THE KILLING + KILLER’S KISS [1956 / 1955 / 2015] [Blu-ray] [UK Release]
In All Its Fury and Violence! The Mobs, Molls and Mayhem of New York’s Clip-Joint Jungle!
An ex-con, a corrupt cop, a reformed alcoholic, a wrestler, a sharpshooter and a pair of inside men: these seven men intent on executing the perfect robbery and taking a racetrack for two million dollars. But this is the world of film noir, a tough, sour place where nothing quite goes as planned…
For his third feature Stanley Kubrick adapted Lionel White’s “Clean Break” with a little help from hard-boiled specialist Jim Thompson [‘The Killer Inside Me’], and in doing so created a heist movie classic, one to rank alongside John Huston’s ‘The Asphalt Jungle’ and Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Reservoir Dogs.’ The robbery itself is one of cinema’s great set-pieces, as taut a piece of filmmaking as you’ll ever find, expertly controlled by Stanley Kubrick, who called ‘THE KILLING’ his “first mature work.”
Starring Sterling Hayden [‘Johnny Guitar’ and ‘The Godfather’], perennial fall guy Elisha Cook Jr. [‘The Maltese Falcon’ and ‘The Big Sleep’] and Marie Windsor [‘The Narrow Margin’] as his duplicitous wife, The Killing is quintessential film noir, still as brutal, thrilling and audacious as it was almost six decades ago. Narrated by Art Gilmore.
THE KILLING FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 1957 BAFTA® Film Award: Nominated: Best Film from any Source, USA for ‘THE KILLING.’ Quentin Tarantino has said that ‘THE KILLING’ was a significant influence on his 1992 film, ‘Reservoir Dogs.’ During the robbery sequence, Sterling Hayden wears a cheap clown mask, possibly influencing the Joker Gang's bank robbery scene in ‘The Dark Knight.’
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KILLER’S KISS FILM FACT: Awards and Nominations: 1959 Locarno International Film Festival: Win: Best Director for Stanley Kubrick. In 1983 Matthew Chapman directed ‘Strangers Kiss,’ a film that portrayed the making of ‘KILLER’S KISS.’
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THE KILLING Cast: Sterling Hayden, Coleen Gray, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen, Ted de Corsia, Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr., Joe Sawyer, James Edwards, Timothy Carey, Kola Kwariani, Jay Adler, Tito Vuolo, Dorothy Adams, Herbert Ellis, James Griffith, Cecil Elliott, Joe Turkel, Steve Mitchell, Mary Carroll, William 'Billy' Benedict, Charles Cane, Robert B. Williams, Tom Coleman (uncredited), Rodney Dangerfield (uncredited), Franklyn Farnum (uncredited), John George (uncredited), Art Gilmore (uncredited), Sol Gorss (uncredited), Harry Hines (uncredited), Kenner G. Kemp (uncredited), Carl M. Leviness (uncredited), Hal J. Moore (uncredited), Harvey Parry (uncredited), Richard Reeves (uncredited), Frank Richards (uncredited) and Arthur Tovey (uncredited)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Producers: Alexander Singer and James B. Harris
Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick (screenplay), Jim Thompson (dialogue) and Lionel White (based on the novel "Clean Break")
Composer: Gerald Fried
Cinematography: Lucien Ballard, A.S.C. (Director of Photography)
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KILLER’S KISS Cast: Frank Silvera, Jamie Smith, Irene Kane, Jerry Jarrett, Mike Dana, Felice Orlandi, Shaun O'Brien, Barbara Brand, David Vaughan, Alec Rubin, Ralph Roberts, Phil Stevenson, Arthur Feldman, Bill Funaro, Skippy Adelman, Ruth Sobotka, Jack Curtis (TV announcer voice) (uncredited) and Peggy Lobbin (Gloria Price voice) (uncredited)
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Producers: Morris Bousel and Stanley Kubrick
Screenplay: Stanley Kubrick (story) and Howard Sackler (screenplay) (uncredited)
Composer: Gerald Fried
Cinematography: Stanley Kubrick (Director of Photography)
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Image Resolution: 1080p (Black-and-White)
Audio: English: 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English SDH
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 and 1.37:1
Running Time: 84 minutes and 67 minutes
Region: Region B/2
Number of discs: 1
Studio: United Artists / Arrow Academy
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘THE KILLING’ [1956] has all the ingredients for a classic film noir thriller. An ex-con planning one last score before retiring. A corrupt cop desperate to pay back syndicate money. A bartender who needs money for his wife's medical expenses. A lowly cashier threatened with abandonment by his flashy, money-grubbing wife. A hit-man carrying a lucky horseshoe. They all are part of an elaborate racetrack robbery scheme which goes seriously awry in Stanley Kubrick's third feature and the one which launched his Hollywood career.
Following ‘Fear and Desire’ [1953] and ‘KILLER’S KISS’ [1955], two low-budget features which received limited distribution and were later dismissed by Stanley Kubrick as insignificant, the director wrote a screenplay of Lionel White's novel, “Clean Break.” With his partner, producer James B. Harris, they convinced Sterling Hayden to accept the lead role and once his involvement was secured, United Artists agreed to put up $200,000 which was later supplemented by an additional $120,000, raised privately by James B. Harris. Although it was a low budget production by Hollywood standards, ‘THE KILLING’ marked the first time Kubrick was able to work with a professional crew and established actors. Notice the way Stanley Kubrick takes full advantage of his budgetary limitations by tracking his camera through the cheap cardboard sets, creating a palpable sense of doom and paranoia and it was a technique Stanley Kubrick mastered after watching the films of Max Ophuls.
Marie Windsor, who gives a riveting performance opposite Elisha Cook, Jr. as his conniving, ruthless wife, discussed the making of ‘THE KILLING’ with Mark A. Miller for a “Filmfax” article on her career: "Stanley Kubrick was a very quiet fellow in those days, very introverted. Stanley Kubrick always asked the actors to step off the set for direction and discussion of character. Stanley Kubrick even worked with his crew that way, always with a quiet, calm voice. Stanley Kubrick had every shot planned ahead of time, even to the point of having his then wife, who was an artist and dancer, draw charcoal drawings of every scene. Stanley Kubrick had charts of all the camera angles he would use. But Stanley Kubrick was wonderful to work with and I instinctively knew I should trust his judgment."
While ‘THE KILLING’ shares many similarities with ‘The Asphalt Jungle,’ a 1950 heist thriller that also starred Sterling Hayden, the main difference between the two is that the bank break in John Huston's crime drama was planned by seasoned professionals while Stanley Kubrick's racetrack robbery was the work of desperate men whose flawed characters led to their demise. The climax of ‘THE KILLING’ also evokes memories of the ironic twist ending of The Treasure of the ‘Sierra Madre’ [1948] but any viewer who is well versed in the film noir genre won't be surprised. As Stanley Kubrick himself once said, "In a crime film, it is almost like a bullfight; it has a ritual and a pattern which lays down that the criminal is not going to make it, so that, while you can suspend your knowledge of this for a while, sitting way back in your mind this little awareness knows and prepares you for the fact that he is not going to succeed and that type of ending is easier to accept."
Underneath, ‘THE KILLING’ file there lurks clockwork violence is a pungent layer of irony, something Kubrick would further explore many times later in his career. A vicious symbolism connects disintegrating artificial surfaces and mortally wounded characters, a motif that comes to fruition when George stumbles out of Johnny's apartment late in the film, his face pockmarked with buck shot horrifically personifying the aforementioned paper target. Stanley Kubrick's wicked brand of jet-black irony takes many other forms, especially when Sherry's parrot squawking loudly during her death knell is especially potent. But it's the final image of an ocean of cash blowing in the wind that best echoes the uncontrollable and unseen machinations working against these desperate men. Despite a collective hope for the future, they will always be puppets, no matter how hard each tries to cut the strings of fate. Screw Murphy's Law; this is Stanley Kubrick's Law, and no one makes it out unscathed.
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KILLER’S KISS MUSIC TRACK LIST
LOVE THEME FROM THE SONG “ONCE” (Written by Norman Gimbel and Arden E. Clar)
OH, SUSANNA (uncredited) (Written by Stephen Foster) [Performed by one of the conventioneers on a harmonica]
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Blu-ray Image Quality – Once again Arrow Academy brings to you ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ with a truly outstanding 1080p progressive widescreen image presentation and an equally impressive 1.66:1 and 1.37:1 aspect ratio for both films. Both the ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ films look really excellent and the shadow details are rock solid, as well as the contrast and black levels look consistently strong and details look sharp throughout. Grain looks totally natural; there are no issues with DNR [Digital Noise Reduction] or compression. Once again ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ films looks great as details generally look very good throughout and was a totally enjoyable experience. The transfers for both releases from Arrow Academy is on par with the transfers used for Criterion’s Region A/1 Blu-Ray discs, but I much prefer this Region B/2 release as Arrow Academy always do a totally all-encompassing professional job and an honour to have it in my Blu-ray Collection. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Once again Arrow Academy brings to you ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ film presentations with comes with a stunning and superb 1.0 LPCM Mono Audio experience. ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ audio mix is in great shape, as dialogue is always clear and everything sounds well balanced. Range wise things sound very good considering the limitations of the mono audio mix is in good shape. Throughout ‘THE KILLING’ you get a jazz score can be heard running underneath. The effects throughout the ‘THE KILLING’ are really good and on occasion, especially like the talking parrot’s voice or the gunshots heard also throughout the tense moments of the film. But overall both films with this Arrow Video presentations is really excellent and sounds like The Criterion Collection Region A/1 Blu-ray disc is not such a good audio presentation, so once again three cheers for Arrow Video Blu-ray professional presentation.
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Stanley Kurbrick’s second feature: ‘KILLER’S KISS’ [1955], presented in 1080p High Definition. Here we find Davey Gordon [Jamie Smith], a New York City boxer aging out of his profession, meets dancer Gloria Price [Irene Kane], and they begin a romance. However, their budding relationship is interrupted by Gloria Price's violent boss, Vincent Rapallo [Frank Silvera], who has eyes for his employee. The two decide to skip town, but before they can, Vincent and his thugs abduct Gloria Price, and Davey Gordon is forced to search for her among the most squalid corners of the city, with his enemy hiding in the shadows. ‘KILLER’S KISS’ [1955] is a training manual for guerrilla filmmaking, a combination of Cinéma vérité and classic Hollywood film noir, a flawed mixture of economic filmmaking and budding brilliance. Stanley Kubrick also co-wrote, edited and shot the film in New York City. At sixty-seven minutes, it's a sprint to the finish, but we never feel cheated or rushed. Sometimes an hour is all it takes to tell a good story and develop interesting characters. It's sad to think that Stanley Kubrick's career ended with that bloated piece of rubbish ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ [1999]. Stanley Kubrick passed away shortly before its release and had plans to direct ‘A.I.’ It would've been sweet to see Stanley Kubrick's version and show Steven Spielberg how it should filmed.
Special Feature: The Evolution of a Master: Michel Ciment on Stanley Kubrick’s Films of the 1950s [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [25:40] Critic Michel Ciment discusses Stanley Kubrick’s 1950s films. In an interview recorded in November 2014. Michel Ciment is the Editor of the film magazine “Positif.” In 1980 Michel Ciment published his book “Kubrick.” In this featurette, Michel Ciment reflects on Stanley Kubrick’s films of the 1950s in his home, where Michel Ciment talks about certain Directors that shine above everyone else, especially with their first film and Michel Ciment this is why Stanley Kubrick stands out, who is first class master in the art of filmmaking. But of course even though Stanley Kubrick’s first film was not a great success, he soon left his mark, as well as learning his filmmaking craft very quickly in making films that would make people sit up and take notice and Michel Ciment also mentions Orson Welles as another Director that started out the same way as Stanley Kubrick. Where Orson Wells came up from Radio and Theatre to learn his craft, and from then on money was no object, especially when he entered Hollywood, whereas Stanley Kubrick was born and raised in the Bronx in New York and was very poor, so had to learn quickly to survive, especially in the art of filmmaking. But of course Stanley Kubrick started his career in photography while still in High School at 16 years of age, so already he had a head start in creating photographic images, that people at the LOOK magazine soon realised they had a genius and worked for them for a while to learn his craft. After sometime Stanley Kubrick finally brought out his first film entitled ‘Fear and Desire’ [1953] in Black-and-White, and then went onto other films with a theme of war and they were ‘Paths of Glory’ [1957]; ‘Dr. Strangelove’ [1964] and ‘Full Metal Jacket’ [1987]. Because Stanley Kubrick lived in New York and especially the Bronx, it gave him great influence in the films he wanted to produce at the time and he worshipped the director Elia Kazan, especially with the film ‘On The Waterfront’ [1954], but when Stanley Kubrick made the film ‘THE KILLING’ [1956] which was Stanley Kubrick first film made in Los Angeles, but fundamentally he was a true New Yorker. Although his early films were about conflict, the main themes are based on the early European films of the “film noir” genre. One thing that Stanley Kubrick wanted with screenwriters is new up and coming people, as he found they had a fresh outlook, and especially as they were not professional screenwriters, which Stanley Kubrick hated. Also what Stanley Kubrick liked to use in his early films is the business of “Voice Over” style of telling a story, either with the main character in the film, or an anonymous voice to comment on what is happening in the film, but the third option Stanley Kubrick liked to use to explain what is happening in his film and that is with “Titles” throughout the film, which was Stanley Kubrick’s way of making a statement about the context of his films, that Hollywood hated, because he was seen as a maverick. As we get to the end of this special feature, Michel Ciment mentions that Stanley Kubrick was a massive “Film Buff” and would visit the cinema regular to watch all the old classic films and of course Stanley Kubrick invented the “New Wave Cinema,” and he was an avid reader of “Film Quarterly” that was produced on the West Coast of America and that is what shaped Stanley Kubrick’s style of filmmaking. Interview by Daniel Bird. Produced by Anthony Nield and Francesco Simeoni.
Special Feature: An Interview with Sterling Hayden [1983] [480i] [1.37:1] [15:50] This is a short extract from the French Television series “Le Journal du Cinéma,” and was originally screened on the 22nd November, 1970. Actor Sterling Hayden is seen here being interviewed by French journalists in 1983 on his boat in the Seine in Paris. This is one of the most candid, honest, pragmatic, interesting, intelligent, thought-provoking, real-life adventurers, to ever accidentally stumble into Hollywood. He couldn't act to save his life, and he knew it; but he lived a life so full of adrenalin and excitement, even Indiana Jones could be considered benign in his presence. By the age of 22, he commanded a sailing ship to Tahiti, and went on to become a patriot, U.S. Marines, protagonist, pirate of the Adriatic and Aegean, gunrunner to the Resistance, enemy of the Third Reich, friend to anyone with an honest outlook and a keen sense of humour; and above all, he was genuine. Sterling Hayden was passionate of anyone or anything magnificent; and intolerant of anyone or anything that appeared fraudulent or deceptive. Sterling Hayden was one of a kind; a character of contrast, whose character was as foreign on Sunset Boulevard, as Thomas Jefferson would have been in today's Washington D.C. Sterling Hayden is a modern day Renaissance man, who lived large, and died 23rd May, 1986 a dignified and contented participant of his age. With the French Interviewer, some of it is spoken in French and you have white subtitles, but when English is spoken you get white subtitles in French. Now and again you get some clips from films that Sterling Hayden has appeared in. But what is so shocking is that the quality of the video is absolutely atrocious. Another thing that is totally shocking is that time is very cruel to Sterling Hayden and the beard he is wearing is so totally ridiculous. But as time goes by you can see Sterling Hayden is getting totally bored and annoyed by the stupid French interviewer and also gives the impression that Sterling Hayden wished the interview would end. Despite this, it was still quite an interesting rare video, despite the atrocious quality.
Special Feature: The Killing: An appreciation by filmmaker Ben Wheatley [2014] [1080p] [1.78:1] [11:53] Ben Wheatley is the director of ‘Down Terrace’ [2009]; ‘Kill List’ [2011];’ ‘Sightseers’ [2012];’ ‘A Field in England’ [2013] and ‘High Rise’ [2015]. In this featurette Ben Wheatley talks about Stanley Kubrick the director and the film ‘THE KILLING’ [1956]. Ben Wheatley is a massive fan of the director Stanley Kubrick, but also admires directors like Sam Rami and Peter Jackson. Kevin Wheatley also feels Stanley Kubrick has learnt how to make the camera work and also feels he has a complete rounding of the filmmaking process. When Kevin Wheatley was a young child of around 6 years old, he remembers seeing the film ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ on a small black-and-white TV screen and could not take his eyes off the screen and can still drift back to that moment in time. But from then on Kevin Wheatley starts to realise that it was a Director who made the film possible and when he finally saw the Stanley Kubrick film ‘Dr. Strangelove’ [1964] that is when everything clicked into place. Which made his realise why Stanley Kubrick had an incredible range in his films, and he also realised why Stanley Kubrick understood film, understand the technical side of filmmaking and feels Stanley Kubrick has and enquiring mind as well as being a storyteller. Kevin Wheatley then moves onto what images that stick in his mind with the film ‘THE KILLING,’ especially with madman with the rifle firing a rapid round at the targets, which he felt at the time to be a very violent scene, also when all the money falls out of the suitcase on the airport’s tarmac. Kevin Wheatley also comments on why Stanley Kubrick became infamous for his epic film shoots, where he points out that in the film ‘THE KILLING’ was shot of a very tight schedule for a very modest budget, which helped Stanley Kubrick make the film in a very short period of time. Kevin Wheatley moves onto the subject of the “Indelible Images” and how Stanley Kubrick had a complete understanding of the powerful super strong image, especially when Kevin Wheatley views any Stanley Kubrick film, he personally feels completely out of his depth with the director and feels he is far ahead of his time with anyone else, especially in the early stage of his career as a director. Kevin Wheatley feels today that the film ‘THE KILLING’ is regarded as a classic, but like many of Stanley Kubrick films, it was not at the start of his filmmaking career, that he had immediate success, and points out that critics at the time always gave negative reviews of Stanley Kubrick’s early films, especially with ‘THE KILLING,’ but now the critics are hailing this film as a masterpiece “film noir.” Kevin Wheatley sums up about the film ‘THE KILLING’ as a very important film, which is also a very influential film, and feels Stanley Kubrick is up there with the best directors of his time, especially with his later films. Interview by Daniel Bird. Produced by Anthony Nield and Francesco Simeoni.
Theatrical Trailers: These are the Original Theatrical Trailers for the films ‘THE KILLING’ [1956] [1080i] [1.66:1] [1:48] and ‘KILLER’S KISS’ [1955] [480i] [1.37:1] [1:46]. With both of these Original Theatrical Trailers, the quality is absolutely atrocious and cannot understand why better quality trailers could not have been found. But one really glaring negative aspect of the trailer ‘KILLER’S KISS’ is that at the start for about 15 seconds we just get a blank screen with sound and then near the end for another 15 seconds we just get a blank screen and sound, and to my mind this has got to be the worst film trailer ever to be added to these extras, instead it should have been left on the cutting room floor.
PLUS: A beautiful designed reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Reinhard Kleist. Reinhard Kleist is a German graphic designer and cartoonist. Reinhard Kleist studied graphic design at the Fachhochschule Münster in Germany.
BONUS: A brilliant designed Collector’s 40 page booklet containing new writings by Peter Krämer entitled “A New Boy Wonder: ‘Killer’s Kiss,’ ‘The Killing’ and Stanley Kubrick’s Early Career [2014]; Barry Forshaw entitled “Lionel White: Hardboiled Master” [2014]; and filmmaker Ron Peck “Snakes and Ladders” [2014]. Plus stunning illustrations with original archive stills, “Special Thanks;” “About The Transfer” and “Production Credits.”
Finally, ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ uses many of Stanley Kubrick’s trademarks, like his usual visual flare, especially his close-up shots that foreshadow omens, his attentiveness to detail. Although filmed on a very low budget, ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ are both visually totally impressive than most blockbusters today’s “film noir.” Stanley Kubrick doesn’t have the film move linearly but rather jumps from time to time. Stanley Kubrick uses narrator’s like Art Gilmore for ‘THE KILLING’ and Jamie Smith in the film ‘KILLER’S KISS’ to give both films greater context of the situation, which gives both films a sort of episodic feel to it with great effect. The casting of the films ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ is very strong. Overall, ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ are both great classic black-and-white films by Stanley Kubrick and I can say without doubt that he is one of my favourite directors, perhaps my all-time favourite, and he sure doesn’t disappoint here with these two films. ‘THE KILLING’ + ‘KILLER’S KISS’ are truly great crime “film noir” pictures, and every frame viewed gives you the feeling you are watching films whose aura is completely gripping from start to finish. Both films are true classic crime genres that are brought to the screen by a genius film director of all time. Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
