Tale of a Vampire

I'm a huge a vampire horror/romance fan and I thought this movie delivered that romance, mystery, and horror found in most vampire stories. Alex (played by the physically stunning Julian Sands) is a lonely vampire still mourning the loss of his lover, Virginia. He spends most of his time brooding the streets and hanging around the local library until one day he meets Ann (Suzanna Hamilton, a wonderful actress who seemed to have disappeared after a good body of work) who bears a striking resemblence to Virginia. Like Alex, Ann is alone and in mourning of her lover who died in an accident. Through bizarre circumstances brought on by a mysterious man, Ann and Alex become drawn and attracted to one another.

I loved the relationship between Alex and Ann. Filled with tension, repulsion, regret, sadness, longing, and desperation. The film is flawed because it moves at a slow pace, but the story itself is good. The performances by Sands and Hamilton are good and does not play out the cheesiness of the whole swooning into the vampire's arms routine. Ann is real and lovely to Alex while she is touched by his sadness and drawn by his mystery. It's a vampire movie that tries not to play the same formula and plays as a human drama of two very different beings.

Regarded as oftimes somewhat of goth-fodder and less worthy of consideration, the romantic vampire film, especially in its more modern incarnations has seen some bad times. Tale of a Vampire certainly satisfies the goth-fodder side of things but it's a surprisingly fine film nonetheless. It stars Julian Sands as Alex, a cultured, melancholy creature of the night who falls for Anne, an employee new to his preferred library for research. She shares his melancholy search for companionship, with the bonus of being the spitting image, indeed perhaps some reincarnation of his long lost love Virginia. The film takes a slow approach with luxurious atmosphere, one of its most notable features is the cinematography of Zubin Mistry and its transformation of London exteriors into a gorgeous nightworld, a phantasmagorical realm of blue hues, streets that fair gleam in the rain and puddles that seem like deep pools. A place of dark beauty, where past and present can twine, fantasy, romance and the real, in visual contrast with sad and sylvan romantic flashbacks of a brighter palette. A dreamlike ambiance pervades the film, as well as the aforementioned shifts in time and reality there are moments where characters shift gears imperceptibly, connecting tissue of relationship dialogue elided as the plot moves on emotional inevitability rather than laid out structure. Writer/director Shimako Sato clearly isn't aiming to snag fans of tight plotting or fast pace here, but captures perfectly her mournful themes. Julian Sands does well in his role, not terribly expressive but imbued with tired, sad intelligence and bracing flashes of violence. Suzanna Hamilton is even better as Anne, lonely, fair aching for love but still dignified, moving stuff, whilst a spot of antagonism is provided by a suitably sinister Kenneth Cranham. There's even some nice bloodshed in this one, not a whole lot but certainly a couple of unexpectedly brutal moments, its certainly not afraid to get its hands dirty every so often. There are minor flaws in the pacing and construction here I think, Cranham's character appears too late, potentially interesting side roles come to naught and there are bits and bobs of plotting and thematics that are introduced and then fall by the wayside but in general I was more concerned by these problems after watching the film, whilst sat there in front of it I was largely captivated. Tricky to throw out a full on recommendation with this one, as many will no doubt find it sappy or boring, but if macabre romance and beautiful visuals tickle your fancy, this is well worth a look.

The opening scenes move as fluidly as frozen velveeta. The attempt at dramatic dialogue only makes me wish I had better control of the fast forward control. Vampires are usually portrayed as sexy and intelligent or mangy disgusting creatures. This vampire tries to seduce his prey by imitating a lost puppy. I usually tally a body count, so there was a cat (which doesn't count) a bum, a girl who fell out of the sky with a sword in her (whatever that was about) and then the plot. Foley artists are respected for using celery to create the sound of a broken arm, but using the sound of biting into an apple for a vampire biting a victim is just plain silly. I liked Warlock, but this movie just stunk so bad that we turned it off, and it was so forgettable we rented it a year later only to turn it off again.

The first thing I'd like to say about this movie is that the synopsis is incorrect. While the vampire "Alex" (Julian Sands) does in fact drink the blood of animals, it also clearly shows him drinking the blood of humans and he admits doing so as well. So it isn't like he's a "pacifist" or the vampire equivalent of a vegetarian or anything. I say this in order to make the mood of the movie more understandable. It's a dark film and I think Julian Sands does a good job showcasing the brooding and sad state of emotion that has come over him. Likewise, Suzanne Hamilton (as both "Anne" and "Virginia") also shows a certain sense of loneliness that is necessary for the character as well as a sober film of this type. To be sure, this is not an action-packed film with all of the usual clichés thrown in for good measure. The vampires in this film can function during the day without bursting into flames and there are no scenes of wooden stakes through the heart. So some viewers may not enjoy the film because of the lack of action or preset notions they have come to expect. On the other hand, I don't believe that this is a film without flaws either. In some parts it is both slow and dull and I think it was due more to the director (Shimako Sato) trying to create something "artistic" rather than something just simply enjoyable. But that's just my opinion. I also would have preferred that Julian Sands had shown a bit more passion instead of keeping things so lifeless and understated. In short, this isn't a bad movie. But I don't think it set any new standards of excellence either.

Best vampire movie I have seen in a long time.

I have many vampire films and quite enjoy the genre. Unfortunately most vampire (or horror, for that matter) films go for action and gore instead of more subtle approaches. Which is where this film really shines. Slow and Plot-Driven would be the keywords for this film, as there is not much violence and the gore that is included is merely there so we can see the main character for the monster he is, as well is his human side, for the added contrast.

The performances by the actors are on the whole good, the settings are truly excellent and ambient light and sounds are used with great attention and a certain amount of style, and create exactly the right atmosphere at each moment. One such instant would be every time the vampire (Sands) is in a dark scene with another character, nice use of lighting to show his heightened senses. The script is also solid, with good dialogue and character development.

I can understand those who dislike the film, though. It IS slow, and for those who just meant to grab a quick and violent vampire flick, this is not the right movie. On the other hand, if you enjoy the vampire mythos and would like to see a film driven by characters and a good script (as opposed to ultraviolence to a frantic techno beat) then this film is for you.

The lack of huge fangs was also a nice change, this vampire is mostly human, and the eroticism of the vampire legend is not lost in this film, and believably carried by the actors.

Highly recommended (for the right audience)