A Kiss Before Dying

A Kiss Before Dying
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	James Dearden
Produced by	Robert Lawrence
Screenplay by	James Dearden
Story by	Ira Levin
Starring	Matt Dillon Sean Young Max von Sydow Diane Ladd James Russo
Music by	Howard Shore
Cinematography	Mike Southon
Editing by	Michael Bradsell
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	April 26, 1991 (1991-04-26)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	$27 million
Box office	$15,429,177

A Kiss Before Dying (1991) is a British and American neo-noir film. It was directed by James Dearden, and based on the novel of the same name by Ira Levin, whose book won the 1954 Edgar Award for "Best First Novel." It was adapted for the cinema once before as A Kiss Before Dying (1956 film). The drama features Matt Dillon, Sean Young, and others.^[1]

Plot

Jonathan Corliss (Matt Dillon) is a poor college student with aspirations of wealth. While a student at the University of Pennsylvania, he plans to ingratiate himself with the wealthy family of magnate Thor Carlsson (Max von Sydow) and has begun secretly dating Carlsson's daughter Dorothy (Sean Young). When Dorothy learns that she's pregnant, she informs Jonathan that she'll be cut off from the family fortune when her father learns the truth. Jonathan murders her, and makes it look like a suicide; he then fakes his own death, moves to New York and reinvents himself as Jay Faraday, a promising young businessman. Under this guise, he makes the acquaintance of Ellen Carlsson (also played by Young), the late Dorothy's twin sister, and begins courting her.

This time he is more successful, winning Ellen's hand in marriage and a powerful position in his new father-in-law's company. However, Ellen has long been suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her sister's death, and she probes deeper into the supposed suicide. She uncovers alarming facts about some other murders and the identity of her sister's unknown lover.

Cast

• Matt Dillon as Jonathan Corliss
• Sean Young as Ellen/Dorothy Carlsson (playing twins)
• Max von Sydow as Thor Carlsson
• Diane Ladd as Mrs. Corliss
• James Russo as Dan Corelli
• James Bonfanti as Young Jonathan
• Sarah Keller as Lecturer
• Martha Gehman as Patricia Farren
• Lia Chang as Shoe Saleslady
• Yvette Edelhart as Screaming Lady
• Jim Fyfe as Terry Dieter
• Lachele Carl as Reporter
• Briony Glassco as Waitress
• Shane Rimmer as Commissioner Malley
• Adam Horovitz as Jay Faraday

Production

The film was primarily shot in Great Britain, with secondary locations in the United States.

British locations include: Port Talbot steelworks, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales, (opening sequence at "Abbey Coke Ovens area of Port Talbot Steel works, with Main Pumphouse, cooling tower and water storage towers in the background"); Brocket Hall, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England; Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England; Lee International Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England; and London, England.

United States: Charlottesville, Virginia; New York City, New York; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Distribution

The film opened in wide release on April 26, 1991 in the United States.^[2] In England it opened on June 14, 1991.

The box-office receipts were poor. The first week's gross was $4,348,165 and the total receipts for the four week run were $14,478,720. The film was in wide release for thirty-one days.

In its widest release the film was featured in 1,546 theaters across the country.^[3]

Critical reception

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert praised the direction of the picture and Matt Dillon's work, writing, "This is Matt Dillon's first film since Drugstore Cowboy, and demonstrates again that he is one of the best actors working in movies. He possesses the secret of not giving too much, of not trying so hard that we're distracted by his performance...[and director] Dearden helps it work because he doesn't press his point."^[4]

Rolling Stone's Peter Travers was not as kind in his review of this film, especially when compared to the 1956 original. He blasts the screenplay and the direction of the film. He wrote: "Though Dearden gets the surface right – the movie looks sleek – he skimps on characterization...[and] Dearden's script fails to provide the raw material that would let him go beyond the stereotype...Dearden merely walks the cast through a gauntlet of film noir cliches".^[5]

The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 31% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 13 reviews.^[6]

Comparisons to novel

While leaving Corliss' character basically unchanged (other than renaming him Jonathan), the film drastically changed the story of the novel.

Corliss fakes his own suicide after murdering Dorothy, and re-emerges as "Jay Faraday" to woo and marry Dorothy's sister, Ellen (the third sister, Marion, does not appear in either film version).

The "Grant" character in the novel was rewritten as a homicide detective who had investigated Dorothy's death. Also Corliss meets his end while attempting to kill Ellen after she discovers who he really is; while chasing her down, and for the sake of irony, he is run over by one of her father's trains.^[7]

Unsolicited awards

Wins

• Golden Raspberry Awards: Razzie Award; Worst Actress, Sean Young, for playing the twin who survives; 1992.
• Golden Raspberry Awards: Razzie Award; Worst Supporting Actress, Sean Young, for playing the twin who's murdered; 1992.

See also

Novels portal

• A Kiss Before Dying (novel)
• A Kiss Before Dying, 1956 film
• Baazigar, 1993 Bollywood film

References

External links

• A Kiss Before Dying at the Internet Movie Database
• A Kiss Before Dying at Box Office Mojo
• A Kiss Before Dying at DVD Beaver (includes images)
• A Kiss Before Dying film trailer at ReelzChannel