简介：AntoineFournierisateacherinacollege,akindmanwhospendshisfreetimingraisingfundsforagoodcause.Oneday,RémyBellanger,oneofhisstudents,iscaughtbyFournierwhilststealingmoneyinhisoffice.Fournierdoesn'twantascandalandisreadytoforgetallaboutit.ButRémyhasaviciousmindandwantstotakerevengeonFournier.Tothatend,heaskshisgirlfriend,GisèleDelmar,tostatethathetriedtorapeher.Tosavethecollege'sreputation,Fournierhasnochoicebuttoresign.Someyearslater,Fournieris"themanwiththegoldenkeys"atthereceptiondeskofanupmarkethotel.HeissurprisedwhenRémyandGisèlecheckintothehotel.Botharewealthyandmarried-hetoawomanwhokeepsacloseeyeonhermoney,shetoanolderman.Onethinghasn'tchanged,however-theyarestilllovers... Althoughlittleappreciatedbythecritics,LéoJoannonwasafilmmakerwhosefilmsprovedconsistentlypopularwithFrenchcinema-goingaudiencesinthe1940sand50s.AfterLeSecretdesoeurAngèle,apopularmelodramastarringSophieDesmaretsandRafVallone,JoannonhadanotherboxofficewinnerwithL'Hommeauxclefsd'or,releasedinParison7thNovember1956.Thescenarioisafamiliarone:arespectablemanisbroughtdownbythecunningofothersandwhenhehastheopportunitytotakehisrevengeheseizesitwithbothhands,becomingasortofexterminatingangel. Whilstthefilmiswell-writtenandwell-directed(Joannonmaynothavebeenagreatauteurbuthewasaversatileandhighlycompetentfilmmaker),itdoesunfortunatelyhaveamoralisingtoneanddoesn'tfullyexploittheambiguitiesofthecentralprotagonist.Theendingisalsoalittlepredictable,butnottotheextentofspoilingone'senjoymentofthefilminitsentirety.Withoutdoubt,thefilm'smainattractionisPierreFresnayinanotherofhismemorablecharacterportrayals.AlecGuinness'sfavouriteactor,FresnayisbestrememberedforhisroleasMariusinMarcelPagnol'sMarseilleTrilogy(1931-1936),buthehasalsoappearedinnumerousFrenchclassics,includingLaGrandeillusion(1937),L'Assassinhabiteau21(1942)andLeCorbeau(1943).In1947,hereceivedtheBestActorawardattheVeniceFilmFestivalforhisremarkableportrayalofSaintVincentdePaulintheOscarwinningMonsieurVincent(1947).InL'Hommeauxclefsd'or,Fresnayturnsinoneofhismorecomplexandambiguousscreenportrayals,adoptingtheMarseilleaccentofhismostfamousscreencreation. Takingthefemaleleadisayoungactressatthestartofherextraordinarycareer,AnnieGirardot.GirardothadalreadyrevealedhertalentsinAndréHunebelle'scomedyTreizeàtablebutitwasthepartatthecynicalandmanipulativeshe-devilGisèleinL'Hommeauxclefsd'orthatestablishedherasanactressandsetherontheroadtostardom.PlayingalongsideGiradotisthehandsomeGilVidal,whohadspentmuchofthelastdecadeplayingdepravedthugs.Here,astheeasilyledRémy,Vidalhasachancetoprovehimselfandhecomesupwiththegoodsinthekindofantipatheticroleforwhichhewasbest-suited.LendingadmirablesupporttotheprincipalsareJeanRigaux,GrégoireAslan,GeorgesGéretandLéoJoannonhimself.Incaseyouwerewondering,thefilmderivesitstitlefromthegoldenkeysembroideredontothejacketlapelsoftheheadconciergeofahotel-thisdenotedmembershipoftheassociation'lesclefsd'or'.…