Commentary
“A Kiss in the Dark” is a 1949 Warner Bros. film starring David Niven and Jane Wyman. The title sounds like a much more dramatic romance than this movie actually is. It does feature a cute romance between the two leads, but the story isn’t about one magical kiss which makes them fall in love. In fact, it’s exactly the opposite, since Jane Wyman says this line when explaining her theory that love often comes from propinquity, just being together over time, rather than immediate attraction.
If I were to make one general criticism of classic films, it would be that their titles are often misleading, because of how vague or generic they are. It doesn’t diminish the quality of the films, but I always appreciate it when a title tells you a little more than the fact it’s a love story, which could apply to almost any film….