The Glass Key (1942)

Note Générale:

7,3/10   

Réalisateur:

Stuart Heisler

Scénaristes:

Dashiell Hammett (novel)
Jonathan Latimer (screenplay)

Date de sortie:

23 octobre 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Drame | Film-Noir | Crime | Mystère

Plot Keywords:

Suicide Note | Reformer | Casino | Engagement | Escape

Avis des utilisateurs:

Reaching For Some Class

Ensemble

Brian Donlevy	...	Paul Madvig
Veronica Lake	...	Janet Henry
Alan Ladd	...	Ed Beaumont
Bonita Granville	...	Opal 'Snip' Madvig
Richard Denning	...	Taylor Henry
Joseph Calleia	...	Nick Varna
William Bendix	...	Jeff (Varna's henchman)
Frances Gifford	...	Nurse
Donald MacBride	...	DIst. Atty. Farr
Margaret Hayes	...	Eloise Matthews
Moroni Olsen	...	Ralph Henry
Eddie Marr	...	Rusty (Varna's henchman)
Arthur Loft	...	Clyde Matthews
George Meader	...	Claude Tuttle
reste de la distribution par ordre alphabétique:
Tom Dugan	...	Jeep (scenes deleted)
Edward Peil Sr.	...	Politician (scenes deleted)

Durée:

85 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Noir et Blanc

Rapport de forme:

1,37 : 1

Son:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Classification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #8207) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Sweden:15

Société:

Paramount Pictures

Anecdotes:

Several actors and their character names listed in studio records and casting call lists did not appear in the movie. These were Edward Peil Sr. (Politician), 'Al Hill' (Bum) and Tom Dugan (Jeep).

Goofs:

Continuité: In Farr's office, when Ed is slowly tucking the anonymous letter in his inside pocket, Farr tells him he expects a visit from Nick. The camera is on Ed who abruptly takes his hand out of his inside pocket and turns to Farr, but then the camera cuts to show both him and Farr and he's still tucking the letter in his inside pocket.

Guillemet:

Nick Varna: I'm too big to take the boot from you now.
Paul Madvig: You may be too big to take it laying down, Nick, but you're gonna take it. You are taking it.

Connexions:

figure dans The Best of Film Noir (1999) (V)

Bande son:

I Don't Want to Walk Without You

Reaching For Some Class

In watching this and the first film version of The Glass Key you have to wonder why Brian Donlevy is making an alliance with the 'reform' forces led by Senator Moroni Olsen. The way I see it, Donlevy is a mug and he knows it, but he figures he'll step up in society if allies himself with the right people. It's the only explanation that makes sense for Donlevy to cut loose from gambling czar Joseph Calleia.

Everybody in Donlevy's family is getting involved with Olsen. Donlevy's taken a shine to daughter Veronica Lake who can't stand him, but will put up with it for her father's sake. Donlevy's sister Bonita Granville is involved with Olsen's playboy son Richard Denning, not something that Donlevy approves of. When Denning turns up dead all kinds of questions are raised.

Donlevy has someone on his payroll who takes care of these problems, Alan Ladd and Ladd's not particularly squeamish about the legalities of things. He starts investigating and at the same time tries to protect his boss's reputation. Not so easy as he finds out.

This was the second teaming Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd and they clicked as well as they did in This Gun For Hire. It was also the first time that Alan Ladd and William Bendix worked together on a film. Bendix became one of Ladd's best friends on the Paramount lot and his widow Tess Bendix was a prime source for Beverly Linet's revealing biography of Alan Ladd. Bendix portrays a truly malevolent thug who works for Calleia and he's pretty frightening. One of the best examples of a sadist ever done on the screen.

My personal favorite in this film besides Bendix is Joseph Calleia the racketeer kingpin of the city. He's one slick article as he usually is in most of his films and his fate is determined by something he really could not have foreseen.

The story by Dashiell Hammett on which this is based really does show how close politics and the criminal element mix, even the so-called 'reform' element. Even law enforcement is afraid to move here as typified by the very political district attorney Donald MacBride. He's not one to move against the local power structure unless he has to.

This version of The Glass Key is not too different from the 1935 version that starred George Raft and Edward Arnold. This one is seen more often and shows that corruption can be quite systemic in some of our local governments. Pity the poor voters.