Cool News
More looks at HANNIBAL
Hey folks, Harry here and this is the movie that I am DYING to see... I saw VALENTINE last night and nearly dozed off during that snorer. What a lame piece of junk! Meanwhile hearing about others seeing HANNIBAL is driving me crazy.... I'm so hyped up to see this one it isn't even funny! We've got a pair of look-seers and here's where you take over... Go...
Harry,
Call me "The Walkabouter" in name...
Surely the first "must see" movie of 2001 in terms of audience anticipation,
HANNIBAL is the long-awaited sequel to Jonathan Demme's classic, SILENCE OF
THE
LAMBS. It is no freak accident that the film is opening right before
Valentine's Day -- the original opened almost ten years (to the day) prior to
HANNIBAL's upcoming release.
Based on Thomas Harris' very grisly book (which drew much attention and as
much
criticism for its seemingly relentless gratuity, as well as some far-fetched
plot devices), screenwriter Steve Zaillian does an admirable job of condensing
the novel to screenplay form. (David Mamet is credited as well, though his
early draft -- more faithful to the elaborate nature of the book, if indeed
silly -- was rejected.)
Directed by visual auteur Ridley Scott, the film has a sleek, colorful,
gorgeous look to it, vastly contrasting the claustrophobic, dark, subdued
tones
of the original film and replacing it with a painterly canvas of Italian
scenery.
Set ten years after SILENCE left off, Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) leads
an ill-fated FBI drug raid, resulting in several deaths and much bad publicity
for the bureau. Unjustly forced into taking the fall for the tragedy, even
though it wasn't her fault, Clarice is beckoned to the call of
multi-millionaire Mason Verger (Gary Oldman). Verger, a deranged lunatic and
pedophile, was the only one of Hannibal Lecter's victims to survive -- though
severely disfigured, with virtually all the loose flesh ripped from his face.
(Oldman's makeup job is perhaps the single most horrifying element to the film
-- looking like a cross between Mr. Rogers and Fire Marshall Bill, and
speaking
like a cross between Larry Flynt and Ross Perot, Oldman's psycho actually
manages to upstage Hopkins in a few small moments.) Verger is hell-bent on
finding and capturing the good Doctor for his own vengeful purposes (as if
Lecter wasn't bad enough), and hopes that Clarice's recent public humiliation
might be the key to luring the lion from his den.
Thousands of miles away, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) has been living
incognito in Florence, Italy, assuming the position of curator to a classic
Florentine Art library. (The original curator mysteriously
disappeared...hmmm....how did that happen?) Learning of Clarice's fall from
Grace, he carries on a mail correspondence with her. Meanwhile, a local
Italian police investigator uncovers Lecter's true identity, and schemes up a
plan to capture him so that he may collect Verger's $3 million reward.
From there, things get really complicated, as Lecter outwits (and "out-does"
--
literally) his opponents and returns to the US of A to find Clarice once
again.
With Verger on Clarice's trail, Hannibal is ultimately captured, and... well,
the rest you'll have to see for yourself.
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS was an extraordinary film, and while gruesome, there was
an underlining sensitivity to the characters, and resonated with an incredible
chemistry between Jodie Foster and Hopkins. One of the most intense and
miraculous pairings between any two actors in film, Foster and Hopkins played
off each other brilliantly. Demme directed the film from Clarice's point of
view, giving us the picture's heart and soul, while Hopkins delivered its
sinister yet delectible menace. Though only onscreen for 20 to 30 minutes,
Hopkins' presence was felt throughout every moment.
Ridley Scott's approach is far more visceral and gothically visual, if not
quite as emotionally satisfying. Whereas SILENCE built relentless tension
through quiet, unnervingly calm moments, Scott fuses HANNIBAL with pulsating,
eye-dazzling freakshows. It is not Clarice's story, and even if this tale
isn't meant to be from her perspective, the warmth and humanity that Demme and
Foster had injected into the hellish world around them is sorely missed.
HANNIBAL is many things: sadistically funny, clever, jaw-dropping,
stomach-churning, thrilling, intense, and -- yes -- scary. But it isn't
nearly
as emotionally moving as the original.
Given the parameters of Harris' story, much of the excessiveness (even to the
point of caricature) has been wisely omitted. But what remains is STILL
REALLY
OUT THERE. Even if the thrills and screams come just as quickly as before,
the
emotional resonance seems empty by comparison. It's easy to understand why
Foster backed out from reprising her role.
As her successor, Julianne Moore is up to the task, and acquits herself well.
With an accent that virtually mirrors Foster's West Virginian twang for
SILENCE, Moore is radiant and refreshing. The nervous, vulnerable FBI student
from the original has now matured into a determined, strong -- though
psychologically scarred -- woman who manages to hold her ideals against the
corrupt system she's supposed to support. Though I must admit to preferring
Foster in the role, Moore's take is probably the best "second-best" out there,
and we should be thankful for it.
And, of course, Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter -- the virtual embodiment of
sophisticated evil -- remains perhaps the most charming and sinister monster
to
grace the screen. No longer captive to prison glass walls, Lecter spends his
time roaming about ancient cities, drinking expensive wines, and donning
Armani
suits. Hopkins is having the time of his life, and if he was indeed paid the
sum of $25 million for the role (repudedly the largest up-front salary ever
given to an actor), he has earned it. HE is the heart of the story, as well
as
the center of attention, this time 'round...and surely audiences will be, er,
eating it up in the weeks to come.And here we have comments from theguyinthebackrow... He details the opening pretty complete, and I have used the invisible text feature to protect some details from the ending of the film. Read on...
Harry,
So I've been scanning your site for the last couple of days wondering if any
of your spys had seen Hannibal yet. I saw that one guy say that he saw it at
Sundance...liar. It didn't screen at Sundance. The only place it's really
been screening at is on the grounds of MGM
However...I saw Hannibal last night at the Main Theatre at MGM...oh yeah!
The first scene begins with a black screen. Mason Verger played by the
brilliant Gary Oldman is asking a question to Barney, Lector's old guard
(played by the same actor from "Silence of the Lambs"). A tiny box, which is
the scene miniturized, appears on the bottom, left side of the sceen. The
box gets bigger and bigger until the scene is fully viewable on the movie
screen: It's a strange yet cool affect. Verger is asking Barney about
Hannibal Lector's relationship with Clarice Starling. Verger as you probably
know has no face...or at least not much. He's got one good eye and a bit of
a nose, the rest is scar tissue. (A note on the make-up: I thought it was
going to look fake, but actually it looked stunningly real) Later on you
find out that Verger was a client of Lector and that Lector drugged him and
asked him to cut his own face off and feed it to his dogs. Oldman has a
great line about this: "It seemed like a good idea at the time." Finally
Barney is about to leave and he presents Verger with a pink box. Verger asks
his Doctor (the gov. from that HBO show "OZ") if he could have one of the
cookies...Doc says "it would probably kill you." Barney opens the box and
inside is the historic face muzzle that Lector wore when he met the Senator
in "Silence". Verger buys the muzzle for something like $15,000.
After that there is a title sequence, which is digital video shots of Italy.
The next scene is of Claric Starling, played by Juliane Moore, and the police
raid gone horribly wrong. The only real problem I had with the movie is that
Moore never really took her acting job to that next level she normally does
in films like "Magnolia" and "Boogie Nights". Usually she has no problem
with intensity, and this Clarice called for intensity...alas no intensity.
It was as if she were trying to playing Jodie Foster's Clarice instead of her
own. I was disappointed.
Probably the most talked about scene of the film is the brain eating scene.
"Does it look real you ask?" Yes. Very real. Even down to the protective,
clear sack that covers the brain and that Lector has to pull off. I'd see
this movie again just to see Ray Liota (in, sadly, a worthless role) eat a
piece of his own brain and then, in a drugged stupor, say "Yummy."
One cool thing was that the ending was actually surprising...or at least
there is a part of the ending that was surprising.
I don't want to ruin the whole movie so I won't go into much.
What I will say is "at least $25 mil the first weekend."
From,
theguyinthebackrow
-
+ Expand All
-
Sweet my birthday is the 8th and Im going to see this the day after.
-
That is all.
-
That is all.
-
Feb 02, 2001 8:54:23 AM CST
Big surprise with the VALENTINE comment. Why did you waste your
by iamlegolas
Oh yeah... you did go see "Sugar & Spice". Quality control!!!!
-
Hey Harry, longtime reader first time talkbacker, just had to comment on this subject since it is my belief that Hannibal is one of the finest literary american masterpieces of our time and the one be-all, end-all book if you are not satiated gore-wise with most other horror flicks. I cannot wait to see this movie and don't care if the other talkbackers figuratively eviscerate me for calling the book fucking brilliant or calling the film a straight up horror film (I know, I know, it is a thriller with macabre elements) the only problem i have with the film thus far is with the fact that Mason Verger's bodybuilding lesbian sister Margo is nowhere to be found. That would have been a pretty cool cameo appearance for Chyna of the WWF. Just want to leave with one final set of words: JOHN DOE OF SE7EN, HENRY OF PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, LEATHERFACE, WHOMEVER YOU NAME, THEY'RE ALL PUSSIES WHEN COMPARED TO THE MORBID SERIAL KILLER GOD THAT IS HANNIBAL LECTER.....NOW TODD MACFARLANE, WHERE IS LECTER'S FUCKING ACTION FIGURE??????
-
This is all sounding real good. Just finished reading the book (which I enjoyed - yep, even the ending). In a way though, i'm glad they've changed it for the film - in other words, I still don't know whats going to happen!!
The Florence section of the book was the real stand out for me - lets hope that its all intact!!
Its only two weeks away here in Britain - please let Ridley Scott pull this one off and get the master back where he deserves (I liked White Squall, but GI Jane was shite). Off for a drink..maybe two..maybe hmmmmm.... -
for your very kind words regarding the brain - from Mill Film
-
The book sucked. Hannibal only killed peole that "deserved it." Very PC. and the characters were more caricature. And it wasn't scary at all. If you guys want to read a book that'll scare the shit out of you, check out the first book of the "Silence" series, "Red Dragon."
Anyway, still looking forward to the film. It's got the right talent to at least not blow as much as the novel. And I like Julianne Moore more than Foster. -
Finally others like me... Hannibal the book was one of the greatest, most enjoyable novels I've ever read. In fact, I love all three in the 'lecter trilogy' ... red dragon was so good, i had such high hopes for manhunter, but sadly, the 80's chessiness came through and they destroyed one of the coolest endings, that of the book. Silence the book and the movie are equally good, but i like the movie a bit more, hopkins is great, and its nice to not figure out what buffalo bill is after until later... Hannibal is great, as i was reading I kept picturing three actors as verger: james woods, tim roth, or gary oldman. What a joyous day that was. I've been waiting for this movie since the book was released, and with each photo, interview, commercial, and review, it just keeps getting better and better... now i only hope it doesnt sell out here the first day.... must see... must....
-
Castaway - Are you serious that the bodybuilding chick is not in the movie!? She was a major part of the book and I totally agree with your casting of Chyna. Another good choice would have been that Nicole Bass chick who occasionally appears on the Howard Stern show.
-
I must agree with my friend Gernblaston, Red Dragon is hands down the best novel in the Thomas Harris trilogy. I had heard a rumor that a film version of Red Dragon with Hopkins as Lecter may be in the works. Perhaps the fate of the project lay in the box office returns for Hannibal. I was truly dissapointed with the novel Hannibal but I am not going to gripe about it. Red Dragon alone makes Thomas Harris a genius in my opinion
-
I'm so impressed. I won't spoil it for those who didn't un-hide the text, but I REALLY thought that would get cut. (I didn't like it, incidentally. Not for the gore factor, but because if you know about the implications and meanings behind the act, I don't think Lector would do it to that character.) And most of my problems with the book (besides the narrative structure being all over the place) had to do with the more over-the-top and rediculous moments. If those were cut from the script, I could really like this.
-
Harris wrote the book so that he could make the profits off the movie. Big deal.It's a Lame-ass story too; if the plot follows the book. I'm sure the killings that Lechter does in Italy will be interesting because of the locale and the scenery. The more horrible the slayings though, the more viewers will want to see this film. Most people are fascinated with death, and like to see others die painfully and in many interesting ways. As long as it's not themselves. Really, the only things that will be unique about this film will be that Jodie Foster isn't in it, and that the violence and death will be gruesome. The suspense will probably be lack luster and contrived. I wonder how many times Lechter will say "Clarice" in this film. I saw the trailer and it felt like I was watching Poltergeist 2, where they all kept saying "carol Ann!" over and over again. I hope I'm wrong, but I think this film may try to drag on the coat tails of the previous film. Oh ya, Jodie Foster didn't want to take the role because the screen-play and novel had her eating human flesh after being drugged by Lechter. The guy on the dinner plate ends up being her old bad-cop partner. She eats his brains with a spoon. Eat em up Yum. I like Ridley Scott a lot, and I like what he has done to other sequels, but he should have left this one alone. Then again, even if it sucks, it will most likely gain cult status like most of his other films. Really, he can do no wrong in the publics eyes, or the fucked up geeks that like to watch train wrecks and house fires and watch as people die horribly. I hope Lechter rapes Starling before he fixes her dinner.
-
Feb 02, 2001 4:35:20 PM CST
Perhaps this Lector fellow can provide me with interesting new i
by little wash u.
..... for taking over the UNIVERSE!!! AHHHH HA HA HA HUH uh hhhack HACK, cough, cough GAAAAASP, hack! Damn this earthly cold season! I simply must see this movie. Has anybody else heard that rumor about a Jurassic Park 3 trailer before this Universal release??? It's more than a little possible, right? I mean, everyone and their little robots with "A"s and "B"s on them is seeing this thing. And we're due for a REAL teaser for JP3, not something a Universal exec made in his backyard with creepy sound effects. I wouldn't be surprised to see a dinosaur before this thing, and I don't mean Richard Attenborough. Anyway, if this Hannibal fellow tried to eat my brains, he would certainly find himself choking on the sheer volume of it all!! Evil is good!
-
You obviously have never read the book!
-
I swear to God the more I hear about it the worse it sounds. A friend of mine told me about the brain-eating scene yesterday, and I found it to be so excessively
"gory" that I laughed out loud. That's so fucking stupid. Despite idiots like castaway spouting on about the "brilliance" of Hannibal("serial killer God that is Hannibal Lecter?"-get some help you sick fuck), it sounds to me like Tom Harris got so sick and tired of the fighting between Dino De Laurentis and Orion that he wrote a bad book-yes, I'm calling it a BAD book-just to piss off everyone involved a la The Producers. I mean listen to this premise-Hannibal Lechter, a deplorable, yet charming cannibal is living in Italy and is being hunted by Mason Verger, (cool
name)a grotesquely disfigured pedophile (a man worse than Lechter HIMSELF? GASP!) who wants to feed Lechter to some man-eating pigs. This is so far-fetched and laughably over the top that it's a wonder it ever got made. The problem is that the story doesn't give us anyone to really care about. Hmmm, do I want Hannibal the sadistic murderer to triumph, or Verger the evil, wealthy child molester? At least in "Silence" you could sympathize with Starling because she represented something good. Turning her into Hannibal's brain-eating love-slave completely betrays her character. This is why Michael Mann's "Manhunter" will always be the best film of the series. Tom Noonan's Francis Dolarhyde and William Petersen's Will Graham were complex, morally ambiguous characters. There were moments in that film where you cared about Dolarhyde(to a point) or when you wondered how far into the killer's mind Graham was. Silence was an inferior successor-the characters were black and white, instead of grey, with Lechter as the sinister villain, Starling as the pure rookie ingenue, and Buffalo Bill as the horrible killer-but it still worked as a film, because of Foster's Starling. Now,
with "Hannibal", we have just about NO ONE to root for-not a requirement of good film, but for
this type of story it's almost a must-but only a gory spectacle to watch. Please. At least Scott's last film, "Gladiator", no matter how flawed(yes it's flawed)gave us characters to identify with. Personally, I don't really sympathize with disfigured child rapists and intellectual cannibals. No matter HOW charming they are.
The curiosity factor'll give it a big opening weekend, but after that
-
fuck silence of the lambs!!! SEVEN is the best serial killer movie ever made!!! To hell with Hannibal and long live SEVEN!!!
-
Guess this Talkbalk is just a fuck-all waste of time. Ridley Scott, Anthony Hopkins, and Julianne Moore shouldn't have even wasted their damn time either. Accoding to Mr. X everyone should've just packed up their shit after Seven - oh sorry! I mean Se7en! You fucking nitwit! Its a genre flick you cocksmoking moron so SHUT THE FUCK UP! Christ I am sooooo sick of these fanboy pricks that come in here with a chip on their shoulder. People like that are the most self-centered jerks around. Like their's is the only opinion that matters. Gimme a break! Man - now I forgot what I really wanted to say here. Thanks a lot you asswipe! Oh yeah - now I remember! Walkabouter, great review my man. You definitely gave me a feeling about what to expect from this movie. I (politely) disagree with an above poster who said that you didn't understand the book. I have read all three of Thomas Harris' books in this line and I don't think that Hannibal did SOTL justice. And it was the emotional element that Demme created in Silence that really drew me into the movie. The shot of the guard hanging from the bars of the make-shift jail with the flag and spotlight behind him during Hannibal's escape... Stunning! I was hoping that Scott would recapture that feel, but it appears he chose a different path. Guess I can't blame him for wanting to make his own movie though. And for the record - I agree with Foster regarding the ending of the book. I just don't see Starling making the kinds of decisions that she made (or taking the shit she took) in the book that would lead her into Lector's grasp.
-
there's a review of it on Jeff Wells (reel com) and he's annoyed that Ridley changed the ending from the one in the book. I think Harris developed their relationship (which was already in the book Silence) because of the chemistry between Jodie and Anthony and I think Jodie was silly to pass on it, if only because Anthony is the only actor she has ever built up a sexual charge with and she needs career-wise to lose the rep of no chemistry with leading men. This was a no-brainer (hahaha) for her and she missed the boat.
-
Holy shit!!! I must of struck a nerve. I think Howard needs to calm down. Talk about a FANBOY PRICK! You fags take this way to seriously. By the way... it's not my OPINION that SEVEN is the best movie its a FACT. Silence of the fags is horrendously boring and downright funny. Hannibal is the biggest pussy "villian" that I have ever seen on screen. Well besides that dick from American Psycho anyway. Hannibal isn't even an effective psycho. He is so phony!
JON DOE. Now there is a kick ass psycho!!! long live SEVEN!!! -
What next, real murder and torture as entertainment? Mind you the fx work is SO real these days that you would never know
I fear for our future when people (mainly young males it seems) get so excited by the prospect of seeing and experiencing a film featuring incredibly evil and sickening acts of torture and murder against others, regardlesss of whether "they deserved it" or not. The original "Silence of the Lambs" was so brutal - I had no idea it was going to be that viscious, it made me feel so sick afterwards that I never wanted to see another film like it again. Yet the greedy motion picture studios (and performers etc)salivate at the prospect of creating another descent into the pit of despair and barbarism. What kind of message are we sending to our children and the rest of society when MILLIONS of dollars is paid to an actor to portray a serial killer of NO redeemable character; when the real victims of crime, those who have lost children, teenagers, and adults to the absolute terror of murder, are often under supported by society, the law, and the justice system.
Ok, ok you say, it is JUST a film, (no doubt exquisitly realised by Ridley Scott) but in real life, horrific events are perpetrated against REAL people, I wonder what kind of desensitisation occurs by allowing and ENCOURAGING audiences to "enjoy" and be "entertained" by this material. The situation is made all the harder because I don't agree with censorship (especially as it is hipocritically practiced over in the United States) Why make such films? I "pray" for my 3 month old boy that he can live in a better world, and where going to the movies is joyous, emotional, intelligent, thought provoking, and INSPIRING... not degrading and inhuman -
I respect your thoughts on the book and the motivations of the characters, but I just have to find it ironic that you are making those complaints under a nick that seems to have been appropriated from A NON-FICTIONAL serial-killer.
-
Castaway would appear to be right, as there is no actor credited with playing her role on IMDB. I find this very disappointing because she plays quite a large part in the book, right to the end. It also means they've cut Barney's part down quite a lot too. Chyna couldn't have played Margo anyway, because if you've actually read the book, she's supposed to look like a man due to steroids use. Think Miss Man in Scary Movie only more so.
I did enjoy the book, although I found the ending a little odd. But still, as long as the movie retains the strong qualities of the book, I'm sure it'll kick ass. -
So The Krell, you think that films such as Hannibal sgould not be made due to their subjuct matter huh. Well let me tell you something!!! Sick things that may appear in movies actually appear in real life and will continue to happen despite the nature of certain hollywood films. What would you prefer to see instead countless Look Who's Taking Sequals.
-
She has silicone tits and she's the ugliest fucker I have ever seen. As opposed to that pumped she-male from Scary Movie, she's as close to male as a female can get. I don't understand how these fake drug-filled plastic injected "women" try to masquerade as female. There is nothing female about them. All wrestlers are wastes of good drugs. I wonder, maybe drug companies should use them all as guinea pigs to test new chemicals. They seem pretty gun-ho about new technology and stuff. Seeing as steriods should be illegal anywhere. I think they actually may be.
-
just thought i would do a little status reporting and responding since my visage has come up here and there. first of all, if hellspawn is reading this, i received your e-mail regarding the impossibility of a Lecter figure because of the fact that Hopkins will not sign away his image (i tried e-mailing you but an error message came up) while i think this sucks major ass, i will say that it is Hopkins choice nonetheless and that there is always a possibility for a mason verger action figure now is there (oldman did sell his image for a lost in space action figure after all).
regarding the remake of red dragon, i know this might sound funny to all of you but it turns out that the original director of manhunter (michael mann)has actually shown interest in remaking his own film. can you believe it? how weird is that?
a little note to jack d. ripper. it does not piss me off in the least for you to say that the book was awful. coming from an artful perspective, i have to agree in a small way. people the world over were screaming in harris' ear for more lecter, and he gave it to them. what i like is that he did not just piss off most by including all of the gory details, but he miffed a numbered few who did not wish to hear the origin of hannibal lecter. second of all, for calling me an idiot and a sick fuck, just remeber that flattery will get you nowhere and that i was quoting the truth. hannibal does have a certain amount of power, if you don't believe me why don't you ask the friend that told you about the brain eating sequence about another little sequence regarding a gypsy that Hannibal murders (the knife never became wet with blood after insertion).
up next, tyrant x, john doe was very devious but the symptoms he exhibited seem to be that of an escaped mental patient (albeit a very calm mental patient) and i will give you another point in that the man was as meticulous as a motherfucker in his work (i could never fathom cutting my fingertips with razor blades to escape arrest) he even gave a worthy sermon in the final scenes. a sermon that could very well unsettle a jury had he ever gone to trial and those had been his closing statements. on the other side of the coin though my friend, hannibal thru and thru is and always has been himself (as a boy, the maids and servants were unsettled by his ways). maybe you should try practicing patience on your next viewing of silence and remember that hannibal did drive a man to kill himself just by talking to him. by the way, i agree that although american psycho was a fairly worthy film, the killer in the film SHOULD be made to be hog tied and served as the main course at a special thanksgiving dinner for all of cinema's famous killers from Nosferatu all the way up to Valentine's slasher (that bitch sits at the kiddy table though along with every other killer from every worthless TEEN slasher flick since Scream, not to be downing scream and all of those recent teen slasher flicks that were actually worth a damn, as few and far between as they were)as big of a pussy as patrick bateman was, a person that just reeks cowardice and schizophrenia. true that hopkins might have hammed it up a little, but he came up with little things in silence that a friend of mine told me about that makes his interpretation all the more genius (not blinking, going with white clothes instead of orange convict fatigues, etc.).
as for krell, you do bring up an interesting and VERY noble point but how many of these films have come out in the past few months? i am mainly pertaining to the whole torture factor in a film like hannibal. when your son is of age, take him out to see an honorable film like Finding Forrester, but please do not totally discount hannibal and other archetypes. i LOVE shit like this and i am not totally desensitized to it. in fact don't look down so much on being desensitized, people like myself who are like this in a way are just preparing ourselves for when World War III breaks out and we are forced to look at dead, decaying bodies on a day-to-day basis (tee-hee) i also have two words for you ED GEIN.
a thought just came to me, i've been thinking that since margo verger is nowhere to be found in the film, how exactly will mason die in the film? will he get dumped into the mass of man-eating warthogs? i guess we will find out on feb 9th (or feb 8th, whenever all of you lucky bastards get to see hannibal as a special preview)
i think i have covered all of my bases with this talkback. i would like to thank everyone who made critiques of hannibal as well as myself (ahem Ripper)and the good people at aicn for providing a forum for people such as myself to voice our opinions, its good to know that there is someone out there listening. can't wait to read your review of hannibal harry and I am still waiting for your list of worst films of 2000. i now bid everyone adieu until feb 9th. I would love to chat longer, but i'm having an old friend over for dinner.........
-
Hi, Harry, all. Never have talked back before, but have been a lurker for a while. Just read Krell's comments on "Hannibal" and was inspired to make a comment of my own.
After reading the "Lecter Trilogy", and thinking about it for some time, I'd like to suggest that Harris IS making some comments about the elastic, relative nature of ethical thought via his horrifying, yet compelling "monster", Doc Lec.
In "Red Dragon" he introduces us to the Doctor, who Will Graham, despite the dangers, is consulting in regard to Francis Dolarhyde. We see that Lecter, for all his evil, is still a "valuable" member of society. Or, rather, despite his determined Otherness, he does have something valuable to contribute.
In "Silence", Lecter is, again, used as a consultant. He also, despite his perversity, makes himself a genuine mentor to Starling, and actually does more for her career AND psychological well-being than any of the characters coded as "good" in the novel or the film.
At last, in "Hannibal", Harris invites us, as the reader, to actually enter Lecter's point of view for the first time. Dangerous ground. By putting Lecter in horrific danger, by juxtoposing him against Mason Verger, the repellent pedophile/sadist/victim, and by, again, showing him as genuinely supportive to Starling, the novelist invites us, little by little, to actually identify with Lecter. I don't think this is an accident. I think we are being asked to examine our own morality, and to identify that part of all of us that IS Lecter, or has the potential to be.
In all three novels, all the so-called experts persist in insisting that Lecter is a "monster", is "Other", is a "vampire", and may not actually be properly considered a "human". But I think Harris is asking us to see that this is all just comforting bullshit. Lecter is as human as you or me. Only humans are capable of "good" or "evil". Only humans are guilty of cruelty. And only humans can be morally ambiguous. Lecter, as Harris phrases it in "Hannibal", has both "charm and scales". I'd like to suggest that Harris is inviting readers to put aside our absolute concepts of good and evil and see Lecter as "one of us", with all the troubling ramifications such a thing may entail.
So, when Krell bemoans the bloodthirsty savagery of popular taste, our tendency, as mass consumers, to revel in the spectacle of gruesome and perverse fiction like "Hannibal", perhaps he or she plugs directly into Harris' ultimate theme in all three novels. What makes us plunk down our dollars (by the millions) to check in with "Hannibal"? Perhaps the Hannibal in all of us?
Sorry this is so long. Next time, I'd like to examine the recurring theme of "pets vs. animals" in this trilogy.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 419 total posts 209 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 131 total posts 129 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 123 total posts 122 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 124 total posts 58 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 191 total posts 47 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 43 total posts 43 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 42 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 27 total posts 27 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 506 total posts 26 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 77 total posts 24 posts