Top 10 Kisses That Defined Cinema
#10: Chiron & Kevin “Moonlight” (2016)
This 2016 Best Picture winner is not always an easy watch, but it is a sublime one. As teenage boys Chiron and Kevin deal with their burgeoning feelings for one another, their tension leads to an erotic moment on the beach. Chiron and Kevin’s lives are complicated even on their best days. The scene stands out as a rare moment of peace and quiet for the characters. The kiss they share is an explosive moment, but it’s treated with subtlety and care by everyone involved. Actors Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome won an MTV Movie & TV Award for the kiss, and the scene itself is just one of many that cemented “Moonlight” as a new classic.
#9: Baby & Johnny “Dirty Dancing” (1987)
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They don't call it dirty for nothing. You can practically see the steam lifting off of Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze’s bodies as they rehearse their risqué dance routine. The plot of “Dirty Dancing” may be instantly familiar, but the chemistry of its leads is undeniable. You can’t help but root for these lovers from two different worlds. During the movie’s climactic dance number, “Time of My Life,” Baby and Johnny triumphantly kiss as the entire cast dances around them, and it’s not hard to imagine entire theaters cheering. It’s a euphoric moment of pure movie magic.
#8: Holly & Paul “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961)
Audrey Hepburn’s look as the unbelievably chic Holly Golightly may have inspired millions of young women’s fashion choices, but the character herself is not entirely aspirational. She lives a charmed life, but one devoid of care and emotional attachment. At the end of the movie, Holly’s caught in the middle of a downpour in search of her cat, having decided to end her days of being alone. As Henry Mancini’s timeless theme, “Moon River,” begins to play, Holly and Paul and Cat embrace in the rain. Even a hardened cynic can feel a little tug on the heartstrings.
#7: Sam & Molly “Ghost” (1990)
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Yes, it’s the scene that single-handedly made pottery cool again. Between “Ghost” and “Dirty Dancing,” Patrick Swayze may have made more movie lovers’ hearts stop than any other film star. The movies would never be the same after he and co-star Demi Moore turned this late night pottery session into a sensual love scene. As the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” scores the scene, the two share a hungry kiss. And that’s just for starters. It’s cheesy and sentimental, but it’s also really, really hot. It’ll probably never be matched, but it has inspired several parodies.
#6: Rhett & Scarlett “Gone with the Wind” (1939)
Rhett Butler spends most of the three-and-a-half hour runtime of this Civil War epic chasing after the spoiled and headstrong Scarlett O’Hara. Their impassioned kiss, silhouetted against a fiery red sky, is an indelible screen image that throws down the gauntlet for every cinematic kiss after it. Modern-day viewers would rightly point out that the kiss itself doesn’t exactly meet the standard of enthusiastic consent. Still, there’s no denying the impact of the moment. It was burned into the hearts and minds of movie audiences forever, helped along by an aggressive marketing campaign, and became the new standard for cinematic romance.
#5: Peter & Mary Jane “Spider-Man” (2002)
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Boy meets girl. Boy meets spider. Girl meets friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. You know how it goes. Peter Parker makes quite the impression on longtime crush Mary Jane Watson with his big heroic saves. And as a reward, she gives him a gesture that proved equally unforgettable. Shooting this now-classic kiss in the rain was a real pain for actors Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. Maguire couldn’t breathe at points because of water running into his nose. Not exactly the perfect circumstances for romance. Despite their discomfort, the onscreen pair not only pull it off, but they manage to create one of the most iconic kisses since the Golden Age of Hollywood.
#4: Allie & Noah “The Notebook” (2004)
This romantic melodrama between a poor man and a rich heiress didn’t break any molds as far as storytelling is concerned. However, it did win over legions of fans who may have been a little too young to appreciate the older love stories on this list. In one of “The Notebook”s most heartrending scenes, the now-engaged Allie realizes Noah didn’t forget about her. She just never got his letters. The revelation is prime melodrama. They reaffirm their love for each other with a passionate lakeside kiss in the rain. What is it about rain that makes a kiss so memorable?
#3: Warden & Karen “From Here to Eternity” (1953)
The characters in this wartime melodrama have a lot to contend with. War. Infidelity. Sand. Some of the biggest movie stars of their time headline “From Here to Eternity,” a 1953 classic about Army soldiers stationed in pre-Pearl Harbor Hawaii. In its most memorable and enduring scene, a soldier and a superior officer’s neglected wife share an intimate love scene on the beach. The two kiss passionately as the ocean washes over them. It’s one of those scenarios that looks incredible on screen, but would probably be really uncomfortable to recreate in real life. Even if you’ve never seen the movie, you’ve probably seen this kiss referenced.
#2: Jack & Rose “Titanic” (1997)
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When they shared their first, glorious kiss on the bow of the infamous RMS Titanic, Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater launched a thousand movie posters. The 1912 sinking is tragic enough, but writer-director James Cameron’s addition of a central romance is what gives this record-breaking hit its emotional punch. Watching Jack and Rose fall in love, knowing the ship carrying them to America is doomed, makes their first amazing kiss feel achingly bittersweet. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Alicia & Devlin, “Notorious” (1946) Hitchcock Added Pauses to Ingrid Bergman & Cary Grant’s Passion-Filled Kiss to Appease the Censors George & Mary, “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946) Who Says a Christmas Classic Can’t Be Steamy? Ennis & Jack, “Brokeback Mountain” (2005) Forbidden Lovers Throw Caution to the Wind in This Now-Classic Scene Buttercup & Westley, “The Princess Bride” (1987) The Kiss That Left All the Others Behind Leia & Han, “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) There’s Always Time for Heart-Thumping Romance, Even During a Galactic Rebellion
#1: Rick & Ilsa “Casablanca” (1942)
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The kiss shared by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman is what would happen if every other moment on this list was rolled into one magnificent symphony of screen romance. You want passion? Doomed relationships? Wartime romance? Look no further than Ilsa and Rick. When the couple initially meet in Paris, their whirlwind romance has them walking on air. Until the encroaching war brings them back down to Earth. And Ilsa is justifiably worried about what will come next. While Ilsa knows it really may be the last time, Rick is none the wiser. So much goes unspoken, but what is clear is how in love the two are, and how heartbreaking it is that they can’t be together. It’s truly a kiss for the ages.
