HNC Photography, IFC - Coursework, Introduction to Film Culture Blog, Part two - Love and Lust, Project 1 - The Kiss
The Kiss
As the course notes comment film culture would not be film culture if it wasn’t for the trivia and the gossip surrounding the life of stars.
There have been many marriages that have blossomed from on-screen relationship and meetings; even from meetings surrounding the making of the films e.g.
Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton – Met on the set of Cleopatra
Grace Kelly & Prince Rainer III of Monaco – Met while she was filming to catch a thief in Monaco.
Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart met on Twilight Saga
Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie – met on met I Mr & Mrs Smith
Daniel Rachel & Wiesz
Penelope Cruz & Javier Bardam met while making Jamon Jamon
Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell – met making Swing Shift
Also in film culture, there is also the debate of what is best what is worst and endless kisses are sited. No more so than the best screen kiss.
A kiss that often rates highly is Jake Gyllenhall & Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. I did consider this for inclusion in part 1, but, it felt like too low hanging fruit. This kiss no doubt has a lot of passion and feeling as it is a couple parted for years making up. Is it better than any other such scene or is just different in that it is a scene between 2 guys – something that still is the norm in cinema. The same could be said for a famous scene in cruel intentions and Black Swan. Although, Cruel Intentions is nowhere near as well acted as Brokeback Mountain.
What set make the kiss the Brokeback Mountain great it’s the end of a will they won’t they love story and this is where a lot of the great kisses in cinema have come from not necessarily the best films so if we are making a list I wouldn’t include Titanic that list for example.
I would include:
Clare & Bender at the end the Breakfast Club You can lobby for the not as iconic Andrew & Allison.
Personally, I would say if you what good screen kiss you need to look no further than a John Hughes / Molly Ringwald film from the 1980’s – with the addition of simple minds just for the icing on the cake.
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