Castle Keep (1969)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Peter Falk, Patrick O’Neal
Extras:
Rating:

Towards the end of the World War II a squadron of American soldiers takes residence in a medieval castle in the Ardennes. The owner of the castle is hopeful the soldiers will defend the castle and its priceless art collection from destruction and the advancing German troops. As the pressure increases however, Major Falconer (Burt Lancaster) has other plans for the sanctum and sees it as a formidable fortress to lure the enemy to and wipe the German troops out from the safety of the seemingly impenetrable keep – without any respect for its value of the value of the art collection within.

Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment is presenting ’Castle Keep’ in an anamorphic widescreen presentation on this release. A cropped fullscreen version is also available separately for those who care. The image is clean and clear throughout and boasts rich, vibrant colors. Black levels are deep and solid, giving the image a very natural look. A tad of edge-enhancement is evident in select scenes but other than that the transfer is free of artifacts.

The audio comes as a 4.0 channel Dolby Digital track. Surrounds are used but not aggressively so, creating a bustling sound field nonetheless. Bass extension is a bit limited, creating a presentation that sounds a bit harsh at times. Dialogues are always understandable and the music is also reproduced accurately without distortion.

’Castle Keep’ is movie that has been put together really well. It features some atmospheric photography to set the right mood for the dreamy, reclusive place which must have seemed like paradise in the omnipresent battlefront of World War II. The pacing is also very well, making sure viewers are always intrigued by what’s going on all the way to the film’s explosive finale.

I had fun watching ’Castle Keep’ and I’m sure you will too, so check it out.