UK Freeview channel Film4 will be showing The Keep on Friday night (technically just about Saturday morning - December 1st) at 00:15. There will be commercial breaks, obviously, but Film4 generally show a lot of respect in where they place them within the films.
Radio Times link: http://www.radiotimes.com/film/hptsh/the-keep
Yes, I saw the advert for it last night. I'll be glad to finally watch it properly, instead of an old beat up VHS tape that is older than a lot of the posters on this site!!
Sid woz ere
Yes, finally.
It was shown a few times back at the beginning of the 2000s on the Carlton Cinema channel and in it's proper aspect ratio. I lost the VHS I had taped it on and have had to rely on the original VHS from the 1980s which was pretty poor quality to begin with. Looking forward to it.
@Twitzkrieg - Glasgow's FOREMOST authority
Awesome
I wonder if we get subtitles too?
I just watched it for the first time. I thought the print looked bloody awful to be honest and it didn't look as though it was in the correct aspect ratio, but I guess it was the best that Film4 could get their hands on under the circumstances. As for the film itself? Very peculiar. I liked the ethereal atmosphere, but I can see why Mann never did another film in the fantasy genre.
IS THIS SOMETHING YOU CAN SHARE WITH THE REST OF US, AMAZING LARRY?!?!
I have been wanting to see this film since 1983 - I bought an issue of Starburst, as it had article about Return of the Jedi in it. The Keep was featured on the cover, and it always stayed with me. Since then I'd become a massive Michael Mann fan, so was excited to see it was on Film Four. Slightly disappointed although it was late, and the print was terrible - liked the score though!
shareI thought it was terrible but overall I can't judge the film unless I see the full version that Michael Mann would have wanted us to see, instead we get 96 minutes that the studio forced him to release.
You can tell it was heavily cut down due to Scott Glenn getting top-billing but you never hear anything about his character or see him much until the end and he meets Ian McKellen's daughter then 2 minutes later he's having sex with her on the floor.
I am not a professional writer so please excuse any writing mistakesshare
Agree with MelGibsonFan. I've wanted to see this for years and perhaps I built it up too much . But blimey , it is a poor cut. And to be honest , I'm not sure it would benefit much from the directors version. It really isn't a good film in any way. If Mann was forced to cut it so much I'm surprised it didn't end up as an Alan Smithee.
shareGlad someone agrees with me because I thought I'd get abused by fans.
The bad guy reminded me of those plastic boxing dolls you punch with the black body, red eyes and mouth.
Ian McKellen sounded like Walter Matthau.
I thought it was stupid how it's set in Romania and it's about Nazi's but the only German actor was Jurgen Prochnow.
Prochnow seemed like he was going to become an important character so his role was definitely mostly on the cutting room floor too.
Gabriel Byrne has never been able to hide his Irish accent.
I am not a professional writer so please excuse any writing mistakesshare
It's a bit of a mess, no doubt about it. Troubled production and a really perfunctory edit which keeps in only the bare essentials of plot - Keep occupied, Molasar disturbed, Glaeken alerted, Cuza is tempted, Molasar destroys occupiers/is repelled by Glaeken. It seems however that there has been a whole other film cut out. The atmosphere acheived in a lot of scenes seem out of place or as if a whole chunk of build up and character building has been left out. I'm compelled to think that it probably would have taken 3h45m for Mann to put what he intended on screen. Most conspicuous certainly is how after the first two soliders are wasted it cuts almost immdediately to the SS turning up and Prochnow's charcter describing what's happening as if it's been going on for days and he's a whit's end.
@Twitzkrieg - Glasgow's FOREMOST authority
What the &**"1£ was that all about? I see the film has been cut down massively which probably explains the scene where the officer announces that five more men had been killed before we were even told that one had been killed!
Complete mess - do not waste your time watching this drivel!
Recorded it and watched it. It reminded me a lot of European horror in the way that it was shot. Even though there was nothing too graphic in it, the film scared the living crap out of me!
"Hey! Ladies! That was fun!"
I caught it, was always slightly curious about it. Pretty bad indeed, it was so slow in places I ended up reading various reviews of it at horror sites to pass the time (and to make out the details in the hacked to bits plot). Even with a ropey print - grainy and yes slightly wrong looking aspect ratio - it did have moments worth seeing...
- That long pull back into that massive pit, even with the obvious transition to a model, was pretty amazing
- The smoke effect on the demon was impressive as hell, especially for '83 and this budget
- Gandalf's performance has to be seen to be believed
- Gabriel Byrne's womanly shriek towards the end was brilliant.
On again tonight on UK Freeview Film4 - That's Thursday 2013/08/15 at 23:20. Sorry for such short notice. I'm only here to read all your opinions. Hope it's as good as some folk say. Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide hates it, and I find I agree with most of his reviews. However, I respect the opinions here too. Fingers crossed.
I've set WinDOH!s Media Centre to record it. Anyone else here agree with me that MC is about the only bundled M$ app of any quality? I've yet to find a free or commercial program that picks up every channel available here in the Celtic Twilight Zone.
Me too just watching it: Film 4 2013.Aug.15.Thu 23:20-01:10 (inc. ad breaks, obviously).
Interesting early-1980s synthy soundtrack by Tangerine Dream!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085780/soundtrack
If it's true that they couldn't put it out on DVD/BD as the soundtrack peeps wouldn't re-license the music or something, then that's a shame, as I quite like it's feel!