It was never going to be easy for Neil Jordan to make a return to the big screen with a new vampire film given his history with the undead. Interview with the Vampire caused quite a stir when it was released in 1994 and still continues to set a benchmark for being that mainstream film that attempted to dispel some of those Dracula type vampire myths.
Yes, those vampires could not be in the sun, they certainly didn’t sparkle in it and unfortunately, coffins were a necessity. However, Jordan eliminated the myth about crosses as any sort of a threat to the Nosferatu, creating a significant break with Bram Stoker in particular.
Vampires suddenly became very mainstream, and although there were a great deal of very well made and astounding productions before this, like Nosferatu, Bram Stoker’s Dracula and its variants and of course, an interesting take on the genre, Lost Boys, Interview introduced two of the biggest male stars in the world as blood-thirsty vampires and delivered that performance from Kirsten Dunst.
On the other hand, a lot has happened since Interview, mainly there have been a lot of pretty vampires running around with werewolves and giving birth to vampire babies. Although Stephanie Meyer has a lot to answer for in terms of how vampire films have developed, there is no doubt that the Twilight series has had a very deep impact on how we view the undead. They are no longer figures that instill fear, rather they have become sparkly, hot, broody types that walk around in the day and obtain medical professions.
Byzantine attempts to bring the vampire genre back to its bare essentials, allowing the undead to again become intimidating and creating more deterrents for wanting to be immortal than Twilight’s insane promotion of vampire culture.
The story revolves around the characters played by Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan, a mother and daughter vampire duo who have been on the run since their very creation. Arterton’s Clara is a story dating back centuries which is revealed to us over the course of the film through her own tales and the one that is told to us from Ronan’s perspective, as her daughter Eleanor.
However, when they make it to a local coastal town on their latest escape, Eleanor decides she no longer wants to continue with the lies and secrets and wants to tell their tale. But Clara has been keeping everything from her for a reason, in order to protect her from a Brotherhood who have been trying to end both their lives. They hunt them for the very reason that they are women, and women have no place in the Brotherhood.
Even though this is the story of two women essentially written by a woman, it is disappointing to see that both figures assume a typical type of female character, Clara the cunning prostitute, Eleanor, the virginal and sweet innocent. Clara feeds on whoever she likes, Eleanor is more selective.On the other hand, despite the fact that both their performances, particularly Saoirse’s, leap off the screen, there is nothing regarding these women we haven’t seen before.
In Jordan’s attempt to move a vampire narrative away from the clichès, he has adopted a different method of killing for the pair also but this only serves to confirm that Jordan seems to be now unsure of his place within this particular genre now. Interview confirmed his position at the helm, here he does not seem like he is on solid ground.
This also translates to the character development of the figures populated in the sub-plot, we leave the theatre wishing we knew more of Sam Reilly’s character but again, he is the white against Jonny Lee Miller’s black. It almost feels like the director concentrated so much on the principal character, the others are left on the sidelines.
That’s not to say Byzantium is not without its virtues. For a reasonably small budget with an independent production, the film is nothing less than breathtaking on the big screen. Colour literally pops off the screen, red being the most predominant.
Ronan, who continues to startle, has a depth to her that most of the other characters must have found absolutely untouchable. She even learned to play the piano for certain scenes. However, Riley, who was nothing less than amazing as Ian Curtis, is sorely underused.
It is also an extreme pity that the marketing campaign for the film directly links in Let the Right One In and Twilight, even though Jordan specifically, both in the film and his interviews, has attempted to steer it away from these films.
It is wonderful to see Jordan back on the big screen as he has been working so hard on the Borgias. For that alone Byzantium is worth checking out but you will walk away from the screening confused about your opinion of this piece of work. You just can’t help wishing there was something more.
Then again, the fence position always requires a re-watch.
