Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

A vampire tells his epic life story: love, betrayal, loneliness, and hunger.

Director:

Neil Jordan

Writers:

Anne Rice (screenplay), Anne Rice (novel)

Stars:

Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Antonio Banderas

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 24 wins & 34 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Pitt	...	Louis
Christian Slater	...	Malloy
Virginia McCollam	...	Whore on Waterfront
John McConnell	...	Gambler
Tom Cruise	...	Lestat
Mike Seelig	...	Pimp
Bellina Logan	...	Tavern Girl
Thandie Newton	...	Yvette
Lyla Hay Owen	...	Widow St Clair
Lee E. Scharfstein	...	Widow's Lover (as Lee Emery)
Indra Ové	...	New Orleans Whore (as Indra Ove)
Helen McCrory	...	2nd Whore
Monte Montague	...	Plague Victim Bearer
Kirsten Dunst	...	Claudia
Nathalie Bloch-Lainé	...	Maid (as Nathalie Bloch)

Storyline

Against the backdrop of a gloomy San Francisco, the nearly two-century-old vampire, Louis de Pointe du Lac, recounts the unbelievable story of his eternal transformation and a life worse than death to the sceptic reporter, Daniel Molloy. Spanning two hundred years of cruel betrayals, extreme solitude, and unquenched thirst, Louis' grimly fascinating tale pivots around his perpetually regrettable decision to embrace the dictatorship of blood, and, above all, his maker: the seductive blonde aristocrat of death, Lestat de Lioncourt. Is Louis' mystical epic of bloodshed genuine? Is this, indeed, an interview with a vampire?

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | gothic | betrayal | dark hero | immortality | 

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Taglines:

Drink From Me And Live Forever

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Genres:

Drama | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for vampire violence and gore, and for sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stephen Dorff was considered for the role of Daniel Malloy before Christian Slater was cast. Both would go on to co-star in Uwe Boll's video game adaptation, Alone in the Dark (2005).

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Goofs

Three scenes show a sailing ship with hoisted sails while at anchor (on the river during the opening shot at Ponte du Lac) or at the dock (when Lestat first attacks Louis, and later when Louis and Claudia flee the city). No responsible sailing captain would have allowed that to happen.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Louis: So you want me to tell you the story of my life?

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Alternate Versions

Reportedly, in original screenings of the film there was extra footage in the scene where Louis finds the burnt bodies of Madeleine and Claudia. In this version, after the bodies crumple to ashes, Louis takes Madeleine's locket that has the picture of the little girl who resembles Claudia.

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Connections

Referenced in Yes Man (2008)

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Soundtracks

Sympathy for the Devil
Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
Published by ABKCO Music, Inc.
Performed by Guns N' Roses
Courtesy of Geffen Records

User Reviews

Ornate, lushly filmed horror, with erotic overtones

Now that some time has passed, Neil Jordon's beautiful work can be watched without obsessing so much over the stars who were involved. 'Interview' is an extravagant assault on the senses, filled with beauty, erotic and graphic violence, and wonderful, at times poetic dialog. To be sure, this is a Hollywood production, but with director Neil Jordon in charge, the film possesses that special "arthouse" film look, with many scenes being too strange and dark to come across as typical Hollywood. Pitt is fine as Louis, the centuries-old vampire who recounts his sad and fascinating history to a nameless "interviewer", played a bit too light by Christian Slater. If you dislike Tom Cruise and his films, as i do, you should not let his participation in the film dissuade you from seeing this; As the sinister Lestat, Cruise is barely recognizable, and gives here, what might be his finest performance. Obviously due to the subject matter, 'Interview' is a relentlessly dark film. There are a few short scenes of daylight in the beginning, until Louis is transformed. Then begins his life of eternal darkness. When I saw this in the theater, the effect of sitting in a darkened room watching a film that takes place entirely at night, really felt strange. Coming out of the theater I felt as though I had been away from the real world for a long time. Jordon's aesthetic vision, supported for once by the huge Hollywood budget, insured that "Interview" looks gorgeous. The plantation that is Louis' first home, and then the Paris apartment are filled with exquisite antiques, ornate furnishings, gold framed mirrors, lace and velvet four-poster beds, etc, transporting the viewer into the 18th and 19th centuries, and lends an extra level of decadence to the lifestyle of these vampires. The costumes as well are breath-taking, and accurate to the time. The finest thing about this production though, is the beautiful, doll-like Claudia, the child-vampire, played by Kirsten Dunst. It is always terrifying and strange when a child is cast in such an evil role. Claudia's thirst for blood exceeds that of Lestat himself, and her total lack of remorse for the people she kills is the most haunting and disturbing thing about this. The approach to her character was very un-Hollywood, thankfully. Anne Rice's book evokes feelings of loneliness and a profound sadness, and those feelings translate well into Jordans film. "Interview With the Vampire" is a very special, and at times superb cinematic delight, that was not ruined by it's over-exposed stars and commercialism. And those that love Gothic horror and period films should see this, and ignore it's Hollywood origins.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

11 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Interview with the Vampire

Filming Locations:

Show Dogs Fine Sausages - 1020 Market Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$36,389,705, 13 November 1994

Gross USA:

$105,264,608

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$223,664,608

Company Credits

Production Co:

Geffen Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1