Interview with the Vampire (film)
From AwardAnnals
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| Director(s) | Neil Jordan |
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| Distributor | Warner Home Video |
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| When it was announced that Tom Cruise would play the vampire Lestat in this adaptation of Anne Rice’s bestselling novel, even Rice chimed in with a highly publicized objection. The author wisely and justifiably recanted her negative opinion when she saw Cruise’s excellent performance, which perceptively addresses the pain and chronic melancholy that plagues anyone cursed with immortal bloodlust. Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst are equally good at maintaining the dark and brooding tone of Rice’s novel. And in this rare mainstream project for a major studio, director… | |
Honors
Reviews
Amazon.com
When it was announced that Tom Cruise would play the vampire Lestat in this adaptation of Anne Rice’s bestselling novel, even Rice chimed in with a highly publicized objection. The author wisely and justifiably recanted her negative opinion when she saw Cruise’s excellent performance, which perceptively addresses the pain and chronic melancholy that plagues anyone cursed with immortal bloodlust. Brad Pitt and Kirsten Dunst are equally good at maintaining the dark and brooding tone of Rice’s novel. And in this rare mainstream project for a major studio, director Neil Jordan compensates for a lumbering plot by honoring the literate, Romantic qualities of Rice’s screenplay. Considered a disappointment while being embraced by Rice’s loyal followers, the movie is too slow to be a satisfying thriller, but it is definitely one of the most lavish, intelligent horror films ever made. —Jeff Shannon
Barnes and Noble
This sumptuously mounted adaptation of Anne Rice’s bestselling novel brings her most intriguing character, the vampire Lestat, to life in the person of matinee idol Tom Cruise. Rice partisans initially balked upon hearing that Cruise had been cast, but his charismatic presence strengthened the picture and disarmed most of his critics. Brad Pitt plays Louis, a sensitive young man who reveals to a reporter (Christian Slater) the story of his troubled, 200-year existence as a vampire, beginning with his induction into that unnatural fraternity by the courtly Lestat. The film, which travels to Europe and back over the course of centuries, is most compelling in its exploration of the alternative family formed by Lestat, Louis, and child vampire, Claudia (Kirsten Dunst in an impressive performance). As directed by Neil Jordan (The Crying Game), Interview is slow going at times, but it features a terrific cast and possesses an eerily hypnotic quality that will appeal to horror-movie lovers in general and Rice fans in particular. Ed Hulse
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