Yes, I know I've written about these movies not so long ago. I watched Red Dragon and The Silence Of The Lambs in December and Hannibal last month. I've seen Red Dragon four times, The Silence of the Lambs three times and Hannibal two times, apart I'm considering watching it again tomorrow.
But these are not all the movies. There's Manhunter, and there's Hannibal Rising. Hell, there's even the TV show. But for me these three are the most important ones, partly because they feel more original, even though Manhunter was the first one, and even though Hannibal Rising is still based on a book. But these three feel more real than anything else. And I need to write about them, so I don't talk about them too much to people who couldn't care less what I think about Dr Hannibal Lecter.
Red Dragon was the first one I saw, I started them in the wrong order since The Silence Of The Lambs is the first one to be published. But the things I remember best are the start and the end. At the start, Dr Lecter is at a concert, but fliches every time a musician plays very badly. After that, members at the orchestra are dining at Dr Lecter's place. One person mentions how a musician has gone missing, he was relieved a bit, since the man couldn't play so well. A woman asks "what is this marvellous looking amuse-bouche?" To which Dr Lecter answers: "If I tell you, I'm afraid you won't even taste it." I had seen only Mads Mikkelsen play Dr Lecter before, so I was sort of nervous. How easily could I accept Anthony Hopkins? That's a stupid question. That one question sealed the deal, even I liked him before he said anything - his flinching was so in character. After reading the book I noticed how many extra scenes they gave Hopkins, but who minds? Who wouldn't want to see more of him on the screen? I wasn't very comfortable with thrillers when watching Red Dragon, but it wasn't that scary, and I could sleep well that night, which is a bonus.
And oh, the love of my life, The Silence Of The Lambs. It is something so brilliant, something so amazing. The longest review I've ever written was for the Silence Of The Lambs, and it was the first one to deserve a full ten stars from me. (And still, there is only two, this and The Hunt.) And I told how strong my reaction to the movie was. I was so excited I had to throw up. I'm still proud of myself for watching this movie, since for all my life I've been sort of scared of this movie. Mostly because it was sitting on my dad's shelf, on the place with other "really scary movie", but this was somehow the scariest, and I don't even know why. I guess it's just the reputation it has. But I watched this, and there's nothing more brilliant than this one. Jodie Foster is marvellous as Clarice Starling, and Clarice Starling is one of the best female characters, if not the best. She's brilliantly written - in books and in movies. But what I wish is that I could watch the movies again, without knowing anything about them, and start with this one. Because the scene were Clarice first meets Dr Lecter is very... I don't have a word for it. But the way Dr Lecter is just standing at there, looking straight at Clarice, looking straight at us. And that's one thing I love about the movie. We are Clarice. We see people with Clarice's eyes, she never looks straight at the camera (apart from one scene if I'm correct), but everyone looks straight at Clarice.
That is why about two hours ago I thought, I don't need to watch this movie with subtitles any more. Because I don't pay attention to them anyway. What I pay attention are those captivating eyes of Anthony Hopkins. Because when he looks at Clarice, I'm pretty sure Clarice can't look away because we can't look away. It's partly Dr Lecter, partly Anthony Hopkins. But that's why I turned the subtitles off, even sometimes I really need them, because the dialogue goes so fast. But now, the subtitles went fast, I wasn't looking at them, I was staring straight at Dr Lecter. And I love that.
What's scary with Red Dragon is that near it's ending Dr Lecter is writing a letter for Will Graham. But then he looks up. In Silence Of The Lambs characters look at Clarice. But in Red Dragon, there was no one there, apart from possible Dr Chilton, who later was standing in a different place, and who wouldn't get that stare from Dr Lecter. So... who was Dr Lecter looking at, if not us? That's the all-knowing vibe Lecter has, or has had ever since The Silence Of The Lambs.
And then there is Hannibal. Where The Silence Of The Lambs is the most terrifying with the scene in Jame Gumb's house being really agonising, Hannibal is more... Gruesome. It has a lot more violence in it, and we see it. In Silence Of The Lambs Lecter kills few guards - and we're looking at their eyes when Dr Lecter bites their face or attacks them with a baton. That's terrifying. But in Hannibal, we're not seeing as the victim. We are standing there, on our own, just seeing what happens. I don't know which one is better. I guess having the characters looking at you while you're looking at them has more effect, but the way in Hannibal is not bad either. Some people don't like the violence and blood bursting out of people - okay that didn't happen that much. But I like it, since now we see what Dr Lecter really does. In Silence Of The Lambs, we saw him kill too people, and we know he killed a few more. He had 16 minutes screentime. Here, he's closer to us, he's more like a true main character and antagonist. We get more familiar with his... "work". We see what he does to Pazzi, we see what he does to Paul Krendler, we see what he did to Mason Verger. And it's good that it's not sugarcoated violence. We already know who Dr Lecter is, we don't have to be protected from seeing it, because we know what we are watching.
The only thing that makes me feel bad about Hannibal is the ending. The ending is great, I love it, but... that's not how the book goes. Book continues for a while from where the movie ends. Or at least that's what I think - I haven't finished yet. But it's not that I don't appreciate that ending. That's a nice ending, that's more... friendly. To certain characters. Not so much drugging and manipulation and stuff.
Now, phew, I've gone through films. But... I'm not done. I want to talk about the chemistry between Dr Lecter and Clarice Starling. That chemistry is there in the books, it's there between Hopkins and Foster, it's there between Hopkins and Julianne Moore. I know it's wrong and really weird to like them as "a couple", but I like them as a couple. I feel weirdly guilty about it. But my heart always skips a beat during those few scenes. When Clarice goes to see Dr Lecter for the last times, says that she came because she wanted to, and Dr Lecter says: "People will say we're in love". When Clarice reaches for the case file and Dr Lecter gently caresses her finger while saying goodbye. And especially, their last scene together. But yes, there are so many things wrong with their relationship. I'm not even going to mention everything in the book and ruining people's "surprises", but even the age difference. In Hannibal, Dr Lecter is about 60 years old, Clarice Starling is about 30. And of course, the obvious thing: she being an FBI agent, he being a cannibalistic serial killer.
I think the main reasons I like these movies is that whole last paragraph and then, well, my favourite Dr Lecter. My list goes Hopkins, Gaspard Ulliel, Mads Mikkelsen, Brian Cox. Sir Anthony Hopkins is a truly brilliant actor - and he's an interesting person. He is very majestic in every role. He's almost adorable in the interviews. He comes up with great improvisations. He acts while having slipped disk. He makes me want to become an actor - he makes me question myself and why do I think 70-year-old man is extremely sexy. But what I love most about him is that... he took the most evil, the worst villain ever, and he made him... human. I mean there's Ulliel in Hannibal Rising, he's like the devil himself. And it's the same with Mads Mikkelsen. Brian Cox had three scenes, I don't know anything about his Lecter. And then there's Hopkins' Lecter, the most human Lecter I've ever seen. And I don't know how he did that - because it's not really visible. Maybe you need to see the movies as many times as I've seen them (I haven't seen them so many times but still) to notice it. It's weird, but it's there.
But I figured something out. If you watch these, and start with Silence Of The Lambs and end with Red Dragon, you see the great brilliance that might have been an accident. The first line in Silence Of The Lambs is "Starling". In Red Dragon (which takes place before The Silence Of The Lambs), the last scene is Dr Chilton telling Dr Lecter, that there's an FBI agent there to see him, ask a few questions, but "she's far too pretty if you ask him". He tells Dr Lecter not to worry, he'll tell her he said no. Dr Lecter looks up and the last words of that movie are: "What is her name?"
Red Dragon:
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
7 / 10
The Silence Of The Lambs:
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
10 / 10
Hannibal:
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
9 / 10
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