Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film)

Infobox Film
name = Buffy The Vampire Slayer


caption = Theatrical release poster
director = Fran Rubel Kuzui
producer = Howard Rosenman
writer = Joss Whedon
starring = Kristy Swanson
Donald Sutherland
Paul Reubens
with Rutger Hauer
and Luke Perry
music = Carter Burwell
cinematography = James Hayman
editing = Jill Savitt
distributor = 20th Century Fox
released = July 31, 1992
runtime = 86 min.
country = US
language = English
budget = $7 million
gross = $16,624,456
amg_id = 1:7425
imdb_id = 0103893

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is a 1992 action-comedy-horror film about "valley girl" cheerleader Buffy (Kristy Swanson) chosen by fate to fight and kill vampires. The movie is a light parody which plays on the clichés of typical horror films. It also led to the darker and much more popular TV series of the same name, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and was created and executive produced by screenwriter Joss Whedon. Whedon often detailed how the TV series was a much closer rendering of his vision than the movie, which was compromised by commercial concerns and differences in interpretation. The film is now considered a relatively minor chapter in the broader "Buffy" legacy. When the film was first released, it was moderately successful [cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=buffythevampireslayer.htm|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Weekend Box Office|work=Box Office Mojo|accessdate=2007-04-19] and received mixed reviews from critics. [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/buffy_the_vampire_slayer/|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)|work=Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate=February 6|accessyear=2007]

Plot

Buffy (Kristy Swanson) is a popular cheerleader at Hemery High School in Los Angeles when she is approached by a man named Merrick Jamison-Smythe (Donald Sutherland). He informs her that she is The Slayer - a young woman chosen to have uncommon strength and skills and a destiny to fight vampires. She admits that she has dreams of past Slayers and eventually accepts that she is one. She runs into Pike (Luke Perry), who is a basic loser who becomes the "damsel in distress", being rescued by Buffy many times, and her new love interest, despite her basketball player boyfriend.

After a brief training, she is drawn into conflict with a local vampire king called Lothos (Rutger Hauer), who has killed a number of past Slayers. Lothos kills Merrick. In a climactic battle set at the senior dance, Buffy defeats the vampire and his minions, primarily by being true to her own contemporary style and ignoring the conventions and limitations of previous Slayers. This is an early version of the allegory of female empowerment which would form the cornerstone of later versions of "Buffy".

Cast

*Kristy Swanson as Buffy
*Donald Sutherland as Merrick Jamison-Smythe
*Paul Reubens as Amilyn
*Rutger Hauer as Lothos
*Luke Perry as Oliver Pike
*Hilary Swank as Kimberly Hannah
*David Arquette as Benny Jacks
*Stephen Root as Gary Murray
*Natasha Gregson Wagner as Cassandra
*Tom Jane as Zeph
*Candy Clark as Mrs. Summers
*Ben Affleck (uncredited) as Basketball Player #10
*Ricki Lake (uncredited) as Charlotte

Continuity

Many of the details given in the film differ from the continuity of the later television series. For example, Buffy's history is dissimilar, and both vampires' and the Slayer's abilities are depicted differently. Joss Whedon has also expressed disapproval with the movie's interpretation of the script [ [http://www.cise.ufl.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/hsiao/buffy/get-archive?date=19990117 Bronze VIP Archive - January 17, 1999 ] ] , stating

VHS and DVD releases

The movie was released on VHS in the U.S. in 1993 from Fox Video and re-released in 1995 under the "Twentieth Century Fox Selections" banner from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. The movie was released on DVD in the U.S. in 2001.

oundtrack

The soundtrack was released on July 28, 1992.

Track listing

# C+C Music Factory featuring Deborah Cooper and Q-Unique – "Keep It Comin' (Dance Till You Can't Dance No More!)"
# Dream Warriors – "Man Smart (Woman Smarter)"
# Matthew Sweet – "Silent City"
# Susanna Hoffs – "We Close Our Eyes" (originally by Oingo Boingo)
# Toad the Wet Sprocket – "Little Heaven"
# The Divinyls – "Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore"
# Ozzy Osbourne – "Party With the Animals"
# The Cult – "Zap City"
# Mary's Danish – "I Fought the Law"
# Rob Halford and Pantera – "Light Comes Out of Black"

Additionally, Lothos plays on his violin the theme from the 2nd part of Schumann's "Piano Quintet Es-dur op. 44".

ee also

*The Origin, comic book reinterpretation of movie script

References

* Janet Maslin. "She's Hunting Vampires, And on a School Night." "The New York Times". July 31, 1992. C8.

External links

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