MovieChat Forums > The Keep (1983) Discussion > The 3.5 hour Director's Cut needs to be ...

The 3.5 hour Director's Cut needs to be released...

posted 13 years ago by broadway309
5 replies | jump to latest

It seems like reactions to The Keep are generally polarized...you either love it or hate it. I, for one, think it was a major missed opportunity on Michael Mann's part. The book is FANTASTIC; but even the author F. Paul Wilson completely disowned this film, and Mann has washed his hands of it.

However, I'd love to see what the other hour and a half of footage entailed. I'd like to know if what was cut out of the original director's cut would have made it a more coherent, artistic film. For example, would the relationship between Glen (Glaeken) and Eva have been more developed? Would we have learned more about who/what Glaeken was and his history with Molasar? Would we know more about Molasar's intentions?

Another beef I had with the movie: no zombie nazis. Wilson wrote about zombie nazis in 1981, looong before zombie nazis became a popular meme.

Whatever your opinions about the movie, I implore you to read the book.
And I'd love for someone to start a petition for:

1) a DVD release of The Keep
2) the full 3.5 hour Director's Cut included on the DVD

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Zbranek001 13 years ago

It really isn't Michael Mann's fault... After filming and during post production his main special effect man died and took all his secrets with him... The film was then rushed to be completed... It was only his second motion picture and he didn't have much pull back then. Being the perfectionist he is... I'm sure he'd love to fix THE KEEP. Let's hope!

[–] FabioPirovano 12 years ago

Intresting reading and Nice words Zbranek! Let's Hope!

"life is Chiaroscuro matter" Fabio

[–] earthman34 12 years ago

I have serious doubts that there is that much footage sitting around. The movie doesn't need to be 3 hours long. It needs about another 30 minutes to flesh out the story so it makes sense to people who haven't read the book or don't care about the larger story arc, but I doubt that even that much footage exists. I've seen two alternate endings that add about 10 minutes, and I know of two additional scenes that were filmed that might add another 10, but that's about it. While some scenes in the film may have longer versions, I don't think it adds up to 3 1/2 hours. This sounds like the rumored 6 hour version of Lynch's Dune that doesn't exist, either.

[–] guigui-paul 9 years ago

Michael Mann himself said last week in New York that he will not plan to revisit THE KEEP on Blu Ray/Dvd, theatrical cut or "director's cut"...see the end of this career interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QtAbxh7shw&t=4422s

http://darioargentofr.blogspot.com/