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rhodrymavelyneI’ve read all of the Hannibal Lecter books by Thomas Harris has written; The Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising. To my surprise; my favorites were Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal Rising.
I can see why Bryan Fuller loves The Red Dragon and Hannibal. He brought some of the best elements out of both of those books, turning the rich language and poetry into dialogue which talented actors brought the best out of, while his crew transformed other aspects into gorgeous sets. Will Graham, Francis Dolarhyde, Hannibal Lecter, Reba McClaine, Jack Crawford, and Molly Graham (I marvel how Will and Molly’s child’s name changes in every incarnation; he’s Willy in the book, Kevin in Manhunter, Josh in The Red Dragon movie, Walter/Wally in Hannibal the TV series) were all marvelous characters, but they were often buried between layers of police procedure in the novel, layers which felt very authentic, yet slowed the plot down for me. Both The Red Dragon and Hannibal were peppered with what Thomas Harris and Hannibal Lecter called the eggbound. It’s distressing to meet them yet again in literature after suffering them in reality. It is a sinister stress-reliever seeing them cross Hannibal's path and suffer the consequences. Prominent among the eggbound is Paul Krendler whom meets such a gruesomely iconic ending, I go back and forth in wondering how apt it is. I’m still not comfortable with how Hannibal ended. I’m not sure if Hannibal and Clarice earned their blood-drenched sunset the way Hannibal and Will earned their blood-drenched embrace at the end of the TV series.
Silence of the Lambs surpassed my expectations, conveying elements of character that didn’t make its way into the film. Jame Gumb and his house of mannequins made a far more striking impression in my mind, inspiring images for Jimmy Price’s twin, a cosplay designer in fanfic. Hannibal Lecter was a much greater presence in Silence of the Lambs than in The Red Dragon. I enjoyed the details about Benjamin Raspail, which gave Hannibal the key to Buffalo Bill. Clarice Starling is an excellent character as is her roommate, Ardelia Mapp. The latter is whom I’ve based the Clarice in my fanfics upon, giving her a similar bond with Miriam Lass to what Ardelia shares with Clarice in the books. Jack, Bella, and Hannibal’s awareness of their situation was conveyed in this book, something I felt was developed and explored in poignant detail in the TV series. I was also very glad Hannibal asked after Will when he met Clarice in the book, that Will Graham was spared a thought before getting dumped. Clarice Starling as Miriam Lass and Will Graham in the TV series really switched places in the chronology of Hannibal’s experience of them, something I’ve always preferred.
Hannibal Rising is perhaps my favorite. I detected more poetry in that book than any other and the police procedure was replaced with historical narrative. Francis Dolarhyde’s gesture to Reba with the tiger was powerful and poetic in The Red Dragon, but so was the young Hannibal’s to the Lady Murasaki with the cricket. Many of the quiet moments of intimacy I adored between Will and Hannibal in the TV series I found a parallel in the quiet moments of intimacy between Hannibal and his aunt. The way she mentored Hannibal, giving him a taste for elegance and manners was exquisite, a beautiful contrast to the nightmarish fairytale of Hannibal’s youth playing out during World War II and its aftermath. I still wonder how much of that backstory was harvested for the Hannibal TV series and how much could be harvested for fanfic. Perhaps the man trapped in the cellar prison was Grutas? Perhaps Hannibal tracked him to France after he killed Mischa when he adopted by his uncle. Perhaps Chiyoh was involved in the hunt. I’m also intrigued by the idea of certain moments in Hannibal Lecter’s past paralleling those in a young Jack Crawford’s; how certain key moments made them hunters, manipulators and men of taste. I can almost hear Will Graham narrating the backstory of his two mentors, alike yet dissimilar.
Back to the source material I'm exploring. I didn’t stop with the books. I watched Silence of the Lambs again; which is still an excellent film with iconic performances from Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. Clarice’s backstory in the movie of escaping with the lamb works more with my fannish vision of Clarice associating Will with the lamb, having his screams mixed with the lambs than Clarice escaping with the horse as she does in the books. It’s interesting to see how little a part Clarice’s mother plays in her background, it’s just her father and herself. Her siblings of which she was the oldest aren’t even mentioned, although they don’t play much of a part in the books. I’m curious which backstory the TV series Clarice will pick for her; the movie’s or the books. I have a feeling it’ll be the books because there’s more potential drama and characters in having her mother as a figure of shame, contributing to her fear of being a rube, yet also being a source of strength Clarice herself has underestimated. We’ll see.
Manhunter shocked me with its hard, clean neatness to quote Reba McClaine (and Thomas Harris). Nothing old or dirty had a place in its world. The Blake painting was an anomoly there. Blood and broken glass were the only signs of disorder. It was still an attractive film, a striking film which I enjoyed watching once more.
Hannibal had so much old world beauty and elegance, such striking shots in Florence. Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen both cut such striking, memorable figures there, yet so different in the movie versus the TV series, yet they inform and enhance each other. Julianne Moore was the Clarice Starling whom made me think of Anna Chlumsky’s Miriam Lass, creating a very strong character, as strong as, yet different than Jodie Foster’s Clarice. No Ardelia Mapp for her, this Clarice had only Hannibal, along with the gentleman bringing her things in her office and Benetti. Benetti really is quite the sexy one in both the movie and the series. Pazzi was much rougher and grimmer than Fortunato Cellini’s Pazzi in the TV series, in spite of similar misfortunes. Gary Oldman’s Mason Verger was sinster and fun. Funny how he struck me as far more sympathetic than Michael Pitt or Joe Anderson’s Mason, perhaps because he didn’t have any Margot or children to torment. And yet Gary Oldman’s Mason didn’t command half the loyalty from his Cordell that Joe Anderson did from his. Ah, well, Joe Anderson’s Mason did treat his Cordell better than Gary Oldman’s Mason did. The scene with Mason being played by Hannibal Lecter made Hannibal seem so much more sinister with his cigar and Mason almost trying to seduce him while there was a comedic sense of comeuppance to Michael Pitt’s Mason being played…and drugged by Hannibal while Hannibal’s head turns into that of a pig. It was an intriguing contrast.
I was bracing myself to be disappointed in the movie The Red Dragon, being as infatuated as I am with Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham. To my surprise, I loved the film. There was so much which felt like it was leading into the Hannibal TV series, foreshadowing it; the concert, the dinner party, Will Graham consulting with Hannibal Lecter at his home. The scene where Hannibal stabs Will took my breath away; Anthony Hopkins starts out so soothing and fatherly even when he’s telling Will he’s going to eat his heart. It gave me goosebumps. The location for the Dolarhyde estate had the right touch of haunted menace and Grandma Dolarhyde made her presence felt as much as the Dragon did. I loved Ray Fiennes and Emily Watson’s performances as Dolarhyde and Reba, even if I didn’t love them quite as much as I did Richard Armitage and Rutina Wesley’s, they still did an amazing job. Some of the smaller parts in the movie were compelling, drawing interest in the police procedure which I felt was a great touch.
Last I saw Hannibal Rising which was gorgeous, brutal, retaining the essential richness of the book if not quite all of my favorite moments. An outstanding cast brought the characters to life and the settings were larger than life. It took my breath away.
Here I am at the end of my blog, breathless, still processing all of this extraordinary material, wondering how it’s going to inform my own work. I could have written blogs in their own rights about the movies The Red Dragon and Hannibal Rising, since I had more to say about both. I may yet.
I can see why Bryan Fuller loves The Red Dragon and Hannibal. He brought some of the best elements out of both of those books, turning the rich language and poetry into dialogue which talented actors brought the best out of, while his crew transformed other aspects into gorgeous sets. Will Graham, Francis Dolarhyde, Hannibal Lecter, Reba McClaine, Jack Crawford, and Molly Graham (I marvel how Will and Molly’s child’s name changes in every incarnation; he’s Willy in the book, Kevin in Manhunter, Josh in The Red Dragon movie, Walter/Wally in Hannibal the TV series) were all marvelous characters, but they were often buried between layers of police procedure in the novel, layers which felt very authentic, yet slowed the plot down for me. Both The Red Dragon and Hannibal were peppered with what Thomas Harris and Hannibal Lecter called the eggbound. It’s distressing to meet them yet again in literature after suffering them in reality. It is a sinister stress-reliever seeing them cross Hannibal's path and suffer the consequences. Prominent among the eggbound is Paul Krendler whom meets such a gruesomely iconic ending, I go back and forth in wondering how apt it is. I’m still not comfortable with how Hannibal ended. I’m not sure if Hannibal and Clarice earned their blood-drenched sunset the way Hannibal and Will earned their blood-drenched embrace at the end of the TV series.
Silence of the Lambs surpassed my expectations, conveying elements of character that didn’t make its way into the film. Jame Gumb and his house of mannequins made a far more striking impression in my mind, inspiring images for Jimmy Price’s twin, a cosplay designer in fanfic. Hannibal Lecter was a much greater presence in Silence of the Lambs than in The Red Dragon. I enjoyed the details about Benjamin Raspail, which gave Hannibal the key to Buffalo Bill. Clarice Starling is an excellent character as is her roommate, Ardelia Mapp. The latter is whom I’ve based the Clarice in my fanfics upon, giving her a similar bond with Miriam Lass to what Ardelia shares with Clarice in the books. Jack, Bella, and Hannibal’s awareness of their situation was conveyed in this book, something I felt was developed and explored in poignant detail in the TV series. I was also very glad Hannibal asked after Will when he met Clarice in the book, that Will Graham was spared a thought before getting dumped. Clarice Starling as Miriam Lass and Will Graham in the TV series really switched places in the chronology of Hannibal’s experience of them, something I’ve always preferred.
Hannibal Rising is perhaps my favorite. I detected more poetry in that book than any other and the police procedure was replaced with historical narrative. Francis Dolarhyde’s gesture to Reba with the tiger was powerful and poetic in The Red Dragon, but so was the young Hannibal’s to the Lady Murasaki with the cricket. Many of the quiet moments of intimacy I adored between Will and Hannibal in the TV series I found a parallel in the quiet moments of intimacy between Hannibal and his aunt. The way she mentored Hannibal, giving him a taste for elegance and manners was exquisite, a beautiful contrast to the nightmarish fairytale of Hannibal’s youth playing out during World War II and its aftermath. I still wonder how much of that backstory was harvested for the Hannibal TV series and how much could be harvested for fanfic. Perhaps the man trapped in the cellar prison was Grutas? Perhaps Hannibal tracked him to France after he killed Mischa when he adopted by his uncle. Perhaps Chiyoh was involved in the hunt. I’m also intrigued by the idea of certain moments in Hannibal Lecter’s past paralleling those in a young Jack Crawford’s; how certain key moments made them hunters, manipulators and men of taste. I can almost hear Will Graham narrating the backstory of his two mentors, alike yet dissimilar.
Back to the source material I'm exploring. I didn’t stop with the books. I watched Silence of the Lambs again; which is still an excellent film with iconic performances from Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. Clarice’s backstory in the movie of escaping with the lamb works more with my fannish vision of Clarice associating Will with the lamb, having his screams mixed with the lambs than Clarice escaping with the horse as she does in the books. It’s interesting to see how little a part Clarice’s mother plays in her background, it’s just her father and herself. Her siblings of which she was the oldest aren’t even mentioned, although they don’t play much of a part in the books. I’m curious which backstory the TV series Clarice will pick for her; the movie’s or the books. I have a feeling it’ll be the books because there’s more potential drama and characters in having her mother as a figure of shame, contributing to her fear of being a rube, yet also being a source of strength Clarice herself has underestimated. We’ll see.
Manhunter shocked me with its hard, clean neatness to quote Reba McClaine (and Thomas Harris). Nothing old or dirty had a place in its world. The Blake painting was an anomoly there. Blood and broken glass were the only signs of disorder. It was still an attractive film, a striking film which I enjoyed watching once more.
Hannibal had so much old world beauty and elegance, such striking shots in Florence. Anthony Hopkins and Mads Mikkelsen both cut such striking, memorable figures there, yet so different in the movie versus the TV series, yet they inform and enhance each other. Julianne Moore was the Clarice Starling whom made me think of Anna Chlumsky’s Miriam Lass, creating a very strong character, as strong as, yet different than Jodie Foster’s Clarice. No Ardelia Mapp for her, this Clarice had only Hannibal, along with the gentleman bringing her things in her office and Benetti. Benetti really is quite the sexy one in both the movie and the series. Pazzi was much rougher and grimmer than Fortunato Cellini’s Pazzi in the TV series, in spite of similar misfortunes. Gary Oldman’s Mason Verger was sinster and fun. Funny how he struck me as far more sympathetic than Michael Pitt or Joe Anderson’s Mason, perhaps because he didn’t have any Margot or children to torment. And yet Gary Oldman’s Mason didn’t command half the loyalty from his Cordell that Joe Anderson did from his. Ah, well, Joe Anderson’s Mason did treat his Cordell better than Gary Oldman’s Mason did. The scene with Mason being played by Hannibal Lecter made Hannibal seem so much more sinister with his cigar and Mason almost trying to seduce him while there was a comedic sense of comeuppance to Michael Pitt’s Mason being played…and drugged by Hannibal while Hannibal’s head turns into that of a pig. It was an intriguing contrast.
I was bracing myself to be disappointed in the movie The Red Dragon, being as infatuated as I am with Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham. To my surprise, I loved the film. There was so much which felt like it was leading into the Hannibal TV series, foreshadowing it; the concert, the dinner party, Will Graham consulting with Hannibal Lecter at his home. The scene where Hannibal stabs Will took my breath away; Anthony Hopkins starts out so soothing and fatherly even when he’s telling Will he’s going to eat his heart. It gave me goosebumps. The location for the Dolarhyde estate had the right touch of haunted menace and Grandma Dolarhyde made her presence felt as much as the Dragon did. I loved Ray Fiennes and Emily Watson’s performances as Dolarhyde and Reba, even if I didn’t love them quite as much as I did Richard Armitage and Rutina Wesley’s, they still did an amazing job. Some of the smaller parts in the movie were compelling, drawing interest in the police procedure which I felt was a great touch.
Last I saw Hannibal Rising which was gorgeous, brutal, retaining the essential richness of the book if not quite all of my favorite moments. An outstanding cast brought the characters to life and the settings were larger than life. It took my breath away.
Here I am at the end of my blog, breathless, still processing all of this extraordinary material, wondering how it’s going to inform my own work. I could have written blogs in their own rights about the movies The Red Dragon and Hannibal Rising, since I had more to say about both. I may yet.
