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:

Match made in heaven

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)
Brooks Benedict	...	Man at campaign headquarters (uncredited)
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Farr's receptionist (uncredited)
Conrad Binyon	...	Stubby (uncredited)
Frank Bruno	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Kenneth Chryst	...	Man in barroom (uncredited)
Dane Clark	...	Henry Sloss (uncredited)
Edmund Cobb	...	Reporter carrying papers (uncredited)
Maurice Costello	...	Card Player (uncredited)
George Cowl	...	Butler #2 in Henry home (uncredited)
John W. De Noria	...	Groggins (uncredited)
Vernon Dent	...	Bartender serving beers (uncredited)
Frank Elliott	...	Peter, (butler #1 in Henry home) (uncredited)
Tom Fadden	...	Basement Club waiter (uncredited)
Bess Flowers	...	Henrys' dinner guest (uncredited)
J.C. Fowler	...	Henrys' dinner guest (uncredited)
Jack Gardner	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Basement Club barfly (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Strongarm thug escorting Sloss (uncredited)
Chuck Hamilton	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Arthur Stuart Hull	...	Henrys' dinner guest (uncredited)
Joe King	...	Fisher (uncredited)
Theodore Lorch	...	Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Jack Luden	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Wilbur Mack	...	Man at campaign headquarters (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn	...	Reporter (uncredited)
James Millican	...	Politician (uncredited)
Bert Moorhouse	...	Man at campaign headquarters (uncredited)
Edmund Mortimer	...	Man at campaign headquarters (uncredited)
Jack Mulhall	...	Lynch (uncredited)
Spec O'Donnell	...	Usher at campaign headquarters (uncredited)
Broderick O'Farrell	...	Henrys' dinner guest (uncredited)
Tom O'Grady	...	Henrys' dinner guest (uncredited)
Pat O'Malley	...	Politician (uncredited)
Stanley Price	...	Basement Club barfly (uncredited)
Lillian Randolph	...	Basement Club entertainer (uncredited)
Cyril Ring	...	Worker at campaign hedquarters (uncredited)
Francis Sayles	...	Seedy-looking man at campaign headquarters (uncredited)
Bruce Sidney	...	Dinner Guest (uncredited)
Charles Sullivan	...	Cab driver (uncredited)
George Turner	...	Dr. Redmond (uncredited)
Norma Varden	...	Henrys' dinner guest (uncredited)
William Wagner	...	Butler (uncredited)
Fred Walburn	...	Kid (uncredited)

Réalisé par
Stuart Heisler

Scénaristes
Dashiell Hammett		(novel)
Jonathan Latimer		(screenplay)

Produit par
Fred Kohlmar	....	associate producer
Buddy G. DeSylva	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Musique originale
Victor Young
Walter Scharf		(uncredited)

Image
Theodor Sparkuhl		(director of photography)

Montage
Archie Marshek

Direction artistique
Haldane Douglas
Hans Dreier

Création des costumes
Edith Head

Maquillage
Wally Westmore	....	makeup artist

Assistant réalisateur
Arthur S. Black Jr.	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Technicien du son
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Don Johnson	....	sound recordist

Cascadeur
Jimmie Dundee	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Frank Hagney	....	stunts (uncredited)

Département Musique
George Parrish	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Companies de production

• Paramount Pictures (as Paramount Pictures Inc.)

Distributeurs

• Paramount Pictures (1942) (USA) (theatrical) (as Paramount Pictures Inc.)
• MCA/Universal Pictures (1958) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1993) (USA) (laserdisc)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (1998) (USA) (VHS)
• Teakwood Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)

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:

Paul Madvig: I'm going to society. He's practically given me the key to his house.
Ed Beaumont: Yeah, a glass key. Be sure it doesn't break in your hand.

Connexions:

figure dans Alan Ladd: The True Quiet Man (1999) (TV)

Bande son:

I Don't Want to Walk Without You

Match made in heaven

Alan Ladd warns Brian Dennehy about "The Glass Key" in this 1942 noir also starring Veronica Lake and William Bendix. The glass key refers to a key that breaks in a lock - Ladd here is warning his boss (Brian Donlevy) to watch out for people out to get him. Donlevy is Paul Madvig, who controls a political machine and falls in love with the daughter (Lake) of a wealthy man, Ralph Henry, trying to get the benefit of Madvig's political influence. When Henry's no-good son Taylor is killed, Madvig falls under suspicion. Ladd, as his assistant Ed, works to prove his innocence.

This film is good but hard to follow. It's also cold as ice with nothing to warm it up. Ladd and Lake were one terrific team, but one could never call them warm, especially in this. It's also very violent - you practically cry out in pain when William Bendix, playing yet another whack job, beats Ed to a pulp. When Ed gets away from him, it's by throwing himself out a window - a stunning scene.

"The Glass Key" is a cross between a hard crime drama and a noir, and you couldn't ask for a more perfect actor for the noir genre than Ladd. He gives a focused, relaxed performance, saying his lines in his usual straightforward manner. He's one actor who never had to be tall to be tough or powerful, and one forgets all about his height, especially when seeing him next to tiny, gorgeous Lake. He takes some beating in this but keeps right on going. Donlevy does a good job as a political boss, and Bendix is scary. The one bad note is Granville, as Madvig's sister. She was an energetic actress who, when the director wasn't paying attention, could go way over the top in her dramatic scenes. Evidently the director was distracted.

The film has a Hollywood ending which many people won't like. Although "The Glass Key" is confusing, it's still worth watching to see the two stars at the top of their game.