The Key (1934)

Set in 1920 Ireland during the Irish rebellion, a British officer (William Powell) runs into an old military friend (Colin Clive) that he hasn't seen in years. To his shock, he discovers his friend is married to the woman (Edna Best) he loved and abandoned several years ago. Based on the play by R. Gore Brown and directed by Michael Curtiz (WHITE CHRISTMAS). This pre code romantic triangle pushes the more serious (and interesting) Irish War Of Independence into the background. So we're left with a mundane romance with a leaning toward the British. William Powell doesn't have much of a chance to display the charm that would make him a popular leading man at MGM (this feature is a product of Warner Brothers) and there's little chemistry between Powell and Edna Best. Thankfully, its running time is short (one hour, 11 minutes) so that its tediousness doesn't spoil its (very) limited appeal. With Anne Shirley, Donald Crisp, Arthur Treacher and Halliwell Hobbes.