Tinto Brass – La chiave AKA The Key (1983)
In 1940s Venice, after twenty years of marriage, a Professor and his younger wife witness the passion wane. Now, all that remains is to confess the rousing thoughts to an elaborate diary hoping to break free from ties and inhibitions.
Letterboxd review
★★★½ Watched by Slig001 03 Aug 2021
Tinto Brass is probably best known for exploitation films such as Caligula and Salon Kitty, but he also made some softcore erotic films, and The Key is the first of them. The film is based on a story by Junichirō Tanizaki and depicts a four way love affair, here set in 1940 fascist Italy, just before the outbreak of World War 2. The film has some humour and absurdity to it; but it’s actually a quality film; very well made and with things to say about sex and relationships. It’s a Tinto Brass film though, so there’s plenty of nudity too. Much of it focuses on the amazingly beautiful Stefania Sandrelli, who is very well cast in the lead role. She has just the right assets for the part. The Key is very slowly paced but there’s plenty to keep the interest up – by far the most bizarre moment is a foreplay scene involving horse noises! The film seems to be something of a celebration of sex and the importance of enjoying your life, which are messages I can get behind. The Key is definitely a better film than its reputation would suggest, anyway.
2.91GB | 1h 50m | 1024×574 | mkv
Language(s):Italian,English
Subtitles:English