Repertory Pick: Naked Kissing in Tucson
April 19, 2012
Film Info
- United States
- 1964
- 90 minutes
- Black and White
- 1.75:1
- English
- Spine #18
The setup is pure pulp: A former prostitute (a crackerjack Constance Towers) relocates to a buttoned-down suburb, determined to fit in with mainstream society. But in the strange, hallucinatory territory of writer-director-producer Samuel Fuller, perverse secrets simmer beneath the wholesome surface. Featuring radical visual touches, full-throttle performances, brilliant cinematography by Stanley Cortez, and one bizarrely beautiful musical number, The Naked Kiss is among Fuller’s greatest, boldest entertainments.
Cast
| Kelly | Constance Towers |
| Griff | Anthony Eisley |
| Grant | Michael Dante |
| Candy | Virginia Grey |
| Mac | Patsy Kelly |
| Buff | Marie Devereux |
| Dusty | Karen Conrad |
| Kip | Gerald Michenaud |
| Bunny | Betty Robinson |
| Redhead | Breena Howard |
| Marshmallow | Sally Mills |
| Hatrack | Edy Williams |
| Miss Josephine | Betty Bronson |
| Officer Sam | Neyle Morrow |
Credits
| Director | Samuel Fuller |
| Produced and written by | Samuel Fuller |
| Costumer | Einar H. Bourman |
| Art director | Eugene Lourie |
| Film editor | Jerome Thoms |
| Director of photography | Stanley Cortez and A.S.C. |
| Music | Paul Dunlap |
| A production of | Leon Fromkess and Sam Firks |
Disc Features
- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on
the Blu-ray edition - New video interview with star Constance Towers by film historian and filmmaker Charles Dennis
- Excerpts from a 1983 episode of The South Bank Show dedicated to director
Samuel Fuller - Interview with Fuller from a 1967 episode of the French television series Cinéastes de notre temps
- Interview with Fuller from a 1987 episode of the French television series Cinéma cinémas
- Original theatrical trailer
- PLUS: Illustrations by cartoonist Daniel Clowes and a booklet featuring an essay by critic and poet Robert Polito and excerpts from Fuller’s autobiography, A Third Face: My Tale of Writing, Fighting, and Filmmaking
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