ironhorse_iv When Broadway sensations May Irwin and John Rice recreated their kiss from the hit play 'The Widow Jones', in front of a camera at Thomas Edison's Black Maria Studio. That footage directed by William Heise became a notorious special attention for many years. Now, some modern day viewers might be rolling their eye on the idea that this 18 second film clip was something truly special, back in the day, but it was. People in 1896 really did want to see it! Sometimes, they paid a ticket to watch it in groups, on a projector in a really cold or hot tent at the local public park. Other times, audiences went to stag parties to watch it, alone in a room on a Kinetoscope. Either way, Edison made money. It was the most popular short film, in Thomas Edison Vitascope library. It was so famous that it caused a scandalized uproar and occasioned disapproving newspaper editorials and calls for police action in many places where ever the footage was shown. It even got the Roman Catholic Church's attention, as the pope call for censorship and moral reform, when it comes to the film. It was that scandalous. You might be asking, why. It's just a harmless kiss. Well, it's because kissing in public at the time was viewed as a physical and mental disorder. It was disturbance that people often view, would bring moral chaos to marriages and sexual diseases to the common household. Such acts were forbidden & inappropriate, and if acted, could lead to prosecution. Prim and proper prudish society was really that strict. However, it wasn't only snobbish moral code culture that had a problem with the film. The movie also got in hot water with some nonconformist, free-spirit bohemian critics as well; as they found the two leads, physically-unattractive & lacking chemistry with each other. They didn't find the short film, cute or sexy. They found the public display of affection, a very disgusting piece of art, as the kiss didn't feel genuine. Still, the way John Rice prepares his moustache before the act is quite funny. So, at least, it had that, going for it. Regardless, the kiss does look fake. In response in that, Edison Studios & director, Edwin S. Porter remade the short clip for the general audience in March 9, 1900, with two more attractive younger, leading performers with on-screen chemistry. This time, they made the embrace seem more heart-warming by having them, seem playful and flirtatious cuddling, rather than 'forceful pull you in' nuzzling intimacy, like it seem in the original clip. From what I've gather, this short film was released without any controversy. It even please the church. I suppose as far as early silent era, short film, exclusively about two people kissing goes, the 1900 version is certainly better than the original movie. Still, I have to somewhat agree with some modern viewers, that both short films are not much to look. It's really not that romantic or entertaining as a popcorn flick, nor does it bring a good enough insight on how life is like, back then, as a hard-hitting documentary. In the end, the films falls into mediocracy. Films like 1899's British short silent comedy film, produced and directed by George Albert Smith, 'A Kiss in the Tunnel' are far superior; with its innovating ways of narrative editing. The act of splicing stock train footage with clips of two performers, Laura Bayley and the director, himself, kissing onboard was ground-breaking. Also the use of point-of-view (POV) shot from the "perspective" of a moving train was outstanding. Regardless, all this films deserve some praise, as they were generally considered to be among the first romantic films in movie history. All of them are remarkable. While, 1896's 'the Kiss' is understandably jumpy and scratch. I just surprise, a highly flammable nitrate film clip, this old, is still watchable. Most short-length footage from this era, were destroy by accident fires or on purpose, in order to make room for vault space, as short clips perceived as having little or no commercial value after the end of the silent era. There was no thought of ever saving these films. Lucky for us, 1896's 'the Kiss' is one of the films that continues to be shown. In 1999, the short was deemed "culturally significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. The original rare footage had a strong case of surviving for many years to come. Even with that, the copies of this short movie is easy to find. You should be able to catch this short on DVDs on a number of different anthologies of early films. If not, you can search for it on the internet. There is tons of footage of this short on YouTube, along. So, nothing really stopping you. It's the question, if you really want to watch this short film. While, 1896's 'the Kiss' isn't really entertaining. It's still, worth watching for anybody curious about the early days of film. So, check it out, if you really want to.

love_platipus Hearing what a scandal this caused, you have to wonder what the 1890-oids would think of what goes into movies today. But considering its only about 10 seconds long, you really have got to see this movie. Its a historical landmark. First romance ever filmed people, are you really going to miss that?? Imagine if kissing on screen was still a social taboo? Imagine every romance movie ever made ( Casablanca, Titanic, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Romeo and Juliet, etc. ) minus any physical affection whatsoever. it would be a lot more weird and a lot less fun. Think of what we owe to this film. I think we kind of owe these guys aprox. 10 seconds of our time.

Cineanalyst There are a few historically interesting aspects concerning this film, "The Kiss". It is, perhaps, the earliest filmed kiss. Supposedly, it created some controversy. Later in 1896, "Fatima's Coochee-Coochee Dance", another Edison film, indeed, was censored via white crossbars covering her chest and hips. Furthermore, the framing of this kissing scene is from a medium close-up. The Edison Company had used the medium close-up before, such as in "Edison Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze", which wasn't released commercially, but the photographs of it appeared in a "Harper's Weekly" article.This scene is also from the conclusion of the musical comedy "The Widow Jones", a play by John J. McNally that had premièred the previous year. The Edison filmmakers were obsessed with vaudeville performances, especially dancing, and Alfred Clark had already introduced professional theatrical actors to film with his few historical reenactments, such as "The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots" (1895). Nevertheless, "The Kiss" was new territory for the Edison Company in that it's based on a theatrical play and featured credited professional actors. More than a decade later, various filmmakers attempted to marry cinema and the stage and essentially make film a travesty of theatre.Most remarkable of "The Kiss", however, is that it was a very popular scene. Charles Musser has claimed it was their most popular film of 1896. A March 1898 Catalogue indicates it had an even lengthier period of popularity: "This subject has met with unequaled success on the Kinetoscope or projecting machine." It remained in the Edison catalogues until at least 1901, it appears. The rather new subject matter, its theatrical source and the use of the medium close-up surely led to its popularity. The film must have been quite a novelty when projected on the screen to patrons whose experience, if any, heretofore had been with long shot framing of film subjects.William Heise photographed "The Kiss" in April 1896 at the "Black Maria" studio. The Edison Company made the film at the behest of "The New York World" newspaper, and the photographs appeared in its Sunday edition on 26 April. It nearly took up a page under the article "The Anatomy of a Kiss". As the article demonstrates, May Irwin and John C. Rice rehearsed the scene, especially the timing, before being filmed. The film appeared on the screen during the second week of the Vitascope's New York run. It was a hit; contemporary reviews paid it special mention similar to that of another blockbuster film of the time, "Rough Sea at Dover". Contemporary reviews also note that it appeared prominently at the beginning or end of exhibitors' programs.According to Musser ("Before the Nickelodeon"), Edison Company film sales soared during 1896-1897, from $18,616 in 1895-1896 to $84,771. By 1898-1899, sales had fallen to $41,207. These numbers are surely tied largely to the novelty of the Vitascope and then the fading away of its novelty, but it's interesting to note how they also correspond to the circulation of "The Kiss", which, indeed, has been claimed to be the company's bestseller during the period.Another thing I've noticed about "The Kiss", but for which I haven't found mention of elsewhere, is that there are two versions of it available today; they appear to be mirror images of each other. The Library of Congress paper print features Rice to the left of Irwin, but another print features him to the right of her. Perhaps, the latter is a result of mishandled copying of an original print. Musser has mentioned that the film was photographed only once, and "The New York World" article seems to support that statement. Moreover, the prints appear too similar for one of them to have been a remake. In 1900, however, the Edison Company would remake "The Kiss", but with a different couple. The kiss has been a movie staple ever since.

Brandt Sponseller One of the earliest shorts, The Kiss is a 20 second film produced by Thomas Edison, showing the ending kiss in John J. McNally's play The Widow Jones between the titular character and Billie Bikes.This short is remarkable for a couple reasons. One, it was one of the first publicly exhibited films, and two, it caused a minor scandal because of its "indecency". The scandal seems ridiculous now, although its not far removed in attitude from current cries for censorship in the media.The film itself, although understandably jumpy and scratchy, is remarkable for its clarity, especially when compared to many photographs of the era. The scene depicted is amusing for the two characters talking while their faces are pressed together.You should be able to find this short on DVD on a number of different anthologies of early films.