The Glass Key [Import]

The Glass Key [Import]
by Stuart Heisler

The Glass Key [Import]

Category: DVD
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DVD details

Director: Stuart Heisler
Primary Contributor: Brian Donlevy
Primary Contributor: Veronica Lake
Primary Contributor: Alan Ladd
Primary Contributor: Bonita Granville
Primary Contributor: Richard Denning
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); Portuguese (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Full Screen, Import, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 85 minutes
Studio: Classicline
Product features:

Cover in Portuguese.
Audio in Spanish.

DVD Reviews of The Glass Key [Import]

DVD Review: William 'Billy' Benedict a bad guy? Never, well maybe
Summary: 5 Stars

They mention "the glass Key" at the beginning of the film as the key to a position. A warning says, "It is a glass key, be sure it does not break off in your hand."

This movie was supposed to be the one that made it for both Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd. They are also together in the film "This Gun for Hire." I did not read the book but Dash-it-all Hammett is usually a lot darker and his characters are usually a lot sleazier. The only really dark scene was probably the encounter between Ed Beaumont and Jeff. The mystery was good. The who-done-it and why lasted up to the end.

What ever happened to William Bendix the bartender in "Boys' Night Out" (1962) and "Life of Riley (1953)"? I always thought of him as a good guy. Boy, this shatters my image of him.

I Married a Witch ~ Veronica Lake

DVD Review: Ladd/Lake team in political thriller
Summary: 4 Stars

In 1942, Paramount struck box office gold when Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake stole the excellent thriller "This Gun for Hire". They were not romantically teamed in that film but their scenes together oozed charisma so they were paired in a follow up, a remake of the Dashiell Hammett thriller "The Glass Key". Neither performer was a versatile actor but that did not matter. In fact, they were notably artificial, but the chemistry worked on screen.

"The Glass Key" is a confusing and not very convincing political thriller. Lake plays the classy daughter of a politician and Ladd plays the henchman of criminal Brian Donlevy who has political aspirations. Lake has a tinny quality which makes her unconvincing as a lady of class but the story is secondary to the set pieces and the dialogue and in particular, some graphic violence, particularly a superb scene when Ladd falls through the ceiling onto a dinner table. William Bendix is outstanding as a dense thug and steals the film. There are many riveting individual scenes and sets but the film as a whole is flawed.

The DVD print is excellent and there are no extras except some trailers for other Ladd/Lake outings.

DVD Review: Between the duty and the friendship!
Summary: 5 Stars

Ed Beaumont is the smart assessor and chief aide of his boss Paul Madvig who took from the dark gutters in order to occupy this coveted status. However, he is overtly opposed to Madvig's decision to support Senator Henry's reform ticket in the next elections, because he guesses Madvig is being used by the senator and his beautiful daughter. The reform includes the elimination of the vice and gambling, which will arouse the enmity of Nick Varna, the principal racketeer of the city. And when Senator Henry's son, Taylor Henry, is in love with Paul's sister Opal Madvig is killed, Paul is implicated but he refuses to defend himself. So with the purpose to discover what's behind stage Ed pretends to work for Varna, but soon Nick realizes the set up and Ed is sadistically beaten by his henchman Jeff. Then Ed realizes the hidden interests among Nick and Mathews (a newspaper publisher).

These are the pieces in motion that gradually will conform a superior, smart and tense script that will involve you until the end of this absorbing Noir, in which William Bendix as the sadistic gangster steals the show although his brief appearance.

One of the smartest and most emblematic Noirs ever filmed

DVD Review: The Glass Key [Import|...
Summary: 5 Stars

I caught this movie on late night television back in the early 80's. I really had fun with it. The interaction between the characters, the language (slang) had me smiling throughout the film.

After that first viewing, I always seemed to miss it when it would re-run. During the video-tape era, it wasn't available when I wanted it. Over the last several years, it has only been available on video-tape.

Finally, it shows up in on DVD as an Import. The price is higher that I would usually pay for Film Noir, but I'd pay it in a second if I thought I was getting an copy in spoken English.

You see folks, this DVD's cover is written in Portugese with Spanish audio. American slang will not work well with Spanish audio.

Regardless, I give the movie 5 stars, and I will patiently way for a proper Region 1 version...Five stars!

DVD Review: A classic noir thriller.
Summary: 4 Stars

This film stars the electric combination of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake, two of the most charismatic stars of the film noir genre. This film came out in 1942 when Ladd was 29 and was just becoming famous as the star of "This Gun for Hire".

The screenplay is adapted from the novel by Dashiel Hammett. It is unfortunate that Hammett did not participate more in the writing as the plot is a little difficult to understand.

Ladd plays Ed Beaumont, the wise-cracking best friend of Madvig, a politician who is trying to clean up corruption in his town. Beaumont and Madvig both fall for Janet (Veronica Lake) on first sight. Lake obviously falls for Beaumont, but for some reason gets engaged to Madvig. Woven around this love triangle is a plot to frame Madvig for murder. Beaumont infiltrates the bad guys to save his friend and suffers a severe beating.

Ladd is still baby faced, wears too much makeup and smiles superciliously in this role. Still one can see the beginning of his trademark deadpan delivery. Lake as usual looks like a medieval princess in 40's clothing and is an excellent foil for Ladd. Despite some plot problems this is a decent film for noir fans.

Apparently this film was Akira Kurosawa's inspiration for "Yojimbo" and the scene where Ladd gets beaten up is duplicated frame by frame by Kurosawa.

Description of The Glass Key [Import]

Dashiel Hammett's The Glass Key, a tale of big-city political corruption, was first filmed in 1935, with Edward Arnold as a duplicitous political boss and George Raft as his loyal lieutenant. This 1942 remake improves on the original, especially in replacing the stolid Raft with the charismatic Alan Ladd. Brian Donlevy essays the role of the boss, who is determined to back reform candidate Moroni Olsen, despite Ladd's gut feeling that this move is a mistake. Ladd knows that Donlevy is doing a political about-face merely to get in solid with Olsen's pretty daughter Veronica Lake. It is Ladd who is left to clean up the mess when crime lord Joseph Calleila murders Olsen's wastrel son Richard Denning and pins the rap on Donlevy. As Ladd struggles to clear Donlevy's name, he falls in love with Lake--when he's not being pummeled about by Calleila's psychopathic henchman William Bendix. Far less complex than the Dashiel Hammett original (and far less damning of the American political system), The Glass Key further increased the box-office pull of Paramount's new team of Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake.

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