation is hopelessly bound by "convention ... to a man I don't love." [4] After she and André kiss, she leaves the museum, determined never to see her true love again.

Back home, Irene's suspicious husband reviews her daily activities through a private investigator he hired to follow her. The investigator only reports that she went to a local dog show and had an innocent encounter with Pierre Lassalle (Lew Ayres), the 18-year-old son of one of Charles' business associates. Later, Irene and Charles attend a large formal dinner party. She is surprised to see André, who arrives alone and sits at the dinner table across from Irene's sullen husband. Young Pierre is at the party too, and his father informs Irene that his college-bound boy is "quite mad" about her. [4] André and Irene do manage to meet briefly in a nearby garden, where André tells her he is moving to Paris and came to the party to see her one last time. They again express their love, kiss passionately and part, both resolved that their affair has ended. Irene then returns to the party to dance with lovestruck Pierre.

The following day, after a tennis match at his parents' estate, Pierre confesses his love to Irene while Charles meets with Pierre's father to discuss his failing business and need for money. Irene is touched by Pierre's confession but makes light of his ardor, referring to him as "only a young boy". [4] She agrees, however, to give him a photograph of herself that he can take to college. The following evening, Pierre visits Irene's home to get the promised photo, and as he leaves he requests a small goodbye kiss. Irene hesitates but gives him a short kiss, which incites Pierre to grab her and press for a more intense one. Returning home, Charles sees their follow-up kiss, storms into the room, and begins to beat Pierre mercilessly. As her husband pursues the college boy into another room, Irene pleads with him to stop his assault, but he continues to batter Pierre. The room's door closes; a muffled gunshot is heard. Charles dies.

Irene killed her husband to save Pierre, but before authorities are summoned, she alters the scene and timeline of the crime. To protect Pierre's reputation and herself, she tells the police her depressed husband committed suicide due to his dire finances. Investigators doubt her story and Irene is indicted for murder, prompting André to return to Lyon to defend his ex-lover. During the trial she repeatedly assures André that her husband killed himself. Courtroom testimony by Pierre's father about Charles' impending bankruptcy and "utter despair", along with André's heartfelt declarations of Irene's innocence, convince the jury to acquit her. [4] In the court area after the verdict, a smug Pierre tells Irene that her love for him compelled her to kill Charles, but he quickly realizes that André is her true love. Guilt-ridden for lying to André, Irene divulges the truth to him. Stunned, he sits and cradles his head in his hands, quietly reassessing his feelings. Believing she has destroyed her relationship with André, Irene is relieved when he finally stands and reaffirms his love for her. The film ends with them kissing just as three old cleaning women enter the room and announce they "have come to clean the court". [4]

Cast

Music

The film featured a theme song entitled "Romeo and Juliet (Love Theme)" which was composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It also featured repeated replays of the Liebestodt theme from Richard Wagner's "Tristan and Isolde" whenever the action of the film became particularly dramatic.

Production notes

Reception

Most film critics gave very positive reviews of The Kiss in 1929, a year in which American motion pictures were continuing their transition from the last major silent productions to the release of more sound films. [9] Variety alluded to that transition in its 1929 review of The Kiss, contending that the film would have likely suffered in quality if it had been released with recorded dialog. [10]

The film grossed $518,000 in the United States and $387,000 elsewhere, bringing its worldwide gross to $905,000; the profit for the film was $448,000. [11]

The publication felt that both Garbo's performance and her physical appearance in the film were actually enhanced by its non-talking format:

The Kiss, with an unusual taste exhibited in casting and direction, is entertainment of the holding kind. And it is one of Miss Garbo's best, without stretching the elastic of kindness. Though this is silent it may be stronger that way than with dialog ... Few actresses could weather the series of close-ups required of Miss Garbo in this one. In each she registers an individual perfection. The series proves her biggest asset is her naturalness. [10]

Film critic Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times referred to the presence of The Kiss among all the new talking pictures in late 1929 as "Golden silence" and a demonstration of Fedyer's "consummate artistry" with a non-talker. [12] "Miss Garbo", observed Hall, "once again reveals her extraordinary talent for screen acting, and under M. Fedyer's guidance she is if anything more impressive than she has been in other films." [12] The Film Daily —widely read by studio personnel and theater owners—also described Garbo as "very alluring" and "exotic" in The Kiss; but that paper found the "sophisticated drama" lacking, especially the film's conclusion. [13] "The subject matter", wrote The Film Daily, "is too tragic, and the ending not the type that the average fan looks for." [13]

Released less than 4 months after the disastrous crash of the American stock market in 1929, The Kiss was not expected to do well financially by attracting sizeable crowds of filmgoers in that highly unstable economic time. [5] The film, though, surprised studio executives by making a significant profit and becoming Garbo's second most successful picture, ranking only behind Flesh and the Devil with John Gilbert, which had been released three years earlier. [5] In Atlanta, Georgia, for example, it was reported that during Thanksgiving week The Kiss "broke all existing house records for receipts at Loew's Capitol [Theatre]". [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Hollywood Revue</i> 1929 film

The Hollywood Revue of 1929, or simply The Hollywood Revue, is a 1929 American pre-Code musical comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was the studio's second feature-length musical, and one of their earliest sound films. Produced by Harry Rapf and Irving Thalberg and directed by Charles Reisner, it features nearly all of MGM's stars in a two-hour revue that includes three segments in Technicolor. The masters of ceremonies are Conrad Nagel and Jack Benny.

<i>The Divorcee</i> 1930 film

The Divorcee is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film written by Nick Grindé, John Meehan, and Zelda Sears, based on the 1929 novel Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott. It was directed by Robert Z. Leonard, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, and won Best Actress for its star Norma Shearer.

<i>Ninotchka</i> 1939 film by Ernst Lubitsch

Ninotchka is a 1939 American romantic comedy film made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch, based on a story by Melchior Lengyel. Ninotchka marked the first comedy role for Garbo, and her penultimate film; she received her third and final Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. In 1990, Ninotchka was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2011, Time also included the film on the magazine's list of "All-Time 100 Movies".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Garbo</span> Swedish-American actress (1905–1990)

Greta Garbo was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's silent and early golden eras. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses of all time, she was known for her melancholic and somber screen persona, her film portrayals of tragic characters, and her subtle and understated performances. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Garbo fifth on its list of the greatest female stars of classic Hollywood cinema.

Madame Curie is a 1943 American biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sidney Franklin from a screenplay by Paul Osborn, Paul H. Rameau, and Aldous Huxley (uncredited), adapted from the biography by Ève Curie. It stars Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, with supporting performances by Robert Walker, Henry Travers, and Albert Bassermann.

This is an overview of 1929 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gilbert (actor)</span> American actor and film director (1897–1936)

John Gilbert was an American actor, screenwriter and director. He rose to fame during the silent era and became a popular leading man known as "The Great Lover". His breakthrough came in 1925 with his starring roles in The Merry Widow and The Big Parade. At the height of his career, Gilbert rivaled Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw.

<i>Queen Christina</i> (film) 1933 film by Rouben Mamoulian

Queen Christina is a pre-Code Hollywood biographical film, produced for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1933 by Walter Wanger and directed by Rouben Mamoulian. It stars Swedish-born actress Greta Garbo and John Gilbert in their fourth and last film together.

<i>Flesh and the Devil</i> 1926 film

Flesh and the Devil is an American silent romantic drama film released in 1926 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and stars Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, and Barbara Kent, directed by Clarence Brown, and based on the novel The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nils Asther</span> Swedish actor (1897–1981)

Nils Anton Alfhild Asther was a Swedish actor active in Hollywood from 1926 to the mid-1950s, known as "the male Greta Garbo". Between 1916 and 1963 he appeared in over seventy feature films, sixteen of which were produced in the silent era. He is mainly remembered today for two silent films – The Single Standard and Wild Orchids – he made with fellow Swede Greta Garbo, and his portrayal of the title character in the controversial pre-Code Frank Capra film The Bitter Tea of General Yen.

<i>Two-Faced Woman</i> 1941 film by George Cukor, Andrew Marton

Two-Faced Woman is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by George Cukor and starring Greta Garbo in her final film role, Melvyn Douglas, Constance Bennett, and Roland Young. The movie was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Anna Christie</i> (1930 English-language film) 1930 film

Anna Christie is a 1930 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer pre-Code film adaptation of the 1921 play of the same name by Eugene O'Neill. It was adapted by Frances Marion, produced and directed by Clarence Brown with Paul Bern and Irving Thalberg as co-producers. The cinematography was by William H. Daniels, the art direction by Cedric Gibbons and the costume design by Adrian.

<i>Love</i> (1927 American film) 1927 film by Edmund Goulding

Love is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Edmund Goulding and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A sound version of the film was released in 1928 with a synchronized musical score with sound effects. MGM made the film to capitalize on its winning romantic team of Greta Garbo and John Gilbert who had starred in the 1926 blockbuster Flesh and the Devil.

<i>Torrent</i> (1926 film) Silent romantic drama by Monta Bell

Torrent is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by an uncredited Monta Bell, based on a novel by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez, and released on February 21, 1926. Torrent was the first American film starring Swedish actress Greta Garbo. The film also starred Ricardo Cortez and Martha Mattox.

<i>Dream of Love</i> 1928 film by Fred Niblo

Dream of Love is a 1928 American synchronized sound biographical drama film directed by Fred Niblo, and starring Joan Crawford and Nils Asther. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The sound was recorded via the Western Electric sound system. The film is based on the 1849 French tragedy Adrienne Lecouvreur by Eugène Scribe and Ernest Legouvé.

<i>The Mysterious Lady</i> 1928 film

The Mysterious Lady (1928) is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer silent film romantic drama, starring Greta Garbo, Conrad Nagel, and Gustav von Seyffertitz, directed by Fred Niblo, and vaguely based on the novel War in the Dark by Ludwig Wolff.

<i>A Woman of Affairs</i> 1928 film

A Woman of Affairs is a 1928 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer synchronized sound drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Greta Garbo, John Gilbert, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Lewis Stone. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The film was based on a 1924 best-selling novel by Michael Arlen, The Green Hat, which he adapted as a four-act stage play in 1925. The Green Hat was considered so daring in the United States that the movie did not allow any associations with it and was renamed A Woman of Affairs, with the characters also renamed to mollify the censors. In particular, the film script eliminated all references to heroin use, homosexuality and syphilis that were at the core of the tragedies involved.

<i>The Single Standard</i> 1929 film

The Single Standard is a 1929 American synchronized sound romantic drama film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer directed by veteran John S. Robertson and starring Greta Garbo, Nils Asther and Johnny Mack Brown. The film has no audible dialogue but featured a synchronized musical score and sound effects. The soundtrack was recorded using the Western Electric Sound System sound-on-film process. The soundtrack was also transferred to discs for those theatres that were wired with sound-on-disc sound systems.

<i>Wild Orchids</i> (film) 1929 film by Sidney Franklin

Wild Orchids is a 1929 American synchronized sound drama film from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer directed by Sidney Franklin and starring Greta Garbo, Lewis Stone and Nils Asther. Only these three stars received cast credit. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The plot is very similar to Garbo's later sound film, The Painted Veil (1934).

<i>A Mans Man</i> (1929 film) 1929 film

A Man's Man is a lost 1929 synchronized sound film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and directed by James Cruze. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The film starred William Haines and Josephine Dunn. It was based on a Broadway play, A Man's Man by Patrick Kearney. Greta Garbo and John Gilbert notably appear in a cameo. The film is believed to be lost, although the Vitaphone type sound discs exist and are currently held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Kiss (1929)", film details, Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Turner Broadcasting System, a subsidiary of Time Warner, Inc., New York. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "The Kiss (1929)", production details, American Film Institute (AFI), Los Angeles, California. Retrieved August 31, 2018.
  3. ↑ Walker, Alexander; Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (1980). Garbo: A Portrait. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, October 1980, page 184.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Dialog recorded and transcribed directly from intertitles in The Kiss, which was broadcast in its entirety on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) on August 28, 2018. Turner Broadcasting System, a subsidiary of Time Warner, Inc., New York.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Passafiume, Andrea. "Articles: The Kiss (1929)", Turner Classic Movies (TCM), Turner Broadcasting System, Time Warner, Inc., New York, N.Y. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Nils Asther", The Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Los Angeles, California. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  7. ↑ "12 Being Shot at M-G-M Studio", The Film Daily (New York, N.Y.), September 10, 1929, page 6, column 1. Internet Archive, San Francisco, California. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  8. 1 2 Edwards, Anne (2006). "Designing Films: The Art Déco Years", Architectural Digest , March 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  9. ↑ Sarkissian, Razmig (2013). "Silent to sound: A look back at a quiet revolution". UCLA Today, January 28, 2013. University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  10. 1 2 Waly (1929). "The Kiss (Silent)", review, Variety (New York, N.Y.), November 20, 1929, page 30. Internet Archive. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ "The Kiss".
  12. 1 2 Hall, Mordaunt (1932). "THE SCREEN; A Silent Miss Garbo", The New York Times, November 16, 1929. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  13. 1 2 "The Kiss", review, The Film Daily, New York, November 17, 1929, page 9. Internet Archive. Retrieved September 2, 2018. The Film Daily in the heading of its review for The Kiss mistakenly labels the film an "All-Talker".
  14. ↑ "'Kiss' Sets Record at Loew House in Atlanta", The Film Daily, December 9, 1929, page 4, column 3. Internet Archive. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.