Killer’s Kiss

1955, 67 Minutes, 35mm!
USA

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Kubrick 90
Beginning July 26th, the SNF Parkway celebrates Stanley Kubrick’s would-be 90th birthday with a retrospective of the master filmmaker’s invaluable contributions to the history of cinema. The series will occur twice monthly and will showcase each of the director’s films in turn.

 

Filmed on a budget of $40,000 (raised by Kubrick’s relatives), the 65-minute, black-and-white drama Killer’s Kiss is a true “noir” film, shot mostly at night in a variety of seedy Manhattan locations. The plot concerns the efforts of boxer Jamie Smith (who also narrates the film) to rescue nightclub dancer Irene Kane from the lecherous maneuvers of club owner Frank Silvera. The much-admired climax finds Smith, Silvera, and the villain’s henchmen pursuing each other in a warehouse filled with grotesque-looking store mannequins.

Kubrick’s second feature (after his disowned Fear and Desire) marked a fascinating start to his career.

 

“In the case of Mr. Kubrick’s own career, the fulfillment came later. But here is the promise.” — Janet Maslin, New York Times