Interview with the Vampire

Special Edition

Director: Neil Jordan

Warner R4 DVD

Reviewer: Michelle Taylor

Interview with the Vampire is probably the most intelligent vampire movie ever made, if not it is certainly my favourite. Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles have the most well rounded and complex vampire characters ever put to pen. Characters like Lestat, Louis or Armand are charismatic, flawed and mysterious and always engage the reader or in the case of this film, the viewer. This is a compelling and romantic movie that draws one inevitably into its rich and colourful tapestry of two co-dependent vampire's journey through time. Anne Rice's vampires are unique; to become a vampire you have to be given "the dark gift" not just bitten. They are not afraid of crucifixes or holy water, garlic does not affect them and a stake through the heart will certainly not kill them, they are afraid only of the sun. In many ways this is “mature” vampire lore which has dispensed with most simplistic vampire traditions, and that her creatures are not as two dimensionally evil as Bram Stoker's Count Dracula or those depicted in Hammer horror.

We first meet Louis (Brad Pitt) the narrator of this film in a sparsely decorated room in San Francisco, he is being interviewed by budding journalist Daniel Malloy (Christian Slater) who thinks he is onto the story of his life. Louis was born in the late 18th century as a southern plantation owner, he has lost his wife and child and his will to live. Then one fateful night while drunk in New Orleans he meets Lestat... and his life changes forever. Lestat (Tom Cruise) offers him two choices: drink from me so you can live forever or you can die, Louis having nothing to loose chooses to become an immortal. Unlike most vampires Louis stubbornly holds on to the last vestiges of his humanity, refusing to hunt people he feeds off animals. After burning down his plantation manor he and Lestat move into a townhouse in New Orleans, where they set about creating a new life for themselves. Louis and Lestat have a love-hate relationship, they spend most of their time together arguing and bickering. Louis thinks Lestat is arrogant and spoilt (indeed he is called the brat prince!) and Lestat thinks Louis is moralistic and sentimental, to heal the rift between them Lestat “adopts” a little girl who's mother has died of the plague. To make a vampire so young is an offence in vampire culture, if Claudia (Kirsten Dunst) is found by other vampires she will certainly be killed but Lestat gives her "the dark gift" anyway.

At first this ploy works, Louis is happy with their "daughter" but as Claudia matures and her body doesn't grow she begins to ask questions, and to ultimately resent and despise Lestat. She convinces Louis to help her murder him and dump his inert body in the Louisiana swamps and then flee to 19th century Europe, however Lestat is not dead and he want's to make them pay. When they arrive in "the old world" they begin their search for other vampires, their journey takes them throughout Eastern Europe, but they have no luck. Finally after much fruitless searching they end up in Paris. One evening while Louis is wandering through the dark streets of Paris he finally meets another vampire, Armand (Antonio Banderas) - leader of a gothic vampire coven. Armand and his followers run The Theatre Des Vampires where they mount plays that mock and parody mortals even though it is the mortal bourgeoisie that make up its unsuspecting audience. This encounter has tragic consequences for the pair, Armand falls in love with Louis and has Claudia killed so he can have Louis to himself, but his plan backfires. Stricken with grief Louis takes bloody revenge on the vampire coven, destroying their corrupt and decadent way of life forever. It’s now the late 20th century and Louis has returned to America, he is back in his old home town of New Orleans. He senses something in a dilapidated old building, he enters and finds Lestat... alive but frail and scared, they talk all to briefly and then part ways again.

This beautiful but sad film is one of those rare movies that is almost as good as the novel it was based on, I only wish it had been a bit longer. The movie remains for the most part faithful to the book, after all Anne Rice wrote the screenplay. Sure Louis in the books has dark hair, Lestat (who was originally meant to be played by Julian Sands) is six foot tall and Armand is an eternal teenager but these are only minor quibbles and don't mar the film. This romantic film is for me the ultimate chick-flick with its hunky three male lead actors, they are all so handsome. If you enjoyed Interview with the Vampire I strongly urge you to go out and start to explore Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles & New Tales of the Vampires or even her Lives of the Mayfair Witches. Salue.

The Special Edition includes a small selection of extras including a documentary, commentary and trailer. One would hope with a film of such significance that a two DVD premium package will be released, but no sign as yet.