Stanley Kubrick - Killer's Kiss (1955)

Stanley Kubrick's second feature film, Killer's Kiss was made on a budget of $40,000, all raised by Kubrick's relatives. The black-and-white drama was shot principally at night in a variety of seedy Manhattan locations. The plot, told in an extended flashback, covers two days in the life of boxer Davy Gordon (Jamie Smith) -- he meets nightclub dancer Gloria Price (Irene Kane); the two fall in love, and decide to make their futures somewhere other than New York City. But Gloria is lusted after by her ex-employer, Vince Rapallo (Frank Silvera), who not only won't take "no" for an answer but has no intention of losing her to a two-bit boxer. His machinations lead to murder, a police manhunt, and revenge in the best film noir fashion -- the very best, in fact, as Kubrick's use of real New York settings (and very ominous and sleazy New York settings at that) gives the action here a startling verisimilitude, as though we're watching a documentary, or the unfolding of actual events...





With 3 short films and a feature (Fear And Desire [1953]) under his belt, none of which had received any notice (in fact, Kubrick bought up all of the existing prints of Fear And Desire, because he thought it was poorly done [not to mention that it was being billed as a sexploitation film]), Kubrick decided to try out something new. He decided to go with Film-Noir.

The film is filled with Kubrick trademarks through and through. He uses boxing (which was the subject of his very first short Day of the Fight [1951]), zooming techniques, flashbacks (also used in his next film The Killing [1956]) and narration. The cinematography is exquisite, as usual, with many shots (particularly in the boxing studio and the train station) being backlit with a soft, grey light to give it a disconnected, almost rear-screen-projection feel. However, it is obvious that this is the early, naive Kubrick at work here. The entire movie, like Fear And Desire, is post-dubbed (much like a Fellini film), with all of the sound effects being done over by a meticulous Kubrick. And, of course, the Film-Noir. Davey Gordon (played to perfection by Jamie Smith) is the almost-stereotypical Noir anti-hero, with Irene Kane (aka journalist Chris Chase) as his anti-heroine. Frank Silvera, who had the lead role in Fear And Desire, is the slimy villain, whom you actually want to die (a good sign [for a villain]).

This Kubrick film can most be compared to 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) or Barry Lyndon (1975), in that, once you get past a slow beginning, the end is absolutely riveting. Kubrick knows that he wants to grab his audience, and he does so with perfection. Some of it is padded (the ballet sequence is not particular interest), but the rest it great, from the initial boxing sequence to the chase scene at the end. If you're a fan of Kubrick, see it. If you're a fan of great cinema, see it. If you're a fan of Film-Noir, see it (but take it with a pinch of salt). If you're none of these things, see it, and you will be. (IMDB comment)







El beso del asesino
Un hombre (Jamie Smith) aguarda en la estación terminal del ferrocarril y se pregunta como empezó todo. A partir de ese momento se inicia un flashback que incluye casi toda la película, en el que la voz en off del protagonista recuerda como perdió su pelea contra el Kid Rodríguez y como decidió marcharse al campo para descansar del cuadrilátero. También rememora el interés que le despierta su vecina de enfrente (Irene Kane), de quien sabemos es empleada de un club de baile cuyo jefe (Frank Silvera) tiene un interés libidinoso hacia ella. La historia pega un giro cuando un grito femenino rasga la quietud de la noche e interrumpe el sueño del boxeador. Al mirar por la ventana ve que su vecina está forcejeando con un extraño (que resulta ser el jefe de ella), e interviene, ahuyentando al personaje siniestro e iniciando una relación romántica con ella. El enfrentamiento entre la pareja de amantes y los villanos de turno provocará persecuciones, intrigas policiales, escenas de tortura y algún que otro sobresalto, o sea, nada que no hayamos visto o leído en cualquier pulp o peliculita policial de la época. El valor agregado es, en este caso, el novedoso planteamiento visual que Kubrick efectúa sobre las locaciones (que además, brinda un aura de realismo, reforzado por sus desconocidos actores), y una búsqueda de innovación en lo narrativo, que incluye flashbacks dentro de flashbacks. (Cinefania)



Le Baiser du tueur
Un boxeur dont carrière a été plutôt bonne sans toutefois être exceptionnelle, se retrouve aujourd'hui un peu largué, à la suite d'un combat qu'il a complétement raté. Dans la nuit même suivant le combat, il va sauver sa voisine, une danceuse de Night Club, des griffes de son patron/amant un peu trop possessif. Les deux voisins vont très vite tomber amoureux l'un de l'autre, mais le patron du Night Club et ses sbires n'ont pas l'intention de laisser partir la fille...

Tourné en décors naturels avec un budget misérable, Le baiser du tueur est le premier film noir de Stanley Kubrick. Encore brouillone et maladroite, l'oeuvre témoigne cependant d'une maîtrise technique et d'une invention visuelle déjà nettement affirmées, culminant dans quelques scènes anthologiques comme le combat de boxe et l'extraordinaire bagarre dans la réserve à mannequins, qui font oublier la faiblesse du scénario et de la direction d'acteurs.






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