Kissing in the Movies

 Kissing in the Movies

A short history of man-to-man kissing in the movies.

When you think of men kissing in a mainstream movie, what movie do you think of?  Brokeback Mountain?  The 1927 film Wings is often cited as having the first male-to-male kiss in a movie, but it was far from the first.

The clip above is from the 1911 Serbian silent film The Life and Deeds of the Immortal Leader Karadjordje.  It’s just a couple of quick pecks on the lips between soldiers before parting, but as far as I know, this is the actual first male-to-male movie kiss.

American films were not far behind.  The clip above is from the 1912 silent comedy Algie the Miner.  Algie is an effeminate Easterner who is sent out West to become a man.  Upon arriving, he asks directions of the locals and thanks them each with a kiss, which is not well received.  Again, the kisses are just a couple of quick pecks.

D. W. Griffith’s 1916 silent epic Intolerance has four intertwined stories, one set in ancient Babylon.  In this clip, the Persian army has broken through the gates and the Babylonians are doomed. In a final farewell, the Mighty Man of Valor (Elmo Lincoln) embraces and kisses Prince Belshazzar (Alfred Paget) before turning to fight the invaders.  This is no mere peck on the lips.

On a lighter note, this clip is from the 1927 Russian silent film Bed and Sofa, which came out a few months before Wings.  Kolya has invited his friend Volodya to come live in his apartment with him and his wife.  In this clip, Kolya tricks Volodya into thinking he’s getting a kiss from the wife.

Here’s the famous kiss from the 1927 silent film Wings.  A World War I pilot (Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers) kisses his dying friend (Richard Arlen).  Although it’s not the first male-to-male movie kiss, you could call it the first Oscar-winning kiss.  Wings was the first movie to win an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Wings was also one of the first Hollywood films to show nudity.  Actress Clara Bow's breasts appear for a brief second, and in a scene in an aviation enlistment office (above), three naked guys are visible through the door at the back.

Another non-romantic kiss was in The Godfather Part II (1974). Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) kisses his traitorous brother Fredo (John Cazale) on New Year’s Eve in Havana, in what one reviewer called “a fratricidal kiss of death”.

A romantic gay kiss finally happened in the 1971 British film Sunday Bloody Sunday, featuring actors Peter Finch (left) and Bob Elkin.

And, of course, we can't forget Brokeback Mountain (2005).  Now, that's a kiss!