A great on-screen kiss is a piece of storytelling. It can be a goodbye, a beginning, or the moment an entire story pivots. Here are some of the most memorable kisses in film.
Casablanca (1942) As German forces close in on Paris, Ilsa pleads with Rick: “Kiss me. Kiss me as if it were the last time.” It’s a moment of pure desperation and romance, made more painful because we know their time is running out.
Gone with the Wind (1939) You have to wait for this one. Rhett Butler tells Scarlett she needs to be kissed, and often, by someone who knows how. When he finally does, the long build-up of tension pays off completely.
The Cranes Are Flying (1957) This is one of the most heartbreaking kisses in cinema. We are watching Veronika and Boris say goodbye before he leaves for the war. They don’t know it yet, but it’s the last time they will ever see each other.
The Girls (1961) The young cook Tosia wonders aloud, “I’ve always wondered how people kiss. Don’t their noses get in the way?” It’s a funny, honest question that leads to an equally innocent and charming first kiss.
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Aboard the Millennium Falcon, after an Imperial attack, Han Solo and Princess Leia finally kiss. Their constant bickering gives way to something real, and the whole story suddenly feels bigger.
Ghost (1990) This is the final goodbye between Molly and the ghost of her partner, Sam, before he moves on to the next world. It’s a scene that left a generation of film-goers in tears.
Office Romance (1977) “Let’s go. Let’s go save the cat!” It’s probably the strangest line ever said before a kiss. But in this brilliant Soviet comedy, it perfectly captures the awkward, funny moment two colleagues finally fall for each other.
Pretty Woman (1990) This is the film that taught us a kiss can mean everything. It’s the moment a business arrangement becomes a real relationship.
Titanic (1997) The kiss on the ship’s bow between Jack and Rose is more than a scene; it’s an image. A moment of pure freedom and young love, set against the backdrop of a ship sailing towards its doom.
Spider-Man (2002) Perhaps I’m just showing my age, but the upside-down kiss between Spider-Man and Mary Jane was unforgettable. It was creative, long-awaited, and just looked incredibly cool.
Friends (1994-2004) When Ross and Rachel finally kissed for the first time in the show’s second season, fans everywhere were thrilled. The eight seasons that followed were built on the energy of that single moment.
Pride & Prejudice (2005) In any Jane Austen story, you wait for the moment when convention is thrown aside for real feeling. The kiss between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy is exactly that. It’s the ultimate emotional release.
The Notebook (2004) The passionate kiss in the pouring rain between Noah and Allie, reunited after years apart, is pure Hollywood spectacle. It even won an MTV Movie Award, and it’s easy to see why.
Twilight (2008) The Twilight films won the MTV award for best kiss four years in a row. There was clearly something about the chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson that audiences loved.
La La Land (2016) Sometimes, a beautiful kiss needs a beautiful setting. The planetarium provides the perfect backdrop, with the characters floating against a sky full of stars. It’s pure movie magic.
