''The Kiss'' is a 1929 American silent drama film directed by

Jacques Feyder Jacques Feyder (; 21 July 1885 – 24 May 1948) was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the US, Britain and Germany. He was a director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930 ...

, starring

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragedy, ...

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

, and

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film '' All Quiet on the Western Fr ...

in his first feature film. Based on a short story by George M. Saville, ''The Kiss'' bears the same title as the

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

that "shocked" the American public by being the first motion picture to depict a couple kissing. This 1929 production is notable for being the last major silent film released by

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

(MGM) and the final silent performances by both Garbo and Conrad Nagel. Although this film is not entirely silent, MGM did take partial advantage of the new sound technology and released ''The Kiss'' with an orchestral score and

sound effect A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...

s recorded by the Movietone system.

Plot

The story is set in 1929 and begins inside the

Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon The Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon (french: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon) is a municipal museum of fine arts in the French city of Lyon. Located near the Place des Terreaux, it is housed in a former Benedictine convent which was active during the 1 ...

, 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 Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

. 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."Dialog recorded and transcribed directly from

intertitles In films, an intertitle, also known as a title card, is a piece of filmed, printed text edited into the midst of (i.e., ''inter-'') the photographed action at various points. Intertitles used to convey character dialogue are referred to as "dialo ...

in ''The Kiss'', which was broadcast in its entirety on

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

(TCM) on August 28, 2018. Turner Broadcasting System, a subsidiary of Time Warner, Inc., New York, N.Y. 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 A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...

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. 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." 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. 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."

Cast

as Irene Guarry *

as André Dubail *

Holmes Herbert Holmes Herbert (born Horace Edward Jenner; 30 July 1882 – 26 December 1956) was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952, often as a British gentleman. Early life Born Horace Edward Jenner, (some sou ...

as Lassalle *

Anders Randolf Anders Randolf (December 18, 1870 – July 2, 1930) was a Danish American actor in American films from 1913 to 1930. Biography Anders was born in Viborg, Denmark, where he became a professional soldier in the Danish army and a world-class sw ...

as Charles Guarry *

as Pierre Lassalle * George Davis as Durant, a private investigator * André Cheron as the prosecutor (uncredited)

Production notes

*During casting for ''The Kiss'', Garbo recommended

Nils Asther Nils Anton Alfhild Asther (17 January 1897 – 19 October 1981)Swedi ...

for the role as her lover André.Passafiume, Andrea
"Articles: The Kiss (1929)"

(TCM), Turner Broadcasting System, Time Warner, Inc., New York, N.Y. Retrieved September 3, 2018. Asther had been born in Denmark but, like Garbo, had grown up in Sweden, an association with the actress that only enhanced his reputation as "the male Greta Garbo" in the film industry and among movie fans. In addition, he had already costarred with her in two of MGM's recent film successes and was still under contract with the studio. Nevertheless, despite those apparent advantages held by Asther and Garbo's strong support for him to join the cast, the part was assigned to Conrad Nagel. *By early September 1929, ''The Kiss'' was already being filmed at MGM, although the studio had yet to announce publicly a title for the production. According to the

trade paper A trade magazine, also called a trade journal or trade paper (colloquially or disparagingly a trade rag), is a magazine or newspaper whose target audience is people who work in a particular trade or industry. The collective term for this ...

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'', a dozen feature films were simultaneously under way at that time at MGM. All but one were "

talkers ''Talkers Magazine'' is a trade-industry publication related to talk radio in the United States. Its slogan is "The Bible of Talk Radio and the New Talk Media". In addition to radio, it also covers talk shows on broadcast and cable television, a ...

". "The only silent picture being filmed", reported ''The Film Daily'', "is Greta Garbo’s new untitled European romance now being directed by Jacques Feyder". *The visually striking

Art Déco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

interior sets in ''The Kiss'' were designed by legendary MGM art director and

production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...

Cedric Gibbons Austin Cedric Gibbons (March 23, 1890 – July 26, 1960) was an Irish-American art director for the film industry. He also made a significant contribution to motion picture theater architecture from the 1930s to 1950s. Gibbons designed the ...

.Edwards, Anne (2006)
"Designing Films: The Art Déco Years"
''

Architectural Digest ''Architectural Digest'' is an American monthly magazine founded in 1920. Its principal subjects are interior design and landscaping, rather than pure external architecture. The magazine is published by Condé Nast, which also publishes internati ...

'', March 2006. Retrieved September 5, 2018. Gibbons' bold, high-fashion sets in the film were intended to emphasize the French style and serve as "vital elements" in the production, especially in a silent offering like ''The Kiss'', which had to compete at its release with many other motion pictures that featured the new "exciting" element of recorded dialog.

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. ''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."Waly." (1929)
"The Kiss (Silent)"
review, ''Variety'' (New York, N.Y.), November 20, 1929, page 30. Internet Archive. Retrieved September 2, 2018. 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. The publication felt that both Garbo's performance and her physical appearance in the film were actually enhanced by its silent format: Film critic

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934.Hall, Mordaunt (1932)
"THE SCREEN; A Silent Miss Garbo"
archives of ''The New York Times'', November 16, 1929. Retrieved September 10, 2018. "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." ''

''—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."The Kiss"
review, ''The Film Daily'' (New York, N.Y.), November 17, 1929, page 9. Internet Archive. Retrieved September 2, 2018. ''The Film Daily'' in the heading of its review for ''The Kiss'' mistakingly labels the film an “All-Talker”. "The subject matter", wrote ''The Film Daily'', "is too tragic, and the ending not the type that the average fan looks for." 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. The film, though, surprised studio executives by making a significant profit and becoming Garbo's second most successful silent picture, ranking only behind ''

Flesh and the Devil ''Flesh and the Devil'' is an American silent romantic drama film released in 1927 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 P ...

'' with John Gilbert, which had been released three years earlier. 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 heatre. Seven decades after its initial release, ''The Kiss'' has been recognized as one of the notable portrayals of romance in cinematic history. In 2002, the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

placed the MGM classic on its list of 400 nominations in its "100 Years/100 Passions" poll to determine "America's Greatest Love Stories". The movie enthusiasts or "jurors" who voted in that 2002 poll did not include ''The Kiss'' and various other silent productions in their final selection of 100 films. In fact, only four non-talkers—''

Way Down East ''Way Down East'' is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play ''Way Down East'' by Lottie Blair Parker. There we ...

'' (1920), Rudolph Valentino's '' The Sheik'' (1921), ''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

'' (1927), and Charlie Chaplin's ''

City Lights ''City Lights'' is a 1931 American silent romantic comedy film written, produced, directed by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. The story follows the misadventures of Chaplin's Tramp as he falls in love with a blind girl (Virginia Cherrill) and ...

'' (1931)—were chosen for AFI's top-100 "Greatest Love Stories" list."AFI's 100 GREATEST LOVE STORIES OF ALL TIME"
list highlighted in the American television special "The AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions", originally broadcast on June 11, 2002, and hosted by

Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of the title character on the CBS sitcom ''Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also know ...

. AFI. Retrieved September 2, 2018.

References

External links

* * *
''The Kiss'' (1929) details
virtual-history.com; accessed September 8, 2015. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiss, The 1929 romantic drama films 1929 films American black-and-white films Films directed by Jacques Feyder Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American silent feature films American romantic drama films 1920s American films Silent romantic drama films Silent American drama films