KISS ME

"You should be kissed, and often, and by someone who knows how."

Rhett Butler to Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind

This week is dedicated to kissing. I have been thinking about the Pepsi kisses and how thrilled I was each time Pepa and Silvia would kiss. The kiss that got the most attention was their first kiss in the famous bathroom scene. Silvia stepped towards Pepa and kissed her not once, but twice.

This week you will be hearing personal stories from our lecturers about the first time that they kissed a girl. My story is at the end of this lecture.

I have also been thinking of some famous kisses in film history. It would be impossible to list all the great kissing scenes, but here are a few of my personal favorites. And I am sure you could add more films to this list.

LADY AND THE TRAMP it all started with a meatball

NINOTCHKA one of the funniest and sexiest movies ever made

A PLACE IN THE SUN look up sensuous in the dictionary, and this famous kiss will come up

THE HUNGER Susan Sarandon and Catherine Deneuve-what more do you need?

CINEMA PARADISO hot kiss in the rain...you will need a towel

TITANIC Kate Winslet, Kate Winslet, Kate Winslet. Oh yeah, there was a guy in that too.

WILD THINGS two topless women in a pool

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN no sheep were kissed during the filming of this movie

ATONEMENT makes you want to build a bookshelf

Here is my personal story:

While in college, I was in an advanced acting class and I had been cast in a one act play. I was surprised to discover that my character was going to kiss a woman. Not only had I never kissed a girl before, I would have to do it on stage!

That night I went into my room mate's room and I told her how nervous I was. She and I were good friends and nothing more. We were not attracted to each other, in fact, we were young women who were open to the strong possibility that we were gay, but we were kinda clueless. I did know that she had more experience with kissing than I, she had kissed more boys than I had.

On this night, I asked her for advice. During this conversation, she was already in bed and I was sitting on her bed, near her feet.

"Do you want to practice with me?" she asked.

I was stunned. I started to stutter..and then she said "wait a minute" and turned off her light. Now we were in darkness and she said "come closer".

Hey, I knew how to follow instructions and I moved closer to her. I felt her hands pull my head toward hers and we kissed. It was technically a wonderful kiss--really quite nice.

But it would be another few years before I felt the earth move with a kiss... before I kissed a woman that I loved and not just for practice.

The irony is that the kissing scene in the play was cut. But my friend was a great teacher and I look back on that night with fondness and gratitude.