The Key (1934) User Reviews

British romance with Irish rebellion

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 3 April 2016]

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.

Roguish William Powell Is The Key

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 30 July 2019]

On my second viewing of "The Key" I found it more enjoyable, appreciating William Powell's performance as the key, if you will, to its appreciation. As Captain Bill Tennant, he is thrust back into the life of the woman he loved and left---Norah Kerr (Edna Best). Now married to Bill's friend and fellow officer, Captain Andy Kerr (Colin Clive), Norah has been haunted by the memory of her love for Bill. Bill is the same man he always was---free of encumbrances, to women or causes.

Filmed against the backdrop of the Irish resistance to British rule, "The Key" is a simple film expertly shot. Director Michael Curtiz keeps the action moving as things heat up between the former paramours and between the political adversaries.

Edna is not at her best here...

[AlsExGal · 6/10 · 30 July 2019]

... although I enjoy to some degree just about everything William Powell was ever in. He saves this from being a 4 or 5 star movie for me. Edna Best was a well respected actress of the stage, but she just did not impress on screen. The story is about a British intelligence officer (Colin Clive) and his wife (Edna Best) who is stuck on some old boyfriend (William Powell as another British officer and stuckee). To complicate matters, Powell and Clive are best friends from before either of them knew Edna, and now Clive and Edna are billeted in the apartment just below Powell.

The setting is weird for a Depression era Warner's film. In terrain usually traversed by Paramount or MGM, here is WB in the middle of a period piece romance/drama involving the Irish rebellion and the sinn fein.

The art design and attention to detail is very good here, with the actors even having the - by American standards - rather weird British means of saluting down pat. Michael Curtiz' direction is impressive, and he tries to make the film more interesting with some of his famous genius with the camera, but he just can't save this script or Best's shrill performance or lack of chemistry with either one of the leading men. I would expect the leading men to be more likely to chuck it all and go off together than to have either one of them win Best's final affection or want it in the first place.

Maybe the irony in all of this is that "The Key" was William Powell's final film at Warner Brothers, who was not that happy with the roles he was getting there. And what is the first film he does after arriving at MGM? The equally sappy "Manhattan Melodrama" in which we are expected to believe that Mickey Rooney grows up to be Clark Gable! Oh well, after this rough patch there are much better things ahead in film for William Powell.

Interesting, Atmospheric Movie

[Torchy · 16 September 2009]

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.

English officer Powell serves in the Irish revolution

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 25 January 2018]

"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."

light hearted Wm Powell

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 31 October 2020]

Headliner william powell is brit officer Captain Tennant, keeping an eye on ireland ( the same year he began his career as The Thin Man !) and of course, he bumps into his old girl Norah (edna best. the biggest role she had was Liz Robinson, in the 1940 version of Swiss Family Robinson). despite the serious subject matter, Powell keeps it all quite light hearted and fun. as Tennant, he stirs things up and laughs it off. in fact we learn that he seems to get in trouble where ever he goes, but his war heroics get him out of trouble every time. Keep an eye out for the flower girl on the corner.. that's Anne Shirley, who will be oscar nominated as the daughter in Stella Dallas, a couple years later. directed by michael curtiz, who will go on to get the oscar for Casablanca, eight years later.

Not a strong film

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 6/10 · 9 May 2023]

I do have to state, in advance, that I rarely find films about Ireland interesting. Not sure why...since my heritage is Irish. And, that follows through with this film, the background of which is based on the struggle of the Irish to be independent from Great Britain. And, it surprised how short this film was (only 71 minutes)...although I'm not complaining about that (hint, hint).

The real treat here is watching William Powell; I can watch him in films even when the films are less than sterlling. On the other hand, I have never understood how anyone thought that Colin Clive was a good actor...yet, here he is again, to the films detriment. I'm not very familiar with Edna Best, but she reasonably good here.

The plot is rather simple: During the Irish struggle, Powell's character is an army officer with a sterling past...at least in terms of his military successes, but not so sterline in terms of his morality. And here, he is suddenly thrust into a personal situation between a husband and friend who also works with the British military in Ireland and the wife who was an old (but brief) flame of Powell's. Well, you can probably guess where that's heading. Donald Crisp plays a notorious Irish hero who is caputured by the husband (Clive), who is then kidnapped in revenge for the caputre and execution of Crisp. Powell saves the day but disgraces his uniform while doing so.

The film barely held my interest, and I don't recommend...other than because of the opportunity to enjoy another Powell performance.

Irish struggle ruined by love story

[brianina · 3/10 · 19 June 2001]

"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.

familiar story with the Irish struggle as background

[blanche-2 · 5/10 · 3 August 2006]

William Powell is Bill, a British officer who finds an old love in Ireland in "The Key," a 1934 film also starring Edna Best (Norah) and Colin Clive (Andy). A very young Donald Crisp, though his voice identifies him immediately, plays a Sein Fein leader whom the British army seeks to capture. When Bill arrives on the scene, he finds himself living below Andy, a fellow officer and friend, but he doesn't know that the woman he once loved is married to him - and Andy never knew that Bill and Norah were involved. Realizing that their breakup was a mistake, Bill seeks to rekindle the relationship. Norah has continued to love him, and it's stood between her and her husband throughout their marriage.

Full of dry ice and night scenes, this old movie was hard to see at times. The story is very familiar, the film is short; it doesn't have a lot to recommend it. It's atmospheric, although this viewer was not drawn into the story. Powell brings it lots of energy - he's the best thing in it; Best and Clive don't project much and look unhappy throughout.

Poorly cast and only mildly interesting.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 25 March 2014]

William Powell is inexplicably cast as Captain Bill Tennant. I say inexplicably because he is supposed to be a British officer, but sounds just like an American--which he is. They could have gotten around this by saying he was a Canadian but didn't. So, at the outset, the film has a big deficit in regard to casting.

Tennant is a bit of a rogue. Although he's a good soldier and always seems to land on his feet, he has a long history of sleeping with the wrong women--often married women. Because of this history, it's very surprising that he is friends with Captain Andy Kerr (Colin Clive)--who is a rather dull married man. Kerr also is clueless as to how big a scoundrel Tennant is, as in the past, Tennant had a relationship with Norah--who is now Andy's wife. Not surprisingly, Norah and Tennant soon pick up where they left off.

When Andy learns the truth, he does something crazy--he just wanders into the streets of Dublin--a terrible place to walk about if you are a British soldier during the Troubles in Ireland (i.e., during the height of the violence in Ireland in the early 20th century). Not surprisingly, he's taken prisoner by Irish nationalists and will be executed if a member of Sinn Féin is hung. What is Tennant to do? After all, Andy's predicament is his fault.

I think with better casting as well as a less sappy love story this film would have played a lot better. I did like how the film took a rather neutral view of the Irish problems and the look of Ireland in the film was quite nice.

Watch For The Story Npt Powell

[davidjanuzbrown · 3/10 · 19 March 2016]

I am a William Powell Fan, and this is one of weakest movies of his career. The biggest problem is the casting. Powell as British Captain Bill Tennent? Does not work whatsoever. Maybe Ronald Colman might have pulled it off, but not Powell, who does not even attempt a British Accent. Even worse was Colin Clive was Captain Andy Kerr and Edna Best as his wife Norah Kerr, He is a boring pathetic character and she is ugly to say the least. To be honest the story that takes place in Ireland in 1920 was good, but the casting was wrong. I would love to see this remade with better British Actors then Clive and Best and an authentic Englishman. Maybe Charlie Murphy as Norah might work. 3 stars for the story and setting.

Tennant the Marriage Fixer

[view_and_review · 4/10 · 18 April 2024]

"The Key" attempts to convince us that we should let our spouses scratch their itch because it will be better for our marriages in the long run.

The movie takes place in Ireland circa 1920. British soldiers are everywhere and they are clamping down on Irish rebels aka freedom fighters. A man named Captain Andrew 'Andy' Kerr (Colin Clive) was a British spy. He spent many nights hunting for Britain's most wanted: an Irishman named Peadar Conlan (Donald Crisp). He was committed to his job much to the consternation of his wife Norah (Edna Best), and this would become a serious problem later on.

Also in the King's army was Captain Bill Tennant (William Powell), a rather carefree gentleman who seemed like he should've been enjoying parties, not serving in the military. Tennant was relocated to Ireland to help tamp any kind of Irish uprising. He rented a flat in a building right below Andy and Norah. It turned out that he knew both Andy and Norah, but not as a couple. He had a romantic fling with Norah years ago. Andy wasn't aware of it and the two wanted to keep it that way.

At this point I could see the scandal on the horizon. Norah's old flame was back in the picture plus Andy wasn't a romantic; it was easy math.

As anyone could predict, Tennant and Norah hooked up. They happened to hook up the same night Andy caught Conlan (Britain's most wanted), and they didn't even have the decency to part ways before Andy got home. He left the two together, thinking nothing of it (he still didn't know they knew each other), then came back hours later that night to find Tennant still at his home with his wife. Norah looked guilty, Tennant looked a bit smug, and Andy was crushed.

It was such an awkward scene I thought they planned it that way. I couldn't believe that they were so caught up in passion that time and caution gave them the slip. What I thought was that Norah re-fell in love with Tennant and fell out of love with Andy, and their plan was to tell him.

Norah did tell Andy what happened.

Well, no she didn't because 1934 social mores don't permit such things to be said on film, but all the context clues were there to convey that she and Tennant had sex.

What was she supposed to do at home alone with her old flame? She had begged Andy not to go out to work that night. Andy didn't know that her plea was for her protection, not his. As Norah put it when she tried to explain to Andy what happened:

"It was like a fire that I thought had gone out, but suddenly it flared up again."

She was talking like she had hemorrhoids.

Andy did what most guys would've done in that situation and left the house. He was devastated. Then Norah was devastated, because it was when Andy left that she realized how much she loved him. But! She had to have sex with Tennant to truly realize that she didn't really love Tennant and that she really loved Andy.

"She merely thought she was in love with me once perhaps. But she knows different now... Norah's been in love with a memory. Glamorous memory. For three years she was struggling to kill it. It's the thing that's always stood between you two.

"I came into her life and went out. I became a sort of unfinished chapter," Tennant carefully explained to Andy.

And here is the important part, the essence of Tennant's power.

Tennant continued, "If I hadn't come back that chapter might never have been finished. She might have gone on for years cherishing a romantic dream. But I did come back. It killed all the romance for her; all the glamor. It's you she loves Andy. She knows that now."

I must pause because I want these words to sink in. I want you to understand EXACTLY what Tennant is saying.

Let me translate.

"I was a blessing to your pitiful marriage. She was pining for me and you didn't even know it. You could never live up to the lasting impression I left upon her.

"So, I had to come back and make love to her so that she could get it out of her system and realize that I was just a romantic idea, not a true lasting thing like you are Andy. Sure, I may be handsome, suave, and know how to charm the pants off a woman, but you're husband material and I made her realize that."

Well excuse me. Allow me to show my deepest gratitude oh wise one. And here it is I thought you screwed my wife for your own pleasure. Pardon me good sir.

Tennant. Do me a favor and don't do me any favors. What a line of garbage. And Andy stood there listening to it like it was Gospel. He ate that stuff up. The movie ended with Andy and Norah side-by-side watching Tennant being taken away. Tennant was arrested for a heroic yet illegal stunt, but it was almost like the scene in "The Green Mile" where Michael Clark Duncan had accomplished what he was sent there for and it was time for him to go.

Tennant, with his magical penis, had fixed Andy and Norah's marriage, now he could go somewhere else and fix another struggling marriage.

Sorry, I don't know any marriage that needs to be fixed with cheating. That's some marriage counseling I want no part of.

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