Customer Reviews

Key [VHS]

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Number 12 Seaview is a spartan apartment in war ravaged Britain. Inside resides a "black widow," a live-in mistress to a succession of doomed rescue tug captains. Sophia Loren plays Stella with meloncholy beauty and sensitivity. Captain Chris Ford (Trevor Howard) is her latest lover. He received the key to the apartment from another captain who sensed the next torpedo had his name on it. Weary Stella is hardened by the war, she comes with the apartment and sees her lovers as temporary respite from the lonliness and grief she experiences with each one's passing.

Early on in the movie, Captain David Ross (William Holden) an American serving in the Canadian Army is transferred to the naval branch and sent to Britain as a replacement tugboat captain due to his past employment in that profession. He hooks up with old friend Captain Ford and the movie becomes an exploration of war's toll on morals and humanity.

Anyone who has faced imminent life threatening danger head-on will appreciate this movie. It honestly looks at men and women who move forward despite the fear inside. It also shows them losing their grip in private moments, then turning to face the world with a mask of fortitude. This is a thinking man's war movie and is especially suited for anyone interested in a story that goes deep and explores the real emotions of people who trudge through the war as survivors living on borrowed time.

If you like a good moral tale and also have an interest in ships and the sea (the footage of HMT Restive is real and shows the ship in all her rescue tug glory), you must not miss this movie. The acting is handled with a personal touch and Carol Reed directs with sympathy and an expert vision to bring out the haunting quality of humanity's dark side. "The Key" ranks alongside "The Cruel Sea" as an outstanding and insightful war movie. Definitely one of the best.

Victor M. Baca Editor & Publisher MODEL SHIP JOURNAL

Why is this movie so obscure? Three of the finest actors of the 50's and 60's play gritty and spooky, yet real and gripping roles, and only a few people take notice? This early WWII drama plays out the spent innocence, desperation, and despair of people trying to live with hope through a hopeless situation. Where are the flaws in this movie? Am I blind? Why is this movie not commercially popular like so many other equally worthy classic movies? Forget the stars! The supporting roles played by very gifted actors, the stark and stunning cinemataography, and the tensely paced story that unfolds makes this a great, if appearently unpopular classic. This is a quality movie that stands on its own merits regardless of popularity...

Looking at this viedo, one senses the loneliness of war,for both men and women. Finding this viedo available is special. William Holden is handsome and Sophia Loren beautiful. The plot has its own sentimental moments and climaxes with realism and understanding for the die hard romantic. At least a 2 hankie.

I've been searching for a Region 1 reissue of The Key for years. It is an unusual film noir since some of the action takes place at sea but the mood is fatalistic and bleak. The description of the film given here is misleading. The two male leads, Bill Holden and Trevor Howard are skippers of seagoing tugboats the bring torpedoed and crippled freighters to England during World War II. They are sitting ducks for German U-boats and have a short life expectancy. The key is to Sophia Loren's apartment which she shares with a succession of tugboat captains, each killed at sea. When one of them has a premonition of death he passes his key to the next man in line. Loren, of course, is taken care of but cannot become attached to any of the men until Holden turns up. Filmed in black and white, it is realistic and intense, especially the ending.

Back when I first saw this movie I was living in Cuba. This must have been early '60s. I fell in love with this movie from the beginning almost to the very end. The end was very sad, she left in the train and he could not get to the train on time. Around 1966 I moved to Puerto Rico and caught this film on TV one night. I could not pass this oportunity so I sat down to watch the film and of course I loved it again from the beginning almost to the end, which this time was new to me. In this version he was able to get on the train and... they lived happily everafter (I guess). How many people out there know that this movie has two endings? I liked the sad ending better, I think it respected the tone of the movie and fit better than a happy ending which must have been included to please the american public._

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.

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 love this movie - it caused me to read the wonderful book on which it's based (by Jan de Hartog) and then to read other books by the author. The acting is simply superb with a wonderful cast - William Holden, Sophia Loren, Trevor Howard, Oscar Homolka, Bernard Lee (yes, M from the James Bond films) and Kieron Moore. Directed by the reat Carol Reed (The Third Man, The Fallen Idol, Odd Man Out and Oscar winning for the musical Oliver!), this is a fascinating movie of stark stomach churning fear during World War II - and a spiritual/superstitious attempt to ward off all jinxes and emerge alive - through the shared love of a broken beautiful woman.

Few movies will make you feel the jagged terrible fear in war and the desperation to be assured one will be ok.

It's amazing that it's not been releaed on DVD - I'd certainly buy it in an instant. It's superb.

WHEN I FIRST LOOKED FOR THE DVD ON AMAZON I FOUND ONE THAT WAS IN ENGLISH HOWEVER THE SELLER COULD NOT SEND IT TO AUSTRALIA. I FOUND ANOTHER SELLER AND WHILE I NOTED SPAIN IN THE INFORMATION I FAILED TO NOTE THAT THE COVER WAS IN SPANISH (AFTER I HAD PROCESSED THE ORDER).

I CONTACTED DaaVeeDee AND ADVISED THAT THERE WAS THE LANGUAGE SELECTION MENU ON THE DVD.

THAT WAS CORRECT HOWEVER IN THE ADVERTISEMENT IT SAYS THAT THE DVD IS NON USA FORMAT IN, IN FACT IT IS, REGION 1(USA).AND IS IN N T S C AND NOT PAL.

IN AUSTRALIA THE DVD PLAYERS USE REGION 4 PAL I WAS ABLE TO RE PROGRAMME MY DVD PLAYER TO REGION 1 / N T S C AND WATCH THE DVD.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHECK THAT THE REGION AND FORMAT ARE COMPATIBLE WITH YOUR SYSTEM.

QUALITY IS GOOD AND IN MY OPINION BETTER THAN WHAT ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM A 1950'S B&W FILM THAT HAS BEEN TRANSCRIBED.

a movie my dad wanted for years finally found it on amazon. guess its good never saw it