Kiss Me Deadly
Kiss Me Deadly is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing in their feature film debuts. The film follows a private investigator in Los Angeles who becomes embroiled in a complex mystery after picking up a female hitchhiker. The screenplay was written by Aldrich and A.I. Bezzerides, based on the 1952 crime novel Kiss Me, Deadly by Mickey Spillane.
| Kiss Me Deadly | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Aldrich |
| Screenplay by | A.I. Bezzerides Robert Aldrich (uncredited) |
| Based on | Kiss Me, Deadly 1952 novel by Mickey Spillane |
| Produced by | Robert Aldrich |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Ernest Laszlo |
| Edited by | Michael Luciano |
| Music by | Frank De Vol |
Production company | Parklane Pictures |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $410,000 |
| Box office | $726,000 (USA/Canada) $226,000 (foreign) 436,699 admissions (France) |
Kiss Me Deadly grossed $726,000 in the United States and $226,000 overseas. The film received the condemnation of the Kefauver Commission, which accused it of being "designed to ruin young viewers", a verdict that director Aldrich protested. Despite initial critical disapproval, it is considered one of the most important and influential film noirs of all time.
The film has been noted as a stylistic precursor to the French New Wave, and has been cited as a major influence on a number of filmmakers, including François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Alex Cox, and Quentin Tarantino. In 1999, Kiss Me Deadly was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".