E Unit

Crowdfunding documentary on the making of The Keep. This looks like it could be good - and expensive.

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A World War II Fairytale - Crowdfund video - English Version from stewart buck on Vimeo.

http://www.thekeepdocumentary.co.uk/shop/

World War II Fairytale: The Making of Michael Mann’s THE KEEP; Launches Campaign Today on Crowdfunding Platform, Indiegogo

NEW YORK, NY, Nov. 23rd, 2015 — Through five years worth of production, A World War II Fairytale will give a complete history and overview of Mann’s lost epic THE KEEP (1983) with unprecedented access to over 30 years of archive material and one hundred new on-camera interviews. The film today launched an Indiegogo campaign [http://igg.me/at/awwiifairytale], opening the film to fans of the original and allowing for completion of the documentary.

In 2011, director/producer Stewart Buck and producer/artist Stephane Piter, both of Dinu Pass Productions, embarked on a journey to document the 1980s horror classic THE KEEP, one of the most exciting and boldly ambitious films of director Michael Mann’s career. However the film remains largely forgotten.

Designed to be a grandiose adult fairytale, the production suffered numerous setbacks. As a result, Mann’s original vision for the film has never been seen to this day.

With Piter’s renowned website www.the-keep.ath.cx as the main engine driving the project, the upcoming feature-length documentary, “A World War II Fairytale,” is a unique, in-depth look at the making of Mann’s lost epic. The vision behind the documentary is expansive, taking audiences on a journey to London, Wales and across the Atlantic to the U.S and Europe. Featuring over 100 new contributions from cast, crew, critics and colleagues, rare archival photos, and never-before-seen making-of footage, the film positions itself as the authoritative word on this forgotten cult classic.

“Audiences are still drawn to the potential of THE KEEP,” says Stewart Buck. “They are fascinated by what could have been and what we might see in the future. Mann’s enthusiasm and approach to the project are inspiring. This documentary offers a fascinating insight into the way Michael Mann works, his aesthetic, his methods and how he puts his movies together.”

“Since 1983, my mission has not changed,” says Piter of his passionate devotion to THE KEEP. “It was always my aim to produce an affectionate and sincere account of this difficult production, and to reveal Mann’s true vision, which I have always believed deserves a second chance — a second life.”

“In an age where movies are instantly available in the highest quality video, I find it fascinating that there are still unknown cinematic diamonds in the rough waiting to be discovered,” says Alex Kuciw, a producer at Dinu Pass. “THE KEEP is one of those diamonds. Among even the most devout of Michael Mann’s fans, there are many who have not seen this film and are unaware that it is a part of Mann’s considerable list of achievements.”

Thanks to Indiegogo, Mann fans, film buffs and members of the general public have the chance to own a piece of this outstanding documentary. Indiegogo contributions will allow for the completion of the project and, over the next six-to-eight months, help to create a master and bring it to market.

Contributors will receive:

• A Blu-ray package (available on pre-order for 30 days) featuring hours of extra footage and an exclusive look into the longer version of THE KEEP.
• The extremely limited ‘Design Series’ spotlighting production designer John Box, as well as art directors Alan Tomkins and Herbert Westbrook
• Books and rare photos from the set build in Wales, signed by crew
• The ‘Molasar Signature Series’ covering the three stages of special effects evolution of the film’s monster by make-up designer Nick Maley
• The ‘Music Series’ featuring an opportunity to pre-order a signed copy of the late Edgar Froese’s upcoming biography “Force Majeure”

Josh Z

I will only consider donating to this if they correct the spelling of "Fairy Tale" to two words. I refuse to support grammatical illiteracy.

DWilson

"The Keep" is one of those films I've watched a few times, always hoping it will be better than it actually was. I really enjoyed the novel it was adapted from (though I would hardly describe it as a "Fairy Tale"). My understanding always was that the chief failure was an inability to "follow through" with the SFX when the man in charge of staging them died unexpectedly (I remember a photo of some "wire-work" in the late, lamented Cinefantastique that was supposedly part of a big final battle that is not in the finished film.)

Neil M.

The campaign already failed but it seems like they're going to try to finish it anyways. You can preorder it on the website but it's so expensive. I think I'm going to skip this. They weren't even close to their goal so who knows what the quality of this will be. Seems like a potential disaster of a product.

Josh Z

How fitting, given that it's a documentary about a film that suffered similar problems.

Chuckle

Just desserts.

Michael Mann rightfully disowned this film. Even though Scott Glenn is awesome shit in it.

Trevor

Looks like they are still working on it.

kd5

I realize it's probably inappropriate to comment on a statement made by a member who has since been banned, but that statement is awfully harsh, even if it was made 3 years ago.

Michael Mann disowned the 96 minute butchered mess that Paramount turned his film into.

While we'll never see it, I would've loved to see MM's original vision for The Keep. I still think what we got was atmospheric and entertaining, while it may have strayed from the book here and there (especially the ending), I still enjoyed it considerably. I still have the VHS, it's one of the only ones I kept from upgrading to DVD, and it may be the only representative of his film that I'll ever own.