The Keep

1983
R
1h 36m

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

15K

YOUR RATING

Home Video Trailer from Paramount Home Entertainment

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1 Video

61 Photos

Dark Fantasy Drama Fantasy Horror

Nazis are forced to turn to a Jewish historian for help in battling the ancient demon they have inadvertently freed from its prison.Nazis are forced to turn to a Jewish historian for help in battling the ancient demon they have inadvertently freed from its prison.Nazis are forced to turn to a Jewish historian for help in battling the ancient demon they have inadvertently freed from its prison.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.7/10

15K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 nomination

Trivia
The writer of the original novel, F. Paul Wilson, was so unimpressed by Michael Mann's adaptation of his work, that he wrote a short story called "Cuts", in which a writer puts a voodoo curse on a director, who has mangled his work.

Goofs
When Dr Cuza is translating the writing on the wall, he says "The form is the imperative" i.e. that it's a command. That's taken from the source novel, where the writing is translated as "Strangers, leave my home!" But in the film the translation is "I will be free", which is not an imperative statement.

Quotes
[Molasar appears and talks to the frightened Dr. Cuza]
Molasar: You have... death around you.
Dr. Cuza: Your hands?
[points at Molasar's powerful hands that touched him last time and healed him]
Molasar: No.
Dr. Cuza: Then, what you sense is my fate in a death camp?
Molasar: A place where people gather to die?
Dr. Cuza: A place where people are murdered!
Molasar: [loud] My people are murdered?
Dr. Cuza: Yes! And others, from all over Europe!
Molasar: [angry] Who does this?
Dr. Cuza: Their leader... in Berlin. And the soldiers in black.
Molasar: [screams] I WILL DESTROY THEM! I will consume their lives...
Dr. Cuza: When could you do this?
Molasar: When I am complete. In two nights. If... I can leave this place.
Dr. Cuza: Why couldn't you?
Molasar: Because an object of mine, the origin of my power, must be removed from the Keep and hidden in these mountains and kept save from people here... and from anyone who may come here. It must be done by someone I can trust... like you. Only then can I leave the Keep and destroy the soldiers in black and their leaders. Will you carry this object... out of here... for me?
[Molasar touches Dr. Cuza on the shoulder like a friend]
Dr. Cuza: Yes.

Crazy credits
The Keep Production Pays Tribute To Wally Veevers

Alternate versions
Some television versions include additional footage after the original downbeat ending, showing Eva Cuza (Alberta Watson) turn around, entering the Keep and finding the body of Glaecen (Scott Glenn), dead after the final battle with Molasar. Eva hugs Glaeken, who is revived by the power of her love.

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: D.C. Cab/Two of a Kind/The Man Who Loved Women/The Keep (1983)

Soundtracks
Gloria
(from the Mass for Four Voices by Thomas Tallis)
Arranged by Tangerine Dream

User reviews221

Review

Featured review

Best Entity ever committed to celluloid

A few of a detachment of German Army soldiers are mysteriously murdered in a Romanian citadel - 1942. The SS arrives to investigate and put a stop to the killings. However, there is an evil force at work within the Keep which will do anything to escape.

The Keep is a high concept yarn. The initial find set up and shooting of the villagers are stand out moments. The visuals and effects are stylistic, strong lighting, wind machines, optical layers are very much of there day. The special make-up has a startling 'cool' look to it, the 'Molasar' and Trismegestus designs are particularly well executed. Notably are the cast which includes the likes of Gabriel Byrne and Robert Prosky. Jürgen Prochnow is on fine form as Captain Klaus Woermann, Scott Glenn is intense and Ian McKellen is memorable as Dr. Theodore Cuza. The sets are well crafted, the on location shoot adds credence to the WWII setting and costumes add to the believability.

Nevertheless, rather than being intriguing with a slow pace The Keep plods along without building any real tension or suspense. The editing is a little jumbled, it appears to be a mixture of good and bad takes leaving it somewhat disjointed especially in the final reel, it may have benefited from only using those 'good' takes with a shorter running time. Tangerine Dream's score is of its time but doesn't compliment the scenes, it's highly intrusive and takes away much of the atmosphere, subtlety and eeriness.

Even with director Michael Mann at the helm and given the excellent story based on F. Paul Wilson's novel and Mann's adequate screenplay it never gels together. It's not sure whether it wants to be an art house, MTV video piece or gritty supernatural. Should Mann had attempted this recently he may have been able to fuse it together satisfyingly. I suppose retrospect is a fine thing. Curiously, Mann's workprint ran for 3 hours, after the studio saw what he had they wanted it cut to no longer than 90 minutes and assigned it second-level advertising. Mann has since distanced himself from the film.

Through all its disjointedness The Keep is an interesting film with a strong mythical good versus evil theme that plays on old religious fables. Molasar (Michael Carter) is the most menacing evil entity/being ever committed to celluloid and it's a shame that this has fallen into obscurity robbing the character and The Keep of even cult status.