The Keyhole (1933) Plot Summary Explained

Anne is being blackmailed because her ex-husband Maurice Le Brun never finalized their divorce. He lied to her about completing the legal paperwork, which gave him leverage to demand money from her. Since their divorce was never officially completed, Le Brun could threaten to expose their prior marriage and ruin her current marriage to Schuyler Brooks.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early that Anne's first marriage was never properly dissolved, creating the foundation for the entire blackmail scheme.

• anne brooks
• maurice le brun
• blackmail
• divorce
• marriage

Anne books a cruise to Havana on her sister Portia's advice specifically to lure Maurice Le Brun out of the United States. The plan is designed so that once Le Brun leaves the country, he can be blocked from re-entering, which would end his ability to continue blackmailing her.

Foreshadowing: The sister's suggestion to use a Havana trip appears early as a seemingly innocent vacation plan, but reveals itself as a calculated scheme to trap Le Brun.

• havana
• cruise
• maurice le brun
• blackmail
• plan

Schuyler Brooks becomes suspicious of Anne's behavior after she secretly plans the Havana trip. Without knowing about the blackmail scheme, he suspects she may be having an affair. He hires private detective Neil Davis to follow her and report on her activities, though he tells Davis that Anne is simply a young woman he's interested in rather than admitting his marital suspicions.

Foreshadowing: Brooks's decision to hire a detective sets up the central irony of the film: his suspicions about an affair are completely unfounded, while the real threat to his marriage is something entirely different.

• schuyler brooks
• neil davis
• private detective
• suspicion
• affair

Davis starts his assignment simply to monitor Anne and send reports to Brooks, but as he follows her during the cruise, he becomes genuinely drawn into her situation. His reports confirm she isn't having an affair, but he also develops real feelings for her. This creates a conflict of interest that leads him to help Anne rather than continue as Brooks's informant.

Foreshadowing: Davis's early reports to Brooks about Anne not having an affair initially seem like professional observation, but gradually reveal his personal investment in her wellbeing.

• neil davis
• anne brooks
• feelings
• conflict of interest
• detective

Brooks learns about the blackmail scheme while in New York. Realizing his wife is being threatened by her ex-husband rather than having an affair, he immediately flies to Cuba to apologize to Anne for his suspicions and to try to salvage their marriage.

Foreshadowing: Brooks's sudden decision to fly to Cuba marks a turning point where his role shifts from suspicious husband to apologetic partner, though it comes too late to prevent the final confrontation.

• schuyler brooks
• cuba
• apology
• blackmail
• marriage

When Brooks enters Anne's hotel room in Havana, Anne deliberately kisses Davis in front of him. This is her way of telling Brooks that their marriage is over. Even though she was not having an affair, she uses this moment to declare her independence and end her marriage to Brooks, choosing a new future rather than returning to the uncertain situation with her husband.

Foreshadowing: Anne's earlier confession to Davis that she is married had already hinted at the emotional distance in her marriage; this kiss is the culmination of her decision to break free.

• anne brooks
• kiss
• neil davis
• marriage over
• schuyler brooks

Maurice Le Brun dies by falling from the balcony of Anne's hotel room in Havana. After Davis persuades Le Brun to leave through the balcony to avoid being found in a compromising position by Brooks, Le Brun attempts to escape via the balcony but falls to his death. His death eliminates the blackmail threat permanently.

Foreshadowing: Davis's action of convincing Le Brun to use the balcony instead of the door was meant to buy time and avoid confrontation, but creates the fatal accident that closes the film.

• maurice le brun
• death
• balcony
• fall
• blackmail

Davis persuades Le Brun to exit through the balcony because Brooks is about to enter the room. If Brooks had found Le Brun there with Anne, it would appear as a compromising situation that could destroy Anne's marriage and Davis's credibility. By convincing Le Brun to leave quietly via the balcony, Davis tries to prevent the immediate confrontation while also protecting Anne's reputation.

Foreshadowing: This decision directly sets up the tragic outcome, as Le Brun's balcony departure leads to his fatal fall.

• neil davis
• maurile broun
• balcony
• escape
• schuyler brooks

Anne reveals to Davis that she is married to Schuyler Brooks and is being blackmailed by her ex-husband. This confession happens because she has come to trust Davis despite knowing he is the private detective hired to follow her. By revealing the full truth about her situation, she transforms their relationship from investigator and subject to something more personal and trusting.

Foreshadowing: This moment of vulnerability marks the turning point where Davis's role shifts from surveillance to sympathy, leading him to help her rather than report to her husband.

• anne brooks
• married
• confession
• trust
• blackmail

With Maurice Le Brun's death from the balcony fall, the blackmail threat is completely eliminated. Le Brun can no longer demand money or threaten to expose the incomplete divorce. However, the resolution is bittersweet: while Anne is freed from the blackmail, her marriage to Brooks is deliberately destroyed by her own action, and the future remains uncertain for all involved.

Foreshadowing: The film's ending leaves the resolution of Anne's freedom shadowed by the question of what comes next, as her marriage ends and Davis's involvement creates its own complications.

• blackmail ends
• le brun death
• freedom
• marriage over
• future uncertain