Film has always had an interest in vampires since Dracula hit screens back in 1931. And that interest in soulless bloodsuckers draining the very life out of their victims turning them into husks of their former selves might explain the media’s interest in Meghan Markle. But author Anne Rice’s books were a huge success and Hollywood leapt on the chance to adapt ‘Interview with the Vampire : The Vampire Chronicles’ as the film was actually titled for the big screen.
The story of Interview with the Vampire….
The film was set in late 20th-century San Francisco where a 200-year-old vampire tells his story of desire, love, yearning, grief, terror and ecstasy to a young reporter, weaving the history that has come to be known as Interview with the Vampire.
A huge number of A-list stars swirled around the project before finally settling on the big star combo of Brad Pitt whose star was on the rise since his eye catching turn in ‘Thelma and Louise’ and Tom Cruise who was (and remains) a major A-list star. They were joined by European star on the rise Antonio Banderas, as well as Christina Slater and child star in Kirsten Dunst in an eye catching role that really established her.
Helming all this was director Neil Jordan flush with Oscar success for ‘The Crying Game’ and all the acclaim that came with that film and had rounded up award winning Heads of Department that included cinematographer Phillippe Rousselot (Dangerous Liaisons, Hope & Glory), production designer Dante Feretti (Scorsese’s ‘The Age of Innocence’) and costume designer Sandy Powell who had worked with Jordan on The Crying Game. The film looked resplendent and is enhanced further with this new 4K UHD version.
This new disc bonus feature includes:
- Eternal Night and Deadly Light (NEW)
Director Neil Jordan and film editor Mick Audsley reveal the approach to the cinematography of Interview with the Vampire with a focus on the gothic romanticism achieved by director of photography Philippe Rousselot - Interview with the Vampire: Creating the World (NEW)
Step inside the darkly beautiful world of Interview with the Vampire with director Neil Jordan and production designer Dante Ferretti as they unveil the art of the detailed sets, the augmented locations and the exquisite costumes of the film - Deleted Scenes
- Commentary with director Neil Jordan
- Introduction by Anne Rice, Neil Jordan, and Antonio Banderas
- In the Shadow of the Vampire : Lestat, Louis and the Vampire Phenomenon
Director Neil Joran is heavily involved in all the bonus features and it benefits greatly from such a hands on approach and as well as his commentary it’s the two new features ‘Eternal Night and Deadly Light’ and ‘Creating the World’ make this especially good and a must for fans of both the film and his approach to film making. There were aspects of the film that though not directly in these bonus features we had the opportunity to talk to him about and these included his own involvement in rewriting Rice’s own screenplay despite her getting the sole on screen credit, the casting of Tom Cruise, the rumoured ordeal that Pitt found shooting the film as well as the sequel Jordan wrote but has never been made. – (See the interview below)
Released in the US in November 1994 this film was a commercial hit earning £223m off its $60m budget and earned two Oscar nominations also for it’s Music and Ferreti’s design (which did win a BAFTA as did Rousellot’s cinematography. It’s a lavish and often spectacular vampire film and its only Cruise’s reticence at the time to making sequels that saw him not return to the role of LeStat. But the release of Interview with the Vampire on 4K UHD is a reminder of how good an adaptation of the novel it was and this upgrade is both elegant and lavish.
related feature : ’30 Days of Night’ director David Slade reveals the secrets behind the scenes
related feature : Scream Queen Barbara Crampton talks to us about being a vampire in, ‘Jakob’s Wife’
We chat with Neil Jordan about the making of the film…..
Here’s the trailer……
