Movies - The Glass Key

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	Movies - The Glass Key

The novel

The Glass Key is a novel by Dashiell Hammett, said to be his favorite among his works. It tells the story of gambler Ned Beaumont's incredible devotion to his friend, crooked political boss Paul Madvig.

The films

There are at least three film versions of the Hammett novel, with the 1942 Alan Ladd film being the most popular. A version, also called The Glass Key, was released in 1935 with George Raft, Edward Arnold and Claire Dodd and directed by Frank Tuttle. It also inspired the Coen Brothers film Miller's Crossing
in characters, situation and dialog, although not in plot or emphasis.

Critical reaction to the 1942 version

Reviews of the 1942 film today are mixed. One internet comments "The story is intelligently written and an interesting look at local politics, but as a mystery or romance – there’s never any doubt Ladd and Lake will end up together – it’s less than satisfying." Ozus' World movie states "The film is mostly done for entertainment purposes, as it lightly skips over the corrupt political process as merely background for the unlikely love story developing between the engaging Lake and the deadpan Ladd. The film had many undeveloped film noir themes used by other films. Howard Hawks's much superior The Big Sleep borrowed freely from The Glass Key."

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Glass Key ]

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