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Interview with the Vampire - DTS Customer Reviews (73 - 75 of 79 Reviews)

Sumptuous, magnificent and mournful
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE THE VAMPIRE CHRONICLES (1994) is that rarity in modern Hollywood terms: A star-driven blockbuster which uses the theme of eternal life to explore the meaning of existence and the nature of death and grieving. Based on Anne Rice's bestselling 1976 novel (itself written as a response to the death of a beloved child), the movie features two of contemporary Hollywood's most recognizable stars - Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt (both astonishingly beautiful here) - as vampire and willing victim, remaining eternally young as the world changes around them. Cruise plays a seasoned bloodsucker who revels in his own outrageous decadence, and his wilful excesses are roughly contrasted with Pitt's horror at the necessity of consuming human blood, until Cruise is forced to create another 'companion' for Pitt in the shape of a little girl (Kirsten Dunst) who subsequently refuses to grow old gracefully, leading to betrayal and tragedy. Scored with melancholy grace by composer Elliot Goldenthal (TITUS, FINAL FANTASY THE SPIRITS WITHIN), and beautifully designed (by Dante Ferretti, GANGS OF NEW YORK) and photographed (Philippe Rousselot, A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT), the film's epic sweep carries its central characters through the social upheavals of 17th and 18th century America and the horrors of 19th century Europe, where a nest of ancient vampires (led by scene-stealer Antonio Banderas and a miscast Stephen Rea) wreak terrible revenge on those who transgress against vampire lore. But, for all its spectacle, director Neil Jordan (THE COMPANY OF WOLVES) - working from a script credited to Anne Rice herself - allows the story to unfold at a leisurely pace, providing us with a deliberate insight into the monsters at the heart of the story and the catastrophic events which shape their destinies. The film concludes ironically, with a 20th century invention (motion pictures) which allows Pitt to see his 'beloved sunrise' once more (illustrated with clips from the likes of SUNRISE A SONG OF TWO HUMANS, GONE WITH THE WIND and SUPERMAN!), and there's an incredibly moving sequence involving a once-proud vampire laid low by his own vanity. The mood is somewhat spoiled, however, by a silly trick ending which upsets the delicate balance established during the first half of the film. And, as with the novel, the homoerotic undercurrent is mere window-dressing, an unconsummated tease which the filmmakers (and Rice herself) refuse to explore in any detail, lest it frighten the mainstream crowd. Sadly, the film is dedicated to the memory of the late and much-lamented River Phoenix who died during pre-production, and his role (as the interviewer who provides one half of the film's title) was taken by Christian Slater.

Warner Bros.' Region 1 special edition DVD - which runs 122m 20s - is letterboxed at 1.85:1 (anamorphically enhanced) and features a range of extras, from trailers, commentary, documentaries and an introduction to the film by Jordan, Banderas and Rice. Sound format is Dolby 5.1 (with a DTS option), and English captions and subtitles are provided.

Mm...
This wasn't that interesting to me as the other Vampire Chronicles, but still good. It was told from Louis' point of view, so lestat seemed rather..."bad." I didn't liek Claudia all too much either.

A stunning rendition of Rice's novel
I was a little wary about watching this movie. The book had been amazing, and I didn't want it ruined by a horrible movie. But this movie was perfect; it stayed true to the book, but not so much that it was boring to someone who had read the book. Tom Cruise did an excellent job of playing Lestat. He brought the character to life, from Lestat's mysterious anger at the world right down to his hysterical laughing fits. Brad Pitt also did a great job of portraying the sad and hopeless Louis. The best actor, I think, was the young Kirsten Dunst, who played the child vampire Claudia, a grown woman trapped in the body of a child.
A basic summary of the movie for those of you who haven't read the book:
The movie begins when Louis, a 200 year old vampire, is egged into telling the story before Louis was made a vampire. He recently lost his wife in childbirth, and has no hope left in life. He longs for death, and his wish is granted in a almost sadistically twisted way when a mysterious vampire, Lestat, gives him death by making him one of the undead. The rest of the movie tells Louis's story; the making of the child vampire Claudia, and their quest to Paris to find another of their kind.
A warning: This movie is very graphic, and contains an explicit nudity scene. If you don't like blood, I wouldn't reccomend watching this!

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