The Naked Kiss (1964)
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92% of critics liked it
(13 reviews) -
78% of users liked it
(2,988 ratings)
Kelly (Constance Towers), a prostitute who wants to transform her life, beats up her pimp, takes the 75 dollars he owes her, and leaves town. Winding up in the small town of Grantville, she turns a trick with Griff (Anthony Eisley), who is actually the sheriff. After paying her for sex, Griff tells… More Kelly (Constance Towers), a prostitute who wants to transform her life, beats up her pimp, takes the 75 dollars he owes her, and leaves town. Winding up in the small town of Grantville, she turns a trick with Griff (Anthony Eisley), who is actually the sheriff. After paying her for sex, Griff tells Kelly that Grantville is a clean town and orders her out, though he refers her to a brothel in a neighboring city. Instead, Kelly makes a final break with her past and becomes a nurse's aide at the local children's hospital. In that capacity, she meets Grant (Michael Dante), who is a benefactor of the hospital, a descendant of the town's founder -- and Griff's best friend. As Grant and Kelly fall in love, Griff viciously accuses Kelly of using her hospital job to hide ongoing illicit activities. When Kelly tells Grant about her past, he seems to accept her without reservation and proposes marriage; however, Kelly soon learns the perverse truth about her fiancée and takes matters into her own hands. Samuel Fuller's raw film noir exposes the hypocrisy of a supposedly proper society. Beneath the veneer of respectability lies an exploitive abuse of power, no different from that of any pimp. ~ Steve Press, Rovi
- Directed By
- Samuel Fuller
- Written By
- Samuel Fuller
- Genres
- Drama, Classics
- In Theaters
- Jan 1, 1964 Wide
- Studio
- Criterion Collection
Critic Reviews
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Sean Axmaker, Turner Classic Movies Online
... arguably the most aggressively defiant film of his career.
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Christopher Long, Movie Metropolis
Like Fuller, Kelly believes in the direct approach, and a good slap can get quick results.
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James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
uses it tabloid-sensational subject matter to probe at the country's darkest recesses
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Sean Axmaker, Parallax View
An audacious mix of cynicism, sleaze, sentimental gooeyness and social commentary, it's bizarre and at times an assault on the senses...
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Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine
No one slaps the f-stop out of pimps like Constance Towers!
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Constance Towers
as Kelly
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Anthony Eisley
as Griff
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Michael Dante
as Grant
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Virginia Grey
as Candy
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Patsy Kelly
as Mac
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Betty Bronson
as Miss Josephine
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Marie Devereaux
as Buff
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Karen Conrad
as Dusty
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Linda Francis
as Rembrandt
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Barbara Perry
as Edna
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Gerald Michenaud
as Kip
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Christopher Barry
as Peanuts
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George Spell
as Tim
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Patty Robinson
as Angel Face
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Neyle Morrow
as Officer Sam
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Gerald Milton
as Zookie
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Sally Mills
as Marshmallow
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Edy Williams
as Hatrack
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Bill Sampson
as Jerry
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Walter Mac Neil
as Mike
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Betty Robinson
as Bunny
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Breena Howard
as Redhead
- Marie Devereux