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Key Largo
Play by Maxwell Anderson that was later made into the 1948 movie directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and Lauren Bacall and featuring Lionel Barrymore. Front dj flap In this new, moving tragedy Mr. Anderson has employed the blank verse medium used in Winterset as well as in a number of his other plays, among the memorable productions of the American theatre. Key Largo is the story of King McCloud, an American who takes part in the Spanish Civil War, losed his faith along with his illusions, and struggles back to faith in the end. Stated price $2.50.
130 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
67 people want to read
About the author
Maxwell Anderson
148Ìýbooks12ÌýfollowersMaxwell Anderson was an American playwright, poet, and journalist. He won a Pulitzer Prize in Drama in 1933, for Both Your Houses, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for both Winterset and High Tor.
Several of his plays were adapted into successful movies, including Anne of the Thousand Days and Key Largo.
Several of his plays were adapted into successful movies, including Anne of the Thousand Days and Key Largo.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 30, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2011
I read this book predominantly because it was recommended to look at how Kathy Acker "re-mixed" this play as a work of transgressive psychedelic erotic fiction in her book "Florida".
The play was alright. It takes place around the first World War or Civil War. (One of them. I suck at history. The one with that guy called Mussolini calling the shots and being an all-around jerk to people.)
Anyway, the play begins with a prologue where there are these soldiers fighting against Mussolini. One of them is singing a ballad and he misses his sister. They're debating about the trials and tribulations of war.
There's a flash-forward a bit after where there's a love triangle between King McCloud, who is returning from that war, and a degenerate gambler he gambles with (Mussoli, a word-play on Mussolini that is briefly mentioned in one part of the play). Mussoli has these rigged gambling episodes that he gets together so some people can get suckered in and he can get his money.
So, there's a love triangle that is eventually portrayed between the woman in the place of Key Largo where King McCloud returns to. She is hot for King but she also really digs Mussoli (although everybody thinks Mussoli should shove it).
Oh and there's stuff about racism against the indians if you like reading stuff that puts down racism. It became clearer nearer the end that the indians who were treated unfairly in their society played a part in the plot but I thought Maxwell Anderson got off too easy by using them so briefly and quickly earlier on in the earlier parts of the play.
The end quote is really chilling.
It was okay.
It was good. I liked how much attention was paid to each of the characters. I liked how realistic the moral conflict was at the end of the book. I also really dug how equal attention was given so deeply to each and every one of the characters.
The play was alright. It takes place around the first World War or Civil War. (One of them. I suck at history. The one with that guy called Mussolini calling the shots and being an all-around jerk to people.)
Anyway, the play begins with a prologue where there are these soldiers fighting against Mussolini. One of them is singing a ballad and he misses his sister. They're debating about the trials and tribulations of war.
There's a flash-forward a bit after where there's a love triangle between King McCloud, who is returning from that war, and a degenerate gambler he gambles with (Mussoli, a word-play on Mussolini that is briefly mentioned in one part of the play). Mussoli has these rigged gambling episodes that he gets together so some people can get suckered in and he can get his money.
So, there's a love triangle that is eventually portrayed between the woman in the place of Key Largo where King McCloud returns to. She is hot for King but she also really digs Mussoli (although everybody thinks Mussoli should shove it).
Oh and there's stuff about racism against the indians if you like reading stuff that puts down racism. It became clearer nearer the end that the indians who were treated unfairly in their society played a part in the plot but I thought Maxwell Anderson got off too easy by using them so briefly and quickly earlier on in the earlier parts of the play.
The end quote is really chilling.
It was okay.
It was good. I liked how much attention was paid to each of the characters. I liked how realistic the moral conflict was at the end of the book. I also really dug how equal attention was given so deeply to each and every one of the characters.
October 12, 2015
Very different from the movie version. Written in blank verse with lots of earnest speeches about man's obligations to make the world a better place. John Huston and Richard Brooks kept the characters, more or less, eliminating the prologue set in the Spanish Civil War, and making the lead character, played by Humphrey Bogart, a lot less morally compromised.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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