Tale of a Vampire (1993)

Wonderful character development!

People are voting emotionally.

Don't Believe the Hype

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

I will repeat what other reviewers have said about this movie before me: if you expect action,horror,gore and sex in the type of Blade or Underworld, don't watch it, because you will be disappointed. This is an "art" movie, directed by a Japanese director, which means that there is little dialog, the plot is very simple, on the limit of boring to some viewers, and that the movie will try to convey to you the feelings of the main characters through a unique filming technique,the lightning, the camera angles and the general atmosphere of the movie. From this point of view this movie is a small masterpiece, describing to perfection the never ending sadness and pain of an immortal and indestructible creature. I have never understood so well a vampire character, nor felt so deeply for one as in this movie. Interview with a vampire came really close, but it lacked the superb atmosphere of Tale of a vampire. What does one have to live for if one has lost the most precious thing in one's life? And how excruciating is it to know that you are condemned to live on, forever, with this pain. It is what Alex, the vampire, is feeling, and the acting from Julian Sands is superb. Suzanne Hamilton is Anne, a woman who has also lost someone dear, and a very complex character to my eyes. Although she barely speaks, you understand that she is brave, lonely, kind, understanding, warm, balancing between despair and hope. The destinies of Anne and Alex cross each other due to the mysterious character Edgar, a reference to the poet and writer Edgar Allan Poe. The movie reflects a lot the sad and tragic atmosphere of his poems, as Anne's and Alex's fate begin to unfold. Fantastic vampire movie! p.s. *major spoiler alert!!!* for those who do not understand why that little girl falls from the sky with a sword in her, it's Edgar's doing to incriminate Alex and force him to kill the witnesses. Edgar has a sword, remember? Also, it looks to me as if Edgar is responsible for the death of Anna's fiancé too since he's at the scene of the car accident in the very first scene. He planned it all to bring these 2 together and have his revenge on Alex.

This is by far the best Vampire film I have ever seen. Finally a film which is based on character rather than driven by plot and endless gore. Wonderfully shot and with great performances from all involved. Highly recommended! So often films are influenced by the likes of Interview with the Vampire and other post-Rice trash, which contain a romanticised view of the Vampire's nature and life, but this film takes us back to the original meaning of Vampires: anguish and death, but without letting the gore take over. This is by far the best Vampire film I have ever seen. Finally a film which is based on character rather than driven by plot and endless gore. Wonderfully shot and with great performances from all involved. Highly recommended! So often films are influenced by the likes of Interview with the Vampire and other post-Rice trash, which contain a romanticised view of the Vampire's nature and life, but this film takes us back to the original meaning of Vampires: anguish and death, but without letting the gore take over.

If your idea of vampire films involves buckets of blood, fast-paced action, a ton of ultra-violence, a fair bit of sex, then more blood, this film will not be for you. You will be bored stiff, and will find little satisfying in this film.However, for those people who can appreciate something more than that, and value the more subtle approaches to filmaking, then this is definitely worth a look.This is an art-house style movie, with a good, and suitably heart-wrenching story, directed, filmed and lit in a stunningly beautiful, and thoughtful way.Acting is superb throughout, but its the sets, the lighting, and the film work itself that make this film shine. And it does. I didn't find it boring, or even particularly slow paced. I had enormous empathy for the situations of both main characters, and was pleased that the ending avoided all the cinematic clichés of the past 50 years.You could view it as depressing, and in many ways it is, but I don't mind that in a film. If I want inane one-liners, and throw-away vampire entertainment, I'll watch Buffy, or Blade. If I want something a bit more intelligent, thought-provoking, and different, then this is it.I happily award this film 10 / 10 - I haven't enjoyed a film as much as I did this one for quite some time. i will be buying it on DVD.

I love Julian Sands and will at least attempt to watch anything he's in, but this movie nearly did me in. I'm hard pressed to remember when I found any other movie to move....so......slow.........ly.....zzzzzzzzzzzzPop it in the VCR when you've run out of sleeping pills.