A Kiss Before Dying (1956 film)
| A Kiss Before Dying | |
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theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Gerd Oswald |
| Produced by | Robert L. Jacks |
| Screenplay by | Lawrence Roman |
| Based on |
A Kiss Before Dying (1953 novel) by Ira Levin |
| Starring |
Robert Wagner Jeffrey Hunter Virginia Leith Joanne Woodward Mary Astor |
| Music by | Lionel Newman |
| Cinematography | Lucien Ballard |
| Edited by | George A. Gittens |
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Production
company |
Crown Productions
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| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
A Kiss Before Dying is a 1956 American color film noir, directed by Gerd Oswald in his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Lawrence Roman, based on Ira Levin's 1953 novel of the same name, which won the 1954 Edgar Award for "Best First Novel." The drama stars Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith, Joanne Woodward, and Mary Astor. It was remade in 1991 under the same title.
Wagner plays a charming, intelligent man who will stop at nothing to get his life where he wants it to go. His problem is a pregnant woman — played by Joanne Woodward in one of her first film roles — who loves him. The solution involves desperate measures.
Bud Corliss (Robert Wagner) is an ambitious student who is wooing Dorothy Kingship (Joanne Woodward) purely for her father's mining fortune. When he discovers that Dorothy is pregnant with his child, he realizes she is quite likely to be disinherited by her wealthy family. He assures Dorothy that he'll take care of her, yet he hesitates when Dorothy insists on marrying. Bud then murders Dorothy and stages it in a way that it appears to be a suicide. He then reaches out to her sister Ellen (Virginia Leith) with the hopes of marrying her in order to ingratiate himself with her father. After a couple of months Ellen finds evidence to question the suicide verdict, and then discovers that Bud knew Dorothy. Ellen struggles to avenge her sister and save her own life.
Cast notes:
Darryl F. Zanuck bought the rights to the book in August 1953, following the bidding of many studios. His public announcement revealed that Wagner would star in the lead. The role of Dwight Powell, played in the film by Robert Quarry, was initially to be played by Martin Milner, but Milner had to drop out because of schedule changes.
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