Tinto Brass - La Chiave (1983)
Tinto Brass - La Chiave (1983)
(aka "The Key")
DivX 5 688x400 25.00fps 1397Kbps | Italian MP3 stereo 160Kbps | ENG subs .srt | 01:38:50 | 1.08 GB
Erotic Drama | Starring: Stefania Sandrelli, Franco Branciaroli, Barbara Cupisti
Set against the rise of Mussolini in 1940s Italy, Brass' screenplay was based on the 1956 novel Kagi by highly acclaimed Japanese author, Junichiro Tanizaki. In the novel, a couple whose marriage had lost its excitement share their diaries with each other, opening up a new world of eroticism. Here, the couple peruse the other's diaries in secret, in an effort to add more realism to the premise of snooping on the clandestine affairs of one's spouse. Voluptuous Stefania Sandrelli commands the screen with her daunting womanhood…
Italian director Tinto Brass came to global attention for his notorious collaboration with Penthouse publisher, Bob Guccione on Caligula. After losing control of that work (Guccione had hoped it would merge the world of art cinema with pornography, and re-edited the film, adding hard core sex scenes not originally scripted), Brass set out to make a series of erotic pictures, with La Chiava (The Key) being one of the first. Set against the rise of Mussolini in 1940s Italy, Brass' screenplay was based on the 1956 novel Kagi by highly acclaimed Japanese author, Junichiro Tanizaki. In the novel, a couple whose marriage had lost its excitement share their diaries with each other, opening up a new world of eroticism. Here, the couple peruse the other's diaries in secret, in an effort to add more realism to the premise of snooping on the clandestine affairs of one's spouse.
Tinto Brass - La Chiave (1983)
![Tinto Brass - La Chiave (1983)]()
English actor, Frank Finley plays Nino Rolfe, a middle-aged art expert whose enthusiasm for his marriage, and especially his sex life, is waning. Celebrating their 10th anniversary, the couple have lost their passion, but the sparks begin to fly when Nino discovers that his much younger wife, Therese (Stefania Sandrelli—Stealing Beauty) is attracted to their daughter's fiancé, Laszlo, played by Brass staple, Franco Branciaroli. Finding his jealousy arousing, Nino sets out to encourage his wife's infidelity. After writing a journal entry criticizing their lackluster sex life, he makes sure the key will be found by his spouse. While uncertain she has read the entries, he also borrows Laszlo's state-of-the-art camera to take erotic photos of his wife, after drugging her. In an act of faux discretion, he asks Laszlo to develop the pictures, enticing the young man with his wife's images. When Therese finds out about Laszlo seeing the photos, it ignites both their desires, and she embarks on a torrid love affair, all the while describing her encounters in the diary her husband is now secretly reading. Nino's ploy appears to be paying off with his wife's new found enthusiasm for sexual adventure, but her appetite will have dire consequences.
Tinto Brass - La Chiave (1983)
![Tinto Brass - La Chiave (1983)]()
Voluptuous Stefania Sandrelli commands the screen with her daunting womanhood, but Franco Branciaroli is much less effective as her suitor. Finlay carries his starring role well, having no problem portraying a kinky, aging lecher. The period setting and Ennio Morricone's upbeat score keep the mood light and playful. Filled with nudity and sexuality, and breaking taboos left and right, Brass challenges his audience, not only by involving a mother with her daughter's future husband, but also with the elder male relentlessly taking advantage of his wife while she is either drugged or asleep. As such, while his sense for eroticism is carried off well, many of the plot points may not be acceptable to many audiences. The story has its comedic merits, enforced by fast motion sequences or slapstick trappings, and the adaptation attempts to draw parallels between the burgeoning fascist movement and the couple's none too discreet fetishes and infidelities. As with most of Brass' work, the cinematography and style is carried out with artistic flair; however his obsession with the female posterior is readily evident.
Tinto Brass - La Chiave (1983)
![Tinto Brass - La Chiave (1983)]()
