An Allegory for Homosexuality: Controversy?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles
abishai_gangulee — 9 years ago(December 02, 2016 07:22 AM)
This film is another eccentric gem from offbeat genius Neil Jordan and the screen interplay between Louis (Pitt) and Lestat (Cruise) is surprisingly entertaining.
While the Louis-Lestat dynamic does not pan out as ultimately very symbolic or poignant (in the overall Anne Rice vampirism-storyboarding), it does offer a nice vignette about the strange and turbulent relationships that men may carry between each other.
In fact, we can use the Louis-Lestat dynamic to point to some complex society issues regarding the acceptance and tolerance of homosexuality in America.
The film is set mostly in New Orleans (an American region rich in confluence), and we get the flavor of the 'color' of varied traffic. This film actually made think about questions such as, "Is Occultism high in New Orleans?"
As Lestat 'seduces' Louis, while Louis confronts his own personal demons when he engages with the more calculating vampire Armand (portrayed very nicely and deeply by the unpredictable Antonio Banderas), we get the feeling that the Louis-Lestat dynamic symbolizes 'sensuality derangement.'
Incidentally, Banderas's Armand becomes a sort of 'conscious witness/watcher' to this sensuality game and resembles in 'stature' the overview-roleplay of Fortinbras from Shakespeare's
Hamlet
.
Can we therefore liken 'sensuality metaphysics' to homosexuality sensibilities (with the winding Louis-Lestat tones from this film)?
This is surely a film not for the faint-hearted or orthodoxy-minded, but it can become a nice 'populism pulpit' for more liberally-minded divinity students/scholars/priests (e.g., liberal Catholics) debating about power-pedagoguery designs!LESTAT: Do you think we're just two 'average male vampires' Louis?
LOUIS: No, but I don't think we're prophets of anything redeeming.
LESTAT: You're wrong, Louis. We can change the face of New Orleans!
LOUIS: You indulge your own vanities, Lestat.
LESTAT: You could consider the 'wisdom' of enticing your instincts.
LOUIS: I may be a vampire, but I'm not a scoundrel.
LESTAT: The freedom we beings are afforded makes us deacons.
LOUIS: I will not become your play-thing!
LESTAT: We'll see
LOUIS: Blood is thicker than death.Armand (Wikipedia):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_(The_Vampire_Chronicles)
Fortinbras (Shakespeare):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortinbras