The Vampire Chronicles - Novels & Films

Since Bithysith and I were trying to have a discussion about the "Queen of the Dammned" movie in about three different threads, I thought perhaps, since it is Halloween, it might be nice to have a discussion thread about our lady Anne Rice, her vampire books, and the movies they have inspired!

I rented "Queen of the Dammed" last night, thinking it was going to be just terrible. Many things about the movie disturbed me - most of all, the extreme changes they made in the story.

I hated the fact that the movie portrayed Marius as Lestat's maker. It totally distorted Marius's character, and also Lestat's, for one of the things that shapes his character as the "Brat Prince" is the manner in which he was made. Furthermore, in making this change, they made this movie not fit with the previously released "IWAV."

I was also not pleased with the movie's characterization of Jesse, and the portrayal of a romance between her and Lestat. Totally strange.

I also did not like the fact that they left out the explainations of Akasha and how the Vampires were created. That was a major part of the novel.

To give the filmakers some slack, it seems like this story would have been impossible to fit into a movie...there is just too much there. But it seems like they cut out too much....they didn't even introduce the ancients.

One positive thing: I liked the music. I could accept that was the type of music that Lestat would play as a rock star. Although I was disappointed they did not use the lyrics from the book.

Thoughts? Anyone? Like the books/movies? Hate them? Discuss.

 

Well I think I posted in 1 of the 3 threads you mentioned.

I think the filmmakers were trying to please both the serious fans, which just a few hints of the novel, and to draw in new fans.

I was complaining during a good chunk of the film to my husband.

 

gasp! a mod out of costume! For shame!


anyway...

I liked Memnock. It was one of those strange books, either you hated it or you loved it. But I have yet to find anyone who liked the ending.

IWTV was strange. I liked the movie better than the book. At least in the movie you could see that Lestat actually cared for Louis, which explains so many things. The Vampire Lestat was...different. It was ok in terms of plot and writing, but I only liked the parts with Louis in them. I was really disappointed that they cut Louis from the QOTD movie. The QOTD book was pretty good. I loved the backstory about the Talamasca and Daniel.

Armand's book, hated. Marius' book, never finished. I am totally against Anne Rice on a personal level (she sues her fans) and refuse to buy her books. I get them from the library and I'm not missing much.

 

The Queen of the Damned was probably my favorite Vampire Chronicle entry, maybe besides Memnoch the Devil. I just saw the movie a few days ago as well, and I was utterly disgusted. It wasn't even really close to the same story.

Things that bothered me:

1. Lestat didn't look like Lestat, again.

2. No character development whatsoever.

3. Like you already mentioned, Marius being Lestat's maker.

4. No Makare which really disturbed me. I thought she was a major point to the plot.

5. David wasn't nearly as old as he should have been. He just didn't fit the bill entirely.

6. Was that Louis played by that weird looking guy because I wasn't sure? He just wasn't Louis. He wasn't good looking enough, IMO.

Well anywho, those are some of my reasons that I think this movie destroyed this story. My biggest problem is that it just didn't feel like the same dynamic story that I once loved. It seemed like a Gen-X version of a timeless story that just doesn't meld together very well.

Also, as you mentioned, I guess it was really too hard to make a movie from this, but perhaps that's why it shouldn't have been made.

 

"The Vampire Lestat" was my favorite book of all of them. I just think the character of Lestat is awesome. If there are any of the books that I would like to see as a (well made) film, it is this one.

Calli,
I think the filmmakers were trying to please both the serious fans, which just a few hints of the novel, and to draw in new fans.

I think that is pretty sad, don't you? To me, that implies that the original stories are not good enough to draw in fans. That is a damn shame.

When I rented this movie, I had hoped that they would go into the backstory of the red-headed twins, the creation of the Queen and King, and the introduction of the ancients. I was pretty disappointed to find that they only scene that introduced the ancients was cut.

I do not even feel like they did enough explaination about why it was such a danger to kill Akasha....and that made the ending rather anti-climactic, in my opinion (Makes me wonder if people who had not read the book even understood).

As for "Memnoch".....didn't really like it much. And I HATED the ending (no surprise). I felt like it was more of an exploration of theology than a vampire novel. Interesting, but not what I would have expected. "The Vampire Armand?" Bor-ing! "Pandora?" I honestly wondered at times if this was an erotica novel.

Was that Louis played by that weird looking guy because I wasn't sure? He just wasn't Louis. He wasn't good looking enough, IMO.

If you mean the blond guy, I found out from watching the cut scenes that this person was supposed to be Armand, which really irritated me, as he looked nothing like Armand was supposed to look.

 

Was that Louis played by that weird looking guy because I wasn't sure? He just wasn't Louis. He wasn't good looking enough, IMO.


that was supposed to be Khayman.

 

I agree, they really did a cut job. Most of the chars were not even there, and all of that, not to speak of Lestat's char. But I have to also agree on the fact that it was probably to bring more fans in. I saw QotD before reading the books. After I watched it, I wanted to read them,then got ahold of the IwaV the movie. The books were a million times better of course, but if not for QotD the movie, I would never have gotten into it.

 

interview was one of my fave movies of all time...but i don't read her books...vampires creep me out too much LOL

 

I agree with your gripes about the QOTD film, JMT. Marius was perhaps my biggest gripe... he was completely different from what he was like in the novels. I also hated the way they made Jesse into Lestat's "love interest"... Louis was supposed to have that role. I guess that to avoid controversy, they just removed him from the film entirely.

I love Rice's novels, but there are alot of things about her (especially her rigid stance on fan-fiction) that I dislike. I sent her a rather heated email about that actually... never got a response.

I can't decide what my favorite book of the chronicles is, but I think The Vampire Lestat is a stand-out work. I found it to be utterly fascinating, and Lestat was a very sympathetic character, quite different from Louis' opinion of him in IWTV.

PadLuv, I don't find Rice's vampires to be particularly frightening... they are more a dark version of Tolkien's Elves. Very sensual, intelligent, but with torrid personal demons.

 

I agree Bithy......when I first read "IWTV", I hated Lestat. But then when I read the second novel, I came to understand and love him.

Another gripe about the "QOTD" movie: I hate the statues......they were not supposed to be that way.

Ok....so just for fun:
We are now casting agents, and we are going to cast actors/actresses to play Anne's vampires. Who do you all think would be the best fits?

 

Khayman, huh? Where was Louis? I was originally talking about the one that nearly died in the end, which is what happened to Louis in the book. The short guy.

I really enjoyed Memnoch. It was probably my favorite entry. I thought it was an interesting take on religion and God. The ending really wasn't as important as the bulk of the story which I found to be stimulating and quite spiritual.

 

The blonde guy that almost dies is supposed to be Armand.

 

The guy who nearly dies is Armand. Louis was completely left out of the film. Grrrr!

EDIT: Beaten to it.

 

Bithy, yes I do think that is very sad.

My biggest grip, honestly was the romance between jessie and lestat AND maharet wasn't a red head!

IVWV- just sucked me in.
TVL- took me ages to finish, liked the beginning and the end. But the middle drug on.
QOTD- fave out of the series. Love all the history.
TOTBT- liked it but it didn't feel like a Vampire book
MTD- never finished it
Pandora- was alright. I could take it or leave it
Maruis and Armand - never finished either one
Merrick- I really liked, cause it combined the vampires and the mayfairs.

I think Blackwood farm ( I think thats the title) will be pretty decent.

And for survey purposes last Chronicle book I bought was Memnoch. The rest I have borrowed

 

when I first read "IWTV", I hated Lestat. But then when I read the second novel, I came to understand and love him.

I did as well, but I think that was Rice's intention. I thought it really helped to create that huge grey area separating good and evil, moral and immoral. Rice uses this idea throughout the chronicles, and all her other stories, for that matter.

EDIT: The guy who nearly dies is Armand. Louis was completely left out of the film. Grrrr!

Oh jeez, that makes the movie an even more disgusting debacle than I previously thought.

 

I don't understand why they left out Louis....I can understand why they left out Makare, because if they included her, they would have had to explain where she came from. But why Louis?

I thought it really helped to create that huge grey area separating good and evil, moral and immoral.

I couldn't agree more.....in fact, I think you just hit the nail on the head. Once you read the first two books, you no longer think about the good/evil aspect because the lines are so blurred. I think it is interesting that by the time you reach Memnoch, the vampires are "good" against true "evil."

 

Woah, talk about a fast moving thread! Anyways, on the books. IwaV was good, could barely put it down. But I really liked TVL, because it gave a completly different view of Lestat. A better, deeper view. QotD was pretty cool, awesome in places, the ending rather gruesome. I haven't read past that yet.

Though, Anne Rice is rather horrid to actually sue her fans for writing fanfiction and such. Excuse me for saying so, but that seems to be stepping over the line.

That blonde vamp is Armand! But...but...he's nothing like that! I think they got it switched, Lestat is supose to be blonde, Armond is suppose to have russet colored hair. Both are suppose to be amazing looking, yet in QotD it seems poor Armand got hit by a bench.

 

Same here I hated Lestat at the end of IVWTV!!

 

I own all the Vampire Chronicles books and the Lives of the Mayfair Witches, but they're second-hand and I got them for a very cheap price.


If you want to see how I imagine Rice's vampires to look like go here:
Bithy's Coven of the Articulate

Oh, and the Lily and the Rose also has a great Vampire Chronicles gallery. Here is one of my favorite examples:

[image=http://www.DanyandDany.com/Happy1.jpg]


Both are suppose to be amazing looking, yet in QotD it seems poor Armand got hit by a bench.

Oh, that's perfect. Heheheheheh...

 

Once you read the first two books, you no longer think about the good/evil aspect because the lines are so blurred."

Yes. I also love the way Rice took care of the problem of hating Lestat in TVL. She gave simple reasons to why the things he did where justified, and she did it in a matter of pages. By the end of the book, you see why Lestat is such a sympathetic character and, of course, you have to love the Brat Prince. Kind of reminds me of Vader's story, in a way.

EDIT: Am I the only guy in here?

 

Possiblely

I agree she blurs the lines and before you realize it you're sucked in and there is no turning back.

 

Females seem irrestistably drawn to Rice's vampires.

 

Does that make me really gay?

 

NO! I just means you have superior taste.

Armond is suppose to have russet colored hair. Both are suppose to be amazing looking, yet in QotD it seems poor Armand got hit by a bench.

LOL! Ok....I thought it was just me who hated the way he looked. Personally, I thought he looked like a Cabbage Patch Kid.

Bithy! I love your slide show! That is awesome! You have really hit the nail on the head!

 

. I think it is interesting that by the time you reach Memnoch, the vampires are "good" against true "evil.

I think she really even goes a step further by blurring the lines between God and Memnoch as well. Memnoch is viewed as an adversary of God rather than an enemy, creating another sympathetic, misunderstood character.