John Barrymore & Dolores Costello Kiss in The Sea Beast (1926)

This is the famous scene where John Barrymore kisses Dolores Costello so passionately that she faints in his arms afterwards. Barrymore, of course, wanted to do more takes and when it came to editing, the Director Millard Webb, put about 4 of them together to make the kiss last forever! Hence, the most romantic kiss in cinema history!

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• john
• barrymore
• dolores
• costello
• sea
• beast
• 1926
• silent
• movie
• kiss
• millard
• webb
• moby
• dick
• keane
• bedshaped

[u5chi1]

The music is horrible :(

[clementinemonkey]

Sorry you think that.  I thought the music and lyrics went well in this scene.

Believe me, its better than the piano score anyday!

[deepseadirt]

this was one of Barrymore's biggest silent box office successes. I don't know why it survives in such a crappy print. It certainly didn't look that way when new. I wish a better print of this surfaces in the future.

[clementinemonkey]

Yes, must admit its not great.

This isn't the televista recent dvd release by the way. The kiss scene under the blossom tree is even darker on their release, plus there's letters you can't read and plenty of bad scratches etc. This video version I have is better quality but may not look that way as I've had to record from the tv screen using the digital camera!

I've seen excellent clips from this film in various Barrymore Biography programs so hopefully we'll get a better version one day!

[deepseadirt]

I read somewhere, maybe one of the books by James Kotsilibas-Davis, that Dolores kept a print of this film(in it's can/s) in her home and used it as a doorstop. There was a program in the 60s called "Biography" hosted by Mike Wallace and the episode on JB had a beautiful clip from this movie which also included shots of director Millard Webb amusingly yelling cut & then prying JB's lips from the kiss with Dolores. Mike Wallace also did an interview with Diana Barrymore & it's online @ Univ/Texas

[clementinemonkey]

Hmm, its been quoted more than once that indeed Dolores kept a copy of the sea beast as a doorstop. Whatever became of that copy I don't know but having her personal scrapbooks/ photo albums, water damage or rats seem to have got to most of the memorabilia she kept. Shame really.

Again, I have another version of Millard Webb yelling cut as John kisses Dolores at the dinner table. Before they kiss it shows them chatting with John having a quick smoke and trying to catch a fly or something....

[valaurwen]

@clementinemonkey

I agree, this music is absolutely terrible. Something truer to that era of film would have suited better in my opinion.

[sydskidney]

Oh to have been Dolores!!