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La clé

Original title: The Key
  • 1958
  • Tous publics
  • 2h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.8K
YOUR RATING
William Holden and Sophia Loren in La clé (1958)
Period DramaTragic RomanceDramaRomanceWar

During World War II, successive tugboat British Captains sent on dangerous salvage missions pass-on the key to a home-port apartment, where a lonely Swiss-Italian young war-widow lives.During World War II, successive tugboat British Captains sent on dangerous salvage missions pass-on the key to a home-port apartment, where a lonely Swiss-Italian young war-widow lives.During World War II, successive tugboat British Captains sent on dangerous salvage missions pass-on the key to a home-port apartment, where a lonely Swiss-Italian young war-widow lives.

  • Director
    • Carol Reed
  • Writers
    • Jan de Hartog
    • Carl Foreman
  • Stars
    • William Holden
    • Sophia Loren
    • Trevor Howard
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    1.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Carol Reed
    • Writers
      • Jan de Hartog
      • Carl Foreman
    • Stars
      • William Holden
      • Sophia Loren
      • Trevor Howard
    • 31User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Photos58

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    Top cast32

    Edit
    William Holden
    William Holden
    • Captain David Ross
    Sophia Loren
    Sophia Loren
    • Stella
    Trevor Howard
    Trevor Howard
    • Captain Chris Ford
    Oscar Homolka
    Oscar Homolka
    • Captain Van Dam
    Kieron Moore
    Kieron Moore
    • Kane
    Bernard Lee
    Bernard Lee
    • Cmdr. Wadlow
    Beatrix Lehmann
    Beatrix Lehmann
    • Housekeeper
    Noel Purcell
    Noel Purcell
    • Hotel Porter
    Bryan Forbes
    Bryan Forbes
    • First Mate Weaver
    Sidney Vivian
    • Grogan
    Rupert Davies
    Rupert Davies
    • Baker
    Russell Waters
    • Sparks
    Irene Handl
    Irene Handl
    • Clerk
    John Crawford
    John Crawford
    • American Captain
    Jameson Clark
    Jameson Clark
    • English Captain
    Carl Möhner
    Carl Möhner
    • Philip Westerby (in photo)
    • (scenes deleted)
    James Hayter
    James Hayter
    • Locksmith
    • (scenes deleted)
    Sam Kydd
    Sam Kydd
    • Sailor
    • Director
      • Carol Reed
    • Writers
      • Jan de Hartog
      • Carl Foreman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews31

    6.71.8K
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    Featured reviews

    Zen Bones

    Good English wartime melodrama

    Sophia Loren shines in a rather somber role as a woman in England who obstinately attaches herself to British naval officers that are involved in some of the most dangerous assignments in the war. Their job is to try to rescue the crews and cargo of ships that have been destroyed by Nazi ships or submarines. Since the Nazis know exactly where the battle took place, they know where the rescue ships are going to be, so the death rate among the rescue teams is very high. The great Trevor Howard gives a wonderfully understated performance, and William Holden also holds his own very well. The film is rather slow, though I prefer to call it casually paced. The wartime atmosphere of southern England is illustrated with good detail, and the action sequences are well-choreographed and suspenseful. It's not a great film, but I prefer it to most of those 'stiff upper lip' wartime melodramas that England and Hollywood produced in the forties.
    10Garranlahan

    A Neglected Masterwork

    An extraordinary movie in every way, from the combat scenes, which are so lifelike as virtually to constitute a documentary, to the superb acting by every single member of the cast, including each of the supporting players. But the very highest praise must go to Sophia Loren's absolutely stunning performance (not to mention her uncanny command of English at so early an age). Her quiet, dignified, and restrained interpretation of her very unusual and extremely demanding role is simply in a class by itself. I have never been able to get her graceful performance out of my mind. This is one of those movies of great merit, bewitched from the start, that simply disappear from public and critical consciousness---never to be recalled or mentioned even when, for example, the careers of Loren, Holden, or Trevor Howard are discussed. It is as if it were never made at all. A great shame.
    7whpratt1

    Very Unusual Story

    This film tells the story about Tug Boats being utilized by England during 1941 in order to try and salvage damaged ships which were hit by German U Boats. David Ross, (William Holden) is an American assigned to one of these Tugs which are poorly armed, with guns that do not function when needed. David has not been on a tug in over ten years and meets up with an old chum named Capt. Chris Ford, (Trevor Howard) who shares an apartment with a very attractive gal named Stella, (Sophia Loren) who seems to like Tug Boat Captains as she has had many Captains who have died once she gives them a key to her apartment. The story makes a complete turn when Chris gives David a key to the apartment and that is when the trouble starts to happen. There is plenty of action, drama and romance. Great film with an outstanding story and Sophia Loren looked great at the age of 24 years. WOW
    7dinky-4

    Lots of talent but modest results

    It's both surprising and disappointing that this 1958 film has been virtually forgotten. If for no other reason than the amount of talent involved in its making, it deserves continuing recognition. The script, for example, came from Carl Foreman, (adapted from a Jan de Hartog novel), Sir Carol Reed directed, Malcolm Arnold provided the score and Oswald Morris photographed in black-and-white CinemaScope. Heading the cast are William Holden, just fading from his #1 status, and Sophia Loren, just nearing her #1 status. Trevor Howard provides fine support.

    Despite all these assets, however, the movie doesn't quite take off. It's consistently interesting but never really engrossing. Scenes alternate between wartime action in the Atlantic and domestic drama inside a small apartment but neither aspect of the movie seems to provide it with a solid core. It all somehow seems a bit tentative and slightly oblique.

    Michael Caine is said to play a small part here. William Holden has a brief shirtless scene which indicates, at the time of filming, he was still in his shaved-chest mode.
    8cougarblue

    Enlightening chapter on little known WW II operations

    If I were to explain to someone this film's plot in a nutshell, some church lady and maybe others will label this film as some kind of a pinnacle of adultery. In reality any sexual content is needed to add to the hopelessness faced by those who heroically undertook to save the lives of the English, Danish, Swedes, Americans, surviving Nazi attacks on North Sea shipping. You compare the brave men facing extremely high odds of losing their lives in the rescues to the first Marines on the Normandy beaches on June 7, 1944, seen in "The Longest Day", or the B-17 pilots engaged in daylight bombing as portrayed in "12 O' Clock High". This is a war film only slightly just as "Barefoot in the Park" is not a movie about a park. The Key is not listed with all the other WW II movies, because it's less war than a study in how one copes with certain death. Ms Loren is at her best playing the girl who goes with the apartment, Trevor Howard, the British steady in almost every WW II classic is superb. The next holder of the "Key" is Sunset Blvd.'s William Holden, playing the same brooding, sullen, character we are used to. I'm close to adding Mr. Holden to the list of actors playing themselves along with Dean Martin, Burt Reynolds, Gig Young, and many others. However at the end, you are victim of a huge surprise, when a battle battered, nearly drowned, Holden unexpectedly returns to the apartment, to find the next in line already holding court. He breaks with his type casting at that point and you're treated to a great ending. Not wanting to reveal the entire idea behind the key, I'm been very vague, but as I added the characters and the roles they played, I've created more confusion than I intended. Let me try to do a short outline on The Key. A rescue boat captain rents an apartment near the South Hampton docks, which includes the beautiful Sophia Loren. Knowing his life has "the same length as a lit match", he copies the key forcing it on a close friend, so that friend, (also a rescue boat captain) may take over the apartment in the occasion of his death. The process repeats itself three times when Trevor Howard becomes the key holder, and the film picks up here. On the very day the Howard character has set to marry the Ms. Loren character the film becomes a hanky grabber. You may only be able to catch this great movie on TCM, but if you are a fan of Loren, Howard or Holden, DO NOT miss it. You will be touched, saddened, then given a good dose of hope.

    Related interests

    Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlen in Les Filles du docteur March (2019)
    Period Drama
    Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in Le secret de Brokeback Mountain (2005)
    Tragic Romance
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama
    Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942)
    Romance
    Frères d'armes (2001)
    War

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Two endings were shot according to tcm.com. One had David join Stella on the train, the other had him just miss it, but promising to find her. This was apparently to satisfy the Motion Picture Production Code since the characters were not married.
    • Goofs
      Damaged ship is sending SSS instead of SOS, but during WWII merchants ships in danger was instructed to send RRR instead of SOS if attacked by a Surface ship or a SSS if attacked by a submarine.
    • Quotes

      Captain Chris Ford: I'm here! Let's have the vulgar details and I'll run along.

    • Connections
      Featured in When the Applause Died (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Lambeth Walk
      (uncredited)

      Music by Noel Gay

      Lyrics by Douglas Furber

      Sung by the customers at the dance hall

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    FAQ17

    • How long is The Key?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1, 1958 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Key
    • Filming locations
      • Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK(Old, now demolished, buildings on Station Road used as train station location.)
    • Production companies
      • Highroad
      • Open Road Films (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 14m(134 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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