ADDITION: Imprint (June 2020): Newcomer 'Imprint' out of Australia (part of ViaVision) have transferred Michael Mann's 1983 The Keep to DVD. This has two layers taking up 5.5 Gig with a high bitrate for the SD format. We are spoiled by 1080P but this didn't look too bad on my system - a shad thin with compression artifacts surfacing. There isn't much depth and colors aren't particularly vibrant. The contrast seems acceptable if not stellar and overall it is quite watchable if failing to be dynamic. It's a shame because the film has quite a bit of impressive visual sequences. 

On their DVD, Imprint use a lossy Dolby track. Like the video is sounds serviceable. There is some intensity in the film's effects and score by Tangerine Dream (Firestarter, Miracle Mile, Risky Business, Thief, Sorcerer etc.) sounding quite unique but a shadow of what lossless could attain. Still I always enjoy Tangerine Dream compositions. They add a certain flavor and atmosphere to The Keep. Imprint offer no subtitles on their Region 0 NTSC disc.

The Imprint DVD offers only a 4:3 theatrical trailer.

Mann's The Keep has always been a curious title - held up in limbo with a 3.5 hour original cut that hasn't seen the light of day on digital. I always thought the issue was with a sexual assault scene in the film but it remains on this DVD version that was the same as the one released on VHS. It such a hard film to describe - a Golem-like entity in this maintained religious fortress can be released to reek havoc on the Nazis... but there is a question of its own evil intent. I watched this when I was young and loved it - plenty of light-induced effects, the cool score, a muscular supernatural giant of a ambiguously-moral monster, performances from Scott Glenn as a blind guardian, Jürgen Prochnow as a questioning Nazi, Ian McKellen as the vengeful scientist and, William Morgan Sheppard as a spooky, mysterious gatekeeper. I would LOVE to see this reach Blu-ray but I was just happy to see it again - even in the lesser quality of SD. I'll be keeping it to revisit and I doubt a BD is on the horizon.    

Gary Tooze