MovieChat Forums > Marty (1955) Discussion > Kiss

Kiss

posted 11 years ago by Florestan51
8 replies | jump to latest

Marty's outburst when denied his first kiss with Clara struck me as incongruous. I presume this scene is present in the original story but nothing we know of his character to that point seems to prepare us for such a reaction. I was thinking given his past disappointments with girls that he would be beside himself with exhilaration in reaching even the present point of intimacy (to the extent that she was even prepared to come home with him) and would have been content to let things take their natural course from such an auspicious start. Why would he want to jeopardize things with such an outburst? Maybe others see it differently but it was the last thing I was expecting from him when she initially declined his kiss.

[–] thecrux-1 10 years ago

His feelings for her were so strong he overcame his awkwardness. Part of that reactions was also when he immediately realized he overplayed his hand with a demure woman to soon.

His face and body language say it all.

[–] Florestan51 10 years ago

I'll watch it again and then comment on your interpretation!

[–] Owlwise (1536) 3 years ago

Exactly! His momentary frustration & embarrassment strike me as genuine reactions. For the first time in his life, he's met a woman who likes him, and he doesn't quite know how to deal with the intensity of feelings suddenly come to roaring life within him. A moment of anger isn't a red flag, it's a natural reaction for someone who's been as lonely & rejected as he's been. And the fact that he realizes his mistake almost at shows us that he really is the basically nice guy we've been watching all along.

[–] prplayer 8 years ago

agree, i thought his reaction was out of character, certainly didn't see it coming

so many movies, so little time

[–] liscarkat (18992) 8 years ago

He was awkward with women, then embarrassed and even more awkward when he realized what a clumsy move he'd made. So he overreacted, like a guy like that might, who wasn't exactly a smooth operator. I can feel the poor guy's pain and humiliation.

[–] TheArgentinian (7202) 3 years ago

That scene ruined the character, temporarily. If not completely for female audiences in the #MeToo era.

[–] Daisy (3024) 3 years ago

I immediately thought of the #MeToo movement too because of what he did to her by grabbing her and almost forcing himself on her. It was totally weird for the character to do that.

[–] Interlepos (1811) 2 years ago

It feels a bit out of character, yes, but the outburst sets the stage for an emotional scene where Clara explains her reasoning and where she expresses her feelings to Marty.

Also, I felt the kiss-scene lingers over the rest of the film, and has an impact on how we view the characters from then on out.