A Kiss Before Dying

Released Jun 12, 1956

1h 34m

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

Drama

List

100%

11 Reviews

Tomatometer

47%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Amoral Bud Corliss (Robert Wagner) pursues young heiress Dorie Kingship (Joanne Woodward) in the hopes of getting his hands on the fortune amassed by her father (George Macready). But after Dorie succumbs to Bud's charms and becomes pregnant as a result, he fears she'll be cut off by the family and murders her in a fashion that makes it look as if the poor girl committed suicide. When Bud tries to cozy up with Dorie's grieving sister, Ellen (Virginia Leith), she begins to suspect his intentions.

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Variety Staff

Variety

This multiple-murder story is an offbeat sort of film, with Robert Wagner portraying a calculating youth who intends to allow nothing to stand in his way to money... Gerd Oswald's restrained direction suits the mood.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Paul Taylor

Time Out

Wagner is perfect as the college kid psycho coolly removing the pregnant Woodward from his life.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Its very much a product of its time, handsome and smoothly directed in Technicolor and CinemaScope by Gerd Oswald with a modest style that anticipates the romantic thrillers of the 1960s...

Mar 20, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A silky-smooth adaptation of Ira Levin's first novel.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 19, 2020

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Based on Ira Levin's (admittedly superior) novel...

Rated: 2.5/4

Jul 14, 2020

Full Review

Adrian Turner

Radio Times

This is a fine adaptation of Rosemary's Baby author Ira Levin's dark tale about a social climber who kills his wealthy girlfriend when her pregnancy threatens her inheritance.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 30, 2015

Full Review

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Steve D

Dark, depressing but well made.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A very interesting film with up coming stars at the time, good cinematography

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Robert Wagner's character might be one of cinema's worst serial killers, but the film is a good study of a psychopath. It is also cool to see the young Wagner and Joanne Woodward (her second film) working together.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Really enjoyed this colour film noir and it has Jeffrey Hunter from Star Trek

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A classic. The scenes of the University of Arizona, downtown Tucson, and the desert in the 1950s are breathtaking to see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Robert Wagner basically played himself in this movie. Chilling to see him throw his rich girlfriend off a tall building the way he threw his rich wife Natalie Wood off a boat then staged it to look like "an accident" Life certainly imitates art, a must see!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

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Gerd Oswald

Director

Robert Wagner

Bud Corliss

Virginia Leith

Ellen Kingship

Joanne Woodward

Dorothy "Dorie" Kingship

Jeffrey Hunter

Gordon Grant

Mary Astor

Mrs. Corliss

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A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - A Simple Matter of Chemistry

2:16

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - Please Forgive Me for Everything

2:26

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - Poison Pills

2:12

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - The Killer Is Still Free

2:20

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - A Murderer Revealed

3:11

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - Death and Consequences

1:41

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - Caught in the Alley

1:25

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - Something Borrowed, Something Blue

2:38

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - Seeing a Ghost

1:12

A Kiss Before Dying: Official Clip - Love Conquers All

2:07

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Synopsis

Amoral Bud Corliss (Robert Wagner) pursues young heiress Dorie Kingship (Joanne Woodward) in the hopes of getting his hands on the fortune amassed by her father (George Macready). But after Dorie succumbs to Bud's charms and becomes pregnant as a result, he fears she'll be cut off by the family and murders her in a fashion that makes it look as if the poor girl committed suicide. When Bud tries to cozy up with Dorie's grieving sister, Ellen (Virginia Leith), she begins to suspect his intentions.

Director: Gerd Oswald
Screenwriter: Lawrence Roman
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Crown Productions
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 12, 1956, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008
Runtime: 1h 34m

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