55 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
55 lines
5.2 KiB
Plaintext
vampire films , as well as other horror films , are usually dumb and predictable b-movies , meant to scare us by cliches and simple shocks .
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it is therefore interesting to watch neil jordans recent film that is not only visually stunning , but has also a plot worth making movies about .
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based on anne rice's novel , " interview with a vampire " is a long , dark trip to hell .
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the film opens with gothic quire and dark streets of present-day san francisco .
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the camera slowly find particular window .
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a shape of a young man is visible in the darkness .
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" so you want me to tell you the story of my life ? " .
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the mysterious man is louis ( brad pitt ) , a two-century old vampire , telling his story to a fascinated interviewer ( christian slater ) .
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his tale opens in 1791 louisiana , just south of new orleans , where louis falls victim to the vampire lestat ( tom cruise ) .
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given a choice between death and eternal life as one of the undead , louis chooses the latter , a decision he will forever regret .
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everlasting life and eternal youth , promised to him by lestat , turn instead into never ending suffering , damned to eternal hunger for blood and longing for peace .
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louis cannot kill with the impunity of lestat , but , to sate his hunger , he must feed , and the blood of animals is not enough .
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eventually , he pierces the neck of a grief-stricken young girl named claudia ( kirsten dunst ) , whom lestat then curses with his unholy form of resurrection so that she can be a surrogate daughter to both himself and louis .
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for a while , they are one " big , happy family . "
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but all things end , and claudia's growing resentment of lestat fuels a bloody confrontation .
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when luis and claudia break loose from lestat , they travel to paris , where the euro-vamps santiago ( stephen rea ) and armand ( antonio banderas ) , who introduced them to a bigger world of the damned .
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director neil jordan ( " the crying game " ) together with the talented director of cinematography philippe rousselot and composer elliot goldenthal has created an incredible atmosphere .
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as the film begins , there is an incredible palette of colors , beautiful sunrises , lush golden fields , green forests , inky-blue clouds and blending sun .
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when luis is " born to darkness " , everything suddenly changes to dark velvet , lit only by the silver moonlight .
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the beautiful production design by dante ferretti , wonderful costumes and art direction by malcolm middleton re-create the multiple historical periods in the film .
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from the renaissance new orleans and the beautiful rococo paris of the 18th century , to our present days .
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the casting is likewise good , involving some of the most famous and beautiful stars of hollywood , ireland and spain .
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the controversial casting of tom cruise as lestat is incredibly effective .
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cruise is energetic , sinister , charismatic , wild and bloodthirsty .
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cruise's lestat likes to seduce young women before exacting his dark red sustenance .
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with alarming swiftness , the victims switch from sexual excitement to outright horror , as his murderous purpose becomes clear .
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" . . . kill them mercifully , but do it .
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you are what you are . . for
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do not doubt , you are a killer ! "
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that is how lestat is teaching luis .
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but behind that furious facade is anger and loneliness that he carries through the centuries and tries to smother with nightly rampages .
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brad pitt is equally convincing as the " vampire with a human soul " .
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antonio banderas and stephen rea are effective , but since they play more or less secondary characters , their performances are almost invisible .
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the greatest performance in the film comes suprisingly from the young kristen dunst , who manages to create an incredibly emotional and believable character .
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the world is changing around the little child , but she does not .
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she remains unchangeable - a child for all eternity .
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only her wise , dark eyes reveal her age .
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ironically the film's only miss is the script .
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anne rice's novel is a very interesting read , and her script is rich , colorful and emotional , but it is also tiering and too melancholic , at times resembling a soap opera :
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claudia : " . . . . is that what i should do ?
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let you go . . my
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father , my luis , who made me . . . who will look after me , my dark angel , when you are gone ? "
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luis : " everything will be alright . . "
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claudia : " do you really believe that ? "
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and then they hug emotionally .
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moments like those displayed above and luis' self-pity is a bit tiresome .
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however rice's script is otherwise strong and well structured , bringing up humor and comic episodes , that were more or less hidden in the book .
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when lestat finds claudia's dead dressmaker , whom she has killed , he cries out : " who will make you that dress now ?
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be a little practical . . . . never
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in the house ! "
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moments like that are both entertaining and appealing .
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neil jordan's direction is beautiful and sensual as he plays with interesting issues like eternity , homosexuality , love and loneliness .
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his gothic saga is not meant to scare , but to display these issues differently .
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wrapped up in mystery , his new , original picture brings vampire-films to a new height .
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