In case you haven’t already heard, today is international kissing day. That’s right, there is a day dedicated to celebrating kissing. A quick Google search will yield several articles about this common show of affection and why it is significant. This international recognition began in 2006 and since then, people take July 6th to appreciate their significant other, their children, and their family with the simple, but meaningful gesture. Whether you’re appreciating a loved one or the mere connection that we all share as human beings, it’s important to remember that we all need a little love in our lives. To celebrate today, let’s take a look at some of the best on and off-screen kisses.
International Kissing Day: Some of the Best On-Screen Kisses
Alfred Hitchcock’s “Notorious”
Alfred Hitchcock’s “Notorious” Kiss with Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. Photo Credit: RKO Pictures, Ernest Bachrach
This one is for the film buffs out there who know their classic cinema. Or for those of you who don’t, here’s why this scene is so effective. The famous director, Alfred Hitchcock, found a way around the 1940s film Production Code’s ban on lengthy kisses. At the time, on-screen kisses weren’t supposed to last longer than three seconds. Hitchcock cleverly bent the rules by creating a two-and-a-half-minute kissing scene. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman didn’t actually break that three-second lip-lock. Instead, they kissed for three seconds, took breaks to deliver lines, and then began kissing again. It was utterly genius and seamlessly executed. If you haven’t seen this kissing scene, you may be underestimating the power of the on-screen kiss.
Victor Fleming’s “Gone with the Wind”
Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler’s Kiss from “Gone with the Wind”
Photo Credit: REX FEATURES
Again, it’s another classic, but come on, who can deny the chemistry between Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler? The film, based on Margaret Mitchell’s novel of the same name, is set in the backdrop of the American Civil War. O’Hara and Butler are perhaps one of the most notoriously tumultuous couples to ever grace the silver screen.
“Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” Han and Leia’s Kiss
Han and Leia’s Kiss in “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm LTD, 20th Century Fox, Disney
This kiss is pretty epic and it’s not just because it’s from a Star Wars film. The chemistry between Han and Leia is something that we all feel, thanks to Harrison Ford and the late Carrie Fisher’s portrayals. Han and Leia are a perfectly relatable couple and that’s what makes the payoff so great.
International Kissing Day: Some of the Best Off-Screen Kisses
The Times Square Kiss
Times Square Kiss 1945 by Alfred Eisenstaedt
Photo Credit: Getty Images, Alfred Eisenstaedt
Everyone has seen this photograph. Celebrating the end of WWII, the sailor was captured mid-kiss with a nurse. All thanks to a well-timed photographer and incredibly high emotions, this photograph is probably one of the most reenacted poses for modern-day couples photos.
Painting: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt
The Kiss by Gustav Klimt
Photo Credit: Getty Images
This vibrant display of lovers in an intertwined kiss was created by the famed Austrian painter Gustav Klimt in 1907-1908. If you’ve ever in Vienna, Austria, stop by the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere museum to catch a glimpse of this painting in person.
Don’t forget to appreciate someone with a kiss today!
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The Best On and Off-Screen Kisses for International Kissing Day. Featured Image Credit: Getty Images.
