Correct me if I'm wrong... but isn't this just a barely-disguised adaption of "The Collector" - book by John Fowles; movie starring Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar?
Link to movie - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059043/
Maybe I've missed it..... but seemingly this movie fails to acknowledge its obvious inspiration, instead masquerading as an original idea.
Very naughty! John Fowles died a couple of years back but I'd be curious to know what his estate makes of this.
One step forward, two steps back, and always one step behind.
This is not plagiarism. John Fowles "The Collector" was about a mentally unstable man who falls in love with a beautiful woman and decides to kidnap her. His motive is simply to own this person, to have her with him. He doesn't kill her, at least not on purpose and this kidnapping was his first.
"The Keeper" is also about a mentally unstable man, but his motive is completely different. He wishes to save the women he kidnaps, change their lives. It's not about owning the person for him. Also, in the end he tries to kill Gina and he makes it clear that she is not the first woman he's killed.
The only real similarities between these to projects is that in both a man kidnaps a woman and holds her prisoner.
If you believe 'THE KEEPER' is a knock-off of 'THE COLLECTOR', then you most also believe 'THE COLLECTOR' is a knock-off of 'THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME'? Thanks for coming to my defense, lmm. gs
shareThis is not plagiarism. John Fowles "The Collector" was about a mentally unstable man who falls in love with a beautiful woman and decides to kidnap her. His motive is simply to own this person, to have her with him. He doesn't kill her, at least not on purpose and this kidnapping was his first.
"The Keeper" is also about a mentally unstable man, but his motive is completely different. He wishes to save the women he kidnaps, change their lives. It's not about owning the person for him. Also, in the end he tries to kill Gina and he makes it clear that she is not the first woman he's killed.
"He is interested in making Gina his wife eventually." Somehow I just can't cross the line into believing this. Look at it this way: The wife that his father "created" for himself, according to your belief, in reality was Dennis' mom. So therefore, Dennis would really be creating his mother, and with the intention of marrying her. That sick he wasn't. Not that this doesn't occur in real life, but it never crossed my mind while writing it. The plot is simple: "What's in the cat is in the kitten." gs
shareI haven't seen "The Collector", so can't comment on whether this is plagiarism or not. For some reason, though, I seem inexplicably drawn to the "Is it plagiarism?" threads, dunno why...
"Plagiarism" is a "planned act". Very few "real writers" are plariarists just as very few trapeze artists are copycats. "Gee, I think I'll do a triple sommersaut, 50 feet above the ground, without a net, because I saw someone else do it and I can make a buck off it." For all those who believe upon seeing 'THE COLLECTOR' a real writer says, "Hey, I liked that I think I'll write the exact same thing, change a few of the words, and give it a different title, it's really not that easy. In fact, most "real writers" upon getting an idea for a script, or play or novel, etc., drive themselves crazy trying to make sure their script is totally different from anything else that's ever been written. Actually torture themselves with the fear that what they're writing has already been done to death. The simple truth, "If you're a writer, really a writer, the only thing new under the sun is your vision of it. gs
shareI'm sure they do. Every time I come up with a cartoon idea I'm convinced Gary Larson already did it. Like you said, drives me crazy.
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"Look! - it's the Invisible Man!"
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I agree there's a great deal of similarity ("Collector"="Keeper"), including the failed esape attempts.
In fact I half expected Gina to die at the end. What happened to the nice cop who rescued her? He spoke after the stabbing.
Any time the star of a low-budget movie is kidnapped in the first 15 minutes you better believe there's going to be a lot of failed attempts, or a very short movie. Besides, I'm sure the writer meant this to be more cat-n-mouse story, dealing with two tortured souls, than say "THE PINK PANTHER". gs
shareFilms are bound to be similar these days. It is getting harder to come up with original ideas, but come on you are going to tell me that “The Keeper” is not a ripe off of “The Collector”. A man kidnaps a woman (using chloroform) for I admit different motives than “The Collector’s” character, and keeps her locked in the cellar. The woman refuses to cooperate with her captor by refusing to eat and cursing him until she decides to give in as an attempt to gain her freedom. A bit of a stretch, but there is even the small detail of him allowing her to shower like the character arranging the bath in “The Collector”. Then once time passes the captor gives his prisoner a dress as a present, and fixes a special dinner upstairs at which time the woman makes her most successful escape attempt. The ending is different, and as a result very weak. The stories have their differences, however do not be coy and pretend that “The Collector” was not a huge inspiration for “The Keeper”.
share10 minutes of research and you'll find there have been a number of "MAN KIDNAPS WOMAN" (EVEN WOMAN KIDNAPS MAN)PLOTS in the long history of movies. It's not the kidnapping so much as the reason behind the kidnapping that both defines the characters and the story itself. My fascination with the story was not the kidnapping, but rather how these two characters react after the kidnapping, and, of course, what got them to that point in their lives. No, 'THE KEEPER' is not 'THE COLLECTOR', nor did 'THE COLLECTOR' even cross my mind while writing it. By the way, what have you written lately? gs
shareI did not mean to be offensive, but I have the right to my own opinion. In my option unless you had no knowledge of “The Collector” book or film when writing “The Keeper” there had to be some influence. Even without your apparent awareness. I have not disputed that the main concept has not been done numerous times before. I have disputed that the details to the main concept were very much alike. I also admitted that the motives for the crimes were different, but that does not dismiss the many other similarities. By the way, I never said I was a writer, but if I was I would try to be a bit more original.
shareSorry, I took no offense, nor did I ever think in my wildest dreams that you were a writer. gs
shareDon't kvetch Fiery Jack! This theme has been done many times before and in many ways.
What I missed is how we jumped back to June 24, 2007! As for ("This movie fails to acknowledge its obvious inspiration...etc., etc...") I can assure you no way did John Fowles inspire me to write 'THE KEEPER'. What you fail to realize is that in the creative mind stories flow like the seas, leaving your imagination awash with characters popping out from under rocks as well as dropping down from the skies. It's from this you write your stories, paint your pictures. If they collide so be it, and why shouldn't they? We are all prisoners within our imaginations. Only few of us, however, have the talent to bring that imagination to life. gs
shareI find it a bit funny that I came here to check out whether my own idea trespasses on The Keeper. Not that anyone's likely to care if it does.
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