Valentine Gem

Still from the Jeff Scher film, "Tulips"

Another beautiful gem by filmmaker Jeff Scher, featured on the NY Times Select. "Tulips" is a film about kissing. In Jeff's words:

"Cinema has been fascinated with kissing since Thomas Edison filmed May Irwin and John Rice in 1896 in “The Kiss.”

The kiss is particularly interesting to me, as it’s one of the best things we all get to do, yet almost everyone does it with their eyes closed.

Perhaps this accounts in part for how compelling a good screen kiss is. It’s one of the privileges of the film experience to see something so private and personal up close, invisible to the kissers. With the taboo of voyeurism lifted, we are drawn in, almost hypnotically, to participate vicariously.

Valentine’s Day seemed like a swell excuse to make a kissing film. The moment where the kiss is inevitable is just as delicious as the the kiss itself, so each shot begins just before the kiss. You can feel the tractor beam of mutual attraction and are drawn in yourself, as a viewer."

You can see Jeff's film here.

You can see what inspired him here.

And if you can figure out who the last couple kissing is, do tell.
: )