Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Key

  • 1958
  • Approved
  • 2h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
The Key (1958)
DramaRomanceWar

During World War II, successive tugboat British Captains sent on dangerous salvage missions pass-on the key to a home-port apartment, where a lonely Swiss-Italian young war-widow lives.During World War II, successive tugboat British Captains sent on dangerous salvage missions pass-on the key to a home-port apartment, where a lonely Swiss-Italian young war-widow lives.During World War II, successive tugboat British Captains sent on dangerous salvage missions pass-on the key to a home-port apartment, where a lonely Swiss-Italian young war-widow lives.

  • Director
    • Carol Reed
  • Writers
    • Jan de Hartog
    • Carl Foreman
  • Stars
    • William Holden
    • Sophia Loren
    • Trevor Howard
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    1.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Carol Reed
    • Writers
      • Jan de Hartog
      • Carl Foreman
    • Stars
      • William Holden
      • Sophia Loren
      • Trevor Howard
    • 23User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 1 win & 1 nomination total

    Photos58

    The Key (1958)
    The Key (1958)
    The Key (1958)
    William Holden in The Key (1958)
    The Key (1958)
    Sophia Loren in The Key (1958)
    Sophia Loren in The Key (1958)
    William Holden and Sophia Loren in The Key (1958)
    Sophia Loren in The Key (1958)
    William Holden and Sophia Loren in The Key (1958)
    Sophia Loren in The Key (1958)
    The Key (1958)

    Top cast

    Edit
    William Holden
    William Holden
    • Captain David Ross
    Sophia Loren
    Sophia Loren
    • Stella
    Trevor Howard
    Trevor Howard
    • Captain Chris Ford
    Oscar Homolka
    Oscar Homolka
    • Captain Van Dam
    Kieron Moore
    Kieron Moore
    • Kane
    Bernard Lee
    Bernard Lee
    • Cmdr. Wadlow
    Beatrix Lehmann
    Beatrix Lehmann
    • Housekeeper
    Noel Purcell
    Noel Purcell
    • Hotel Porter
    Bryan Forbes
    Bryan Forbes
    • First Mate Weaver
    Sidney Vivian
    • Grogan
    Rupert Davies
    Rupert Davies
    • Baker
    Russell Waters
    • Sparks
    Irene Handl
    Irene Handl
    • Clerk
    John Crawford
    John Crawford
    • American Captain
    Jameson Clark
    Jameson Clark
    • English Captain
    Carl Möhner
    Carl Möhner
    • Philip Westerby (in photo)
    • (scenes deleted)
    James Hayter
    James Hayter
    • Locksmith
    • (scenes deleted)
    Sam Kydd
    • Sailor
    • Director
      • Carol Reed
    • Writers
      • Jan de Hartog
      • Carl Foreman
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Black Orchid
    6.4
    The Black Orchid
    The Key
    6.0
    The Key
    Desire Under the Elms
    6.5
    Desire Under the Elms
    The Running Man
    6.5
    The Running Man
    Flap
    5.7
    Flap
    Woman of Straw
    6.8
    Woman of Straw
    Only Two Can Play
    6.6
    Only Two Can Play
    Mackenna's Gold
    6.7
    Mackenna's Gold
    Outcast of the Islands
    6.9
    Outcast of the Islands
    This Above All
    6.7
    This Above All
    Juggernaut
    6.6
    Juggernaut
    The Man Between
    7.0
    The Man Between

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The tug used in this movie was H.M.S. Restive (HMT W 39), a Royal Navy Rescue Tug of the Assurance class. This class of tugs was built between 1940 and 1943. With a 1,350 horsepower engine, these tugs could make fourteen knots and were powerful enough to haul just about any capital ship back to port. Five (out of twenty-one built) were lost during the war. The ship numbers used in this movie (W 83, W 86 and W 88) were not used by any ship of this class during the war.
    • Goofs
      Chris accidentally drenches his shirt in red wine. But in the next shot his undershirt is clean and dry, with no sign of inevitable wine stains.
    • Quotes

      Captain Chris Ford: I'm here! Let's have the vulgar details and I'll run along.

    • Connections
      Featured in When the Applause Died (1990)
    • Soundtracks
      Lambeth Walk
      (uncredited)

      Music by Noel Gay

      Lyrics by Douglas Furber

      Sung by the customers at the dance hall

    User reviews23

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Under-appreciated Carol Reed does it again
    A deceptive war drama which is really a fantastical love story in the vein of Billy Wilder's LOve in the Afternoon. William Holden plays the lead, and what character does he play but a reluctant dogged, selfish seeming individual who resists authority and wears cynicism on his face, mien and posture like a pair of brown well-trodden in sandals. No one did better and he does it excellently yet again. America is yet to enter WWII but Holden is sent to join the Britisn Navy and commandeer tug boats who make rescue missions for other vessels but carry no ammunitions to defend themselves. Thus when called up, the men know they are goners, thus they are known as suicide missions. Sophia who might just be the best foreign actress completely nails her part as the unkempt woman who has lost her will to live when the war took the lives of her family leaving her alone in the world. Therefore, she becomes a kept woman in an apartment, where the key of the title is passed by men who see themselves as goners on a suicide mission to the next fellow who takes up residence till he gets his own suicide call. The scenes are gritty and the ocean scenes realistic in the style of the French new wave. Trevor Howard is fantastic as the man who breaks Holden in and their camaraderie anchors the movie. The score is strange and the way director Reed paces and uses shadows, you think it might turn into a horror movie anytime soon but he is really planting the seeds of love in our heads. Based on a novel by Jan de hartog a Tony winning playwright, the adaptation is fantastic, true and not preachy. As Holden does everything to stay alive and Loren does everything not to, the question of why do we live that everyone asks is tested. The last fifteen minutes and breaks, copies and redounds the rules of this to and ending that is well deserved and earned. Mr. carol Reed , thank you for the effort. Thsi movie which underperformed in the US was a smash hit overseas, a tradition that would become part of Sophia's career. Sophia who at this point had not shown any real proclivity for drama walks like a shining gem and shows why she is one of the few foreign actresses to be nominated more than once for the Oscar in a foreign language performance. Well done!
    helpful•47
    8
    • raskimono
    • Aug 26, 2005

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 6, 1958 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Stella
    • Filming locations
      • Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, England, UK(Old, now demolished, buildings on Station Road used as train station location.)
    • Production companies
      • Highroad
      • Open Road Films (II)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 14 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    The Key (1958)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Key (1958) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.