The Keyhole Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

The Keyhole Blu-ray Movie Review

Half of my heart is in Havana.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 28, 2026

A fluffy but fun pre-Code romantic drama directed by the one and only Michael Curtiz, The Keyhole follows a crooked love triangle that soon turns into a lopsided quadrilateral. There are a surprising number of plot developments to keep up with here... especially considering The Keyhole's scant 70-minute running time, which moves along at a reasonably steady clip and doesn't take too many breaks along the way. It might leave you wanting a little more overall depth considering the talent involved, but classic film fans will still have fun with this venture.

After earning its title with a peek-a-boo opening shot, The Keyhole opens with the attempted suicide-by-poison of Mr. Maurice Le Brun (Monroe Owsley)... but we it's actually just an empty threat for attention from his estranged wife Anne Brooks (Kay Francis), who he's blackmailing for the "privilege" of divorcing him. Their marriage is something she's kept from her current husband Schuyler Brooks (Henry Kolker), and he's been rightfully growing a little suspicious since she constantly returns home late. Maurice's latest "offer" is $50,000 to officially end their union, which Anne obviously can't afford without attracting attention, so Schuyler's sister Portia (Helen Ware) -- a trusted confidante of Anne -- comes up with a scheme to get the job done for a lot less money. It won't involve murder, of course: Anne will simply take a boat to Cuba while making sure Maurice follows her along and, back home, Portia will use her political clout to make sure dastardly Maurice isn't allowed entry back into the United States. Easy enough, right?

Things get a bit more complicated once Schuyler, who's again suspicious about Anne's impromptu voyage, decides to hire a private investigator to track her movements. The best man for the job is Neil Davis (George Brent), who brings fellow PI Hank Wales (Allen Jenkins) along as his valet, and now the stage is set for what soon turns out to be a fairly eventful trip. Despite his reluctance to enter another relationship given his recent run-ins with women, Neil quickly falls head-over-heels for Anne and thus has no problem with following her every move like a puppy. But between providing constant updates to Schuyler and trying to hide his true identity (not to mention outsmarting Maurice, who's still in pursuit), this will prove to be a much more complicated job than the one he signed up for.

The Keyhole's straightforward plot features a few lightweight twists and turns, but mostly keeps us ahead of the game during the bulk of its decently brisk running time. It gets by largely on cast chemistry and is aided by its lighter tone in crucial areas, including an enjoyable subplot that involves Neil's sidekick Hank and his new relationship with a socialite named Dot (Glenda Farrell), who's usually short on cash at all the right moments. But in the end, it's all about the main characters: we instantly recognize Anne and Neil as a couple to root for, and it's The Keyhole's treatment of their bond that keeps us invested. It's collectively a bit too slight to join the ranks of four-star classics, but still stands out as an early Hollywood career highlight for Curtiz and a fun little diversion that can be enjoyed on its own merits.

Warner Archive has a knack for plucking lesser-known Golden Age films from the vaults and polishing them to a shine so, from that perspective, The Keyhole seems like a good fit for the boutique label's ever-growing library of rock-solid Blu-rays. Like many others, it's sourced from a recent 4K scan of the film's original camera negative and is paired with a couple of fun era-specific bonus features as light pre-show entertainment.

The Keyhole Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Keyhole has earned itself a terrific new 4K-sourced restoration from the reliable Warner Archive, who here have scanned the film's original nitrate camera negative and applied a careful round of manual cleanup to ensure that the end result is very clean but not overly processed; simply put, it looks exactly like how a film from this era ought to. As seen in these direct-from-disc screenshots, the cinematography by Barney McGill -- whose short but prolific silent and "talkie" career included work on such films as Gold Diggers of Broadway, Svengali, and 20,000 Years in Sing Sing -- has been nicely preserved, allowing The Keyhole's stylish visuals to be appreciated in all their glory. No major signs of damage or degradation remain, only trace amounts of softness and other potentially baked-in or unavoidable speed bumps. Like the wide, wide majority of the boutique label's Blu-ray releases, The Keyhole looks extremely impressive here and this new restoration should absolutely thrill long-time fans of the film.

The Keyhole Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Also impressive is Warner Archive's audio restoration work, as this DTS-HD 2.0 Master mix offers a similarly clean and polished presentation of The Keyhole's original mono soundtrack in a split two-channel container for wider playback. The music is credited to W. Franke Harling, who contributed to many film scores (A Farewell to Arms, Souls at Sea, and Stagecoach, to name a few) as well as Broadway productions, but is also known for several well-known pop songs such as "Beyond the Blue Horizon" and "Sing You Sinners". Collectively, this is an equally great effort that's defies the film's age and only shows trace amounts of hiss, indicating that no noise reduction was applied here.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature only, not the extras listed below.

The Keyhole Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with vintage poster-themed cover artwork; a pair of restored cartoons from the era are included as well, one of which is particularly nice to see.

• Buddy's Day Out (7:32) - This early Looney Tunes short, featuring the debut of its title character, was last seen on WB'sLooney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 6 DVD set but is presented in restored HD here.

• Wild Elephinks (6:09) - The real prize here is this early Fleischer Brothers Popeye short; it was likewise last seen on WB's Popeye the Sailor: Volume One 1933-1938 DVD collection, and is again newly remastered here with great results. Given Warner Archive's Blu-ray releases of Popeye from the 1940s onward, here's hoping these superior earlier black-and-white shorts will be back in the spotlight very soon.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:05) -

The Keyhole Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Michael Curtiz's early Hollywood standout The Keyhole boasts star power and great chemistry between its key cast members, with only its short runtime standing in the way of a more substantial film. Yet it's still a very enjoyable pre-Code romantic drama in its own right, and one that can be enjoyed by a new generation thanks to Warner Archive's reliably great restoration efforts that make it look and sound like new. Recommended to the right crowd.