Customer Reviews

The Keep [VHS]

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

The Keep is, as far as I know released in at least two different versions, one with a different ending. Anyway, it's a very good movie directed by Michael Mann. It was released in 1983 and was technically advanced for the age. The cinematography is outstanding, the director has made a great job. Good acting by Sir Ian McKellen, Scott Glenn, Jürgen Prochnow, Robert Prosky and Gabriel Byrne. It's a movie that really puts you right in the action, and I regard it as one of my top 10 movies of all time. I have to mention the soundtrack as well. Composed and performed by Tangerine Dream, the German electronic group. It is nothing short of a masterpiece. I can understand why people who have reviewed this movie before me have had trouble finding the soundtrack on album, since up until today it has only been released in 150 copies.

This is a Cult Classic, the Atmosphere, the locations, the acting, The Story. I love it, I just wish they would put it out on DVD. Those that criticize the special effects, I mean come on... it was made in 1983.

The Keep is a masterpiece of sound and vision that operates at many, many levels. The film demands that the viewer consider the significance of faith, the meaning and source of power, and the role of man. These questions are portrayed through Ian McKlellan's brilliant but physically crippled Jewish professor; by Gabriel Byrne's ruthless Nazi; by Jurgen Prochnow' humane German regular; by Robert Prosky's devout but helpless othrodox priest; by the evil in all men (however one chooses to define that evil) personified through the being held captive within the Keep; and by Scott Glenn's solitary, ageless sentinel that abandons his mortal lover to pursue his own supernatural fate. The film reminds us that epic battles such as that fought within the Keep are struggles of philosophy and faith, as much as might. The visual imagery, and the compelling Tangerine Dream score, unforgettably bind each and every scene in this film, from the dark, wet Carpathian forest, to the man-made war machines whirring towards the Keep and their supernatural fate, to the white-washed cottages and fishing wharves of Pireaus, to the hundreds of silver crosses imbedded into the stone walls of the fortress, and finally, to the barren, cavernous heart of the Keep that has contained the evil in men for so many millenia. Sit back, look, listen and immerse yourself in an environment unlike any other ever created.

Very unusual movie....claustrophobic, brooding and contemplative at times. I enjoyed the way Ian Mckellan's character was tricked by the demon into believing it would help him fight the Nazis once released, it was credible because surely they (the Nazis) represented an oppresive stress-inducing threat of such magnitude it might indeed blindly convince even a good person to go to any lengths and strike any bargain to stop them. The special effects are quite good for their day, particularly the smoke-collecting form of the demon.

Prochnow is convincing as the conscientious German soldier while Gabriel Byrne comes off a little clichy in his nazi-psychopath role, Ian Mckellan proves he can act and Scott Glenn is appropriately brooding and serious for the role of the mysterious stranger. I was pleased that the film took the effort to offer timeage to more complicated verbal exchanges between the characters on the nature of good and evil, so many horrors cannot spare any thought for anything other than gore and action nowadays.

I thought the soundtrack was really good, the relentless droning synthesiser generates an atmosphere of dread and awe at pivotal moments in the film.

I first caught this early film directed by Michael Mann in an urban theater in Philadelphia when it was first released. I vividly remember how much the rest of the audience HATED this movie. There was a quite inebrated gentleman in the front row who would repeat EVERY DIALOGUE uttered in the film in a loud, slurred voice... and cackle maniacally. Thankfully he fell asleep in the middle of the movie. My initial impression of the movie, perhaps influenced by this less-than-ideal circumstance, was not favorable, either. I liked Tangerine Dream score, found cinematography extremely beautiful and otherwordly, but I simply could not follow the convoluted plot. Many years later and after having read F. Paul Wilson's original novel, and caught the film at least twice on video, I believe that THE KEEP deserves another chance as a widescreen DVD. If there is one movie in the world that cannot be appreciated on "Full Screen" version THE KEEP (and also Mann's LAST OF THE MOHICANS) must be it. So much of the information in this movie is conveyed visually, rather than through dialogue, as the scene where Glaeken's reflection does not show in the mirror, as one reviewer noted. And I agree with the gentleman who speculated that there's got to be a fuller version of the film in the Paramount vault somewhere.

As for the novel vs. the movie, I know Wilson was quite vocal in knocking Mann's adaptation. Having read the novel, I sympathize with his reasons for hating the movie, but I really do not see that Mann's film has done any serious violation to the effect of the novel by changing the details. For example, I certainly did not find Molasar in the novel, a kind of ancient sorcerer/wizard, any more frightening than the self-reconstructing-in-stages alien version of Molasar in the movie. In the novel, Molasar is not that much of a variation from Dracula or other conventional monsters. He even makes zombies out of German soldiers! I am glad Mann did not choose to film this and instead invented an altogether distinctive entity, much more removed from humanity. There ARE some confusing scenes in the movie (what's with that priest with red eyes sacrificing an animal?) but I really do think the film version should be given a second chance. Didn't Anchor Bay did a thorough restoration of MANHUNTER recently? THE KEEP is at least as worthy of collector's attention as MANHUNTER is. And yes, it would be NICE to have an isolated score track for Tangerine Dream...

No, don't get your hopes up. Paramount still han't put this out for DVD release in the United States, but "The Keep" is one of my cult favorite flicks and so I went to the ends of the Amazon to get an overseas copy viewable on Region 1 DVD.

After some dealing with an Amazon marketplace seller, I got a copy that was viewable on the second of two DVD players I tried. It is an extremely no-frills DVD to say the least, it has a menu with scene selection and, a, uh "preview" reel that shows some truly odd previews ("I Married a Monster from Outer Space" and "Barbarella" for example....no, I'm not kidding, those are the previews). It doesn't pad any of the spots in the film which were obviously butchered by a ham-handed editor (like all of Scott Glenn's dialogue). No deleted scenes, no interviews, no nuthin'. So really the only benefit of having it is that the flick is on DVD and not VHS, and since the price was $40.00, you have to be a hardcore fan of the movie to go to the demented lengths I did to lay hands on it (I forgot to mention it is presented in widescreen, so that is also a bonus).

It had been years since I had seen this early Michael Mann film and indeed I wrote a review of the VHS version some years ago, but it was instantly recognizable as his work. His trademarks leap right out at you: the grim tone, the wonderful score (by Tangerine Dream and like the DVD, impossible to find anywhere, which is IMMNENSELY frustrating because not only is the music gorgeous, the band has made at least 7,373 albums, but they couldn't put out a soundtrack to this? GRRRRR), the cut-to-the-bone dialogue, the lush, sumptuous visuals. This film, like all Mann's works, is a visual feast: the black uniforms of the SS, the washed-out, coldly lit grays of the keep's interior, the horribly evil-looking demon, all beautiful). Unfortunately, it has the same flaws it had when it was released twenty years ago, and I can't get past them no matter how much I watch it (I keep looking for a "Director's Cut" that will flesh out the pruned-down characters of Eva and especially Glaeken...alas, none exists).

The big mistake of the film was the decision to make it primarily visual and reduce the characters of Glaeken and Molasar to simple icons, one representing good, one representing evil. Neither has more than a few words of dialogue; none of the rich subtexture of Glaeken's character, which a great actor like Scott Glenn could have handled easily, is shown. Nor is the necromancing Molasar shown as anything but an evil presence who wants out of his prison; his long violent history with Glenn, the deceptive games he plays with Dr. Cuza and the psych job he does on Woermann in the book, all of these are all whittled away, leaving only a big dude in a demon costume (nevertheless with some great lines, most especially his comeback to Gabriel Byrne: "Where am I from? I am...from you.")

The movie does succeed with the characters of Cpt. Woermann, brilliantly played by Jurgen Prochnow, and Maj. Kaempfer, played with tremendously banal evil by Gabriel Byrne; their chemistry is excellent, and the scene where they tear into each other's beliefs at the end is a classic. Given fairly little, Alberta Watson and Ian McKellen both do a lot; it is mainly Scott Glenn who is left in the cold.

There is so much acting firepower in this movie (including veteran Robert Prosky and even wonderful Wolf Kahler in a minor role) and so much talent in the director Mann, it has such a great score and is shot so beautifully, and is predicated on such a great horror novel by F. Paul Wilson, I am continuously grieved by the fact it isn't a better movie. Just 15 minutes of dialogue would have saved the film from being a cult favorite instead of a horror classic; this is why I long for a director's cut. If enough of us beat the drums, it will happen; not even an outfit as stubborn as Paramount (look how they've done the fans of the Jason films)will turn down the chance to make more dough. So let's start beating.

The Keep is flat-out bizarre. The movie absolutely reeks of the type of post-production tampering that renders ambitious sci fi and horror films incomprehensible. Director Michael Mann, who has gone on to great things (Heat, The Insider), doesn't talk a whole lot about The Keep, and it has yet to be released properly to DVD despite the cult status.

The Keep is based on the excellent F. Paul Wilson novel that comes highly recommended. Indeed, once you read the book you'll actually have a chance at figuring out what the heck is going on in the movie.

To sum up, during WWII a German army unit encounters an evil force while guarding a remote Romanian mountain village. The Keep in question is a mysterious castle designed to keep something IN rather than out, and when the SS show up to find out why soldiers are being killed off, they unleash one pissed off movie monster complete with hoakey effects.

The novel is one of the best horror stories I've come across. Drawing on history (WWII and the Nazis), it uses human drama to highlight the battle between good and evil, or light and darkness, all the while staying suspenseful and downright creepy. Instead of treating all Germans as evil monsters, it draws careful distinction between a disillusioned army officer and his fanatical SS counterpart.

Unfortunately, The Keep is one of those movies that you really, really want to like but are forced to admit is just bad. And, as one reviewer noted, once you get past that point you can enjoy it a bit. The potential is astonishing: Michael Mann, a great source novel, great photography and a moody atmosphere, a Tangerine Dream score (famously never released and bootlegged and I might add, completely inappropriate in half the film), Jurgen Prochnow, Gabriel Byrne, Ian McKellen. Yet, the whole thing falls apart in a hurry. Things get downright mind-boggling by the end, when Scott Glenn (uh huh) uses something that resembles a cosmic bazooka to battle a demon that is equal parts smoke machine and glowing Casio readouts for eyes. Ouch.

I value The Keep highly for its important bizarre movie value. It looks great. The opening is fantastic; a gray and rainy atmosphere surrounds the proceedings and it's appropriately bleak. However, the plot gets out of control. I must admit that it's a book and a story that could use a serious and capable remake. Again, though, I have to note that some of the blame (indeed, much of the blame) can be attributed to what appears to be heavy doctoring of the entire film, making much of it impossible to understand. A pity.

Nevertheless, put this thing on DVD! Nothing is better than a bad movie WITH tons of extras to make you feel better about yourself.

Recommended for Mann fans, fans of the awesome novel, and fans of downright weird movies.

In 1983, F. Paul Wilson's exceptionally well-written and horrific novel about a group of Nazis encountering time's first true vampiric evil was adapted into a film which flopped at the theaters, costing Paramount millions. THE KEEP, starring Scott Glenn (Silence of the Lambs), Sir Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, The X-Men), and Jurgen Prochnow (Judge Dredd), was dismissed at the time by author Wilson as unrepresentative of his novel, while critics blamed director Michael Mann (Miami Vice, Heat) for the film's visual focus at the cost of a coherent storyline as well as perpetually mumbling actors.

However, the movie has since gained cult classic status due to its soundtrack. Performed by new age gurus TANGERINE DREAM, the soundtrack of THE KEEP has never been released in its entirety. On their concert album LOGOS, Tangerine Dream recorded a long segment which has elements from the movie score, while later in 1996 Tsunami Records produced an album by the Fantasy Merchants that contained inferior recreations of music from THE KEEP and other Tangerine Dream scores. Bootlegs of the supposed true soundtrack to the movie appeared for years with unfamiliar music, but in 1999 Tangerine Dream put to rest the bootlegs with their for-charity-only "official" release that contained only two pieces of music from the film compiled with unused studio test sessions. Many believe that Tangerine Dream may have foolishly signed away their rights to the music to Paramount, or may not have actually done the music used in the final version of the film. To date, the actual music used in the final version of the THE KEEP soundtrack has not been released, possibly due to legal problems unlikely to be resolved.

While the VHS videotape is periodically released for sale, fans of THE KEEP and Tangerine Dream await the eventual arrival of the movie on DVD -- THE KEEP is the only Michael Mann film not released as a special edition DVD. It is hoped that such an edition would include an isolated music score and additional footage, especially the rarely seen second ending shown infrequently on television.

I first saw this movie as a kid and the monster Molasar scared the bejesus out of me! I later read the novel only to find that the movie really strayed from it, inlcuding Molasar's appearance. 'Tis best to treat the book and the movie as two separate entities. The Keep is definitely worth a watch, however. The storyline is quite intriguing with believable characters (Gabriel Byrne as Kampffer is especially enjoyable), with director Mann making good use of creepy mood-settings. The problem is the editing; IT'S HORRIBLE!!! Be sure to have the rewind button handy, because you'll definitely miss some of the actors' mumbled dialogue. Some scene editing and outtaking is laughable. Example: Scott Glenn and Alberta Watson do the wild thing only two minutes (movie time) after first meeting. Hats off to the film for a scary monster (note that Molasar almost never shares a camera shot with another actor!) however. The Tangerine Dream music score is fabulous, but it often does not fit the scene (heavenly music is played when we first meet our bad guy, burning red eyes and all!) Overall, viewer satisfaction depends on one's willingness to forgive technical flaws. 3 stars.

For the record, I would just like to declare that I am a HUGE Michael Mann fan and love how he manages to add that dreamy, surreal touch to all of his outstanding films from Thief, to Manhunter, to Heat, and... to The Keep. Coupled with Tangerine Dream's atmospheric score [whom he collaborated with on Thief] Mann brings that lucid dream quality to F. Paul Wilson's unforgettable novel. Unfortunately, Mann relies more on the visuals than character development and plot. The result is an unforgivably abridged and signifigantly altered adaptation of F. Paul Wilson's wonderfully suspensful novel. Of course, comparing the book to the film is comparing apples to oranges and somewhat unfair to both Mann and Wilson, but Mann loses all focus of the original story which centered on the origin of the Romanian vampire myth and the result is an incohesive mess. Many key plot elements are missing and the suspense that successfully manifested itself in the book and made you not want to put it down are skipped or altered entirely. It is unfortunate too because the elaborate sets and cinematography are outstanding and a fine cast with little room to perform or to deliver any sensible dialog. Gabriel Byrne's character as the loathsome S.S. commander is a guy that you just love to hate in the book, here is reduced to nothing more than a cardboard bully. Ian McKellan, a fine actor (Apt Pupil, X-Men) is wasted as the Jewish Professor Cuza whom discovers heretic literature and validates the traditional vampire myth in the book, even going so far to question his faith as a Jew and the validity of Christianity, is nothing more than a translator useful to just one scene in the film. The screenplay and editing are poor; one scene Dr. Cuza and his daughter Eva(Magda in the book) are having a conversation in a concentration camp and the next scene they are suddenly in Romania translating an ancient Slavic inscription on the wall of the Keep(written in blood in the book, but looks like it is written with a piece of chalk in the film) for the edification of the Nazi commanders. Even the mysterious stranger Glaeken (played by Scott Glenn) makes his journey to the Keep in just a few short scenes by way of motorcycle... a journey that takes him half the novel by boat, foot, and horseback to reach and furthering the suspense in the novel as the Nazis continue to die one each night by an unseen entity but only one death is actually shown before the S.S. and the Einsatzkommandos arrive at the Keep. The other deaths merely spoken of in a single line of dialog and further denying the viewer the building suspense and mystery of the malevolent force inside the walls of the Keep. In the film, the "entity" is revealed to look like some creature recycled from the old sixties Star Trek episodes, while the book is more subtle and leaving more to the imagination. The relationship between Glaeken and Eva blossoms in the book, but in the film they meet in one scene and in the next they are having sex?!?! And how is it that Eva seems to know his (unpronounceable) last name when there was no mention of it anywhere in the film anyway??? While I absolutely love the premise of The Keep and regard it as brilliant storytelling, the film denies the viewer any chance to fully appreciate F. Paul Wilsons captivating book and experience the genuine suspense of the story. If you want moody music and eye candy to chew on, by all means watch the movie, but do yourself a favor and absolutely read the book. Only then will you be redeemed and come to fully appreciate and understand the mysteries of The Keep.