The Key

I do not share the other reviewers giving this mostly five stars. At best it's a "3," and that is stretching things. And here I thought I had found a hidden WWII gem based on all the 5-star reviews. Not so.Trevor Howard, usually great, overplayed and overacted his part to the point of silliness. I thought this helped contribute to the film's failing. And I have always loved Trevor Howard. Not here, folks.The action sequences were very limited to one tugboat and one merchant ship. This gave it a "budget movie" feel. Most of the film was not action-oriented.Sophia Loren was greatly miscast. How does an Italian fit into this story? She doesn't. A British actress would have been much more believable. I also thought she put forth a lousy performance, at times just providing a blank stare when another actress with talent could have brought much more to the part. Yes, I know they tried to write into the story she came from Switzerland, but it still didn't work. Her Italian accent and her whole demeanor and unemotional acting detracted from the movie.The only bright spots were William Holden and Bernard Lee of "M" fame in the Sean Connery James Bond series. They were excellent. But, just like in the greatly overrated Stalag 17, Holden can only carry a film so far. This movie just never got going for me. I'm sure all you die-hard Navy types will lecture me about all the realistic at-sea scenes, but I thought the movie was mostly boring. It was also depressing. The storyline may have worked in the novel, but for a film it makes no sense. Who is this girl hanging around this apartment like a spider? Why should I like her? Why should the tug captains? OK, yes this movie provides an insight into a part of the convoy war I didn't know about - sea rescues of merchants by tugboats. But the story and plot seemed on the whole flimsy to me. I wouldn't buy this one again.Oh, and let me add that this film was made the very next year after Holden's great "Bridge on the River Kwai." Listen carefully to the musical score of "The Key" and you will discover that several parts of the music composed for it have been carefully and cleverly "lifted" from the music composed for Kwai. More insult to injury. And the great director Carol Reed let this happen and put his name to it? Just saying.

I saw the film with the original downbeat ending in Davenport, Iowa in 1958. It must have been a test-market showing, since Carol Reed's biography suggests that version was never distributed in the States. As I recall, the Holden character arrives at the locked station gates after the train has departed and tells his driver, "I'll find her! I'll find her the next time I get up to London." "Sure you will," the driver replies.From the beginning the Holden character, a bit older than the others (excepting Trevor Howard and Oskar Homolka), is faced with proving himself, and having become one of the lads chooses that identity (by passing on The Key to his harshest critic) over the transforming love the Loren character has experienced. The happy if incredible ending (he shoves the guard aside, forces the gates open and sprints to pull himself aboard the last car, in which Loren is seated looking as if she doesn't believe it either) denies that choices have consequences that can't be fixed.Holly Martin, in The Third Man, made an even harder choice and paid the price. According to the biography, Graham Greene tried to soften the ending but Reed held firm. Evidently he lacked the clout to do so again.The DVD technology that allows rated and unrated versions to coexist on disc could be put to better use here. Let's hope the negatives have been preserved.

It’s almost perfect. The performances, unanswered questions and the camera work are phenomenal.

Here is a unique story. It could have been a science fiction piece. A woman in an apartment, like a piece of furniture.I first saw this concept in the Omega Man with Charleston Heston.Sophia Loren is the piece of furniture. Each sea captian who takes the apartment passes the key on to another captain when he leaves the area. The woman comes with the apartment. WOOOO.So she is there washing dishes when the new "man of the house" shows up, William Holden. The only problem is that every captain who stays there dies at sea. Poor Sophia, how will she stop it?That is all that I will say.I thought it was a unique concept. Again like something from the Twilight Zone or Outer Limits. Well acted. Effective direction.Worth a viewing.It was quite thought provoking.The Maltin review says that she is running around giving her Key to men. It is much more insidious than that, she is a woman trapped, by what we are not sure, lack of self-confidence, in an experential loop...what? I don't think Leonard actually saw the work. That's what I meant by 'off base'.

I am not really sure about this movie because for some reason I expected more. More Bill Holden and Sophia Loren together. It definitely is a war movie and I suppose from a man's view it's great. I read all the reviews and thought it would be different. Bill Holden was terrific as he is in all of the movies he appears in, Sophia Loren really showed how hard it must have been during the war and lose one man after the other. However, I did not like the ending!

An old classic, worth a look.

I have waited a long time to see a proper Cinemascope transfer of this wonderful film. Ignore the Cornerstone/Palladium release. It is 4.3 and that's just not on. This is a splendid transfer, excellent 2.35 Scope, clear B/W picture and good sound. No extras. Oh, And it's a darn fine film too. One of Reed's best with terrific location work, and 3 excellent performences from the leads. The sale of Men's Pyjamas must have soared. Highly recomended (Please see other reviews if you need a plot description).

Like the plot and movie! Good for being one of sophia Loren's first movies. Holden is always good! I was hoping to get the second ending to this movie. I had read that they did two endings. One where he catches the train and they end together which is what you want, or I did! Disappointed with this ending that leaves you hanging.

Storyline is fine until superstition is brought into the equation. Technically all aspects 'on the button' artistically spoiled in my opinion.

Fab film, loved it.

de dvd is een stuk ingekort.Zeer goed gespeeld en een heel goed verhaal

This is a movie about deep human feelings and how war amplifies them. Howard, Holden and Loren no oer acting needed. It's just great.

I have sdmired Carol Reed's works for a long time. 'The Key' is one of his finest films among previous his black and white works, such as 'The Way Ahead', 'Odd Man Out', 'The Third Man' and 'The Fallen Idol' as well. The performance acted by Trevor Howard adds the serious and profound significance in War Years. He acted a tug skipper very well. However, William Holden seems weak as compared with one of Trevor Howard. Sophia Loren is depicted as a tragic heroine despite she looks very lovely. Other byplayers, Keelon Moore, Oscar Homolka and Bryan Forbes support them as Grecian tragedy. Bernard Lee reminds us of 'M' in the series of James Bond nowadays. Anyway, For the first time, I saw this film over a half century ago, at a cinema in Shizuoka- city, where I live, when my father took me there in my primary school days. So, I have not remember the details of it. I realised that this film is a masterpiece of Carol Reed now. Malcolm Arnold music is very good! I love his symphonies as well as the soundtrack of 'Bridge on the River Kwai'