The greatest movie ever!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

I have to admit that Julian Sands is one of my favorites, and it was the strength of Mr. Sands in the title role that was my draw to film. It was a very atmospheric piece with some of the most haunting scenes that I can remember in a movie.All of the three principals in the film did an excellent job! I liked the plot a lot. The movie kept you wondering who the love interest was. You wondered if she was immortal. The twist ending was unexpected, but on a second watching, the director did insert clues throughout the film.It was not quite the Sixth Sense, but Tale of a Vampire did it better than most movies do.

If your idea of vampire films involves buckets of blood, fast-paced action, a ton of ultra-violence, a fair bit of sex, then more blood, this film will not be for you. You will be bored stiff, and will find little satisfying in this film.However, for those people who can appreciate something more than that, and value the more subtle approaches to filmaking, then this is definitely worth a look.This is an art-house style movie, with a good, and suitably heart-wrenching story, directed, filmed and lit in a stunningly beautiful, and thoughtful way.Acting is superb throughout, but its the sets, the lighting, and the film work itself that make this film shine. And it does. I didn't find it boring, or even particularly slow paced. I had enormous empathy for the situations of both main characters, and was pleased that the ending avoided all the cinematic clichés of the past 50 years.You could view it as depressing, and in many ways it is, but I don't mind that in a film. If I want inane one-liners, and throw-away vampire entertainment, I'll watch Buffy, or Blade. If I want something a bit more intelligent, thought-provoking, and different, then this is it.I happily award this film 10 / 10 - I haven't enjoyed a film as much as I did this one for quite some time. i will be buying it on DVD.

This is one of the most morbid and thoroughly depressing vampire stories I have ever seen...and yet, it also contains moments of dark beauty that nearly redeem it.Alex (Julian Sands) is a lonely, centuries old vampire wandering the streets of London. The only woman he ever loved was lost to him centuries ago...but there's a new woman in his life, a woman named Ann who bears an extraordinary resemblance to Virginia, the young girl Alex once loved. Ann has recently lost a love of her own to a fiery car crash, and lives deep in her own gray depression. After an anonymous letter leads her to a new job in an occult library, Ann begins a slow, hesitant courtship with Alex, whom she finds both attractive and a little spooky. Alex, confused and jaded (and also unable to refrain from imagining himself feeding on Ann) holds her at arms length. But the fears and emotions of Alex and Ann are not the only complications in their relationship. There's another man stalking them both...a man named Edgar, who was once married to Virginia and has been looking for Alex for a very long time.This movie is, quite obviously, an homage to the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, most of which dealt with the sad, early deaths of beautiful young women, one of which was Poe's own wife and cousin, Virginia. It is a slow, dark, oppressively bleak tale, filled with blood and despair. It is an all-too mortal tale of loves lost and people scarred by the cruelties of life, be it mortal or immortal. This sad tale of pain has no happy ending and reinforces the depressing ideal that what we love most will be taken from us forever, before the love can ever be admitted, known, expressed and shared. This film is beautifully shot and has great performances. The story is nothing new, but its strange little twists almost make up for that fact. By all means, see it at least once, especially if you're a fan of vampire cinema...just don't watch it when you're already depressed, because it won't do a thing to snap you out of it.

Best vampire movie I have seen in a long time.I have many vampire films and quite enjoy the genre. Unfortunately most vampire (or horror, for that matter) films go for action and gore instead of more subtle approaches. Which is where this film really shines. Slow and Plot-Driven would be the keywords for this film, as there is not much violence and the gore that is included is merely there so we can see the main character for the monster he is, as well is his human side, for the added contrast.The performances by the actors are on the whole good, the settings are truly excellent and ambient light and sounds are used with great attention and a certain amount of style, and create exactly the right atmosphere at each moment. One such instant would be every time the vampire (Sands) is in a dark scene with another character, nice use of lighting to show his heightened senses. The script is also solid, with good dialogue and character development.I can understand those who dislike the film, though. It IS slow, and for those who just meant to grab a quick and violent vampire flick, this is not the right movie. On the other hand, if you enjoy the vampire mythos and would like to see a film driven by characters and a good script (as opposed to ultraviolence to a frantic techno beat) then this film is for you.The lack of huge fangs was also a nice change, this vampire is mostly human, and the eroticism of the vampire legend is not lost in this film, and believably carried by the actors.Highly recommended (for the right audience)