The Death Kiss

Rating:
Summary: Don't Kiss This One Off
Review: A clever whodunit, set in a vintage Hollywood movie studio, that reunited three stars from the acclaimed 1931 release, "Dracula". When the star of the fictional production "The Death Kiss" is murdered on the film set during a take, screenwriter David Manners (top-billed here) launches his own investigation into how and why the murder was committed. Among the many suspects are Bela Lugosi as a suspicious production manager and Edward Van Sloan as the film's bombastic director. Manners' detective work involves touring the many different departments at the studio, offering an intriguing look at how early talkies were made. The script includes some subtle satire of early 1930's film personalities (now who could the studio head whose every statement is a malapropism be?!) and there are plenty of red herrings thrown in to complicate the plot. The mystery is solid, and the studio setting is guaranteed to appeal to cinema buffs.

The DVD's biggest drawback is the source print from which the video transfer was mastered. "The Death Kiss" has been in the public domain for many years, and is desperately in need of restoration. There are many breaks in the film during which bits of dialogue are lost; these "jumps" are particularly plentiful during the first half of the DVD. Still ... until a better transfer comes along (which is admittedly unlikely), this is definitely one worth adding to your home video collection, particularly for the fine cast and the unusual setting.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Kiss This One Off
Review: A clever whodunit, set in a vintage Hollywood movie studio, that reunited three stars from the acclaimed 1931 release, "Dracula". When the star of the fictional production "The Death Kiss" is murdered on the film set during a take, screenwriter David Manners (top-billed here) launches his own investigation into how and why the murder was committed. Among the many suspects are Bela Lugosi as a suspicious production manager and Edward Van Sloan as the film's bombastic director. Manners' detective work involves touring the many different departments at the studio, offering an intriguing look at how early talkies were made. The script includes some subtle satire of early 1930's film personalities (now who could the studio head whose every statement is a malapropism be?!) and there are plenty of red herrings thrown in to complicate the plot. The mystery is solid, and the studio setting is guaranteed to appeal to cinema buffs.

The DVD's biggest drawback is the source print from which the video transfer was mastered. "The Death Kiss" has been in the public domain for many years, and is desperately in need of restoration. There are many breaks in the film during which bits of dialogue are lost; these "jumps" are particularly plentiful during the first half of the DVD. Still ... until a better transfer comes along (which is admittedly unlikely), this is definitely one worth adding to your home video collection, particularly for the fine cast and the unusual setting.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Low-budget Whodunit
Review: A film that stars Bela Lugosi, David Manners and Edward Van Sloan might have fans expecting to see another Dracula, but this film is instead a pretty nifty mystery set in a Hollywood studio. The obnoxious leading man is shot down on the set of his latest movie. Whodunnit? The producer, Bela Lugosi? The screenwriter, David Manners? The director, Edward Van Sloan? Or was it someone else who might have had a grudge? Set in a real studio, Tiffany, the film is an interesting behind-the-set look at a studio's workings. The acting is superb and the film transfer sharp, clear and audible. A bargain for the price.

Rating:
Summary: Nifty little thriller
Review: I picked up this DVD even though I had never seen the movie before because I figured, it's inexpensive and it has Bela Lugosi in it, so how can I go wrong. I was pleased to discover that this is a pretty good mystery, with a charming performance from David Manners and a few twists to the plot. I would have liked to see more of Bela as a studio executive.

The only thing that keeps me from giving this 5 stars is the fact that, as other reviewers have mentioned, the picture and sound quality is not the best. I don't always mind the scatches, because it can add to the "old movie" atmosphere, but there are too many instances of missed dialogue and skips in the picture.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable little who-dun-it featuring Bela Lugosi
Review: The Death Kiss (1933) is actually a fairly interesting little who-dun-it mystery. The drama unfolds on the set of a movie called-predictably-The Death Kiss. The big scene features a gang of thugs gunning down the character played by Miles Brent after he receives a Judas kiss from a stranger played, wouldn't you know it, by Brent's ex-wife Marcia Lane. To everyone's surprise, Brent doesn't get back up after the scene is finished; this is especially sad given the fact that his death swoon was not convincing enough to satisfy the director. An uproar ensues when it becomes clear that Brent was murdered. None of the eight guns used in the scene turns out to be the murder weapon, complicating matters for the police. Further complicating the work of detectives is the insinuation of studio mystery writer Franklyn Drew into the investigation. Drew basically takes over the investigation himself, while the detectives remain a step or two behind him at all times. Everyone is a suspect to some degree, including studio executives. When the first suspected perpetrator apparently kills himself after being proven innocent, the plot becomes even more complicated. Marcia Lane has a clear motive, and all of the clues keep pointing in her direction, but her boyfriend Drew, with the help of the comically inept head of studio security, is determined to prove her innocence.

One of the suspects is studio manager Joseph Steiner, played by the incomparable and quite dashing Bela Lugosi. This seems something of an odd role for Lugosi to have played two years after bringing Count Dracula to life, for it is a bit of a minor part. Here Lugosi sports a bow tie and actually smiles good-naturedly a time or two; he does have one scene in which he gets rather perturbed, though, so Lugosi fans such as myself can take delight in getting at least one quick glance of the classic Lugosi scowl.

This movie is both a comedy and a murder mystery; seemingly, all murder mysteries of the era were required to have a Keystone Kops element to them. The comedic elements seem needless at first but somehow become rather endearing by the end. The mystery is also pretty compelling, and I admit my guess as to the identity of the murderer was incorrect. Besides the inclusion of Bela Lugosi in the cast, this movie is also somewhat significant for offering an early behind-the-scenes look at how the still rather revolutionary talkies were produced. Lugosi fans should enjoy seeing a softer side of the legendary actor, and I believe the movie is quite capable of sustaining the interest of even modern-day viewers.

Rating:
Summary: An enjoyable little who-dun-it featuring Bela Lugosi
Review: The Death Kiss (1933) is actually a fairly interesting little who-dun-it mystery. The drama unfolds on the set of a movie called-predictably-The Death Kiss. The big scene features a gang of thugs gunning down the character played by Miles Brent after he receives a Judas kiss from a stranger played, wouldn't you know it, by Brent's ex-wife Marcia Lane. To everyone's surprise, Brent doesn't get back up after the scene is finished; this is especially sad given the fact that his death swoon was not convincing enough to satisfy the director. An uproar ensues when it becomes clear that Brent was murdered. None of the eight guns used in the scene turns out to be the murder weapon, complicating matters for the police. Further complicating the work of detectives is the insinuation of studio mystery writer Franklyn Drew into the investigation. Drew basically takes over the investigation himself, while the detectives remain a step or two behind him at all times. Everyone is a suspect to some degree, including studio executives. When the first suspected perpetrator apparently kills himself after being proven innocent, the plot becomes even more complicated. Marcia Lane has a clear motive, and all of the clues keep pointing in her direction, but her boyfriend Drew, with the help of the comically inept head of studio security, is determined to prove her innocence.

One of the suspects is studio manager Joseph Steiner, played by the incomparable and quite dashing Bela Lugosi. This seems something of an odd role for Lugosi to have played two years after bringing Count Dracula to life, for it is a bit of a minor part. Here Lugosi sports a bow tie and actually smiles good-naturedly a time or two; he does have one scene in which he gets rather perturbed, though, so Lugosi fans such as myself can take delight in getting at least one quick glance of the classic Lugosi scowl.

This movie is both a comedy and a murder mystery; seemingly, all murder mysteries of the era were required to have a Keystone Kops element to them. The comedic elements seem needless at first but somehow become rather endearing by the end. The mystery is also pretty compelling, and I admit my guess as to the identity of the murderer was incorrect. Besides the inclusion of Bela Lugosi in the cast, this movie is also somewhat significant for offering an early behind-the-scenes look at how the still rather revolutionary talkies were produced. Lugosi fans should enjoy seeing a softer side of the legendary actor, and I believe the movie is quite capable of sustaining the interest of even modern-day viewers.

Rating:
Summary: Whodunit
Review: The Death Kiss is another whodunit where a big time movie star is killed right in front of the cameras. Bela Lugosi is one of the prime suspects in this well-done mystery thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Murder in a Movie Studio
Review: Two things keep DEATH KISS from being forgettable B-movie fare: the setting and the cast. Setting the murder mystery in a movie studio was doubtless an economy move, but this actually works to the film's advantage as we learn (in the course of the investigation) various aspects of the movie business. David Manners, Bela Lugosi, and Edward Van Sloan are all reunited from DRACULA for DEATH KISS and continue to do good work here. In fact, Manners brings surprising charm and depth to his cliched role of a screenwriter/amateur detective (something he really didn't have a chance to do in DRACULA). Vince Barnett also has some good "comedy relief" moments as a slow witted studio guard.

Rating:
Summary: Murder in a Movie Studio
Review: Two things keep DEATH KISS from being forgettable B-movie fare: the setting and the cast. Setting the murder mystery in a movie studio was doubtless an economy move, but this actually works to the film's advantage as we learn (in the course of the investigation) various aspects of the movie business. David Manners, Bela Lugosi, and Edward Van Sloan are all reunited from DRACULA for DEATH KISS and continue to do good work here. In fact, Manners brings surprising charm and depth to his cliched role of a screenwriter/amateur detective (something he really didn't have a chance to do in DRACULA). Vince Barnett also has some good "comedy relief" moments as a slow witted studio guard.