NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the respective disc.

ADDITION: Cult Epics 4K UHD (March 2026): Cult Epics have transferred Tinto Brass's The Key to Blu-ray and 4K UHD. Back in 2013 Eric Cotenas compared the Raro (2009 subtitled reissue) - PAL DVD release to Cult Epics (2004 anamorphic reissue) - Region 0 - NTSC DVD and the Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray HERE. It's readily apparent that this 2026 Cult Epics releases towers above the older editions - brighter, truer colors, more information in the frame, sharper and more textured. The 4K UHD subtly enhances those upgrades.

The new transfer(s) are scanned from the original camera negative in native 2160p HEVC with HDR10+, framed in the film's original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. This upgrade dramatically enhances the film's lush, painterly visuals: colors - particularly the warm reds of lipstick and interiors, earthy tones, and saturated primaries - appear vivid yet naturally without artificial boosting, while skin tones remain lifelike, warmer and never exaggerated. Deep, inky blacks, impressive fine detail in textures (fabrics, skin, Venetian architecture), enhanced depth, and organic film grain bring out the subtle cinematography of Silvano Ippoliti (The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire, The Great Silence, Navajo Joe, Star Pilot,) making the soft-focus intimacy and period atmosphere feel truly cinematic and immersive. The image is remarkably clean, with virtually no print damage, dirt, or debris visible resulting in a spotless, film-like presentation that is easily the definitive version, far surpassing prior Blu-ray and DVDs in clarity, stability, and overall fidelity. Very impressive improvement.

While we are in possession of the 4K UHD disc, we cannot resolve the encode yet, and therefore, cannot obtain screen captures. We hope to add to this review at some point in the future. So, the below captures are from Cult Epics' 2026 1080P Blu-ray transfer.

NOTE: We have added 58 more large resolution 4K UHD captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray and 4K UHD, Cult Epics use a DTS-HD Master dual-mono track (24-bit) in the original English (mostly DUB'ed) language with occasional Italian. Tracks shift from fluffy, flirtatious motifs during voyeuristic or seductive sequences to more melancholic undertones as jealousy and illness deepen, creating emotional contrast against the visuals' warmth. The overall audio mix (originally mono) supports the intimate scale: subtle diegetic sounds of Venice (rain, footsteps on stone, canal water) blend with the score's catchy, bouncy rhythms, enhancing the film's blend of decadence and restraint. Together, the look and sound forge a cohesive, seductive atmosphere - Venice as both beautiful backdrop and symbol of constraint - making The Key feel like a tragicomic, painterly reverie on desire, where every frame and note contributes to its unique, bittersweet elegance. Dialogue is crisp and intelligible, never buried under the music, with performers - especially Frank Finlay dubbing himself in English - coming through naturally and dynamically. The mono mix provides solid dynamic range for its era, allowing Ennio Morricone's (For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, Violent City, Grand Slam Revolver, The Great Silence, Who Saw Her Die?, The Black Belly of the Tarantula, The Fifth Cord, Luna, Danger Diabolik, Two Mules For Sister Sara, A Bullet for the General, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, The French Conspiracy, U Turn, Stay As You Are, Short Night of Glass Dolls,) witty, period-infused score (with its playful Strauss and Schoenberg quotes) to shine with warmth, bounce, and emotional nuance without hiss, distortion, or imbalance. While not a multichannel extravaganza, the track suits the film's restrained, character-driven sensuality perfectly, and the isolated score option on the Blu-ray disc further highlights Morricone's contribution.  Cult Epics offer optional English subtitles on their Region FREE Blu-ray and Region FREE 4K UHD.

The Cult Epics Blu-ray and 4K UHD release is packed with high-quality, mostly new supplements that celebrate the film and Brass's legacy. Standouts include a insightful new audio commentary by film historians Eugenio Ercolani (The Spaghetti Western Digest,) and Marcus Stiglegger (Film als Medium der Verführung: Einführung in die Seduktionstheorie des Films) covering career context, casting, themes, production, and reception; fresh interviews like "Brass’ Talisman" with actor Franco Branciaroli (shy of 40 minutes), "Keyhole Venice" on locations (7.5 minutes), and "Sensuous Morricone" on the composer's collaboration with Brass (1/2 hour); the isolated Morricone score (32 minutes worth); an archival 2001 interview with Brass (1/4 hour); 10 minutes of outtakes from Venice; galleries for posters and Brass photos; and 4K trailers for The Key, Cheeky, Frivolous Lola and All Ladies Do It. The reversible sleeve features original Italian poster art, and a 20-page illustrated booklet includes an essay by Ercolani.

Tinto Brass's The Key stands as one of the director’s most accomplished and thematically layered erotic dramas, marking a pivotal transition in his career from the chaotic excesses of Caligula (1979) toward a more controlled, visually opulent template that would define his subsequent output. Adapted from Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s 1956 novel Kagi - previously filmed as Kon Ichikawa’s Odd Obsession (1959) - Brass radically relocates the story from 1950s Japan to Venice in the early months of 1940, under Mussolini’s fascist regime. This shift is deliberate: Brass explained in a DVD interview that the rigid Japanese cultural facade was replaced by the repressive social and behavioral constraints of Italian fascism, where marital formality and unspoken sexual matters created a perfect pressure cooker for repressed desire. The diaries that dominate Tanizaki’s text (entirely epistolary) are reduced to mere catalysts here; Nino deliberately leaves his locked desk’s key accessible so Teresa can read his fantasies, prompting her to begin her own, but the film emphasizes visual voyeurism - photographs, reflections, and lingering close-ups - over textual introspection. Cult Epics' 4K UHD + Blu-ray edition of The Key is an exemplary boutique release that does full justice to Tinto Brass's sensual masterpiece. The groundbreaking 4K restoration from the original negative delivers an exemplary visual upgrade that reveal new layers in the film's opulent cinematography and erotic artistry, while the audio remains faithful and the extras - rich with new scholarship, interviews, and archival material - offer enthusiasts everything needed to appreciate its place in European erotic cinema. Highly recommended for fans of arthouse erotica, Brass completists, or anyone seeking one of the finest presentations of a provocative 1980s classic; it's not just an upgrade but undoubtedly the definitive home video version available. For those seeking more Brass T+A we would probably recommend Cheeky.  

Gary Tooze