The Keep (1983) Paramount/Horror RT: 96 minutes Rated R (language, graphic violence, strong sexual content and nudity, attempted rape) Director: Michael Mann Screenplay: Michael Mann Music: Tangerine Dream Cinematography: Alex Thomson Release date: December 16, 1983 (US) Cast: Scott Glenn, Jurgen Prochnow, Alberta Watson, Ian McKellen, Gabriel Byrne, Robert Prosky, William Morgan Sheppard, Bruce Payne. Box Office: $3.6M (US)
Rating: *** ½
The Keep was a critical and commercial failure upon its release. The author of the novel on which it’s based F. Paul Wilson hates it. I love it! It’s one of the most original horror movies I’ve ever seen.
The year is 1941. The German army has arrived in a small Romanian village to take control of the Dinu Mountain Pass located in the Carpathian Alps. In the village lies a large citadel, a deserted castle that has been unoccupied by humans for many years. The caretaker of “The Keep” informs Captain Klaus Woermann (Prochnow, Das Boot) that he and his men shouldn’t stay there because there is an evil presence. It isn’t designed to keep anything out, but rather to keep something trapped inside. Some of the soldiers, believing that the crosses adorning the walls are made of silver (they’re actually nickel), pry one off and unleash a malevolent entity, one that sucks the life force from its victims.
One day, sadistic Major Kaempffer (Byrne, The Usual Suspects) arrives and assumes control of the village. He immediately executes three random villagers and announces more will follow if any more German soldiers die. The local priest Father Mihai Fonescu (Prosky, Thief) tells the Major about the evil presence in the castle and urges him to bring in an expert to help them better understand what they’re dealing with. He arranges for Jewish historian Dr. Cuza (McKellen, the LOTR trilogy) and his daughter Eva (Watson, The Soldier) to be brought to the castle from a death camp.
When we first encounter the entity, he is enveloped in a cloud of smoke. It takes a little while before we get a really good look at his physical appearance. Okay, so the entity resembles an actor in a rubber costume, but it makes no difference, this thing is scary. He’s a persuasive creature who manages to convince Cuza, an educated man, to help him with his plan to destroy the world. He tells Cuza he will be able to destroy the entire Nazi army if he’s freed from his prison.
Meanwhile, there’s a power struggle between the Captain and the Major. Woermann knows that an evil presence is responsible for the brutal murders of the German troops while Kaempffer steadfastly believes it’s partisan activity that he can easily put a stop to.
The Nazis aren’t the only one interested in the power that lies within the castle. A stranger (Glenn, Urban Cowboy), sensing the entity’s awakening, starts making his way to the village. He has eyes that glow and powers similar to the Force. He carries with him a mysterious case. What is his connection to the entity?
The Keep has been described as incoherent and incomprehensible, but I don’t agree with that assessment. Quite the opposite, I think it’s absolutely brilliant. The visuals are positively stunning. The cinematography by Alex Thomson is nothing short of amazing. The mere act of looking at Michael Mann’s film is an incredible experience. The director of Thief and Manhunter has a real eye for visuals that’s augmented by a dynamite electronic score by Tangerine Dream. Whenever I see their name in the credits, I know to expect musical greatness.
The Keep is a case of style over substance with its non-complex plot and characters and lack of exposition- e.g. the connection between the entity and the stranger is never adequately explained. A lot of what occurs in The Keep has to be taken at face value without rational explanation. Fortunately, I’m one of those people who can do that. Some things in life can’t be explained, especially the supernatural. You either accept it or you don’t.
The performances in The Keep are pretty good. Byrne is the very personification of human evil even if his performance borders on camp at times. McKellen is great as Cuza, a good man torn between obligation to the entity and mankind. The late Watson, whose character has a quick but passionate sexual encounter with Glenn’s stranger, is a real find. I always felt the Canadian actress had superstar potential. It helps that she was easy on the eyes. Prochnow is good as the German soldier with a conscience. He’s just following orders and doesn’t want to see anybody killed for no reason; it’s only natural he’s going to clash with the brutal major.
I will concede The Keep moves a bit slowly, but is there any law that says that all films have to move at a breakneck speed? It takes its time to build up to something and it’s worth the wait. I can understand why audiences weren’t too interested in The Keep. They went in expecting mainstream and got artistic instead. I’ll concede it doesn’t always make sense, but it’s not the fault of the filmmaker. Blame the suits at Paramount who wouldn’t accept Mann’s original 210-minute cut. They made him cut it down to two hours; after which, they edited it down to 96 minutes against his wishes. I’d love to get a look at Mann’s original vision but I doubt that will ever happen. The theatrical version didn’t even get a DVD/Blu-Ray release until this year (January 2020) and only in Australia. In any event, I love The Keep. It’s not perfect but it’s different. That counts for a lot.
