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| Clara argues the case for women's rights. |
Going to the pictures in the middle of a weekday still gives
me that feeling of delicious naughtiness and to sit in the imposed darkness on
a lovely sunny day to watch a British vampire movie makes it seem all the
better. On a visit to Edinburgh I decided to watch Irish director and writer
Neil Jordan’s latest movie:
Byzantium
(2013). Before this he has directed some 16 feature films over a thirty year
period building up quite a varied body of work including such memorable films
as
Mona Lisa (1986),
The Crying Game (1992),
Michael Collins (1996) and
Breakfast on Pluto (2005). His latest
film has been written by Moira Buffini, who was also responsible for another
Gemma Arterton vehicle
Tamara
Drewe (2010), and was based on Buffini’s play
A Vampire Story. It’s set in of all places (H)astings (it’s a
silent H were I come from) on the South Coast of England. Aptly described in
the movie as ‘the last place on the road to hell’ and certainly looks like it
with its rather sinister burnt out pier.
Not the first British seaside to be as a backdrop to a movie, for
example Margate in the
Last
Resort (2000) and Brighton in
Brighton
Rock (2010).
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| Even vampires need mobile phones! |
This contemporary vampire tale stars the afore mentioned
Gemma Arterton as Clara and Saoirse Ronan as her 16 year old daughter Eleanor,
in vampire years there 200 years old, in fact Clara keeps body and soul (do
vampires have souls?) together by engaging in one of the oldest professions
known to man: prostitution. Mother and daughter end up in the seaside town
after they are forced out of London when Clara kills a man who has been hunting
them, something to do with the fact that vampire women do not have equal rights
with their male counterparts! Seducing a loser called Noel (Daniel Mays) whose
mother has just died leaving him a run down sea front hotel called Byzantium,
now its all falling into place I hear you say, Clara turns the bankrupt establishment
into a successful business, a brothel. Common sense really, lots of rooms with
beds! Any way, Eleanor meantime has fallen for leukaemia stricken Frank
(ideally cast Caleb Landry Jones who really does look ill) and joins him in his
studies, which consequently courses problems. Although Eleanor feeds on blood
she only indulges in mercy killings of elderly people and if there was a
vampire heaven she would probable end up there. Suffice to say the forces of
evil are closing in, in the form of Sam Riley and his coven partner of which
I’ll say no more as it will spoil the story for you.
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| Clara stops for a spot of lunch. |
Director of Photography Sean Bobbitt brings to whole thing
to life, you may remember Mr Bobbitt from his camera work from such movies as
Hunger (2008)
Shame (2011)
and
The
Place Beyond the Pines (2012), making the location, the hotel and the pier
look ideally spooky. Although it boast’s some great stars, a slightly different
approach to this over used genre and some interesting flash backs there’s
something missing that I can’t really put my finger on. Perhaps its because it
does not really feel that exciting or particularly gripping but it does get
better the further into the film you get, so stick with it, unlike one lady who
was sharing my midday decadence and walked out!
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| Don't be put off, theres some great B&B's on the South Coast. |
