The kiss is one of nature’s great gifts to man. Most people born are born as the result of a kiss here or there (which obviously leads to other things). A kiss is used for love, for condolences, for comfort, and even for betrayal (think Judas). Over the years a number of kisses have been particularly monumental or memorable – this is a list of ten of them.
In 2004, Big Brother was shown in Bahrain. After a few minutes of the first episode, Abdel Hakim kissed Kawthar of Tunisia. This really offended cultural values and traditions and the show was cancelled after just two weeks. Hundreds of protesters gathered to declare that the show was “un-Islamic” chanting “Stop Sin Brother! No to indecency!” despite the fact that the producers of the show provided separate bedrooms for male and female members of the Big Brother House, and a prayer room. The Big Brother producers have said that the show will be re-launched when they find somewhere other than Bahrain to film it.
In 1978 the first kiss reached Indian movie screens. Shashi Kapoor kissed Zeenat Aman in the film Satyam Shivam Sundaram: Love Sublime. This triggered a major argument over censorship. Chief minister and movie actor M.G. Ramachandran claimed that this kissing scene was an insult to Indian cinema. After a fierce battle with the Indian Film Censor Board the movie went on to perform quite well in the box office.
In 1968, NBC’s Star Trek (US Television) showed the first interracial kiss on TV. This was a major breakthrough at this time and showed Captain Kirk (William Schatner) kissing Lt. Uhura (Michelle Nichols.) This caused a great deal of controversy – especially as the kiss was not voluntary; it was forced through telekinesis. When NBC executives learned of the kiss they became concerned it would anger TV stations in the conservative Deep South so they ordered the show to film two versions of the scene – one with the kiss and one without. After recording the kiss version of the scene, Shatner and Nichols intentionally blundered in each further take – making it impossible to refilm. The kissing scene aired.
In 1941, a kiss made movie history. Jayne Wyman and Regis Toomey kissed for three minutes and five seconds during the film You’re In The Army Now. This actually took up 1/25th of the film’s total running time. This comedy film is about two vacuum-cleaner salesmen who are accidentally inducted in to the army and the hijinks that follow.
The 1926 movie, Don Juan, which starred John Barrymore, contains scenes of 191 kisses in the 2 hours 40 minutes film. The movie starred John Barrymore as Don Juan, the lethario who kissed a number of beautiful ladies during the course of the movie. This works out at one kiss every 53 seconds. Wow! I wonder if he was out of breath.
A sixteenth century Italian soldier was sculpted in marble by Tullio Lombardo and housed at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna, Italy. During the 1800′s a rumour was circulated that if a woman kissed the statue, she would marry a wonderful gentleman. Some 5 million women are said to have kissed the soldier and the statue’s mouth has now developed a slight red tinge.
Thomas Edison’s movie, The Kiss, was the first to show a kiss on film. The 1896 film is around 47 seconds long, and depicts a re-enactment of the kiss between May Irwin and John Rice from the final scene of the stage musical, The Widow Jones. The film caused a scandalized uproar and occasioned disapproving newspaper editorials and calls for police action in many places where it was shown. One critic said “The spectacle of the prolonged pasturing on each other’s lips was beastly enough in life size on the stage but magnified to gargantuan proportions and repeated three times over it is absolutely disgusting.”
One of the best known sculptures in the western world is The Kiss by Auguste Rodin. It was sculpted in 1886. The sculpture was originally titled Francesca da Rimini, as it depicts the 13th-century Italian noblewoman immortalized in Dante’s Inferno (Circle 2, Canto 5) who falls in love with her husband Giovanni Malatesta’s younger brother Paolo. Having fallen in love while reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere, the couple are discovered and killed by Francesca’s husband.
In 1837, in Great Britain, a gentleman named Thomas Saverland tried to kiss Caroline Newton. The lady was not interested and she bit off the end of his nose. Mr. Saverland took her to court but the judge ruled that a lady is entitled to bite a man’s nose if she doesn’t want to be kissed. So, watch out, guys!
According to the Bible, God breathed the spirit of life into man with the kiss of life. “And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” [Genesis 2:7]. Surely this is the most memorable kiss of all – as without it we would not be here!
Contributor: Louie Jerome
The kiss of life as the most memorable kiss in history? I’m not one to normally complain about such things, but can you really say that kiss is memorable when there is no evidence it ever really happened?
Also, not to be over ethnocentric, but what about the sailor kiss after WWII ended?
I personally have no issue with the entry for #1…the ‘non-believers’ need to get a grip on things and accept things for what they are. Plenty of other religions and ideas are presented and discussed in this forum…there are many lists that serve to educate people about the various types of religions and belief systems out there…however, Judeo-Christian beliefs are some of the most widespread and influential beliefs and therefore might seem to ‘dominate’ the lists here; that does NOT insinuate that there is a Judeo-Christian preference or bias. Furthermore, the stories and individuals (whether you accept them as historical or fictional) have transcended so many centuries that they are extremely familiar to a vast majority of people, regardless of belief. So to those who seem to take serious issue when Judeo-Christian information is documented here, get over yourselves and LEARN SOMETHING.
i dont see how number 1 is a kiss. it says that god gave the earth a “breath” of life, not a kiss.
There should be a EDIT on 5 The Most Kissed Statue
“Some 5 million women are said to have kissed the soldier and the statue’s mouth has now developed a slight red tinge.”….and a case of herpes
Idreno: People who disagree with you eloquently and succinctly should not have their opinions discounted simply because they do not match your own. I personally have LEARNED a lot of things, including the appropriate use of the capslock key, and I frankly don’t agree with the vast majority of Judeo-Christian information. Sorry if that upsets you, but there is no need to be rude.
Interesting list, but Number 1 ruins it for me, for a few reasons: because the list is “10 Memorable Kisses Through History” and the Bible is definitely not historical, because of the asinine “Surely this is the most memorable kiss of all – as without it we would not be here!” which is just conjecture and has no scientific basis, and mainly because…
THE KISS OF LIFE IS NOT A KISS AT ALL!!!!!!!!
IT’S A PLAY ON WORDS
That’s like saying, “I nominate the final fight scene from Rocky, because of the way Apollo’s fists kiss Rocky’s face”. In this context, like the “kiss of life”, kiss is merely being used as a colorful slang or play on words. In this context, anything can qualify as a kiss. The death of Mozart – he kissed his extravagant life goodbye. Walking home from work, I fell to the ground and kissed the dirty pavement. Excuse me while I kiss the sky (Purple Haze should be on the list then!).
I have problems with religion, sure, but this goes beyond that – this is using language to justify inclusion. Perhaps it’s such a big deal because it’s Number One. If it were at the bottom of the list, as “let’s start things off with a metaphor” or as a bonus, then it might sit better with readers. But as it is, it’s a cheap shot at glorifying invisible forces.
This is a good list,
but like many others,
I disagree with #1.
I don’t think it is fair to say that those of us who are mentioning it are intolerant of other’s religious beliefs, because by making that #1, it disregards every other belief in the world.
Also, I don’t think it’s the best known, either.
I’ve lived in America since I was 2,
and I know nothing about that,
whenever people mentioned the kiss of life,
I never knew what they were talking about.
I just think that while I suppose it could be on the list,
maybe it would be like #10 or something….
number 1 has caused a controversy. i dont agree with it like many others
My comment 13:
Argh! I don’t believe in dragons but I would still put it as number 1 on a list of 10 coolest beasts. No one is asking anyone to believe the Bible – they are just saying it is a memorable kiss – and it is – even if it is from a work of fiction (if you choose to believe the Bible is fiction).
As I said earlier, this has nothing to do with whether you believe or not – the Bible is the most widely sold book in the world – EVERYONE knows about the kiss of life from it – that is why it is here. For no other reason. This is not an attempt to make people believe in God. Will you all please stop with the inane complaints about item 1.
I dont think the comments about the item 1 are “inane”. i think they are valid, for no other reason but, thats its not even a kiss. its a “breath”. it should be the number 1 breath of all time.
Clara: divine insufflation has long been pictured as a kiss. We even do it in medicine – the kiss of life – ie, mouth to mouth. It is a very well known metaphor and it is known by the majority of Western Society as well as much of Eastern Society. Claiming that it should not be listed because it is metaphorical or “untrue” is inane.
Nice list, I love kissing, one of my favorite hobbies.
This list could double as one of those little plaques they sell in Hallmark stores.
Boring and trite.
Still, nice explanation of each kisses.
#1 is an acceptable “memorable” kiss, and yeah, it probably should be on the list (I’m an atheist, for the record).
I think, however, we could ALL have done without the little editorial at the end, though. Isn’t this site about lists, NOT about inane evangelicism and misguided prostelization?
Vera Lynn(29): I’ll be the sailor, you can be the nurse.
MPW (134) I’m planning on it.
As far as the “controversy” is concerned, I agree with
Ho-Hum (126).
I do love Rodin’s The Kiss. To think such an intimate tender moment was carved out of stone is nothing less than amazing.
A quote by the photographer of the Kiss photo (Alfred Eisenstaedt):”There were thousands of people milling around, in side streets and everywhere. Everybody was kissing each other…And there was this Navy man running, grabbing anybody, you know, kissing. I ran ahead of him because I had Leica cameras around my neck, focused from 10 feet to infinity. You only had to shoot…I didn’t even know what was going on, until he grabbed something in white. And I stood there, and they kissed. And I snapped 5 times.”
-Alfred Eisenstaedt
Lucky girl…
You can complain about the ‘inane’ comments all you like but this contreversy was brought out. Nobody here seems to be flaming anyone else. I think it’s fair to be talked about. Like it or not, any religion is a hotbed of controversy. If a creator is going to make comments such as ‘we all know about this’ or it is ‘surely the greatest and most important kiss ever’ then he or she had better be prepared for the rest of the discussion.
I mean no matter what you post, somebody is going to be upset when their reason isn’t represented. Look at all the posts about the VJ kiss not being there. Now that is just a curiousity to me but when comments as this come up then the creator better be ready or else they have no business posting.
People tell all the athiests and non-christians to lay off and relax. It seems to me that those people want them to lay off because of some spiritual insecurity.
On the other hand, the athiests keep bombing and attacking the christians because they seem to fele insecure. Here is my point…
If you are christian, be christian and be happy. If somebdy is shaking you that much I have my doubts that you are true to what you believe. Once again I will say, check that book you read. You are no the judge of non-believers and you need to love others regardless.
If you are athiest, do you seriously care if someone believes something that is bunk to you? Does it really hurt you to read somehting about christ? If it doesn’t than shut up. If it does, the click to another website and move on.
Both of these groups are just sad in some respects. Again, I am a pagan and I KNOW that their are some very fake pagans ut there that are doing it to hold of their daddy issues and to be different. I have had numerous christians in my face trying to convert me. I walk on and go on with my life and it hasn’t phased me one bit. Don’t get me wrong, I listen to them but it hasn’t changed me.
Listen up…christians and athiests…if you are that insecure you need to really evaluate yourself that a few comments that are so far peaceful can make you quake so much. If you are true to your faith or lack of it won’t harm you one bit and if you ARE true and it DOES offend you, go somewhere else and cool off.
-Kyo
Rodin’s sculptures in metal were so life-like, that he was often accused of using real bodies as the armature, rather than constructing them from clay.
Once he was wealthy enough to switch to marble, as in The Kiss, that was no longer a problem.
NBC executives were only concerned about “the Deep South.” Are you serious? They weren’t concerned about ANY other conservatives across the rest of the US? ONLY those in the Deep South?
Yeah right. Give me a break.
segue I love Rodin esp the Kiss and the Thinker.
What do you think about Girardon’s Apollo Attended by the Muses? It is so exquisite and detailed. I cannot believe how he creates the look of flowing, draping robes. Indeed that is one thing about sculpture that fascinates me across the board.
What do you think of kiss of Judas Escariot?
I still remember A picture of that soldier kissing a nurse in the middle of times square when they are celebrating the outcome of WWII
Uhh for #1….doesn’t this mean “God” “kissed” a man? Thus, meaning he’s gay =O
strike 2.this place is going south.fast.
LOLWTF-
For God kissing a man to be gay, God would first have to be a man.
Wow. jfrater why don’t you just make a 2 point list that goes like this:
#1.
God is real.
#2.
Religion is a lie.
I assure you it will be the most commented on list on this site as everybody here seems to love to fight about their beliefs. It always turns into this: “I believe ‘this’ for ‘this’ reason with no universal proof but you are completely wrong for believing ‘something else’ that ALSO can’t be proven”.
and if that doesn’t work they just make fun of your beliefs such as LOLWTF (can you ban people?) and jakoooooob (#109)
RXL: Three strikes and then what? You’ll go away? Awww…
Good list. I saw that Bollywood Zeenat Aman and Shashi Kapoor kiss.
What is annoying is that some of the posters here are willing to believe in UFOs and ‘something out of nothing’ (big bang -which is against the law of thermodynamics) but not God. They’ve got some kind of weird faith going on.
Anne L-G
JF: Me being a super-atheist, I was all set to complain about the “Kiss of Life” being #1, but when I read Yer August 4th, at 3:44 am dragon post I’m satisfied.
You seem to be a very smart, logical guy. Carry on, Sir.
Alan Holcome: Thank you – if only some of the other posters were as reasonable as you
J frater comment number 129. I understand you are frustrated from people attacking the number 1 entry, but if people cant say how they feel then whats the point?
Amen Quiana…I really don’t care that people have ignored it several times from people but if you’re gonna be edgy then you gotta expect this.
-Kyo
#105. YogiBarrister – August 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Brickhouse, here’s a famous kiss that’s probably more your style. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfgl3czU9DU
This kiss is *definitely* my style. I loved this kiss – and Adrian Brody got much *****ier to me that day.
It,s ok to put the kiss of life 1st. list without a controversy or 2 aint worth reading.
kiss of life is pretty cool.
The kiss of Judas, betraying Jesus?
wow … nice list n nicer comments…. hope there is no fighting in here…
The ‘Kiss of Death’ is a MUCH better known metaphor than the ‘kiss of life’… it is used in literature and movies with considerably greater frequency and memorable effect.
As for Patty’s comment (125): Amen, sister!
There are too many comments to check this out…but has anyone else pointed out that Genesis doesn’t say man was made “from the slime of the earth”? It says “from the dust of the ground”, even in the original Hebrew. It doesn’t even say that a “kiss” was responsible, unless you consider the equivalent of “breathed into his nostrils [not his mouth!] the breath of life” a kiss. I wouldn’t, and neither would the ancient Hebrews.
Kyo (#92)~ “The thing is, atheists like to make others feel bad.”
WHAT? as in seriously… what? I’m a proud atheist, and the very,very, VERY last thing I ever want to do is make anyone feel ‘bad’. (keeping in mind that such adjectives as ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘evil’,'right’ and ‘wrong’ are all matters of personal opinion and I have chosen to remove them from my vocabulary because of their vagueness.)
whatever my choice of belief (or non-belief) are, I am just as entitled to make a statement concerning any topic that offends me as does any other person has the entitlement to say what they feel makes sense to them.
i do not condemn, condone, or consider religious beliefs in any way in my life. i simply say to believers “question everything. you do not have to justify yourself to me… it is only to yourself you need to justify your beliefs to. however, be aware enough to not be fooled or blindly follow others’ interpretations and call them your own.”
stereotyping all atheists as “atheists like to make others feel bad.” is just as juvenile and narrow-minded as the atheists who constantly bash the bible/jesus/allah.
yeeash. the one thing i find that resonates thru many Christian beliefs is a resounding hypocracy that cannot be tuned out. a double-standard of acceptable behavior, if you will.
i never want to make anyone feel ‘bad”. only enlightened. and aware. do not toss out your religious beliefs simply because i disagree with them… but don’t expect me to be blindly ignorarant and allow you to walk all over my ‘rights’ to express myself either.
as far as the image for #1, it looks more like a giant, angry rectum about to dump a nasty load on the landscape below, and not a kiss from God, to me. or i could just be finding that pattern in the clouds because of what i think is behind most religion…
rtr
honor the FSM if you dare! AaaRGH!
****
#141. Vera Lynn
What do you think about Girardon’s Apollo Attended by the Muses? It is so exquisite and detailed. I cannot believe how he creates the look of flowing, draping robes. Indeed that is one thing about sculpture that fascinates me across the board.
****
Fantastic! It’s a sensual piece of sculpture, not in a *****ual context, but in the context of involving one’s senses almost to the breaking point, emotionally.
There are pieces I always want to reach out and touch, run my hand over, breathe in.
Sculpture has always been a favorite art form of mine, to look at, to admire. Just the ability to perceive, before beginning, the entire image in 360 degrees is astounding! As Art was one of my Majors, I had to take sculpture, but I was a sorry student. My art was Photography, through I had to prove some ability at all of the art forms, it was sculpture that almost took me down.
When I stopped trying to be a Girardon or a Rodin or a Michaelangelo, and started working with acrylic and what was basically an erector set ( but bigger ), I found a way…but sadly, nothing flowing, and beautiful.
Ah well, we can admire the works of the masters, take pleasure in them, and that will have to suffice.
Here’s why I don’t agree with #1. Even the quote used says nothing about a “kiss”; it says the “breath of life”. I’m not Christian, but I do believe there’s some breath or spark of life. Calling it the “kiss of life” sounds like you’re stretching for it.
Nice list, though.
JarArr (159) I agree with you about the Kiss of Death
Segue (162) You expressed it beautifully. Right on the spot. I knew that YOU would know the piece. I cannot think/create in 3-D at all.
Isn’t the “kiss of life” another word for emergency oral resuscitation? You know, the “pulmonary” part of Cardio-Pulminary Resuscitation?
And what about the band Kiss? I’ve heard their concerts are fairly memorable.
Why not just debate abortion? Everyone can foam at the mouth and get all sweaty and wrestle… Things could get very, very *****y around here. Also, very, very homo-erotic.
Kisses? Nay!! I call them “love bites,” and would advise the application of Bactine or other people-cleaners.
what about the spiderman kiss? that’s pretty memorable. tee hee. ^_^
****
#164. Vera Lynn
Segue (162) You expressed it beautifully. Right on the spot. I knew that YOU would know the piece. I cannot think/create in 3-D at all.
****
Vera Lynn, this is going to sound bizarre, but though I can imagine, or “image”, in 3D to create simple sculpture/structures, my personal vision is unable to see in 3D properly. Only one eye works at a time, which means I don’t get the 3D effects at movies, and certain kinds of depth perception is off by a bit…enough that games like tennis are impossible. But I can image static images perfectly.
Weird.
segue (167) That is weird. To make a very off topic point, I am one who will never, ever be able to solve a Rubic’s Cube. Cannot work my mind around it. To “see” how it goes, or how it should be? I’m not your girl.
My father had no vision in his left eye (was legally blind) yet drove for a living. It’s incredible what people (including you) are able to overcome. You have my utmost respect, as always. I bow to your strength.
Solving a Rubik’s cube is just a matter of memorising seven (I can’t find my cube to confirm it, but there’s either seven or eight) sequences of moves. I have terrible spacial skills but I can do it because I memorised the description of each sequence and now my fingers kinda remember how to rotate the pieces.
So I couldn’t say how it works but I can solve a Rubik’s cube. It’s a good party trick, especially when you can do it really fast
Tempyra (!69) The instructions say there are 64 quadrillion different solutions (or something like that.) I cannot do one. Under duress.
Not my gig. Give me a math problem, lets go to town!!
Vera Lynn, yeah there are a zillion (you would know better than I, I’m terrible at math) different solutions, more than one for each ‘scramble’ of the cube. The seven sequences of moves I mentioned above can be applied to any configuration though.
This is how I do it:
http://www.rubikssolver.com/
Speed cubers and other fanatics sometimes have different ways to solving the cube which do depend on it’s original configuration.
*****
161. Ringtailroxy
as far as the image for #1, it looks more like a giant, angry rectum about to dump a nasty load on the landscape below, and not a kiss from God, to me. or i could just be finding that pattern in the clouds because of what i think is behind most religion…
****
I didn’t quite think THAT, but the sight of it is somewhat alarming. If that’s God’s mouth, it’s no wonder he only had one kid.
And I agree with your point on Kyo #92. I’m an atheist but I really can’t identify with what you say I am. “Believe in nothing?” I believe in a lot of things. Love, charity, kindness, and the usual. I also believe in kissing my children goodnight every night, that sunrises are worth getting up for, that most people are really good, that life is full of wonder and joy, that the DH rule should be abandoned and the mound raised back to 15 inches, that stopping with my daughter to watch ants is not a waste of time, but will give me memories I’ll treasure the rest of my life, that I love my wife of 20 years more every day and when I kiss her my heart still races, that it’s important to teach my son that we have a duty to help those less fortunate than us, and it’s worth the time and effort to shovel the neighbor widow’s walk when it snows, that it’s important to not take yourself too seriously and be able to laugh at yourself, because you can bet that others are, that you should always save some of the money you earn, and give to a charity also, that City Lights might be the perfect film, that finding the irony in life is a singular joy, that holding my baby is as close to a perfect moment that I’ll ever know, and that I’ll never understand James Joyce no matter how many times I try to read him. I believe that Christians and atheists have the same capacity for stupidity, intelligence, generosity, and snobbery, and neither have room to judge or feel superior. And I believe that most of my beliefs are just like yours or my Christian friends (I have many of those and they like me just fine). We differ on a few things, but agree on most.
Do I sound like a person who wants to make others feel bad?
P.S. I hope I didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings.
Tempyra,
Thanks for the link for the rubik’s cube. I’ve always wanted to learn how to do it and even bought a cube a couple of weeks ago. Now I know where to start.
I knew about the Star Trek interracial kiss. It was also said that at the time, Nichele Nichols was dating or was the mistress of Gene Roddenberry(sp?). A real life interracial relationship that would have upset the conservative and racist U.S. southerners.
When I saw Edison’s “The Kiss” I thought “Gee, that does seem scandalous considering it was 1896.”
God wears red lipstick and has fish lips?!?
skepticalpete: You’re welcome. I was ridiculously pleased with myself the first time I completed a Rubik’s cube – I hope you have as much fun learning to solve it
I apologize in advance for being harsh; I usually love these lists… but this one sucks. The first maybe 4 or 5 are okay… but…
I think that Judas’ kiss betraying Jesus should be on here if the “Kiss of Life” is going to be. :/
And the most kissed statue one? That’s a little misleading, as it isn’t one kiss and is famous because it has been kissed numerous times. I don’t think that belongs on this list.
What about the kiss captured in the famous photograph? You know… between the nurse and the soldier? That one is a pretty monumental kiss.
****
168. Vera Lynn
segue To make a very off topic point, I am one who will never, ever be able to solve a Rubic’s Cube. Cannot work my mind around it. To “see” how it goes, or how it should be? I’m not your girl.
My father had no vision in his left eye (was legally blind) yet drove for a living. It’s incredible what people (including you) are able to overcome. You have my utmost respect, as always. I bow to your strength.
****
Vera Lynn, Ahhhh Rubic’s Cube, that cunning little monster. My son can , and does to relax, solve Rubic’s Cubes with lightening fast reflexes, so often that he has to buy them in bulk (he wears them out!)
As you saw in your own father, those of us with any kind of disability, as long as we have honor, will do whatever it takes to overcome them and make as much of a normal (or even super-normal)lives for ourselves.
I think it’s less a matter of sheer strength, but that it a factor (and thank you), as of honor and self-worth.
There are two entries that could have perhaps made the list.
1. Heath Ledger and Jake Gylenhall (sp?) in Brokeback Mountain. I can’t remember of another two men kissing in mainstream cinema.
2. Since you have the most kissed statue, perhaps you could have included teh most kissed stone in history. Although more research would be needed, my guess would be that it’s the Black Stone that pilgrims kiss during the Islamic pilgrimage of Hajj and Umrah. Even though not all pilgrims get to kiss the stone because of the rush of people, I know millions visit Makkah all year round and make the pilgrimage.
I understand what people are saying with #1 because I am not Christian either, and honestly I didn’t even know about that kiss because I am not that familiar with the Bible. But I also did not know about any of the other kisses mentioned. I still think this article is good and fun and I am not offended that the #1 kiss is a Bible reference. I mean, really, the author mentions Judas in the opening statement so if you are going to be offended by Christian influence then reading should have stopped at that point. Of course everyone’s opinions on memorable kisses will differ. But the author took time to find a variety of kisses (movies, statues, etc) and it is a fun and quirky list and I enjoyed reading it!
You should add the picture with Leonid Brezhnev and Erich Honecker making out. That’s just priceless.