The Keep (1983)

Director:

Michael Mann

Writers:

F. Paul Wilson (novel)
Michael Mann (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 December 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

THEY WERE ALL DRAWN TO THE KEEP. The soldiers who brought death. The father and daughter fighting for life. The people who have always feared it. And the one man who knows its secret... THE KEEP Tonight, they will all face the evil.

Plot:

Nazis guard a citadel that harbors a dangerous force that starts wreaking havoc and death upon them, forcing an uneasy alliance with a Jewish professional who can stop it.

Plot Keywords:

Nazi | SS | Fortress | Death | Good Versus Evil

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Scott Glenn	...	Glaeken Trismegestus
Alberta Watson	...	Eva Cuza
Jürgen Prochnow	...	Captain Klaus Woermann
Robert Prosky	...	Father Mihail Fonescu
Gabriel Byrne	...	Major Kaempffer
Ian McKellen	...	Dr. Theodore Cuza
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Alexandru (as Morgan Sheppard)
Royston Tickner	...	Tomescu
Phillip Joseph	...	Sergeant Oster
Michael Carter	...	Molasar
John Vine	...	Lutz
Jona Jones	...	Otto
Wolf Kahler	...	S.S. Adjutant
Rosalie Crutchley	...	Josefia
Frederick Warder	...	Border Guard #1
Bruce Payne	...	Border Guard #2
David Cardy	...	Alexandru's Son
John Eastham	...	Alexandru's Second Son
Philip Bloomfield	...	Josefia's Son
Yashaw Adem	...	Carlos
Stephen Whittaker	...	S.S. Commando
Lan Ruskin	...	S.S. Commando
Stephen Jenn	...	S.S. Commando
Benedick Blythe	...	S.S. Commando
Robin Langford	...	S.S. Commando
Renny Krupinski	...	Wehrmacht Soldier
Peter Guinness	...	Wehrmacht Soldier
Sean Baker	...	Wehrmacht Soldier
Timothy Block	...	Wehrmacht Soldier

Directed by
Michael Mann

Writing credits
F. Paul Wilson		(novel)
Michael Mann		(screenplay)

Produced by
Richard Brams	....	associate producer
Colin M. Brewer	....	executive producer
Theresa Curtin	....	associate producer
Gene Kirkwood	....	producer
Hawk Koch	....	producer (as Howard W. Koch Jr.)
Gavin MacFadyen	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Christopher Franke		(as Tangerine Dream)
Edgar Froese		(as Tangerine Dream)
Johannes Schmölling		(as Tangerine Dream)

Cinematography by
Alex Thomson		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dov Hoenig
Chris Kelly
Tony Palmer		(uncredited)

Production Design by
John Box

Art Direction by
Alan Tomkins
Herbert Westbrook

Set Decoration by
Michael Seirton

Costume Design by
Anthony Mendleson

Makeup Department
Jan Dorman	....	hairdresser
Graham Freeborn	....	makeup artist
Joyce James	....	hairdresser
Beryl Lerman	....	makeup artist
Nick Maley	....	makeup designer
Richard Mills	....	makeup artist
Barbara Ritchie	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Patrick Clayton	....	production supervisor
Phil Sanderson	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ray Corbett	....	assistant director
Paul Madigan	....	first assistant director: second unit
Callum McDougall	....	third assistant director
Kieron Phipps	....	second assistant director
Roger Simons	....	assistant director
Vic Smith	....	second assistant director

Art Department
George Ball	....	property master
Peter Benson	....	propman: floor
Albert Blackshaw	....	construction manager
Denis Hopperton	....	chargehand floor propman
Geoff Langley	....	assistant construction manager
Kevin Phipps	....	draughtsman
Jill Quertier	....	production buyer
Lucy Richardson	....	assistant art director
Rosalind Shingleton	....	draughtswoman
Bill Stallion	....	storyboard artist
Leslie Tomkins	....	art director: models
Peter Wilkinson	....	assistant construction manager
Lawrie Ayres	....	stand-by props: second unit (uncredited)

Sound Department
Campbell Askew	....	footstep editor
Robin Gregory	....	sound mixer
Peter Horrocks	....	dialogue editor
John Iles	....	consultant: dolby sound
Stephen Janisz	....	assistant sound editor
Bob Jones	....	dubbing mixer
Peter Pennell	....	assistant sound editor
Terry Sharratt	....	boom operator
Stephen Spencer	....	assistant sound editor
Jeremy Strachan	....	assistant dialogue editor
Graham Sutton	....	assistant footsteps editor
William Trent	....	sound editor (as Bill Trent)
Doug E. Turner	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Doug Turner)

Special Effects by
Nick Allder	....	special effects supervisor
Alan Bryce	....	special effects technician (as Allan Bryce)
Kevin Herd	....	special effects technician
Garth Inns	....	special effects
John McGoldrick	....	special effects technician
Melvyn Pearson	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Robin Browne	....	visual effects supervisor
Roy Carnell	....	matte camera operator
Ron Crees	....	matte cameraman
Doug Ferris	....	matte artist
Roy Field	....	optical effects
Denis Fitzgibbons	....	matte camera operator (as Denis Fitzgibbon)
John Fletcher	....	visual effects focus puller
Stuart Galloway	....	matte camera operator
Denis Hall	....	optical effects
Jamie Harcourt	....	optical camera operator
Keith Holland	....	matte camera operator
John Palmer	....	matte cameraman
Keith Thomas	....	visual effects focus puller
John Turner	....	matte camera operator (as John Turner-Grant)
Wally Veevers	....	visual effects supervisor
Ken Worringham	....	optical camera operator
Keith Holland	....	visual effects camera operator (uncredited)

Stunts
Andy Bradford	....	stunts
Jim Dowdall	....	stunts
Tracey Eddon	....	stunts
Nick Hobbs	....	stunts
Alf Joint	....	stunt coordinator
Doug Robinson	....	stunts
Paddy Ryan	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Kenneth Atherfold	....	camera grip (as Ken Atherfold)
Graham Attwood	....	still photographer
Dave Clarke	....	supervising electrician (as David Clarke)
Wick Finch	....	electrician
Anthony Gaudioz	....	focus puller (as Tony Gaudioz)
Bill Geddes	....	camera grip
John Golding	....	second camera operator
Arthur Lavis	....	unit cinematographer
Shaun O'Dell	....	camera operator
Shane O'Neill	....	clapper loader
Steve Parker	....	assistant camera
Peter Robinson	....	focus puller
Andrew Shields	....	video playback operator
Gary Spratling	....	clapper loader
John Ward	....	Steadicam operator
Micky Wilson	....	electrician

Animation Department
Ann Ducommun	....	assistant animator

Casting Department
Noel Davis	....	casting: U.K.
Nancy Klopper	....	casting: USA
Bonnie Timmermann	....	casting: USA

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Rosemary Burrows	....	costume supervisor
June Kirby	....	wardrobe assistant
Ken Lawton	....	wardrobe master

Editorial Department
Chris Kelly	....	associate editor (as Christopher Kelly)
Steve Maguire	....	second assistant editor
Tony Palmer	....	second assistant editor
Pamela Power	....	additional editor
Phil Sanderson	....	first assistant editor
Andy Stears	....	assistant optical editor
Adam Unger	....	second assistant editor

Music Department
Bob Badami	....	music editor
Gordon Greenaway	....	assistant music editor
Laurie Anderson	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
Julie Adams	....	dialogue coach
Enki Bilal	....	illustrator: demon
John Carr	....	laser effects
Bryan Coates	....	location manager
Vicki Deason	....	production assistant (as Vicki Manning)
Ann Edwards	....	continuity
Ken Goddard	....	laser effects
Denise Horsham	....	creature crew
Aneuryn Jones	....	animal supplier: North Wales
Bob Keen	....	creature crew
Doreen Landry	....	unit publicist
Nick Maley	....	creature designer
Nick Maley	....	prosthetics designer
Andrew Mollo	....	historical consultant
Josephine Olive-O'Neill	....	assistant production accountant (as Josephine O'Neill)
Christine Overs	....	creature crew
Richard Padbury	....	creature crew
Basil Somner	....	location manager
John Bernard Wall	....	production accountant
Kevin Westley	....	set runner
David White	....	creature crew

Production Companies

• Associated Capital
• Capital Equipment Leasing

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1983) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Cinema International Corporation (CIC) (1984) (France) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (1984) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1989) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Paramount Home Video (1995) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• CIC Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Delta Sound Services  sound re-recording
• Filmfex Productions Ltd.  opticals
• Geoff Axtell Associates Ltd.  titles
• Joe Dunton & Company  camera equipment provided by
• LaseFX  laser effects
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Optical Film Effects  opticals
• Rank Film Laboratories  opticals
• Vee Films  opticals
• Visual Concept Engineering (VCE)  opticals

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Rankcolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Germany:16 | Brazil:14 | Australia:M | France:-12 | Norway:16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd, Wales, UK

Company:

Associated Capital

Trivia:

The film is dedicated to the memory of visual effects supervisor Wally Veevers.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Camera assistant visible directing a camera pan when the German soldiers are firing into the air when the evil force is released.

Quotes:

Alexandru: No-one's ever died here.
Captain Klaus Woermann: Then what drives people out, in the middle of a rainy night?
Alexandru: Dreams?
Captain Klaus Woermann: Nightmares? Look, man, the real nightmares man has made upon other men in this war. The bad dreams of your Keep are nursery rhymes by comparison.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Directors: The Films of Michael Mann (#2.1)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Gloria

Uneven Art House Horror

Some people mention movies like LORD OF THE RINGS and BLACK HAWK DOWN as being extremely poor stories saved by their technical truimphs and watching THE KEEP I can understand where they`re coming from . This is a visually striking atmospheric movie with a rather confused and under developed script

All the best aspects of THE KEEP are mainly to do with what`s on screen . Alex Thomson`s cinematography is awesome , check out the scene of the fishing boat sailing into the rising sun , or the full moon shining out from behind the clouds or that fantastic scene where Lutz looks into the cavern as the camera pans back for almost a full minute . Michael Mann brings an unspeakably doomladen atmosphere to the movie and manages a quite remarkable image featuring the initial appearance of Molasar . Considering the budget is only 6 million dollars the special effects are quite good for this scene featuring an image of smoke , light and a haunting soundtrack . Mind you this one of the very few instances where Tangerine Dreams synth soundtrack is successful , elsewhere in the movie it`s very inappropiate . The acting too is a mixed bag . Most of the cast are merely okay while Gabriel Byrne plays just about the most blood chilling and convincing Nazi I`ve ever seen in a movie , but Scott Glen is wooden and Ian McKellen gives an awful performance as Dr Cuza , a Jewish intellectual who seems to have all the speech patterns and mannerisms of a Hollywood producer . Having said that it is interesting to see McKellen play someone who goes through a character arc similar to the one Frodo goes through in THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Michael Mann`s treatment of the screenplay is far less successful than his directing . A gestapo death squad battle against a monster , er so who are we supposed to root for ? During the war even some hardened Waffen SS men despised these murder squads and this is echoed by the character interaction between Captain Woermann and Major Kaempffer . However it turns out Woermann has profoundly anti fascist ideals in a conversation with Dr Cuza which means he stops being a character and becomes a cliche . Was everyone in Germany at this time either a Nazi or an anti Nazi with no in between ? I just wish Mann had blurred the lines a little . It should also be pointed out that Woermann`s first words of dialogue actually do sound like they come from a Nazi stormtrooper which indicates Mann has written inconsistently for the character . Another serious error with the screenplay is that it`s never really explained who Glaeken and Molasar are . Some people have described Molasar as a Golem , but he`s not . A Golem is basically a clay statue from Jewish folklore not as is Molasar an ethereal being of great power . Of course it could be that because Molasar needs Cuza`s help he appears to Cuza as a Golem but once again this seems to confused a lot of people due to the script , and I`m puzzled as to how Glaeken fits into all this . When adapting a screenplay everything should be made clear on screen to everybody , not just to people who have read the source novel

I gave THE KEEP seven out of ten mainly due to the technical achievements ( Remember this only cost $6 million ) but a word of warning only watch this if it`s in a widescreen letterbox format . I saw this on Sky movies the other night and a poor quality scanned version was used which meant the visual impact was totally absent