This is one of the most unusual British war movies of the 1950s. Directed by Carol Reed it looks authentic with real ships: tugs and subs, but it also has a surprising romantic twist.
American David Ross (William Holden) is seconded to the Royal Navy and put in command of a tugboat tasked with rescuing crippled ships in "U-boat Alley."
When he meets old friend and fellow tug captain Chris Ford (Trevor Howard) he is made aware of an unusual arrangement between tugboat captains where the key to a cosy top floor flat is passed to the next in line as each meets his fate.
The flat is not only comfortable compared to the overcrowded room Ross is forced to share with three other chaps (you can almost smell the body odour), but comes with benefits. The other occupant is a woman, Stella, who remains as the boys replace each other. Trevor Howard's character is the third possessor of the key and eventually William Holden's becomes the fourth.
Casting Sophia Loren as Stella made it believable that the key holder would take the stairs two at a time when it was his turn. This was full-on Sophia, the cheekbones, the almond eyes, the sensuous lips and dimpled chin, often while wearing striped men's pyjamas.
Her appeal extended beyond her character. Bob Thomas in his biography of William Holden, "Golden Boy", reveals how Bill was determined to get her to bed. Apparently so was Carol Reed. Although ardent in their efforts to win her over, they failed.
The ending of "The Key" as Stella disappears on the train leaving David Ross on the platform pathetically vowing to find her was very Carol Reed. Remember the finale of "The Third Man" when Alida Valli walks past Joseph Cotton without so much as a glance? Here Stella pushes the eponymous key down the side of the train seat; Ross was dumped. Forget the alternative Hollywood happy ending.
Thomas also tells how Reed allowed Howard to improvise when he couldn't remember his lines. This threw the more disciplined Holden off his delivery. However the Luftwaffe dispatched Howard's character a third of the way through allowing Holden to get into his stride.
Malcolm Arnold's film scores sometimes felt interchangeable. Nice theme for Stella, but the rest seemed overly familiar and bombastic. It needed something more subtle and flowing to make a good film even better.
American David Ross (William Holden) is seconded to the Royal Navy and put in command of a tugboat tasked with rescuing crippled ships in "U-boat Alley."
When he meets old friend and fellow tug captain Chris Ford (Trevor Howard) he is made aware of an unusual arrangement between tugboat captains where the key to a cosy top floor flat is passed to the next in line as each meets his fate.
The flat is not only comfortable compared to the overcrowded room Ross is forced to share with three other chaps (you can almost smell the body odour), but comes with benefits. The other occupant is a woman, Stella, who remains as the boys replace each other. Trevor Howard's character is the third possessor of the key and eventually William Holden's becomes the fourth.
Casting Sophia Loren as Stella made it believable that the key holder would take the stairs two at a time when it was his turn. This was full-on Sophia, the cheekbones, the almond eyes, the sensuous lips and dimpled chin, often while wearing striped men's pyjamas.
Her appeal extended beyond her character. Bob Thomas in his biography of William Holden, "Golden Boy", reveals how Bill was determined to get her to bed. Apparently so was Carol Reed. Although ardent in their efforts to win her over, they failed.
The ending of "The Key" as Stella disappears on the train leaving David Ross on the platform pathetically vowing to find her was very Carol Reed. Remember the finale of "The Third Man" when Alida Valli walks past Joseph Cotton without so much as a glance? Here Stella pushes the eponymous key down the side of the train seat; Ross was dumped. Forget the alternative Hollywood happy ending.
Thomas also tells how Reed allowed Howard to improvise when he couldn't remember his lines. This threw the more disciplined Holden off his delivery. However the Luftwaffe dispatched Howard's character a third of the way through allowing Holden to get into his stride.
Malcolm Arnold's film scores sometimes felt interchangeable. Nice theme for Stella, but the rest seemed overly familiar and bombastic. It needed something more subtle and flowing to make a good film even better.