Thats kinda stupid....That footage is gone 1000%....There were no home video releases back in the 80s and VHS tapes didn't have special features so studios typically destroy cut footage after a few years.....Studios had no clue about dvds etc. in the 80s. Kinda like how uncut versions of Friday the 13th don't exist and can't exist because that footage was either destroyed in a studio fire or just flat destroyed. If the studios had the footage it would have been destroyed over a decade ago..There is absolutely no chance they hung on to footage from a flop.
Unfortunately this movie wasn’t what a studio would considered a hit. So they probably see no market for it. I mean let’s face it, if you asked a random person on the street if they ever saw The Keep 9 times out of 10 they would probably say no.
This movie is criminally underrated, and deserves some form of media format update. Even if is just a barebones restoration with minimal features I would be happy with that lol. Score is awesome and movie is legit, but too bad we will never get the full 210 minute version.
Some of this film was filmed in my village in Wales! Llanberis! A few Movies have been filmed here like Willow, The modern Clash of the titans,Mortal kombat Annihilation and The world is not Enough!
Oh what I would do to see that full 210 minute version. This is a movie I watch once every few years and it always puts me in a cool trance from start to finish!
any cut footage was probably destroyed decades ago....The problem being studios in the 70s and 80s didn't really hang on to cut footage and even IF they did generally a few years later it will be destroyed. It wasn't like it is now where studios specifically save and preserve footage for home video releases.
This movie is the perfect example of an underrated classic. It's a beautiful atmospheric film that seamlessly blends horror and War drama. The acting, cinematography, music, and practical effects for the time are all top notch. I give special props to the lead Nazi villain of the movie. That guy was just as terrifying as the demon.
F Paul Wilson's novel is definitely worth the read! The Keep is a keystone story in what was to become for many a significant series blending sci-fi, the paranormal, crime as a means to an end and alternate histories/realities into the infamous Repairman Jack. If you read, look at Wilson.
It's great to see a forgotten film get some love. For you The Keep fans here are a couple of small corrections: 1) The 3 hour cut was an assembly. Most 2 hour films have a 3 hour assembly cut as it usually includes almost everything shot for the film. The shooting script was for a 2 hour film and they shot all of it, meaning there was a 2 hour cut of The Keep at one point. Most of the cuts are dialog trims. Scenes cut include the villagers having dinner the first night, Glaeken finding Eva snooping in his room before they make love, the villagers killing each other and threatening to rape Eva, alternate endings including Glaeken and Molasar fighting atop of the keep and them falling through a black void beneath the keep, Eva discovering Glaeken alive beneath the keep and Glaeken, Eva and Dr. Cuza escaping Romania aboard Carlos's ship. The script and stills of these scenes can be found online. 2) Mann cut the film down to 96 minutes himself. He was not fired nor was the film taken away from him. However, after he went extremely over budget and schedule Paramount essentially told him to finish it with what he had as they were not going to spend more money on it. Certain scenes and effects could not be finished without spending more money so they were dropped from the film. 3) Gene Siskel's critique of the dialog is not about the TD score but about the fact that the dialog was not mixed properly at all. In 1983 most movie theater speakers were garbage by today's standards and it's almost impossible to understand poorly mixed dialog in one of these theaters. (This is why Lucas created the THX theater sound program that same year) 4) In his DVD commentary for the film Paul Wilson thought the first 30 minutes were a great adaptation of the book. Around the time when Kaempfer arrives is when he feels that the film starts falling apart. 5) The widescreen laserdisc was released after the VHS, making it the most recent home video release at the time of this recording. However, since then there has been an officially licensed DVD of the film released in Australia. Apparently, it's a transfer of the widescreen LD. There was a HD transfer of the film made (probably for the cancelled DVD release) that streams from time to time on Neflix, Amazon or Criterion. A copy of this HD file can be found online if you know where to look. 6) Mann does not own the rights to the film. It is owned by Paramount. Around 2004 Paramount announced a DVD release of The Keep and enlisted Mann to create special features. None of the deleted material could be found and the project was cancelled.
I remember, with great fondness, reading the book as a youngster back in 1981/2. I didn't know that a movie had been made until a couple of years after it had actually been released. A friend, who also loved the book, came across it by accident in a video rental shop in the late 80s. A masterpiece!
So cool. I was lucky enough to be an extra in "Ali", saw this flick when it came out and hoped to praise the director in person. After "Miami Vice" and "Thief" I was so blown away by "The Keep" I looked forward to every feature film he's made since. Check out the trailer. I still pray a "Director's Cut" is in the works.
The show "Lights! Camera! Action!" hosted by Leonard Nimoy had a behind-the-scenes look at the production of this film that also gave a little glimpse into how good it could have been.
This video is wrong about The Keep not being on current physical media. It was released in early 2020 on DVD by the Australian boutique label Via Vision. There is some hope that it will eventually find its way to blu-ray, since Via Vision's blu-ray arm [Imprint] has been releasing a lot of Paramount catalogue titles.
When businessmen ruin an artist's vision, George Lucas refers to it as "being oppressed by people who are stupider than you." George also considers those types as being even more oppressive than the USSR. Anyway, this movie is great and The Cinemasochist also did a review of it.
I remember looking for a movie back in the 80s at the local video rental. I picked up The Keep because the VHS box looked cool. The Keep ended up being one of my favorite horror movies. The cinematography, the lighting, the setting, the characters and the subject matter made for an incredible atmosphere of uneasiness. I have it on digital but would love to see a 4K bluray release someday! Yes, I love physical media!
I saw The Keep on VHS years ago around 84 and bought a copy in 85 when the Rental store put it up for sale due to low interest. I loved it and was quite depressed when my tape got destroyed in my player. I have been for years trying to get another copy but, I would definitely go out of my way to get a restored version of the original length if it was possible. By far one of my favorite sci-fi horror movies of all time. F Paramount for such draconian tactics that it followed at that time
F Paul Wilson later wrote three or four follow ups, not counting many spin offs. The dialogue is fantastic. There is one particular paragraph pretty much like that sentence you mentioned but much more convoluted. Probably the finest paragraph I have ever read. Tried to find it online, did once, but can't find it now.
I got to see this on Alex Cox's Moviedrome TV series where he introduced underappreciated and offbeat movies. Despite all its issues, I liked the movie a lot. It looks and sounds great. I do have a VHS hiding somewhere.
I loved this movie and I would totally watch 210 minutes of it. Some of these movie studios don't seem to know what they are doing. The cast was amazing. Thanks for this video.
The Keep is one of my all-time favorite movies based on one of my all-time favorite books. I've seen it so many times, I can have it on as background noise. I'm so glad more people are finding out about it.
I saw it in the movies when it was released and even in it's current state, I was blown away. I'd give anything to see the full version. Great review and breakdown.
The movie clearly had a troubled production even when watching it, but what survived it + studio meddling is still a solid movie. This movie does deserve a blu ray/4K release with special features - heck, if Nothing But Trouble could get one, I think The Keep could too.
I watched this movie last weekend. Its beautiful, the story is good and so is the cast. I hope some day it will get a BluRay release. Tangerine dream soundtrack is haunting.
I remember reading the plot synopsis way back in film school and was so excited to see this. Then I saw the trailer and was like, "what in the living hell is this supposed to be" lol. I still have not seen it but plan to. Especially after seeing 1981's THE POSSESSION recently. I gotta give THE KEEP a shot now.
A movie I really don't hear enough people talking about, would LOVE to be able to see the Director's cut version. The fact I have it on VHS and that's the most up to date release is depressing.
Blu-ray is available! Purchased one on EBay last year. I don't have it in front of me now, but is probably the Via Vision Australian release from a few years ago. Paid $25 for a new copy.
I remember snatches of this movie from when it was on television ONCE when I was a kid. I never knew what the movie was called. It wasn’t until seeing this video and others that I had the “A-Ha!” moment. This movie does look great and atmospheric from a visual standpoint. Combine that with the fact that it’s Mann AND Tangerine Dream did the score(?!), you can color me intrigued. I do wonder that this movie could have been though. With the technology available now, I don’t see why Mann couldn’t do it from a technical standpoint. But based on the quote, it could be an emotional reason that Mann would not want to revisit it. Think about it, when’s the last time you’ve seen something like this from Michael Mann? None that I know of.
First saw this as a kid in the 80s 3-4 years after it came out and haven’t seen it since. I’ve seen it available on streaming but have never made it a point to watch it. It did creep me out as a kid
Yea, the novel was pretty good, but this movie blew chunks. The soundtrack was good but everything else was wrong and it could have been so good. Maybe the Director's cut is better. It would interesting to find out.
Great vid. An underrated Mann film! By the way, you showed a photo of cinematographer Dante Spinotti (a regular on Mann's films) when mentioning the editor Dov Hoenig.
Not trying to sound like a snob, because snobs are assholes, but you’re def my favorite narrator. Was scared. Thought you’d decided to call the shots from behind the scenes from now on. Great video!
Wasn't he the first to put such elaborate artistry into a modern genre film? Before he retires, why don't he make a new one with his own hands? Or has he lost interest in fantasy? I've heard that he didn't make that movie as a horror movie in the first place.
I was about 6 years old when I a Nazi's legs getting pulled out a hole in a wall. As an adult, I could never figure out what that movie was. I finally know what movie that was. Thanks for that. Now I have to see it again.
My ex father in law had a copy of the script (along with one of Ridley Scott’s “The Duelists”) in his work desk. The firm he worked would occasionally finance films for “Tax Losses”.
I have been trying to see this movie for years. Never found it in any video store or on any streaming service to date. It is the most buried movie I've come across.
Tangerine dream- they did the soundtrack for Near Dark and I can’t believe you didn’t mention it! Best vampire film everrrrrr. It’s finger lickin good.
Saw this as a young teen on vhs. It was my favorite from the first rental. I loved the music and scott Glenn's character. Odly enough as a kid I was a fan of Jurgen Prochnow from seeing him in Dune and a film called The Seventh Sign. This movie is so under appreciated and as others have stated, a 210 minute version of this would be a godsend
Molassar should have been kept under the absolutely terrifying cloud of reverse billowing smoke until a final reveal. V cool character design, he’s like a dude on steroids. Reminds of how Batman appears to Scarecrow in Dark Knight when under the influence of the drug.
I remember sort of seeing this movie in the early 90s when we had just gotten a satellite dish. You know, one of those big, 12-foot dishes that moved from satellite to satellite? My dad would watch it, but when the naughty scenes came on, he would turn it over if I was there. But I caught him watching it later with much interest when he thought he was alone.
I saw “The Keep” on NBC and the network aired it on Sunday night with a longer version. At the time, Miami Vice was huge and influence pop culture, which was on NBC and Mann was the producer of Vice so the network was airing everything Mann had available, “The Keep” was one of these movies. I understand why the story was hard to follow, but visually and musically it was amazing, I loved it and it stayed with me until today. After the airing, I was able to rented a VHS version later and realized that the VHS version was so different. I was luckily able to record it on to VHS from HBO airing. I have or had a copy of the HBO airing. Needless to, I totally agree with you. I wish he was able to develop his vision for the movie came to be. It would have be a classic horror movie, right up there with Halloween, The Fog, Carrie, etc..
Such a great book, movie is “good too” but another story of the studio fing everything up! Standing in the way of the director! It’s a crime it hasn’t been redone! This is one that deff needs one!
I remember I watched this movie with my father by renting a VHS in 1987. We enjoyed it very much. In my humble opinion I always felt like "New Age Horror", different from other horror movies we commonly watched... Till now no other movies felt as The Keep.
I have a "burned on demand" copy of the VHS version release on DVD, that I acquired from Amazon Australia a couple years ago. Although the visual quality is certainly VHS, I was actually astounded that the OST on the disc sounds as good as it does. Very happy of course for that small grace, since Tangerine Dream is one of my fave electronic artists ( I have pretty much all their vinyls). What Paramount did to this excellent film is a true travesty. I can only imagine how pissed off Mann (and the whole crew) must be. Of course I would dearly love for him to bless a release of a true DVD for it but I also realize that he is so resentful for what the MORONS at Paramount did, to the point that he flatly refuses to let it get released. Anyone who has the VHS version, treasure it, it's all we will probably ever get. :( You may be wise to get the VHS version burned onto a Blu-ray for preservation, tape eventually degrades, Blus not so much.
I do agree, this is a visual spectacle. And Ian McKellen's performance is superb. I am surprised it only cost 6 million dollars, too. But as much as I want to blame the studio meddling for why this movie is a mess, HE MADE A 210 MINUTE MOVIE!! This isn't Lord Of The Rings, there was no way that would ever fly with any studio for a movie like this. And Mann wrote the script himself. Doesn't the "~1 minute per page" rule of thumb still kind of apply? You'd think if he wrote a 210 page script he should know it's too long and cut it down at that point so the story still makes sense, not film it all and let it get cut to ribbons afterwards.
"...before trailing off into a fog of his own sadness." There are your regular cult classics, and there are flicks like The Keep, where it's scarcity and stories of its original runtime are the stuff of legend. Truly underrated.
I have the laserdisc. You can see there was something dramatic, intense, gripping, eldritch and great was intended. The Keep really does just kind of shuffle along until it just, well, ends... If there were ever a young buck director I'd like to see have a go at directing a remake, I'd like that guy to be Chris Stuckmann.
This is one i actually got into from the book first. The movie (with some solid acting) caught a lot of the books creepy factor. It's definitely on my go-to list
um i have it on dvd. it was released, but limited to only a handful of countries if i recall correctly. and it was a journey getting it, but totally worth it.
Apparently, the rights to the book have reverted back to Wilson, so now only he has a say as to whether or not it gets a remake or readaptation. But I agree that it does definitely need a remake. Preferably as, maybe, a 4-to-6-hour miniseries. Like the kind they used to make of Stephen King novels in the 90s. 4 90-minute episodes. Because everything that happens in the novel is just too big for even a 3-and-a-half-hour movie, I think.
Thanks for a great retrospective. This is a movie I first saw on VHS and it stuck in my mind for long after. At the time I didn't recognise any of the main actors (I was in my early twenties and hadn't started paying attention and it was pre-internet) but I can now see what you mean. The one thing I did notice was that the vehicles (halftrack and armoured car) were either proper relics or perfect reproductions of what would have been seen, the Sdkfz 288 and Sdkfz 222 respectively. Plastic modelling for a hobby teaches you some strange, and normally useless, facts. Tangerine Dreams music was very atmospheric and the band itself I remember from comments from my former classmates. Sorry for waffling but you brought back some good memories 🙂
A tragedy this movie has never been on blu ray or restored to its original cut. I don't care if Mann has disowned it at this point I'll take even a Lukas special edition with or without Jabba the Hut.
I adore this movie since I first saw it in the late '80s. You know what, watch right after you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark. You'll get a double dose of Nazis being taken out supernaturally.
I watched a 35mm print on projection last night and it was amazing. Any fans of The Keeps hypnotic dark mystery vibes should seek out Wavelength from the same year, also with a Tangerine Dream soundtrack. Both great, underappreciated films.
There has been a fan campaign going in since 2018 to release the 210 minute long Director's Cut.
Thats kinda stupid....That footage is gone 1000%....There were no home video releases back in the 80s and VHS tapes didn't have special features so studios typically destroy cut footage after a few years.....Studios had no clue about dvds etc. in the 80s.
Kinda like how uncut versions of Friday the 13th don't exist and can't exist because that footage was either destroyed in a studio fire or just flat destroyed. If the studios had the footage it would have been destroyed over a decade ago..There is absolutely no chance they hung on to footage from a flop.
I’d be happy with a blu ray release of the original film,but that doesn’t look like it’s coming anytime soon..
And Event Horizon. But in those pre-DVD days once footage was cut there was no reason to keep it.
Unfortunately this movie wasn’t what a studio would considered a hit. So they probably see no market for it. I mean let’s face it, if you asked a random person on the street if they ever saw The Keep 9 times out of 10 they would probably say no.
It needs a remake
This movie is criminally underrated, and deserves some form of media format update. Even if is just a barebones restoration with minimal features I would be happy with that lol. Score is awesome and movie is legit, but too bad we will never get the full 210 minute version.
Some of this film was filmed in my village in Wales! Llanberis! A few Movies have been filmed here like Willow, The modern Clash of the titans,Mortal kombat Annihilation and The world is not Enough!
The soundtrack to this was unreal. I spent so much time trying to track it down when this movie first played late at night on TV.
Tangerine dream lol
Tangerine Dream's contribution totally set the mood of this horror masterpiece.
The beginning, with the convoy moving towards the keep. Tangerine Dream...
@@76Sulaco I got two words 🤘tangerine….fuckin….dream 🤘
Yeah it was tangerine dream. They did a Great job. Love this movie…
Oh what I would do to see that full 210 minute version. This is a movie I watch once every few years and it always puts me in a cool trance from start to finish!
any cut footage was probably destroyed decades ago....The problem being studios in the 70s and 80s didn't really hang on to cut footage and even IF they did generally a few years later it will be destroyed. It wasn't like it is now where studios specifically save and preserve footage for home video releases.
@@lutherheggs451 Does the original script exist online?
Tangerine dreams is awesome, I loved their insert into Tom cruise LEGEND.
This movie is the perfect example of an underrated classic. It's a beautiful atmospheric film that seamlessly blends horror and War drama. The acting, cinematography, music, and practical effects for the time are all top notch. I give special props to the lead Nazi villain of the movie. That guy was just as terrifying as the demon.
Yeah it really is quite a masterpiece I think. The look, soundtrack and atmosphere are top notch.
Irish actor, Gabriel Byrne
F Paul Wilson's novel is definitely worth the read!
The Keep is a keystone story in what was to become for many a significant series blending sci-fi, the paranormal, crime as a means to an end and alternate histories/realities into the infamous Repairman Jack.
If you read, look at Wilson.
Great film that could have been as good as the book.
Great soundtrack, acting, costumes and guns.
I loved this as a kid
Mann tried his best to stay faithful to the source material, but the studio wouldn't let him. Both Mann and the author were very pissed about this
It's great to see a forgotten film get some love. For you The Keep fans here are a couple of small corrections:
1) The 3 hour cut was an assembly. Most 2 hour films have a 3 hour assembly cut as it usually includes almost everything shot for the film. The shooting script was for a 2 hour film and they shot all of it, meaning there was a 2 hour cut of The Keep at one point. Most of the cuts are dialog trims. Scenes cut include the villagers having dinner the first night, Glaeken finding Eva snooping in his room before they make love, the villagers killing each other and threatening to rape Eva, alternate endings including Glaeken and Molasar fighting atop of the keep and them falling through a black void beneath the keep, Eva discovering Glaeken alive beneath the keep and Glaeken, Eva and Dr. Cuza escaping Romania aboard Carlos's ship. The script and stills of these scenes can be found online.
2) Mann cut the film down to 96 minutes himself. He was not fired nor was the film taken away from him. However, after he went extremely over budget and schedule Paramount essentially told him to finish it with what he had as they were not going to spend more money on it. Certain scenes and effects could not be finished without spending more money so they were dropped from the film.
3) Gene Siskel's critique of the dialog is not about the TD score but about the fact that the dialog was not mixed properly at all. In 1983 most movie theater speakers were garbage by today's standards and it's almost impossible to understand poorly mixed dialog in one of these theaters. (This is why Lucas created the THX theater sound program that same year)
4) In his DVD commentary for the film Paul Wilson thought the first 30 minutes were a great adaptation of the book. Around the time when Kaempfer arrives is when he feels that the film starts falling apart.
5) The widescreen laserdisc was released after the VHS, making it the most recent home video release at the time of this recording. However, since then there has been an officially licensed DVD of the film released in Australia. Apparently, it's a transfer of the widescreen LD. There was a HD transfer of the film made (probably for the cancelled DVD release) that streams from time to time on Neflix, Amazon or Criterion. A copy of this HD file can be found online if you know where to look.
6) Mann does not own the rights to the film. It is owned by Paramount. Around 2004 Paramount announced a DVD release of The Keep and enlisted Mann to create special features. None of the deleted material could be found and the project was cancelled.
I remember, with great fondness, reading the book as a youngster back in 1981/2. I didn't know that a movie had been made until a couple of years after it had actually been released.
A friend, who also loved the book, came across it by accident in a video rental shop in the late 80s.
A masterpiece!
There is a DVD for this. I bought it a year ago.
So cool. I was lucky enough to be an extra in "Ali", saw this flick when it came out and hoped to praise the director in person. After "Miami Vice" and "Thief" I was so blown away by "The Keep" I looked forward to every feature film he's made since. Check out the trailer. I still pray a "Director's Cut" is in the works.
Amazing cinematography and a very cool/soundtrack by Tangerine Dream. I love this film so much!
One of my favorite movies. The soundtrack is fantastic. ❤️💯😝
The show "Lights! Camera! Action!" hosted by Leonard Nimoy had a behind-the-scenes look at the production of this film that also gave a little glimpse into how good it could have been.
This video is wrong about The Keep not being on current physical media.
It was released in early 2020 on DVD by the Australian boutique label Via Vision.
There is some hope that it will eventually find its way to blu-ray, since Via Vision's blu-ray arm [Imprint] has been releasing a lot of Paramount catalogue titles.
When businessmen ruin an artist's vision, George Lucas refers to it as "being oppressed by people who are stupider than you." George also considers those types as being even more oppressive than the USSR. Anyway, this movie is great and The Cinemasochist also did a review of it.
I remember looking for a movie back in the 80s at the local video rental. I picked up The Keep because the VHS box looked cool. The Keep ended up being one of my favorite horror movies. The cinematography, the lighting, the setting, the characters and the subject matter made for an incredible atmosphere of uneasiness. I have it on digital but would love to see a 4K bluray release someday! Yes, I love physical media!
I saw The Keep on VHS years ago around 84 and bought a copy in 85 when the Rental store put it up for sale due to low interest.
I loved it and was quite depressed when my tape got destroyed in my player.
I have been for years trying to get another copy but, I would definitely go out of my way to get a restored version of the original length if it was possible.
By far one of my favorite sci-fi horror movies of all time.
F Paramount for such draconian tactics that it followed at that time
Even the description of this movie is so insanely convoluted
When Molasar confronts the SS soldier; "what am I? I am you" awesome and profound.
And u too is
F Paul Wilson later wrote three or four follow ups, not counting many spin offs. The dialogue is fantastic. There is one particular paragraph pretty much like that sentence you mentioned but much more convoluted. Probably the finest paragraph I have ever read. Tried to find it online, did once, but can't find it now.
Mr Mann PLEASE listen to your Fans, PLEASE release this film!!
I got to see this on Alex Cox's Moviedrome TV series where he introduced underappreciated and offbeat movies. Despite all its issues, I liked the movie a lot. It looks and sounds great. I do have a VHS hiding somewhere.
I loved this movie and I would totally watch 210 minutes of it. Some of these movie studios don't seem to know what they are doing. The cast was amazing. Thanks for this video.
When I hear Mann's name the two flicks that often come to mind our Collateral and Last of the Mohicans.
Remake this as a series.
Shudder, Hulu or Amazon Prime will take this project on as long as Mann is involved.
The Keep is one of my all-time favorite movies based on one of my all-time favorite books. I've seen it so many times, I can have it on as background noise. I'm so glad more people are finding out about it.
This was a awesome now classic. It definitely needs to be redone the right way with the effects they have now and a budget of avengers?! Omg 👍
I saw it in the movies when it was released and even in it's current state, I was blown away. I'd give anything to see the full version. Great review and breakdown.
I just rewatched this little gem recently thanks to Quentin Tarantino talking about it on his podcast
Watched the keep again recently it's aged well 👍
I remember renting this movie back in the day on VHS I loved it so much I ended up downloading it and having a digital copy of it
The movie clearly had a troubled production even when watching it, but what survived it + studio meddling is still a solid movie. This movie does deserve a blu ray/4K release with special features - heck, if Nothing But Trouble could get one, I think The Keep could too.
Agreed. Nothing But Trouble is the worst movie I have ever seen in theaters. Just terrible.
Its really sad that Mann has the rights to the film but just sits on it.
So much potential here.
There was an Australian Region free DVD a few years back.
Happy to see this gem get its props.
Please cover The Gate. 🤙
On the list!
@@JoBloHorrorOriginals You guys rock. 🤘
I watched this movie last weekend. Its beautiful, the story is good and so is the cast. I hope some day it will get a BluRay release. Tangerine dream soundtrack is haunting.
I remember reading the plot synopsis way back in film school and was so excited to see this. Then I saw the trailer and was like, "what in the living hell is this supposed to be" lol. I still have not seen it but plan to. Especially after seeing 1981's THE POSSESSION recently. I gotta give THE KEEP a shot now.
A movie I really don't hear enough people talking about, would LOVE to be able to see the Director's cut version.
The fact I have it on VHS and that's the most up to date release is depressing.
Blu-ray is available! Purchased one on EBay last year. I don't have it in front of me now, but is probably the Via Vision Australian release from a few years ago. Paid $25 for a new copy.
You can buy the DVD. I'm not sure why he said you can't.
I still have the Manhunter dvd.
I remember snatches of this movie from when it was on television ONCE when I was a kid. I never knew what the movie was called. It wasn’t until seeing this video and others that I had the “A-Ha!” moment.
This movie does look great and atmospheric from a visual standpoint. Combine that with the fact that it’s Mann AND Tangerine Dream did the score(?!), you can color me intrigued. I do wonder that this movie could have been though. With the technology available now,
I don’t see why Mann couldn’t do it from a technical standpoint. But based on the quote, it could be an emotional reason that Mann would not want to revisit it. Think about it, when’s the last time you’ve seen something like this from Michael Mann? None that I know of.
First saw this as a kid in the 80s 3-4 years after it came out and haven’t seen it since. I’ve seen it available on streaming but have never made it a point to watch it. It did creep me out as a kid
As a writer this movie is a classic example of why I'd never get mixed up with the film industry.
Yea, the novel was pretty good, but this movie blew chunks. The soundtrack was good but everything else was wrong and it could have been so good. Maybe the Director's cut is better. It would interesting to find out.
Love this movie. Really wish the studio hadn't screwed with it
Lovely to see this get some love and attention! Would love to see this one finally get an HD release somewhere...
Looks like an awesome movie. I need to watch it.
Great vid. An underrated Mann film! By the way, you showed a photo of cinematographer Dante Spinotti (a regular on Mann's films) when mentioning the editor Dov Hoenig.
This movie definitely needs a director's cut but unfortunately we will never get it.
Scott Glenn plays an excellent role in the movie Slaughter of the Innocents
I've loved this movie since I rented it at the local video store so long ago. It needs and deserves so much more attention.
A great movie. I highly recommend it.
Not trying to sound like a snob, because snobs are assholes, but you’re def my favorite narrator. Was scared. Thought you’d decided to call the shots from behind the scenes from now on. Great video!
Wasn't he the first to put such elaborate artistry into a modern genre film?
Before he retires, why don't he make a new one with his own hands? Or has he lost interest in fantasy? I've heard that he didn't make that movie as a horror movie in the first place.
I was about 6 years old when I a Nazi's legs getting pulled out a hole in a wall.
As an adult, I could never figure out what that movie was. I finally know what movie that was.
Thanks for that.
Now I have to see it again.
I wish there was a Director's Cut Bluray available, I had this on VHS many years ago & watched it to destruction.
My ex father in law had a copy of the script (along with one of Ridley Scott’s “The Duelists”) in his work desk. The firm he worked would occasionally finance films for “Tax Losses”.
The book series is amazing, look them up if you can.
I watched this on PlutoTV a few weeks ago. I could tell it had been cut to hell. I would love to see Mann’s full version.
I have been trying to see this movie for years. Never found it in any video store or on any streaming service to date. It is the most buried movie I've come across.
Never knew Michael Mann made a horror movie.
Tangerine dream- they did the soundtrack for Near Dark and I can’t believe you didn’t mention it! Best vampire film everrrrrr.
It’s finger lickin good.
Saw this as a young teen on vhs. It was my favorite from the first rental. I loved the music and scott Glenn's character. Odly enough as a kid I was a fan of Jurgen Prochnow from seeing him in Dune and a film called The Seventh Sign. This movie is so under appreciated and as others have stated, a 210 minute version of this would be a godsend
Love the keep wish we got the directors version
I just finished the book and I hate to say it, wish they would remake the movie to give it justice.
I watched it on Tubi in September - the quality of the picture was very good.
I love this movie .. Just watched it the other day ... Ian McKellen is awesome ..... "TAKE IT" ...
Molassar should have been kept under the absolutely terrifying cloud of reverse billowing smoke until a final reveal. V cool character design, he’s like a dude on steroids. Reminds of how Batman appears to Scarecrow in Dark Knight when under the influence of the drug.
One can obtain the unsatisfying original release streaming from Prime Video, for a fee...
seems and sounds great and the actors wow specialy jurgen
I remember sort of seeing this movie in the early 90s when we had just gotten a satellite dish. You know, one of those big, 12-foot dishes that moved from satellite to satellite? My dad would watch it, but when the naughty scenes came on, he would turn it over if I was there. But I caught him watching it later with much interest when he thought he was alone.
I saw “The Keep” on NBC and the network aired it on Sunday night with a longer version. At the time, Miami Vice was huge and influence pop culture, which was on NBC and Mann was the producer of Vice so the network was airing everything Mann had available, “The Keep” was one of these movies. I understand why the story was hard to follow, but visually and musically it was amazing, I loved it and it stayed with me until today. After the airing, I was able to rented a VHS version later and realized that the VHS version was so different. I was luckily able to record it on to VHS from HBO airing. I have or had a copy of the HBO airing. Needless to, I totally agree with you. I wish he was able to develop his vision for the movie came to be. It would have be a classic horror movie, right up there with Halloween, The Fog, Carrie, etc..
Good to know that the Tesla logo can protect me from soul-eating demons from the Carpathian Mountains.
Loved this movie back in the VHS days btw….
Speaking of Tangerine Dream. If you haven't watched Miracle Mile...it is a must see! Sci-fi Horror
The keep was not built to keep something out it was built to keep something in
Sorcerer came out in 1977, not 1997 like you said.
Such a great book, movie is “good too” but another story of the studio fing everything up! Standing in the way of the director! It’s a crime it hasn’t been redone! This is one that deff needs one!
The Keep is a great movie. A Raiders of the lost ark feeling had it also.
I remember I watched this movie with my father by renting a VHS in 1987. We enjoyed it very much. In my humble opinion I always felt like "New Age Horror", different from other horror movies we commonly watched... Till now no other movies felt as The Keep.
I have a "burned on demand" copy of the VHS version release on DVD, that I acquired from Amazon Australia a couple years ago. Although the visual quality is certainly VHS, I was actually astounded that the OST on the disc sounds as good as it does. Very happy of course for that small grace, since Tangerine Dream is one of my fave electronic artists ( I have pretty much all their vinyls).
What Paramount did to this excellent film is a true travesty. I can only imagine how pissed off Mann (and the whole crew) must be. Of course I would dearly love for him to bless a release of a true DVD for it but I also realize that he is so resentful for what the MORONS at Paramount did, to the point that he flatly refuses to let it get released.
Anyone who has the VHS version, treasure it, it's all we will probably ever get. :(
You may be wise to get the VHS version burned onto a Blu-ray for preservation, tape eventually degrades, Blus not so much.
I do agree, this is a visual spectacle. And Ian McKellen's performance is superb. I am surprised it only cost 6 million dollars, too. But as much as I want to blame the studio meddling for why this movie is a mess, HE MADE A 210 MINUTE MOVIE!! This isn't Lord Of The Rings, there was no way that would ever fly with any studio for a movie like this. And Mann wrote the script himself. Doesn't the "~1 minute per page" rule of thumb still kind of apply? You'd think if he wrote a 210 page script he should know it's too long and cut it down at that point so the story still makes sense, not film it all and let it get cut to ribbons afterwards.
I remember seeing this on my dad’s satellite dish in the mid 80’s as a teenager.
"Sorcerer" was released in 1977 (not '97, in case you get a chance to edit this).
This and Ridley Scott's "Legend" are both underrated films outside the director's usual genre.
"...before trailing off into a fog of his own sadness."
There are your regular cult classics, and there are flicks like The Keep, where it's scarcity and stories of its original runtime are the stuff of legend. Truly underrated.
I have the laserdisc. You can see there was something dramatic, intense, gripping, eldritch and great was intended. The Keep really does just kind of shuffle along until it just, well, ends...
If there were ever a young buck director I'd like to see have a go at directing a remake, I'd like that guy to be Chris Stuckmann.
I hate how Collateral isn't mentioned here, one of his best films in my opinion Vincent is one of films greatest villains
I just ordered this on Blu-Ray. I'm hoping it'll be what they claim it is.
The Keep is a fantastic picture.
This is one i actually got into from the book first. The movie (with some solid acting) caught a lot of the books creepy factor. It's definitely on my go-to list
um i have it on dvd. it was released, but limited to only a handful of countries if i recall correctly. and it was a journey getting it, but totally worth it.
It’s great. When I first saw it I didn’t know about it’s troubles but I just enjoyed how odd and nightmarish it was.
My dad had this one recorded off of HBO on VHS. I watched it alot growing up its a classic. I need to find a HD copy
You’ll find a hd copy of it right next to the hd copy of true lies at ur video store.
@@NBC.SATURDAY.NIGHT.LIVE. imma go look, but I don't feel I'll find it
@@FatBz887 you’ll find the ark of the covenant before u find a hd copy of the keep lol
@@NBC.SATURDAY.NIGHT.LIVE. Its in a warehouse, I hear they have top men working on it
THE KEEP is so ripe for a remake, especially one that is truer to Wilson's novel.
Apparently, the rights to the book have reverted back to Wilson, so now only he has a say as to whether or not it gets a remake or readaptation. But I agree that it does definitely need a remake. Preferably as, maybe, a 4-to-6-hour miniseries. Like the kind they used to make of Stephen King novels in the 90s. 4 90-minute episodes. Because everything that happens in the novel is just too big for even a 3-and-a-half-hour movie, I think.
Thanks for a great retrospective. This is a movie I first saw on VHS and it stuck in my mind for long after. At the time I didn't recognise any of the main actors (I was in my early twenties and hadn't started paying attention and it was pre-internet) but I can now see what you mean. The one thing I did notice was that the vehicles (halftrack and armoured car) were either proper relics or perfect reproductions of what would have been seen, the Sdkfz 288 and Sdkfz 222 respectively. Plastic modelling for a hobby teaches you some strange, and normally useless, facts. Tangerine Dreams music was very atmospheric and the band itself I remember from comments from my former classmates. Sorry for waffling but you brought back some good memories 🙂
Is time for a miniserie of the keep. With the same soundtrack
A tragedy this movie has never been on blu ray or restored to its original cut. I don't care if Mann has disowned it at this point I'll take even a Lukas special edition with or without Jabba the Hut.
It would sure be cool if Michael Mann could remake this from the original script as a "Limited Series" on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
I adore this movie since I first saw it in the late '80s. You know what, watch right after you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark. You'll get a double dose of Nazis being taken out supernaturally.
I can't believe I still haven't seen this film.
I watched a 35mm print on projection last night and it was amazing. Any fans of The Keeps hypnotic dark mystery vibes should seek out Wavelength from the same year, also with a Tangerine Dream soundtrack. Both great, underappreciated films.