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FILM CHOICES
made by Jordan and others, perhaps. This movie obviously did not go into the heads of the vampires. It really didn't go into the swoon as they experience it in my novel or script. It didn't really show the distortion of the senses of the vampires. It made, however, a very interesting substitution.
In victimization scenes, the camera focused tightly on the eye of the attacking vampire; it gave us a portrait of the attack which had tremendous visual power. Jordan seemed utterly unintimidated by the plethora of bad vampire movies and vampire scenes that came before him. Perhaps this close up on the eye of the vampire, this attention to the choreography of the victimization scene, was trying to make us feel the swoon. I don't know. The film very successfully used a levitating scene as a substitute for the swoon in the first instance. Whatever the reason, over and over again, the film presented the moment of attack and submission as potent and worthy of serious treatment. I found these choices extremely satisfying.
There's no doubt in my mind that vampires are a metaphor for the predator in all of us, and that Louis and Lestat and Claudia speak directly to the ruthless part of us...especially to those of us who live in affluent twentieth century America, surrounded by luxury and miracles, and yet painfully aware of what goes on in other parts of the world. The film never shied away from this. Again, I am confused by some of Jordan's statements about it. But I found these ideas to be eloquently embodied in the film.
I have only just begun to think about some of the questions the film posed: how far will we go not to be alone; how much will we sacrifice morally in order to attain our definition of magnificence, greatness or independence; the nature of dependency and love. The film isn't talking about mere survival; it's talking about the possibility of grand achievement as well as endurance-- it's talking about reaching for the sublime.
These camera shots of killing over and over were rooted in these elements. I liked them.
THE FILM'S POINT OF VIEW
As far as I can tell, this film is shot from our point of view, the point of view of the reader of the book or the viewer of the movie. This is not a criticism. It is a comment on something I find very intriguing. What I mean is this: We are being told the tale by Louis, but the camera doesn't show us what Louis sees or how he sees it. The camera stays at the footlights of the stage, as though this were all a play -- an acting out of the book.
Over and over the camera lets characters enter from left and from right as they would on a real stage; it brings them together for medium shots in which they speak their crucial lines. It draws back on panoramic scenes, well beyond the tactile sensations being experienced and described by Louis. There are scenes in which Louis isn't present: Claudia's attack on Lestat, for instance.
There is as far as I can tell only one point of view shot in the whole film. This occurs when Claudia and Madeline are being carried down a passageway. You get one shot of the faces of those carrying them. I'm not sure whether it's from Claudia's point of view, or Madeline's. If there are other such shots I missed them.
Again, this isn't a criticism. I find this an interesting approach on the part of the film makers. Perhaps it is most effective as showing the scope of the story, which is essentially small and gigantic simultaneously. It's several people talking about salvation and damnation amid spectacle that rivals the most high tech modern extravagance.
Whatever, I'm delightedly puzzled over it. It worked well, but why was it that way? What would have happened if we had seen things more consistently from Louis' point of view? For example, when Louis first comes upon Claudia, what would the scene have been like if we had drawn in close on her as he sees her, rather than in close on both of them? What if we had heard her heart the way Louis hears it? What if we had gone into his head for the swoon? What if the sudden entrance of Lestat had been hazy?
I'm not suggesting any of this. The film is immensely effective the way it is. I am simply pointing out that this was a choice that the film made, and one that worked, though I never expected it and can't fully explain it.
I suspect
that the full impact of this "stage footlights point of view" was to make
the contents of the film appear highly significant, which of course I believe
it is. I liked it. There is something classical about making a film this
way. The story is supposed to be subjective, but the drama is presented
as though it has important meaning for us all.
This
section last modified 11-11-99
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