A Kiss Before Dying (1991)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

James Dearden

Writers (WGA):

Ira Levin (novel)
James Dearden (screenplay)

Release Date:

26 April 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Loving him was easy. Trusting him was deadly.

Plot:

Realising his secret girl-friend Dorothy's pregnancy will sour her relations with her ultra-rich father...

Plot Keywords:

Twins | New York | Murder | Railway | One Actress For Twin Sisters

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

James Bonfanti	...	Young Jonathan
Sarah Keller	...	Lecturer
Sean Young	...	Ellen / Dorothy Carlsson
Martha Gehman	...	Patricia Farren
Lia Chang	...	Shoe Saleslady
Matt Dillon	...	Jonathan Corliss
Yvette Edelhart	...	Screaming Lady
Max von Sydow	...	Thor Carlsson
Jim Fyfe	...	Terry Dieter
Lachele Carl	...	Reporter
Briony Glassco	...	Waitress
Shane Rimmer	...	Commissioner Malley
James Russo	...	Dan Corelli
Diane Ladd	...	Mrs. Corliss
Adam Horovitz	...	Jay Faraday

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:16 | UK:15 (re-rating) | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brocket Hall, Lemsford, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Sean Young signed on after Bridget Fonda quit the production.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Ellen looks out at the railroad tracks just prior to the final confrontation, she sees a freight train with a long line of cars with bright green Carlsson Copper logos. The logos, however, are printed on fake-looking prop fabrics draped over the cars.

Quotes:

Nurse: She's got two broken ribs, a broken jaw, and a bad concussion. We're going to keep her overnight for observation.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 1992 MTV Movie Awards (1992) (TV)

Soundtrack:

So What

I liked the original better

With a few changes, and for reasons known only to themselves, the powers that be remade 1956's "A Kiss Before Dying" in 1991. Now the sisters are twins, and the plot is taken out further - rather than just getting engaged, Ellen now marries the killer. That's not a spoiler - we see him murder her sister in the first reel.

The original of this film, with Robert Wagner, Joanne Woodward, Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith and Mary Astor was much more entertaining. This update is boring and acted in a lazy manner by its stars, Sean Young I, Sean Young II, and Matt Dillon. Isn't one Sean Young bad enough, we had to have two of them? Supporting players Diane Ladd and Max von Sydow have precious little to do. The only part I liked was the scene from "Vertigo" on TV - but I do hope the director wasn't trying to compare himself to Hitchcock.

I don't understand Hollywood's obsession with remakes, except that I suppose they're cheaper because the studio already owns the property. But a fresh story line here and there wouldn't hurt. On top of which, it is a rare occasion when the remake is actually better. This is not one of those cases.