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Why so much hype?

Too much of everything

Don't Believe the Hype

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

"The Key" is one of the last films that William Powell made for Warner Brothers before going to MGM and stardom. This film is set in 1920 Dublin during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921). As the film shows, the Irish revolutionary period that was nearly a century old had now evolved into open warfare. Powell plays an English captain of some notoriety with women. He has endured in the Army only because of his daring and accomplishments. His most recent assignment was Africa, but now he arrives for duty in Ireland. And here he meets an old friend, and an old flame. Lo, they are wed to each other. There's plenty of drama in this rather dark and sinister film, much of it shot on Hollywood sets made to resemble night time streets and scenes in Ireland. The English are trying to Capture Peadar Conlan (played by Donald Crisp), the leader and inspiration for the Irish underground. Powell's Capt. Bill Tennant is a mix of easygoing good guy and cad. Still, the Powell persona is there. The female in the love triangle is played by Edna Best. She was a prominent actress in England, but one wouldn't think her that talented just from her performance here. She is very wooden throughout the film as Norah Kerr. Her expression seldom changes and she seems to lack emotion except for her pleading for Bill to helps save Andy's life. On the other hand, Colin Clive gave a superb performance as Capt. Andy Kerr. This is a rare film in which the leading man doesn't win the lady in the end. But it's the right ending in this case. The film clearly is a drama, as billed. But it has a few funny lines. Here are my favorites. Capt. Bill Tennant, says to General C.O. Furlong (played by Halliwell Hobbes), "You get the paunch and the promotions. I get the fun and the medals. And we both die and get the same funeral." Capt. Bill Tennant's aide, Homer, has been dozing. Tennant says to the headquarters aide, "You know, in Africa, the tsetse flies used to bite him and go sound to sleep."Capt. Bill Tennant says to Norah Kerr, "It wasn't that I forgot. I simply couldn't mortgage my tomorrows." Homer, Tennant's Aide, says, "When shall I expect you sir?" Capt. Bill Tennant, "Oh, eventually."Capt. Bill Tennant, to Norah Kerr, "I suppose it's only in story books that there's a path back to yesterday."

If The Key looks like The Informer you'd definitely be right. Michael Curtiz's film looks a lot like it although John Ford created better atmosphere telling his story in his Oscar winning film. Then again this was a different type of story, a story of the Irish Rebellion told from the British point of view. William Powell who's served just about everywhere in the British Empire as a career army man is now arrived in Ireland in 1920. He's billeted with an old friend Colin Clive in the same area. But Clive is now married to Edna Best who has history with Powell before she met and married Clive.The big concern for the army is to get a man named Peadar Conlan who is a kind of composite character between Michael Collins and Eamon DeValera. Get him and the rebellion will be over. He's played by Donald Crisp and Crisp when he's on screen he's stealing the scenes from the stars. So is J.M. Kerrigan who is one shifty character, a bit more polish than the guy he played in The Informer and in The General Died At Dawn, but definitely not one to turn your back on.The romantic triangle intersects with the politics of the Rebellion in ways not anticipated by the leads. In the end one lead makes a big sacrifice for the other.The Key was William Powell's last film in his stint with Warner Brothers before moving on to MGM and his years in The Thin Man series with Myrna Loy. According to the Citadel Film series book about him he thought this was one of the better films he did at that studio and I'm inclined to agree.

I thought The Key was excellent. Interesting story, strong dialogue and good performances. To my mind this is one of Michael Curtiz' best films. It's not just a matter of creating atmosphere. In shooting the street scenes and club scenes Curtiz fills the frame with movement. This film really has the feel of life in the city. With the help of cinematographer Ernest Haller and art director Robert Haas, Curtiz makes the tension of the situation palpable. There are some weak moments, but my only real complaint is that William Powell could be stronger. He's fine at the beginning when he's just playing the breezy adventurer. But as we see that the character is more complex, Powell needs to do more to show the conflict within. Instead he keeps it mostly on the surface. On the other hand, a lot of the actors in small roles are marvelous. Over all, this is a really solid movie.

"The Key" starts off promisingly with atmospheric photography as British troops track down a Sein Fein leader. Apparently Warner Bros thought this wasn't enough, so halfway through the film a love triangle is introduced between William Powell, Edna Best and Colin Clive. All it succeeds in doing is derailing the film into very familiar territory. Seeing Colin Clive making dead bodies with a gun rather than bringing them back to life in a lab sparks some interest but other than that he spends his time looking glum (did he ever smile?). William Powell begins the film with an accent and a "right-ho, pip, pip" clipped speech that vanishes by the third reel and he and Edna Best (in her first U.S. film) have absolutely no chemistry. Director Curtiz does well until the highpoint of the love story where he pulls the camera out the window into the fog and goes into a flashback that looks like it belongs on a 1890 stage. Add to this a criminally underused Donald Crisp and a hokey ending and you have one missed opportunity.