Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

grantdesouza Was everyone involved in the making of this movie high on something? This film didn't know if it was a comedy, a drama or an art movie...it was ridiculous. I know it was the psychedelic hippie era of the late 60s so you could forgive it for being a little different, but seriously it was bad. I can't believe Burt Lancaster was even in involved in this rubbish. Undoubtedly one of the best actors of our time and his appearance was the only decent thing in this entire film. I'm sure he must have had regrets after he saw the completed picture. Example...Eight guys take on an entire German armored infantry division and mow hundreds of the Germans down, while of course the GIs never get hit(well not until the very end)...are they serious! Give me a break! And whats with the fire engines with lights and sirens turning up in the middle of a battle???? Enough said.

MartinHafer If you love surrealistic and existential films, you may enjoy "Castle Keep". There is lots of strange dialog and bizarre plot elements--such that it will probably confuse the average viewer--but the artsy may enjoy it. As for me, I am a retired history teacher and it just made me irritated, as the terminally stupid might just think this film is a documentary and people really talked and acted like this! The film is nominally about a group of American soldiers who are making a stand at a Belgian castle--waiting for the inevitable attack from the Germans around the time of the Battle of the Bulge (December, 1944). However, as they are waiting for this throughout most of the film, you see LOTS of little scenarios that seem very random--and have little, if anything, to do with the WWII era. There's the wife of the castle who sleeps with various men because her husband is impotent and he wants a son, there's an art historian(!) who gives lectures to men who have zero interest--but who LOVE to hang out at a brothel filled with 1960s-style prostitutes, a guy who is in love with a VW and predicts it's the car of the future, a guy who wants to do nothing but bake--so he hangs out in town and bakes bread, a group of religious freaks who are pretty much guaranteed to offend and folks talking about the meaning of life. It's all a lot of stupid nonsense if you ask me--especially since folks often dress and act like folks from the hippie 1960s (especially the ladies) and the music is very appropriate for a counter-culture 1960s film--thought this is supposed to be 1945! Some folks might think this is all clever--I think it's just dumb--and rather boring. The film only heats up near the end when the fighting starts, but that isn't enough and the film seems like a waste of some talented actors. Well worth skipping.

chuck-reilly 1969's "Castle Keep" is no standard World War II drama, although it starts out with the usual formula. During what appears to be the Battle of the Bulge (late 1944), a group of weary GIs led by a one-eyed monotone colonel (Burt Lancaster), stagger into a medieval castle that seems to have been preserved and isolated for centuries. There's also a small hamlet nearby and the townsfolk seem similarly stuck in the distant past. The castle itself contains numerous art works and its grounds are covered with classical sculptures and magnificent statues of all kinds. It's literally a work of art in itself. Aided and abetted by Lancaster's second-in-command (a cynical and disillusioned Patrick O'Neal) the GIs are as out of place in this medieval landscape as a collection of city slickers west of the Pecos. That fact doesn't stop the colonel from immediately taking a fancy to the lady of the house (Astrid Heeren) all to the utter chagrin of her much older husband, the Count of Maldorais (played by Jean-Pierre Aumont). The rank-and-file soldiers, including Peter Falk, Bruce Dern, Tony Bill, Al Freeman Jr., Scott Wilson and Michael Conrad, eventually move into the town and take up occupations as if they're back in the good old USA. If all this sounds a bit strange and out-of-place for a "war" movie, it is. Not to be outdone, however, the German army is on the advance and the castle and its accompanying town are directly in its path. Total destruction is on the way, and here lies the moral of this tale. In the ensuing and climactic battle, the castle and everything that it stands for (mainly humanity and the arts) is obliterated with few survivors. The town is crushed along with it and all its inhabitants killed. But because of the way the story is presented (i.e. with enough surrealism to rival Ingmar Bergman on his best day), viewers are never quite sure if the GIs have themselves been nothing but ghosts all along and that the whole exercise is merely symbolic of the destructive nature of war. "Castle Keep," filmed during the height of the Vietnam War, can certainly be classified as an "anti-war" movie, although its immediate subject matter and execution just doesn't fit with any of the other films of the genre. Of course, movies that are presented as World War II dramas are usually loaded with heroes fighting evil enemies (whether Germans or Japanese). Consequently, audiences were not enamored with the film's depiction and it flopped at the box office. Predictably, most critics of the day found "Castle Keep" to be too pretentious and over-the-top. Burt Lancaster's deliberate "one-note" performance probably didn't help it either. That's too bad because in retrospect the film has plenty to say and it was also an early indication of a major talent on the rise: Sydney Pollack. As for the others in the cast, Peter Falk and Al Freeman Jr. are standouts and Patrick O'Neal adds some much-needed gravitas to the proceedings. In the end, "Castle Keep" is another near-great film that could stand a critical reevaluation.

thinker1691 Among the many exciting roles which Burt Lancaster choose, this is certainly among his most convincing. Set during the time of The famous Battle of the Bulge, this war film will stand the test of time and become part of Lancaster's greats. The story concerns a war weary company of U.S. soldiers who have been ordered to hold a particular crossroads near a 10th century pristine Castle. There, the leader of the Americans is a battle hard, well seasoned commander called Major Falconer. (Burt Lancaster). With a collection of seasoned veterans, his men wait stoically within the impressive Medieval Castle against what is sure to be a massive armored offensive by the German army. Nevertheless, orders are to prevent the Germans from occupying the strategic position. Lancaster is superb performing a part he was born to play. Within the ancient Castle, is the Count of Maldorais (Jean Aumont) and his wife (Astrid Heeren) who hope to survive the war and re-establish their ancestral line. Among Falconer's men is a writer, (Al Freeman), historian Lionel Beckman (Patrick O'Neal) and a Baker (Peter Falk) named Rossi. Though the heart of the movie concerns the holding of the Castle, the story also delves into the personal thoughts and feelings of the Major's men. The soldiers like the actors who portray them is what makes this excellent story a Classic. These include Bruce Dern, Scott Wilson, Tony Bill, and James Patterson. The amount of drama and exciting war time action is enough for any viewer who enjoys films of military conflicts. The inner story between the principals and their objectives make for thoughtful perspectives between desperate people, their dreams and the reality of senseless destruction. All in all, this is one movie which is pure entertainment for anyone wishing to slay a somber afternoon. Highly recommended to all. ****