The Key
October 2018 Ciao, Bella

Directed by Carol Reed | Sophia Loren, Trevor Howard

This almost forgotten Carol Reed gem deals with some almost forgotten heroes of WWII -- the poorly armed rescue tugs charged with bringing in freighters crippled by German attacks. It includes powerful combat scenes and excellent performances by William Holden and Trevor Howard. It is Sophia Loren, however, who is truly memorable as the bereft Stella, a woman who, along with the flat where she lives, has been passed from man to man ever since her fiancé was killed the day before their wedding. The film’s content was considered risqué enough for it to be shot with two endings, one for European release, another more conventional ending for the United States.