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 21 wins & 31 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 | immortality | night | 

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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

Details

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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Natalie Portman auditioned for the role that went to Kirsten Dunst.

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Goofs

When Louis kisses Widow St. Claire, he gets some lipstick stain on his nose and in the next shot it's gone.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

In Memory of River Phoenix 1970-1993

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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 Saturday Night Live: Christine Baranski/The Cure (1996)

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Soundtracks

Sonata in F Sharp
Written by Antonio Soler
Adapted by George Fenton
Performed by Joanna Leach

User Reviews

Obviously misunderstood

Someone said that this movie was too cerebral for horror fans who live for drivel like "From Dusk 'Till Dawn", and too much of a horror movie for people who look (or at least pretend to look) for meaning in movies -- pseudo-intellectuals. That person couldn't have been more correct. I'm not a horror fan, I'm not an Anne Rice fan...I'm not even fond of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Antonio Banderas. But Interview With a Vampire was a movie that excelled my expectations.

I refused to see this film for 3 years because I believed it would be what I perceived it to be: glitzy Hollywood garbage geared toward adolescent girls with posters of the 3 main actors all over their walls. I finally broke down and rented it, and I was astonished by the incredible performances delivered, the thrilling dialogue and the way it was delivered by the actors, the scenery, the plot, the score...everything. I never thought that Brad Pitt or Tom Cruise could act, but their performances made their unbelievable characters a reality. However, the true star of the film was Kirsten Dunst. At 12 years old, this girl was able to hold her own against her co-stars, and often stole the scene (particularly the incident in which Claudia tries to cut her hair and subsequently Lestat discovers the corpse in her bed.)

You don't want to look for the meaning of life in this movie. It's a story. The plot is basically the history of a vampire's life, and I don't understand why people are compelled to trash a movie because of its simplicity. Look at the title. That's all it is, and if you expect more you're setting yourself up for disappointment. It's not the deepest of movies, that's why it should be enjoyed for the intense dialogue and the great production that went into it. Others trash the movie because of its homoerotic undertones. This aspect is so fleeting that it's ridiculous to dwell on it, and if you dwell on such an insignificant aspect of the movie then you were obviously looking for something to bother you. One additional thing: to even suggest that the violence in this film could be responsible for incidents such as the Columbine High School killings is beyond moronic.

This isn't the greatest movie that has ever been made, it's certainly not a complex analysis of life, or a parable with a moral dictating the enjoyment of life. It's a brilliantly produced gothic tale of a vampire, nothing more and nothing less. In respect to the book, I've never read it and I don't particularly care to read it. But for all of you who have been complaining about the movie not living up to the novel, here's a clue that might prove useful in the future: the book is ALWAYS better than the film. Don't waste your time complaining about something that is understood.