8 Classic Movies Hated By Their Directors
4. Michael Mann - The Keep
When you think of Michael Mann you picture intense thrillers like Manhunter, Heat or The Insider. It’s a fair bet you don’t think of horror movies set during World War 2 that feature a big rubbery monster, or Gabriel Byrne as the most Irish Nazi ever, but that’s what he delivered with his second film The Keep.
The film was a bomb back in 1983, but it’s since gone on to become a cult classic because of its dreamlike atmosphere and the awesome Tangerine Dream score. The production was fraught; Mann clashed with the studio over the movie's tone, and the planned ending had to be scrapped because the special effects technician died, and nobody else could figure out how to make the complicated effects work.
The film was finally taken away from Mann and re-edited, leading to noticeable jumps in the narrative. Since that heartbreak, Mann has rarely talked about it, and rumour has it the film has never been released on DVD or Blu-ray because he’s embarrassed by the end result.