Though many great vampire movies preceded it, Interview with the Vampire was my first foray with the undead.
Long before Edward Cullen sparkled his way into my heart, I was enthralled with another guilt-ridden vegetarian vampire—Louis, perfectly played by long-haired heartthrob Brad Pitt.
A girl who sat behind me in junior high English class wore a black Brad Pitt as Louis t-shirt to school one day.
I’ve never been so jealous in all my life.
Interview is an embarrassment of riches, because in addition to the brooding Louis, we have Tom Cruise as the dangerously seductive Lestat, a singularly unique character in vampire lore who turned the beautiful Louis into his vampire companion.
The plot thickens when Lestat—worried that Louis is about to leave him—turns young girl Claudia (an excellent Kirsten Dunst) into a child vampire, knowing Louis would never abandon a child.
Interview follows the members of this warped little family through decades of lust, love, betrayal, solitude, and heartbreak.
Louis is tormented by guilt, Lestat is a narcissistic dictator, but Claudia suffers the worst fate of all—her mind matures and she becomes a woman forever trapped in the unchanging body of a child.
The movie is based on Anne Rice’s novel of the same name, written in the aftermath of the death of her five-year-old daughter. At its heart is a gloomy tale of never-ending grief and loneliness, which is not usually the kind of thing I go for, but I’ve never been able to turn my eyes away from the tale of Louis, Lestat, and Claudia.
This is part of my Movies I’m Grateful For series, running daily through the month of November.
Other films include: Splash | New Moon | The Lucky One | Thelma and Louise | Katy Perry: Part of Me | Crazy Rich Asians | Under the Tuscan Sun | Terminator 2 | Moulin Rouge! | How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days | Practical Magic | Schindler’s List | Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Stardust | The Man in the Moon | The Others | Little Women | Cruella | Sliding Doors | Far and Away | The Magdalene Sisters | The Heat | The Last Five Years | Shakespeare In Love | Erin Brockovich | The Bear | Braveheart
Do like this movie. The new Anne Rice tv show looks good, once I get through Mighty Ducks.
Yes, I wonder if the TV show can capture the magic of the film. I am more than happy to watch Louis brood for 2 hours, but not sure that I want to watch it for 13 hours…..
But we shall see!
I’ve seen it twice so far, and agree wholeheartedly. Didn’t know they are doing a TV series so had a google and watched the trailer. Don’t think I’ll be seeing it though, Brad and Tom are too fixed in my brain and the new ones don’t seem in the same league. Also seems a bit poinitless seeing we know the whole story.
This is still a very unique film, and espeically to have two big stars in it.
I have low expetations for the TV show too.