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The Hannibal Lecter Films

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  • The Hannibal Lecter Films

    OK, so we watched Manhunter the other night. That was kind of neat because we're finishing up the last season of Hannibal and without spoiling that here in this thread, the last few episodes deal with the Red Dragon story on which Manhunter was based.

    Anyway, it for me thinking about Manhunter and the other movies.

    Silence Of The Lambs is obviously a great movie. The performances are fantastic, Demme's direction is spot on, the script is tight and the whole thing just comes together in a big way. It's worthy of all the praise that it's been given over the years.

    Hannibal, and it's been a while since I've seen it, is an exercise in big budget over the top gratuitousness. I remember thinking parts of it were pretty funny, actually, though I think Scott was in on the joke at times. The dinner scene with Liotta comes to mind as a good example of the film's attempts to take things in a more darkly comedic direction (which carries over into the TV series if you think about it).

    Red Dragon I only ever saw once when it was a new release and I remember enjoying it, appreciating the performances, the style and the pacing but thinking that Manhunter was the better version primarily because Tom Noonan is so extra special creepy in Mann's take.

    Hannibal Rising I've never seen. I know it was panned but that's never stopped me before and the fact that it covers the character's younger years is intriguing to me. I'll make a point of tracking it down and checking it out sooner rather than later, just to complete the series I guess.
    Rock! Shock! Pop!

  • #2
    I never really liked Manhunter. I admire its craftsmanship, it has great cinematography and sound design. But as a film it does nothing for me. Silence of the Lambs is superb. Obviously. I'd be some hipster fuck to say that it's overrated or bad. Dare I say that it's one of those "perfect" films.

    Hannibal I like a lot. I don't understand why it's considered to be bad by the big mainstream critics. Most of the focus on that aspect seem to be on the dinner scene. Gary Oldman is great as always.

    Red Dragon was okay. Not terrible but nothing of note. Hopkins is very hammy in this picture and Norton was either miscast or the dialog just wasn't the right fit. Hugh Dancy from the TV show was 10 million times better than Norton in the role and I think most will agree with that.

    Hannibal Rising is a piece of shit.

    TV show. A hit and miss first season. But when it misses, it's still interesting. The show reminds me of good Eyetalian Horror and I know David Slade (who directed a few episodes) and a few other directors/cinematographers acknowledged that influence. Is Mads Mikkelson the definitive Hannibal Lecter? Possibly.
    "Ah! By god's balls what licentiousness!"

    Marquis de Sade, The 120 Days of Sodom.

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    • #3
      What I like about the Hannibal movies is that each is very different from the other (with the exception of the pointless and generic Red Dragon remake). Love the straight ahead realism of Manhunter, but also the ridiculous over the top Hannibal (one of my favourite Ridley Scott films). Yes, Hannibal Rising was dull as hell, but then Thomas Harris was really forced into writing it. As for the TV series, once it got past the killer of the week format, it became one of the boldest and most unhinged things I've ever seen on TV, a twisted gothic romance between the two leading men. I'm not surprised that it got canned, it was too unique and challenging for most audiences. It's about as far removed from Manhunter as you can get using the same source material and quite fascinating to compare them.

      I'll never forget acompanying my mother to see Silence of the Lambs and wanting to be anywhere else during the jizz lobbing scene!
      I'm bitter, I'm twisted, James Joyce is fucking my sister.

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      • #4
        I used to be a total Dr. Lecter freak and remember being beyond psyched for Hannibal and I have to say its been my favorite of the films pretty much since it came out. The pigs, Gary Oldman's face, the inspectors death, the dinner scene, ect... so good. Ian summed it perfectly, "big budget over the top gratuitousness". A rare species these days.
        LA PASIÓN ESPAÑOL: THE EROTIC MELODRAMAS OF VICENTE ARANDA (1991-1999)

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        • #5
          I like Manhunter & SOTL quite a bit but remember fuck-all about the other films and thought the Hannibal series was more miss than hit but I would like to see them all again and I appreciate the series for being the most arty & violent tv series ever.

          I plan on ordering the new Manhunter bd but SOTL I'm fine with watching when I run across it on cable.

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          • #6
            Manhunter is my favourite. Hannibal is better than I expected but I think Perkins now seems like the least interesting version of Lecter.

            Silence is good but I had a film teacher who overpraised it and when analysing it closely for a class the script's clumsiness of certain devices becomes obvious. Not the film's fault I just think ot wasn't built for such a close reading. What make it stand up all these years though is Foster and Hopkin's performances, particularly together.
            Randy G
            Senior Member
            Last edited by Randy G; 05-24-2016, 06:44 AM.

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            • #7
              MANHUNTER is by far my favorite as well. I had read the book before seeing it and, while the ending was changed, I thought for the most part it was a very faithful adaptation. It is also genuinely unnerving in places, the fiery wheelchair scene being one. It is somewhat dated to be sure but that doesn't particularly bother me. I do find SILENCE to be somewhat overrated, despite risking Alex's obnoxious, insulting broadside. It's a good film to be sure with some fine performances - though I don't think Perkins is one of them. I think he overacts tremendously. I need to see HANNIBAL again, haven't done so since it opened. I do remember being kind of letdown. The dinner scene, particularly when Lecter is eating pieces of Liotta's brain, did strike me as hilarious. We were even talking like Liotta after the film "hey buddy" in that kind of slurring way.
              I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Andrew Monroe View Post
                despite risking Alex's obnoxious, insulting broadside.
                Look, I'm just saying it might be a perfect film both in terms of execution and the technical aspect. You'd really have to dig deep to find faults in it.
                "Ah! By god's balls what licentiousness!"

                Marquis de Sade, The 120 Days of Sodom.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by Alex K. View Post
                  Look, I'm just saying it might be a perfect film both in terms of execution and the technical aspect. You'd really have to dig deep to find faults in it.
                  \

                  No, what you said was "Obviously. I'd be some hipster fuck to say that it's overrated or bad." That kind of obnoxious, stereotyping generalization rubs me the wrong way.
                  I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons.

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                  • #10
                    For those in the UK:

                    Jonathan Demme's classic chiller thriller, The Silence of the Lambs starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, returns to cinemas on 3 November 2017 as part of the UK-wide BFI Thriller season. With a new trailer and a new 4K transfer, don't miss this iconic thriller.

                    http://www.bfi.org.uk/whats-on/bfi-fi...

                    Rock! Shock! Pop!

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                    • #11
                      Kino announced they are releasing The Silence of the Lambs on UHD in October.

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