Castle Keep (Widescreen Edition)

Starring:Burt Lancaster, Patrick O'Neal, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Peter Falk, Astrid Heeren, Scott Wilson, Tony Bill, Al Freeman Jr., James Patterson, Bruce Dern, Michael Conrad, Caterina Boratto, Olga Bisera, Elizabeth Teissier, Anne Marie Moskovenko, Marja Allanen, Eya Tuli, Elizabeth Darius, Karen Blanguernon, Marie Danube
Director: Sydney Pollack
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Released to mixed reviews in 1969, Castle Keep now qualifies as a potent allegory for the insanity of the Vietnam War. In that respect it belongs in the same category as better-known anti-war films of the period including Little Big Man and The Wild Bunch, and director Sydney Pollack (who scored his breakthrough hit later that year with They Shoot Horses, Don't They?) deftly straddles a stylistic line between old-school Hollywood and the emerging counterculture epitomized by Easy Rider. He also gets a memorably off-kilter performance from Burt Lancaster (who had been instrumental in launching Pollack's directorial career), the young-looking Tony Bill (who later became a successful producer-director), and especially Peter Falk, who would soon gain TV fame as Columbo. As American soldiers occupying a richly-appointed medieval castle in the Ardennes Forest near the end of World War II, they're a M*A*S*H-like bunch of military misfits (including Bruce Dern as a conscientious objector) engaged in a microcosm of occupational warfare as German troops draw closer. The ending is uncompromisingly bleak, reflecting the futility of Vietnam with long-lasting resonance. From a latter-day perspective, Castle Keep is a bold hybrid of large-scale WWII action and political statement, which may explain why such high-profile filmmakers as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese campaigned for this glorious widescreen DVD after the earlier release of an inferior full-screen version. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

I'm not sure what to think of this film........2006-06-24

Castle Keep is not exactley a normal war film infact I thought it was realy wierd and some parts just didn't fit in and didn't make any sense. The film plays out like a slow paced drama where some of the soldiers are talking about philisophical stuff and the meaning of life and blah blah ect, things don't get interesting untill the second half when the germans try to infiltrate the fortified castle the cast includes Peter Faulk, Burt Lancaster, Patrick O'Neal and some others. A group of American soldiers take over a very old castle as a stronghold, the castle is owned by an unworldly aristocrat whose major concern is for his priceless art collection which I thought was very strange. The film is a cross between a 1960's art film and war film thats why it has these sureal and bizzare scenes like the one in the brothel that has weird carnival music playing in the background. Despite the unknown status of this film it has been praised by other directors and has become a sort of anti-war film for the vietnam era cause of its messages which is not exactely clear, the film had some slightly boring scenes in it but it does make up for it during the end which you'll just have to see what happens I'm not going to spoil it, I'm not saying that it was bad cause some parts were realy good and interesting. The film overall was average I would give it 3.5/5 stars if your looking for a different and strange ww2 film then this might be what your looking for.

Not even as a night-light...........2006-04-11

And I thought `Catch-22' was the worst WWII movie ever made.

At least the source of that one - Joseph Heller's best selling novel - is funny and brilliant. Maybe William Eastlake's CASTLE KEEP is a great novel, too. I'll never know, and after watching director Sydney Pollack's take on it I'm none to anxious to hunt it down. A group of American soldiers, led by eye patched Major Abraham Falconer (Burt Lancaster) decamp in a medieval castle that stands between the advancing Germans and Bastogne. The castle is the residence of the Count of Malorais and Therese, a winsome lass with a wandering eye, and contains a Louvre's worth of art.

Having established a promising plot the movie promptly abandons it and spends nine-tenths of its remaining time standing around talking. Oh, Major Burt makes a heavy move on Therese, Captain Patrick O'Neal moons over the art, the enlisted men spend some time in a cat house in town and, inexplicably, Sergeant Peter Falk takes up residence with a widowed baker's wife. And wild-eyed Bruce Dern, with choir, pops into the movie every now and then as a hymn singing conscientious objector. But most of the time it's just tedious, pretentious, impenetrable talk. For instance, at one point Therese and the Count share this exchange - "They planned this war because there was something they hadn't yet smashed." "Who are we, Henri?" "We are the keepers."

I think CASTLE KEEP is supposed to be a serio-comic response to Vietnam, but this absurd depiction of the futility of war is subverted by its ponderous arrogance and leaden pacing. Static and deathly boring.

Finder's Keeper.......2006-03-08

In the pantheon of Great War movie such as "Patton" and "The Sand Pebbles" I rank "Castle Keep" right along with them. Castle Keep starts off with a sense of "Look out, folks, this is uncommon rabbit hole." And it is. But this isn't an ordinary WWII war movie as the narrator of the movies starts: "Eight walking wounded chanced upon a castle..." Its premise is uncommon: its art and history vs. theory and practice. Who will be the victor? Can there be a victory? Almost immediately I'm reminded of the bombing of Dresden. Does that metaphor carry any weight in the film? Whether it does or not it's still a weighty film. It's a film about misfits, about baker's dozen and The Lost Boys. About make-shift prophets and a buffalo riding on a horse. It's about catching your breath and the Red Queen's whores. For these weary soldiers they suddenly find themselves in a world of shell shock and storybook fantasy. But the business of killing persists. With the Germens reaching and breaching the walls of Castle Keep it's every man and connoisseur for himself. It's a battle that every players of this movie can't afford to lose regardless of the outcome, of motive. Above all one of the soldiers is a writer. From the lowly troop to the top major they all request one thing from him: write the truth. When the ashes of war settles the storyteller alway rises. Without storytellers there are no war stories. Oh, yeah, there's the Countess of the castle. You'll going to have to see this movie to know more about her. After viewing this movie I think I'm going to read the book.

Once upon a time ..........2006-02-23

If you're expecting a traditional WWII action film, you may well be puzzled or put off by this film, which completely upends the idea of traditional heroism ... yet without disparaging it, either, which is no mean feat. Clearly an allegorical, symbolic film that speaks to Vietnam as much as to WWII, deliberately & gleefully anachronistic, it remains timely to this day. As long as there are wars, the absurdity, black humor, destruction & loss depicted here will remain relevant. In a way, it revises a notable statement from Vietnam & asks, "Will it become necessary to destroy civilization in order to save it?"

It's a visually stunning film, thankfully released in widescreen at last, which it needs & deserves. There's a fairy tale quality to many of the shots, accentuated by the then-contemporary pop music soundtrack by Michel Legrand, very Swingle Singers at times, always haunting. Yet other scenes have a surreal, garishly surreal quality to them. And the battle scenes are brutally realistic & bloody, a harsh & effective counterpoint to the earlier fairy tale quality.

The ensemble cast is wonderful, with Burt Lancaster rightfully leading the pack. He's a stolid, realistic, undeniably brave man -- and short-sighted for that very reason, seeing only the mission, willing to sacrifice everything to fulfill it. Yet what other sort of man would be able to go on fighting an implacable enemy? That's one of the things I especially like about this film: it asks difficult questions & doesn't take the easy way out by unfairly demonizing one viewpoint.

The rest of the cast is equally good, from Al Freeman's Ishmael-like novelist ("And I alone am escaped to tell thee"), to Patrick O'Neal's tortured, sensitive art historian, so desperate to preserve the endangered beauties of the castle, to Peter Falk's earthy sergeant, who would rather bake bread (the staff of life) rather than bring more death to the world. Yet in the end, death will inevitably overtake all but one of them.

The script is a writer's delight, filled with dark jokes, poignant reveries, wicked one-liners. It's a literate script, from a more literate time, and well worth hearing more than once. Again, this is a film that's meant to be fully experienced in the viewing & then thought about & discussed at length afterwards. It's a welcome addition to the film collection of any discerning viewer. Most highly recommended!

Good product.......2006-02-01

Received the CD we ordered in a timely manner and in good shape as advertised.

Average customer rating:

I'm not sure what to think of this film.
Not even as a night-light....
Finder's Keeper
Once upon a time ...
Good product

Castle Keep (Full Screen Edition)
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Patrick O'Neal , Jean-Pierre Aumont , Peter Falk , and Astrid Heeren
Director: Sydney Pollack
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00000F4OM
Release Date: 2004-07-20

Amazon.com

Released to mixed reviews in 1969, Castle Keep now qualifies as a potent allegory for the insanity of the Vietnam War. In that respect it belongs in the same category as better-known anti-war films of the period including Little Big Man and The Wild Bunch, and director Sydney Pollack (who scored his breakthrough hit later that year with They Shoot Horses, Don't They?) deftly straddles a stylistic line between old-school Hollywood and the emerging counterculture epitomized by Easy Rider. He also gets a memorably off-kilter performance from Burt Lancaster (who had been instrumental in launching Pollack's directorial career), the young-looking Tony Bill (who later became a successful producer-director), and especially Peter Falk, who would soon gain TV fame as Columbo. As American soldiers occupying a richly-appointed medieval castle in the Ardennes Forest near the end of World War II, they're a M*A*S*H-like bunch of military misfits (including Bruce Dern as a conscientious objector) engaged in a microcosm of occupational warfare as German troops draw closer. The ending is uncompromisingly bleak, reflecting the futility of Vietnam with long-lasting resonance. From a latter-day perspective, Castle Keep is a bold hybrid of large-scale WWII action and political statement, which may explain why such high-profile filmmakers as Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese successfully campaigned for a widescreen DVD after the release of this inferior full-screen version. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

I'm not sure what to think of this film........2006-06-24

Not even as a night-light...........2006-04-11

Finder's Keeper.......2006-03-08

Once upon a time ..........2006-02-23

Good product.......2006-02-01

Received the CD we ordered in a timely manner and in good shape as advertised.

Average customer rating:

Castle Keep [Region 2]
Starring: Burt Lancaster , Patrick O'Neal , Jean-Pierre Aumont , Peter Falk , and Astrid Heeren
Director: Sydney Pollack
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

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