Everyone remembers their first kiss. Kisses are memorable, unmistakably recognizable, visually drawing, and full of emotion. Perhaps that's why there have been so many famous and important kisses in movies throughout the history of the beautiful visual medium; because they're such a powerful image.
Like snowflakes, two kisses are rarely if ever alike. They can be sweet, lusty, awkward, steamy, sloppy, spontaneous, exciting, special, loving, joyous, or tragic. But regardless of what emotion they're filled with, the most memorable kisses that tend to be just that; filled with emotion, meaning, and passion. Out of all the silver screen smooches, these ten are the most passionate. Warning: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Shrek (2001)
After having rescued the human Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), fallen in love with her, but delivered her to Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) as he was hired to do, Shrek (Mike Myers) crashes the royal wedding and kisses Fiona in her ogre form.
In this moment, Shrek, an ogre who's been taught to hate himself because ogres are hated in his world, finally realizes he's a creature deserving of love. The moment is equally emotional for Fiona, who permanently becomes an ogre after the kiss, confirming that Shrek is her true love according to the spell that initially caused her condition.
First Reformed (2017)
When a troubled minister (Ethan Hawke) dying of alcoholism must make the most important decision of his life at the conclusion of First Reformed, he wraps himself in barbed wire and pours a glass of drain cleaner to commit suicide with.
Just before drinking the glass, a young widow (Amanda Seyfried) he's spent the movie comforting walks in, and the two kiss passionately before a cut to black. It's not clear whether the moment is real or imagined, but the emotion is real regardless, therefore so is the passion.
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)
In a moment of passion so powerful that the two actors fell for each other off-screen, John (Brad Pitt) and Jane Smith (Angelina Jolie) have just destroyed their house while trying to kill each other after discovering they're two secret assassins hired to exterminate each other in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
When the pair finally have their guns pointed at each other with an opportunity to complete their respective missions, they realize that during their staged marriage, they've accidentally fallen in love. Unable to pull their triggers, they drop their guns and share a passionate kiss that christens their new true marriage.
The Godfather: Part II (1974)
The New Year's Eve kiss Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) plants on his brother Fredo (John Cazale) in The Godfather: Part II is filled with emotion more complex than any other on this list.
Always considered the greatest liability of the family, Fredo accidentally reveals his connection to the men who previously attempted to assassinate Michael, causing Michael to realize that, whether inadvertent or intentional, his own brother has betrayed him. Michael grabs Fredo's neck, gives him a forceful kiss of death, and delivers the infamous line, "I know it was you, Fredo. You broke my heart."
The Princess Bride (1987)
"Since the invention of the kiss, there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind." This description from Peter Falk's narrator in The Princess Bride accompanies the climactic kiss between Westley (Cary Elwes) and Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright).
While the kiss may not quite be number one as the narration claims, the fact that the true loves battle through giants, pirates, monsters, monarchs, and evil masterminds en route to their passionate reuniting puts it on this list.
Titanic (1997)
In the most iconic scene from the highest-grossing romance of all time, Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes Rose (Kate Winslet) to the bow of the infamous Titanic at sunset, where she closes her eyes, spreads her arms, and famously proclaims she's flying before she and Jack share their first kiss.
The moment is passion-filled not just because of the kiss, but because of what this moment represents for Rose. For her entire life, she's obediently followed rules against her choosing, causing her suicidal depression. But in this moment, she follows her heart for the first time, giving her the freedom of a bird finally flying free from its cage.
San Junipero (2016)
This installment of Netflix's Black Mirror won an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie, qualifying the unforgettably nerve-wracking first kiss between Yorkie (Mackenzie Davis) and Kelly (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) for this list.
A powerful lesson in the story is the way that new risks and experiences can still be had after an entire lifetime, like kissing someone of the same sex for the first time, a moment that frees Yorkie from the emotional prison she's trapped herself in for her long life, and opens her eyes to all the exciting living she still has left ahead of her.
The Notebook (2004)
Like The Princess Bride and Titanic, The Notebook follows the unlikely yet powerful love story of a working-class boy and an upper-class girl, this time in the form of mill worker Noah (Ryan Gosling) and rich heiress Allie (Rachel McAdams).
After a romantic affair, the two are separated for years by life's many obstacles, until Noah visits Allie shortly before her wedding. They catch up over a charming boat ride until the rain starts coming down, and the truth starts coming out, leading to an unforgettable moment of life-changing passion.
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
The most passionate kisses seem to be born out of the most forbidden relationships, and few come more forbidden than the one between Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis (Heath Ledger) in Brokeback Mountain.
As cowboys married to women in 1960s Wyoming, both men are immersed in a world in which heteronormativity and hypermasculinity run their lives, but that doesn't stop them from carrying out a love affair over 20 years. Their most passionate moment comes when Jack visits Ennis after a four-year separation, filling the two with such emotion that they can't help but lovingly kiss and embrace.
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
An underseen classic, the Oscar-winning Cinema Paradiso is an epic story about the beauty of cinema, with the act and image of kissing representing an extremely important role in the plot.
The movie follows the life of Salvatore, a child in war-torn Italy who goes on to become a great filmmaker. His most passionate kiss comes in a thunderstorm with his first love as a teenager, but the movie's incredible finale is a beautiful tribute to film's kisses, accompanied by a heart-breaking score from master composer Ennio Morricone that will leave you speechless and teary-eyed.