Tale of a Vampire (1993)

Powerful

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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.

All mood, little substance seeps from this subdued, slowly paced melancholy modern-day vampire tale of sensual passion and obsessive love. Director / co-writer Shimako Sato does show promise with this Gothic low budget horror effort. This is on the technical side though, as the material is quite flawed and limited. Still there was a good (if unique) enough story within the framework wanting to emerge, and the ending throws up an unexpected chain of events. There's mystery, and it's driven by its characters and the tragic air is drilled in tight. But on the other hand the script is a little stuffy and empty, and there's a lack of thrills even though it does quench itself in some bloody, viscous scenes. It's quite messy on the blood drinking too. Even with these jolts, it focuses more on the moving story at hand. Some of the traditional vampire customs see little daylight too. The exemplary Julian Sands' beautifully placid, forlorn, heart-aching presence doesn't look out-of-place, and leading lady Suzanna Hamilton complements Sands with a edgy, but determined performance. However it's Kenneth Cranham's dark, enigmatic support turn that surprisingly engages. Sato purposely stages a bleak atmospheric stench with steady timing, and her articulate visual sense is dangerously succulent and enticingly poetic. It's ambitious, and haunting to watch. Elegantly masterful photography gives it a real personal guidance, brooding lighting shapes up nicely and the sweeping orchestral score is ineffectually jarring and emotionally layered.

Tale of a Vampire starts with immortal Vampire Alex (Julian Sands) reminiscing about the way things used to be, about his one true love Virginia (Suzanna Hamilton) who he lost many years ago. Alex then picks a cat up & drinks it's blood... Alex is currently writing a thesis on religious marters, those burned at the stake for their beliefs & that sort of thing. Alex regularly frequents a library full of the reference & old manuscripts he needs but the library only has one employee at the moment Denise (Marion Diamond) so she plans to advertise for an assistant when Anne (Suzanna Hamilton again) walks in & offers her services despite the job not being formally advertised yet, seeing it as a stroke of luck Denise gives Anne the job. Alex instantly recognises the resemblance Anne has to Virginia & starts to get close to her, taking her to dinner, walking her home & having strange cryptic conversations with her. Anne knows something isn't right about Alex & her fears are seemingly confirmed when a man named Edgar (Kenneth Cranham) suddenly shows up & explains to Anne that Alex is a Vampire & that he must be destroyed...This English production was written & directed by Shimako Sato & I saw some nice ideas & elements in here that were ultimately lost amongst the sedate pacing. The script really is about as threadbare as one could imagine, the whole first forty minutes of Tale of a Vampire is nothing more than Anne getting the job at the library & meeting Alex, that's it. Alex is a bit of a dull Vampire, all he does everyday is sit in a library reading books which in the end has no real relevance to the story & pine over Virginia. On the positive side Tale of the Vampire is a quite emotive film & I ended up feeling for the character's, I started to feel somewhat sorry for everyone involved & a little sad for Alex at the downbeat climax. The story of Virginia unfolds through flashbacks that Alex has so that subplot punctuates the slowness of the main story at times. Tale of a Vampire is a different sort of Vampire film, it's very story & character driven, there's no big action or horror scenes even though it is gory on occasion & it's not very traditional in the sense that Alex never grows fangs, he's not afraid of the daylight & he doesn't sleep in a coffin. There are only two or three main character's in Tale of a Vampire & the dialogue is kept to an absolute minimum which may be a problem for some as it definitely doesn't help the pace of the film.Japanese director Sato has created a visually stylish film, because of the minimal dialogue & story Tale of a Vampire relies heavily on it's imagery. The cinematography & lighting are both great & Tale of a Vampire is a nice looking film with some cool shots, lighting & angles. Having said that where did that kid who falls from the sky with a sword stuck in him come from? Anyone whose seen it will know the scene I'm talking about, I couldn't work out what was supposed to have happened in that scene. Set in London the dark back alleys make for a grimy setting & give the film a nice familiar & modern but sinister & creepy atmosphere throughout although there aren't many libraries like that in London, if any. There is some nice gore, most of it involves fountains of blood pouring from wounds, someone has their throat slit, people are stabbed with swords & old piping, cats are mutilated & someone has their head bashed against a wall which results in gallons of blood spurting everywhere.Technically Tale of a Vampire is top notch considering the budget it must have had, the photography, production design, special effects & music are all impressive & it's generally well made throughout. The acting was OK, I liked Sands as Alex, the way he looks & his subdued lonely performance worked well. Hamilton as Anne didn't do much for me but she was alright.Tale of a Vampire isn't a film for everyone, it's a challenging piece of film-making. Sure it's just about as slow as a film can be but the way it's filmed & put together I found it watchable & I actually cared for those on screen for a change.

The premise of the history (an ancient vampire with a lost lover finding a look-alike he can't get close to for fear to kill her) can't be more overdo. But when the movie advances, much of the vampire-clichés are thankfully absent, and the acting is good. Julian Sands can get afloat almost anything, get that in mind. Having said that, and as you should know if you have seen the other reviews,the thing is SLOW. SLOW as you won't believe. If you can deal with that and the inherent sadness of the whole thing ( that you know from about twenty minutes of watching that can't end well), may be a good midnight event.