FILM NOIR | Key Largo

When a hurricane is approaching and that classic noir sweat is trickling down…

Following *The Maltese Falcon* (1941), with which we opened the first edition in 2019, and last year’s *The Asphalt Jungle* (1950), we present another noir film from Hollywood classic John Huston.

War veteran Frank (Humphrey Bogart) visits the run-down Hotel Largo, run by the crippled Mr. Temple (Lionel Barrymore) and Nora (Lauren Bacall), the widow of his son—who was also Frank’s friend from the war. However, the suspicious silence is not merely due to a decline in guests. The hotel has been taken over by gangster Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson) and his cronies, including his alcoholic mistress, Gaye (Oscar winner Claire Trevor). In addition to Rocco’s criminal schemes, an approaching hurricane also traps this group at the hotel...

Despite being based on a stage play—Maxwell Anderson’s Broadway play—Huston breathes new life into the static nature of the material through cinematic language and a sophisticated handling of the scene, which is teeming with characters. The continuous dialogue and the characters’ motivations themselves echo the aftereffects of World War II and Prohibition, the era in which the infamous Rocco rose to prominence—a nod to Robinson’s legendary early roles in the 1930s (e.g., *Little Caesar*, 1931).

The oppressive atmosphere of an abandoned seaside hotel, the tropical heat before an approaching hurricane, and the even more unbearable tension among the trapped characters —you’ll find all of this in *Key Largo*, which is graced by an extraordinary acting performance by the quartet of Robinson, Trevor, Bogart, and Bacall. (Michal Šmajda, I Love Film Noir)

You can purchase tickets online or in person at the venue before the event. The final ticket price includes a €0.50 processing fee, which is added to each ticket at the payment gateway or at the box office. This fee is non-refundable in the event of cancellation.