The man, the character, is a cult icon; AFI's number one villain and star of a series saturated with wit, charm and violence with a supporting cast eclipsed by the master thriller. The four-part novel series by Thomas Harris displays a snapshot of four stages in the life of prolific serial killer Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal Rising shows his childhood, youth and young adulthood as he revenges his family in a brutal and merciless revenge drama. Red Dragon features the story of Special Agent Will Graham and his collaborations with Lecter, both which nearly cost him his life but the first which facilitates Lecter's capture and imprisonment. Silence of the Lambs brings forward FBI Cadet Clarice Starling as she interviews Dr. Lecter, who helps in her profiling serial killer Buffalo Bill. In the end, Lecter manipulates his way outside of his cell and disappears for over a decade. Disgraced Agent Starling returns to the hunt for a man who continues to haunt her, determined to bring him in and save him from Sadistic Lecter-Victim, Mason Verger, initiating an international manhunt in Hannibal.
In the only movie installment written by author Thomas Harris, Hannibal Rising is a bit out of place with the rest of the series, due mostly because of its origin-story status. As an origin story it thrives in a beautiful narrative way as it unfolds while de-humanizing a young and impressionable boy. As well, it is a coming of age story as it informs all of what the character will be: ruthless, manipulative, violent, vigilant, scientific, stylish and sophisticated. We see each person, from Grutas the Cannibal (Rhys Infans) to Lady Murisaki (Gong Li,) has a hand in his craft and his modus operandi. And this installment is elegant in performance and production. The writing, despite all his knowledge and the fact that he's the father of the series, is a bit disjointed and has a bit of a rocky start. However, to his credit, Harris does stabilize the plot from the discovery of the first of the soldiers, who kidnap Hannibal (Gaspard Ulial) and cannibalize his sister, toward the end. The performances are each elegant and full, despite the uneasy story-line. Ulial's Hannibal is seductive and vicious and graceful. Li's Murisaki is soulful and heartbreakingly sorrowful as well as capable, independent, and instructive. Infans' Grutas is acidic in every way, but he is in full control of his character's essence, inhabiting his character with a fullness of malice, greed and evil. And my favorite, Dominic West's Inspector Popil, feeling responsible for keeping Hannibal on his side of the law issuing heart-felt warnings, but unwittingly educating his charge on evading the law. West fills Popil with horror at what Hannibal is capable of and how much his young life has changed him, once saying that Hannibal is "monstrous." The finesse in the film belongs to its production design. The photography, set pieces, costumes and locations are married with such precision and detail that we are transported back fifty years allowing for a comfortable and effortless viewing experience.
The unease of it's series predecessor highlights the operatic beauty which the next installment holds. Red Dragon eclipses Hannibal Rising in every way. The color, performance, writing, music and overall development is excellent. Of course the presence of Hannibal's iconic performer, Sir Anthony Hopkins, helps; but as Hannibal's been relegated to the sidelines, Hopkins makes due with his little precious time, with great effect. Every performer gives a full performance and breathes a lifelike and equally brilliant performance into each character introduced. The presence I appreciate much is Ralph Fiennes' Francis Dollarhyde. He is imposing physically and emotionally, but shy, tender, confused and split. I enjoy the plot-line involving Reba McClane (Emily Watson) and Dollarhyde's romance. He is shy, while she is confidant, passionate and open. Watson and Fiennes' chemistry is so believable that it's heartbreaking when he chooses to spare her life, but embrace his killer nature. The later exchange between Special Agent Will Graham (Edward Norton) and Reba after Dollarhyde abandons her is warm and very pleasant. As far as filmmaking craft is concerned, I'm impressed and inspired with Danny Elfman's score as he brings soul, sorrow, passion and horror, to equally enhance and edging the suspense of the plot as it unfolds. This installment fits very well into the myth-arc for the series as it plugs into the next installment with poise and smoothness, presenting a comfortable ride through a very full and beautiful film.
Then, there's the magnum opus, the first and best: Silence of the Lambs!! Every actor and filmmaker should see this staggeringly spine-tingling and stingingly sensual experience. I remember being so captivated ten years ago when I first met Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) and Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) and felt my nerve endings quiver during their tense game of quid pro quo. Hopkins' iconic performance, seducing everyone as our soul sighs in agony as we give in and fall helpless to give him what he wants, just as Starling does, as Lecter--a caged bird--sings his song and that song was so beautiful. And, as a woman, I am inspired by Starling's empowerment courtesy of their conversations. Buffalo Bill, however, is a weak character, not scary to me at all: as a fan of CBS' Criminal Minds, entering the mind of this type of killer is nothing new to my sensibilities. Of course, Bill's not the one that is destined to make my heart race: he's the prize for winning the game. The framing, staging and blocking involved was brilliant. The casting of the extras in the funeral home scene alone was fantastic: Clarice is surrounded, nearly in a neat circle, by local law enforcement officers and they all tower over her by at least six inches, all wearing green uniforms against her baby blue jacket making her drown in sea of green masculinity...stunning!! Also the photography surrounding Lecter's cell during his escape, creating a beautiful picture. I've always loved this one over all the others, and of course it sits well in the series as the four jump off from its base.
The fourth, chronologically, is also the most bizarre. It seems to be rather unfocused, as it deals with several themes: love, corruption, revenge, survival, freedom and the classic criminal fugitive hunt. Whereas the technical aspects and design details are stunning, the story stumbles. However, it stumbles rather smoothly. The package is blunt, but passionate, as Hannibal lures Clarice (Julianne Moore) into confessing her affection for him, which she never does and can never do because she's a hero and cannot cross that line. The makeup is the most stunning aspect of the film, besides the entirety that is the package. Especially the job done on Mason Verger (Gary Oldman) who's facial makeup hides his face so well, I was unable to recognize one of my favorite actors beneath the first time I saw it. Ridley Scott, the director, is famous for going the full distance, whether creating a futuristic wasteland or recreating the 1960's or The Colosseum of Ancient Rome. And here, he takes no exception: when his pawn dies, Rinaldo Pazzi (Giancarlo Gianni) has blood all over his own hands and must wash it off, so he does in a fountain featuring a large boar foreshadowing the death intended by Verger for Hannibal Lecter. Until this time, I failed to notice this; one of the perks of the practice of multiple viewings. The package is brilliant, passionate and sensual; so beautiful, but so bizarre.
The films in this series are related, but they're related only by the character of Lecter, with the exception of Hannibal's Starling (and even that differs because of the performance change between Foster and Moore) and the mention of her in Red Dragon. The relationship is not drawn by style, as there are four distinct production designs and four very differing directors. The scores don't sound similar, the photography is not similar, so the series doesn't flow smoothly. Unlike the original three Star Wars films or the original six Star Trek films, the style does not match. It makes our journey a bit unsettled and unbalanced. And, just because the directors differ, doesn't mean the style cannot match; after all the Harry Potter film series has four separate directors and they flow pretty smoothly. However, this diversity doesn't mean that the series is less interesting, because each film represents a very different stage in the life of our chief character, Hannibal Lecter. The series is interesting to me; I can watch each over and over again because they each have excellence within.
****
IN: Anthony Hopkins
OUT: Gong Li
Coming Soon: Miami Vice
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