INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE

时间:2007-10-23 05:38:36来源: 作者:

LESTAT
Take my word for it. She blamed a slave for his murder. And do you know what they did to him?

He smiles at the young man, who smiles in return.

LESTAT
The evildoers are easier. And they taste better...

EXT. LAWNS. NIGHT.

Lestat walks the youth towards a copse of trees. He looks back at Louis, who holds both poodles on a delicate leash, walking with the widow. The minuet spills from the french windows.

WIDOW ST. CLAIR
Now, young man, you really amaze me! I'm old enough to be your grandmother.

She leans towards him concquettishly. Louis, crazed with hunger, sees her as beautiful in the moonlight. He allows her lips reach his. He takes her in his arms, gently, romantically, and sinks in his teeth. She swoons.

WIDOW ST. CLAIR
Yes, that's the melody, I remember it. Oh yes...

Louis draws his lips away. She is weak in his arms, but still alive. He can't do it. The poodles growl. He shotts out an arm and grabs one, then the other.

EXT. TREES. NIGHT.

Lestat, bending over the body of the dead youth. A scream pierces the night.

WIDOW ST CLAIR
Murder!!! Murderer!!

EXT. LAWNS. NIGHT

The widow on the grass, her poodles dead beside her. Louis is trying to quiet her.

WIDOW ST CLAIR
My little papillions! My butterflies!!! He killed them!!!

Lestat comes from nowhere, claps a hand over her mouth and breaks her neck. He spits in fury at Louis.

LESTAT
You whining coward of a vampire who prowls the night killing rats and poodles. You could have finished us both!

Louis throws himself on Lestat with extraordinary force, pummelling him towards the trees.

LOUIS
What have you done to me? You've condemned me to hell.

LESTAT
I don't know any hell -

Louis hurls him against tree after tree with a strength he never knew he had.

LOUIS
You want to see me kill? Watch me kill you then -

He drags him to the ground an throttles him. Lestat looks up at him, amazed and amused at the same time.

LESTAT
What strength, my friend, what strength. I remember why I chose you now.

Lestat squirms from his grip, seemingly effortlessly.

LESTAT
But you can't kill me, Louis. Nor I you.

He ruffles Louis' hair, with wry affection.

LESTAT
Feed on what you want, mon cherie. Rats, chickens, doves, goats. I'll leave you to it and watch you come round. Just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable...

He smiles. A sly, pleasureable secret secret smile.

EXT. POINTE DU LAC. NIGHT.

Their carriage draws up to the mansion as the first fingers of light spread across the sky.

LOUIS (VO)
Being a vampire to him meant revenge. Revenge against life-itself. Every time he took a life it was revenge. and the slaves with a wisdom that was denied their masters, began to notice...

INT. SLAVE-HUT. NIGHT.

In a tiny cabin, a slave family. Kids sleeping on the floor, in cribs and cots. The parents sleep on the bed, young, beautiful, naked. Beside them is Lestat, who is drinking the husband's blood, his hand playing across the breast of the wife as he does so. She murmurs in her sleep.

WIFE
Yes... please...

She grabs his fingers and kisses them, thinking him to be her husband. Lestat gently disengages himself and leaves.

EXT. SLAVE-HUT. NIGHT.

The woman's scream pierces the sky, as Lestat walks into the night.

EXT. CHICKEN-COOP. NIGHT.

Every chicken is dead, bloodies necks hanging down from the cribs. Louis emerges from the entrance, blood on his lips. He hears the scream.

EXT. SLAVE QUARTER. NIGHT.

The sound of drumming is heard, african, primal. The woman runs through the quarters, screaming grief. Others gather at doorways, restrain and console her.

EXT. DOVE-COTE. DAY.

A beautiful, elaborate eighteenth century dove-cote. Every dove inside is dead, pierced at the neck. A balck hand throws in a flaming torch and it bursts into flame.

INT. CABIN. NIGHT.

A doll, made in the image of Lestat, is pierced with needles.

EXT. SWAMP BY FIELDS. DAY.

Bodies of slaves floating in the swamp, with the bodies of goats. Slaves at the edge throw ropes around the bodies, pull them towards the shore. The drumming grows louder.

EXT. SLAVE-QUARTERS. NIGHT.

Louis walking through. The slaves hush as he appraoches, gather in doorways and whipser. He turns and looks at them, sorrowfully. He looks truly like a ghost. Their eyes turn away when they meet his. He walks on.

INT. DINING ROOM IN MANSION. NIGHT.

Lestat and Louis sit at the table, the untouched food between them.

LESTAT
Consider yourself lucky. In Paris a vampire has to be clever for many reasons. Here all one needs is a pair of fangs.

LOUIS
Paris? You came from Paris?

LESTAT
As did the one who made me.

LOUIS
Tell me about him. You must have lernt something from him! It had to happen for you as it did for me!

LESTAT
I learnt absolutely nothing. I wasn't give a choice, remember?

LOUIS
But you must know something about the meaning of it all, you must know where we come from, why we...

Lestat spits out in anger.

LESTAT
Why? Why should I know these things? Do you know them?

The drumming grows outside.

LESTAT (gripping his temples)
That noise! It's driving me mad! We've been in the country for weeks, with nothing but that noise!!!

LOUIS
They know about us. They see us dine on empty plates and drink from empty glasses.

LESTAT
Come the New Orleans then. There's an opera on tonight. A real french opera! We can dine in splendour!

LOUIS
I respect life, don't you see? For each and every human life I have respect.

LESTAT
Respect me a little then. I'm the only life you know.

Louis stares. Lestat turns childishly, petulantly.

LESTAT
You'll soon run out of chickens, Louis...

He walks out, humming a French aria. Louis stares at his plate.

EXT. SLAVE QUARTERS. NIGHT.

The slaves, gathered on mass around fires. Frenzied drumming, dancing. Lestat rides through, scattering the flames. The drumming stops. The slaves look towards the house. Slowly, they begin to move towards it.

INT. POINTE DU LAC DINING ROOM. NIGHT.

Louis, sitting in despair by the table. Yvette, the slave girl enters.

YVETTE
Michi Louis? You don't want any supper?

Louis laughs harshly.

LOUIS
No, ma cher. I need no supper. Is all well at Pointe Du Lac tonight?

Yvette draws closer. Light reveals her beauty.

YVETTE
We worry about you master. When do you ride about the fields? How long since you've been to the slave quarters? Everywhere there is death. Animals, men. Are you our master still at all?

Louis watches her sadly. He's getting hungry. Her throat is long and slender, her breasts are gorgeous.

LOUIS (dazed)
Leave me alone now, Yvette.

YVETTE
I will not go unless you listen to me. Send away this new friend of yours. The slaves are frightenend of him. They are frightenend of you.

She comes closer, and he can hear her beating heart. She touches his hair. He takes her hand and brings it to his lips.

LOUIS
I am frightened of myself, Yvette.

He kisses her wrist. She suddenly gasps, sharply, withdraws her hand. She sees her wrist is red with blood. She sees the blood on his lips. She screams.

Louis stands.

LOUIS
Hush, Yvette -

She screams even louder. Louis clamps his hand over her mouth. Her hand grips the table-cloth, pulls, bringing the empty glasses and crockery to the floor.

In horror, Louis realises he has broken her neck. He brings her cut wrist to his lips, then drops it, revolted. He carries her body outside, grief-stricken.

The drumming grows louder.

EXT. MANSION. NIGHT.

Fires burning in the distance, round the slave-cabins. The slaves are gathered at the foot of the mansion steps. They see Louis come out, holding the body of Yvette. He is deranged with grief.

LOUIS
This place is cursed. Damned, do you hear me? And your master is the devil.

He places the body of Yvette in a rocking chair on the varanda.

LOUIS
Get out while you can. You're free men.

They don't move. They stare at him blankly.

LOUIS
Unlike me, you are no free men...

He turns behind him, and looks at the mansion, all candleabra and chandeliers lighted, all windows open.

LOUIS
Do I have to convince you?

He rushed up the stairs, snatches up the candleabra and sets fire to the drapes. He goes from window to window, lighting drapes, lace curtains, everything.

SLAVES POV -- MASTER

Setting fire to the house.

They rush up the stairs with shouts of "STOP HIM, HE'S MAD". A wall of flame gushes out from the interior, blocking their way.

INT. BURNING MANSION. NIGHT.

Louis, wandering from room to room of the burning mansion. he sees paintings of his wife consumed by the flames. He is weakening with the fumes, the heat. We can see this in his face, the texture of his skin.

Suddenly a large french window cascades inwards and Lestat stands there, whip in hand. Behind him we can see the morning sky.

LESTAT
You fool, what have you done?

LOUIS
What you wouldn't do. It's almost sunrise. It will be the sun or the fire. You said they can kill me. The sun or the fire!

Louis stands there, weakened, then collapses onto the floor. Lestat darts forward and catches him before he drops. He runs out the shattered window, carrying him on his shoulder.

EXT. LARGE GRAVEYARD. DAWN.

With many crypts. Louis, unconscious, carried over Lestat's shoulder.

INT. CRYPT.

Darkness. Louis lying on the floor of a large crypt. He slowly comes to.

LOUIS
Where are we?

LESTAT
Where do you think, my idiot friend? We're in a nice filthy cemetery. Does this make you happy? Is this fitting and proper enough?

Louis laughs softly.

LOUIS
We belong in hell.

LESTAT
And what if there is no hell, or they don't want us there? Ever think of that?

INT. ROOM. SAN FRANCISCO. NIGHT.

The vampire sits in silence, as if tired by his story. Malloy speaks, hesitantly.