I saw the film after I read the book. Mann's vision for The Keep was clouded, that's why he mucked it up so badly.

I saw the film after I read the book. Mann's vision for The Keep was clouded, that's why he mucked it up so badly.

Clouded, on a moonless night, 50 feet underground with a blindfold on.
I read the book before watching the movie. Heck I didn't even know there was a movie until someone mentioned it on this board. When anyone asks how I can put up with so much shit from customers, I just say... "I've seen The Keep, I can handle anything".

"The Keep" was a bloody awful adaption of the book, but it at least had some qualities. Not many, but some.

- I thought it started well (opening credits, etc. were nice and atmospheric)

- Jurgen Prochnow, though completely different to how I visualised the character, was good.

- The "silver crosses" scene (with Hans/Otto) was terrific.

Sadly, pretty much everything else sucked. Especially the visualisation of Rasalom. Hahaha. Oh dear.

I have one thing to thank the movie for: if it wasn't for hearing people complain about how much better the book was, I'd have never read the book, or anything else by FPW, and FPW wouldn't have gotten the 12 bucks in royalties from my purchases, condemning him to financial ruin.

I saw THE KEEP (and a further cut version for TV broadcast at that) and was so intrigued by its mood and music, but after it was over, I was thinking, "WTF was that????" I eventually tracked down a VHS copy and saw FPW's name in the credits as writing the original novel and read it -- like many of you, thus beginning a life-long love of his works.

The most telling comment, for me, about the movie, is that it left me feeling like a huge part was missing -- like I had watched only a portion of the movie. But, alas, I had watched it all except for the nudity cut from the love scene.

My immediate solution was to find the book and discover what I had missed. I had no idea I had missed maybe 75% of the story.

I would have loved to have seen the real story filmed with that style and musical score. I'll never forget the soldiers running back into the keep through the light, in slow-mo, with the Tangerine Dream music. Or the half-body surprising the soldier pulling his friend back from the wall. Made a huge impression on me.

But those goods can't overcome the bads, unfortunately.

I heard a rumor that the restored 3-hour cut was shown at a con in the UK last year. Is that true?

I heard a rumor that the restored 3-hour cut was shown at a con in the UK last year. Is that true?

I know the con -- a 25th anniversary showing. I was invited. I declined. It was a cut with the extra 6-7 minutes at the end where she goes down and finds Glaeken and helps him out of the keep.

I know the con -- a 25th anniversary showing. I was invited. I declined. It was a cut with the extra 6-7 minutes at the end where she goes down and finds Glaeken and helps him out of the keep.

Certainly not the 3-hour restored cut. We've seen that ending either on TV or YouTube. A much better ending, certainly, but it doesn't make the whole story good by its inclusion alone.