Scandalous And Memorable

I just love kisses! Chocolate ones, French ones, wild ones, innocent ones, hot-blooded ones ... you get the idea. I also enjoy watching screen kisses. But what makes a memorable screen kiss? And what makes a scandalous kiss? Is it the passion, the circumstances, the unpredictability, the dialogue before, the sexiness or eroticism, the cinematography...?

Although regarded as disgusting and scandalous and prompting demands for censorship, May Irwin and John Rice re-enacted a lingering kiss for Thomas Edison's film camera in this 20-second long short, from their 1895 Broadway stage play "The Widow Jones".


It was the first film ever made of a couple kissing in cinematic history, and became the most popular film produced that year by Edison's film company.








... and another memorable screen kiss:
The first Best Picture winner "Wings" (1927) was also noted as portraying the first on-screen male-male kiss on the lips, when a handsome young soldier John "Jack" Powell (Charles "Buddy" Rogers) placed a lingering kiss on the mouth of his friend David Armstrong (Richard Arlen).






"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (1921)
This long war epic featured Argentinian Julio's (Rudolph Valentino) sexy - but forbidden - tango dance and kissing scene in a smoke-filled Argentinian cantina.

My Granny still swoons for that kissing-scene! (And for Rudolph)

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"From here to Eternity" (1953) has always been most famous for its clothed, entwined beach embrace and forbidden kissing between Army Sergeant Warden (Burt Lancaster) and adulterous Army Captain's wife Karen Holmes (Deborah Kerr) in the churning Hawaiian waves that covered them, on a summer night on a deserted sandy beach; after their clinch, she rose, pranced up the sand, and collapsed onto their blanket; Warden followed and stood above her, dropped to his knees, and found her lips in his, and then Karen breathlessly spoke: "I never knew it could be like this. Nobody ever kissed me the way you do".
He asked: "Nobody?"
"No, nobody", she replied.
"Not even one, out of all the men you've been kissed by?" he asked. "Can't you give me a rough estimate?"
"Not without an adding machine. Do you have your adding machine with you?"
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Don't Look Now (1973)
As a prelude to a scandalous/notorious love scene, a married and grieving couple visiting in Vienna, Laura Baxter (Julie Christie) and John (Donald Sutherland), were preparing for dinner by showering-bathing and relaxing languorously together; she stated: "You've got toothpaste all over your mouth", to which he replied: "Eat if off!"
She responded with a kiss, and a playful stroking of his naked backside as they both stretched out on a bed; the explicit scene of their kissing and love-making was intercut with scenes of them dressing for a night out.





In Werner Herzog's German version of the classic Bram Stoker tale and F.W. Murnau's silent "Nosferatu" (1922), the tortured, bald, rat-fanged and pointy-eared Count Dracula/Nosferatu (Klaus Kinski) first attempted to have Lucy Harker (Isabelle Adjani), and told her as his distorted shadow preceded him into the room behind wide-eyed Lucy's reflection in the mirror:
"You must excuse my rude entrance. I am Count Dracula" - he then offered: "Come to me and be my ally... the absence of love is the most abject pain!"
But she refused him.
Later, the pure and virginal Lucy offered herself up sacrificially to the vampire; with a pale face and wearing a white gown, she was lying perfectly still and awaiting his 'kiss'; as he groped her breast with his long fingered-hand, he slowly descended to bite her neck and feed upon her; her ploy to keep him there paid off - the rising sun's light from her window sealed the Count's fate.
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"Sherlock Jr.", 1934
This classic silent movie included a scene of lovelorn projectionist and flustered Detective Sherlock, Jr. (Buster Keaton) kissing his sweetheart (Kathryn McGuire) in the projection booth when he followed and imitated the cues of the leading-man screen actor kissing his girl on the big screen.


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"Risky Business" from 1983 is a sex comedy, with affluent Chicagoan Joel Goodson (Tom Cruise in a star-making role) and hooker Lana (Rebecca DeMornay) in their first steamy encounter as the patio doors flew open and she swept naked into his arms.
(Now that should happen to me and Abbie!)

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"A Room With a View" (1986)
In this typically-Edwardian, Merchant Ivory-produced repressed romance, young feisty, passionate and ravishing Britisher Miss Lucy Honeychurch's (Helena Bonham Carter) heart and sexuality were awakened during a chaperoned trip to Florence - after an unexpected, sensuous and impetuous kiss in a wheat field by handsome and intense free-spirited admirer George Emerson (Julian Sands), she was forced to break her engagement to prissy suitor Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis).
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Aaaaw, most memorable is the Prince's gentle kiss of Snow White's red lips for farewell.










The Sea Beast (1926)
This romanticized silent screen film was loosely based on the Herman Melville tale of Moby Dick; John Barrymore starred as hard-loving, peg-legged roustabout seaman Captain Ahab Ceeley; in one infamous scene, four takes of the same kiss-embrace were spliced together to extend the male star's kiss with co-star Dolores Costello (Barrymore's future real-life wife), who reportedly fainted afterwards!
There you have it! And it wasn't even Guy, who kissed her.




In "Don Juan", 1926 - the first Vitaphone feature film in which music and sound effects were synchronized and integrated into the film action, it was reported by Warner Bros' press agents that 42 year-old star John Barrymore kissed his two leading ladies, Estelle Taylor (as Lucretia Borgia) and 17 year old Mary Astor (as Adriana Della Varnese) 127 times in this film, plus smooches with other female companions that added up to a grand total of 191 kisses! Wow!




Is there any chance for a remake?
Who wants to see Vincent in Don Juan's role? Or in any other one?
Yeah, me too! He needs to do more kisses! (at least on the screen)

Have a hot Sunday, Vixens!

24 comments:

  1. Whoa there girlfriend! This is the most awesome post ... I have always loved how VDO manages to pay homage to other bits of cinematic history in his work - the ultimate accolade being "Five Minutes Mr Welles" which , sadly and shamefully, has no love scene for our hero to further titilate our taste-buds with. Only kidding Vincent, we don't mind (too much) if you keep your clothes on.

    Did I really just admit to that? O BAD VIXEN, LOZZIE! NAUGHTY VIXEN!

    ::hangs head in shame::

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  2. Anonymous12:36 PM

    What a wonderful - and informative post!

    I find myself appalled that the last time Vincent kissed, and was properly kissed back, on screen was in 'Thumbsucker' *weeps tears of utter frustration at this shameful waste*

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  3. It is indeed a ghastly waste of the man's obvious screen snogability.

    Vincent's always said he doesn't see Goren as the snogging sort but, as the new season purportedly opens with him having a meal with *gasp, shock, horror* A WOMAN, who knows what will happen?

    My last campaign, to "Get Goren Dancing In Season Seven", was a dreadful disaster. But perhaps we should start a Get Goren's Leg Over (Me) In Season Eight campaign, what do you think ..?

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  4. great idea, lozzie! count me in for your campaign.
    not that bad either would be
    "Get Vincent's Leg (his whole damned sexy body!) Over Me All Nite Long"

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  5. Anonymous4:20 PM

    Um...not wishing to rain on any parades, the spoiler for 'Faithfully' only mentioned a 'family dinner'. Vincent has always said giving Bobby a girlfriend would be too 'soap' for the show, so I like to imagine that Detective Goren he has a ferocious sex life, we're just not allowed to see it :0)

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  6. oh, doubtless his bed (and other places) is busy. i mean, hey - Bobby is flirting in so many episodes!
    sometimes i wonder how he finds time to make his police job!?!

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  7. Diane you are right, of course, but I cannot help but make stone soup with little tantalising bits and pieces like that.

    My poor brain just gets its lip hooked on an idea and then makes the entire reel of fishing line play out.

    I naturally go from the words "a family dinner scene and a sweet invitation to more of the same from a little girl named Molly" STRAIGHT to the supposition that Goren is having dinner with an attractive widowed woman he met at the bodega where he was buying dishwashing liquid; he bonds especially with the little girl Molly who - according to her mother - hasn't really spoken to another adult male since her husband died; Molly's mother is also 'in repair'; Goren talks around the subject of his family and what has happened to them; looks rueful when she asks "Do you have any kids, Bobby?"; the child goes to bed; Molly's mother tries to persuade Goren to stay with her but he is too fucked up/gentlemanly and says "I'm sorry, it's too soon. I'd like to get to know you better first"; kisses her gently but with passion; half of North America's red-blooded women faint dead away at the end of this scene and cause seismic disturbances from California all the way over to Vermont.

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  8. i feel the waves!

    but i don't want to see ANY mother in my vincent fantasies.

    dishwashing liquid YES
    mothers NO

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  9. I feel like an eavesdropper!

    That was a truly erudite post, peppered with delectable pictures of the world's most snoggable man.

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  10. Great post! Informative and hot at the same time.

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  11. Anonymous7:37 PM

    No, see, I have Bobby having it away with some VERY willing female he met 5 minutes ago (who bears a striking resemblance to me, but is taller, younger and FAR more attractive), pinned against a wall, their tongues mutually locked in lust, his hands wander up, as her hands wander down to fondly caress his........Hey, I'm SURE you can make up the rest!

    Given that even things in trailers don't necessarily make it into the finalised version (Eames: 'This is my LIFE' bit from 'Amends') I'm holding fire 'til I - finally - get to see 'Faithfully'. Bearing in mind that 'Depths' was the first episode filmed for Season 7, it ended up not being shown first. Who knows the wonders of the workings of USA by the time we're 'allowed' Season 8 episodes?!

    I also meant to say I always thought that very first picture from 1895 was of two MEN kissing, and that the Victorians were more 'enlightened' than I'd thought! Thanks for the history lesson on that one Jazzy.

    OK, I'm shutting up now - promise ;0)

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  12. Diane - PROMISE ME NEVER TO SHUT UP ...

    I know what you mean about the trailer bits not making it into the finished product. What about for "Untethered" - where the prison warder bitch woman says to Ross and Eames "You may be a little shocked by his appearance .."

    ~wibble, wibble~

    I think that was the Line That Launched A Thousand Fan Fics :-D

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  13. Jazzy, Lozzie and Diane......I smell smoke. You ladies in need of more batteries for your "B.O.B."s?!?!?!

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  14. Anonymous9:36 PM

    My imagination doesn't need batteries ;0)

    ...and there goes the promise to shut up!

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  15. What's the opposite of a Gagging Order? I want one for Diane. :-D

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  16. I always knew blogging was educational :-D

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  17. Wow, Jazzy! I think this most informative and intellectual post qualifies you for a ph.D in "D'Onofrio Studies!" As well as honors for your "Kissing D'Onofrio" thesis!

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  18. Ohhhh. And here I sit all alone! Gee thanks, LOL.

    Blogging snogging. I love that word 'snogging' don't use it here but it's a good word!

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  19. Anonymous3:42 PM

    Jazzy, great Pics and a great topic. 1++++ tanks

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  21. What an amazing post – brilliant, simply brilliant. The work you put into this astounding post is remarkable. It’s not only educational and entertaining it is also visually stunning. The way you intertwined the old films in with Vincent’s films was masterful. I love Sundays.

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  22. Happy to see you liking that kissing-post!
    Blow kisses to you, everyone :)

    Oh, by the way, my personal fave kiss E.V.E.R. is the Walt Disney's Lady/Tramp "Shared Spaghetti Kiss"

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  23. I'd love to eat spaghetti with Vincent for that very reason, Jazzy ...

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  24. Just one thing I need to say_VINCENT IS THE BEST AND HOTTEST KISSER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD..EVER!!;)))

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