Castle Keep
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Castle Keep Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Avant-garde World War II flick full of pretentious blather (2.5 Stars)
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Two World War II flicks involving a European castle came out in 1968, "Where Eagles Dare" and "Castle Keep." If you're a fan of war films you've no doubt heard of "Where Eagles Dare," which is one of the greatest war action/adventure films ever made; but I wouldn't be too surprised if you've never heard of "Castle Keep" or only vaguely heard of it. There's good reason for this.
THE PLOT: The Germans are marching on a Belgium village in the Ardennes where a small group of American soldiers make a stand at a 10th century castle.
"Castle Keep" has a lot going for it: a great cast, including Burt Lancaster, Peter Falk, Bruce Dern & many more; fabulous Yugoslavian Winter locations & castle; thrilling action scenes; it's well-made on a technical level; and it hardly comes across dated at all, even though it's forty years old. Fans of the film describe it as "poetic" & "haunting" and it's certainly obvious the filmmakers were shooting for something groundbreaking, meaningful and artistic.
Unfortunately "Castle Keep" failed to grab my attention until well into the second half of its 1 hour & 45 minute runtime, which is when the great action scenes start. The characters have a lot of dialogue but you never get to know them or care about them. Maybe because the chatter comes off as unreal, artsy and inscutable. Want a sample? The Count of the castle comments to Theresa (who is his wife, I think), "They planned this war because there was something they hadn't yet smashed." She replies, "Who are we, Henri?" "We are the keepers." [Thanks to Amazon reviewer Steven Hellerstedt for citing this dialogue].
The script is full of such "deep" nonsense. Which I suppose would be okay as long as the story itself pulled me in, but it didn't. The story doesn't perk up and grab the viewer's attention until the Germans march on the village well past the hour mark.
Want another example of the film's "unreal" vibe? The soldiers go into town to kill time at the local whore house. When they enter all the prostitutes are standing or lying around in various tantalizing poses in lingerie. I'm sure they were just hanging around like that waiting for five soldiers to walk in -- WHY SURE! You gotta see it to believe it. I busted out laughing!
One reviewer offered the interpretation that one soldier, the writer, is simply remembering how it was, not how it really was, and that's why it comes across so dreamlike, bizarre and unreal. I find this a valid explanation. Others point out that it's an allegory about the futility of the Vietnam War which was going on at the time of release. Another interpretation is that the message is one of contrast: Life from death, and death where once life was (Huh?).
Hey, I'm all for "message" films with deeper meanings, that is, as long as the film itself is interesting; the original "Apocalypse Now" is a good example. The greatest sin in filmmaking is to be boring. The second is to be pretentious. Unfortunately "Castle Keep" commits both of these transgressions IMHO.
BOTTOM LINE: "Castle Keep" is an avant-garde film palatable to a chosen few. It's either groundbreaking or pretentious depending on your tastes. I certainly respect it and enjoy numerous aspects noted above, but personally deem it a failure. Still, I'm an open-minded person. Maybe next time I'll "get it."
If my words intrigue you, check it out. I strangely found it worth viewing (and owning) even though I currently don't like it. I can't figure it out but, then again, I can't figure the film out either. |
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