••••&# 8226;• Welcome to the extremes of Saturnian life. There is ple...
••••&# 8226;• Welcome to the extremes of Saturnian life. There is plenty that I don't have strong views on, but you wouldn't know if from these !
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There is a striking trend in modern filmmaking to gut good books and leave only one strand of the story. Things which are difficult politically, economically or cinematographically are thrown out without ceremony. Hannibal, like Chocolat and Captain Corelli's Mandolin is no exception.
Authors often love their characters from the start, or else grow to love them. I think that Thomas Harris has been seduced by his own creation. In the book, he looks for the human, cultured side of Lecter and tries to explain his little indescretions with references to hideous deeds that he was forced to witness - or perform - as a child. Harris introduces some real nasties into the plot to soften Lector's own nastiness. A drug runner who would kill her child to escape, a child molestor who is physically and morally repulsive, a political enemy for Starling in the FBI who is an utter bastard.
All of these characters are here in the film, but they have their claws trimmed to some extent. Their rawness is removed and with it the film looses some of its power. The story becomes a manhunt with some things to say about human nature, resulting in a film which doesn't fit its hollywood nice. It doesn't have the impact of the Silence of the Lambs, either as a shocker, or as a psychological drama.
There is also an interesting theme in the use of the seven deadly sins. Gluttony (the pigs, Lecter is no glutton of course). Lust (Mason Verger). Envy (Krendler). Greed (Pazzi). etc. But none of this works in a film.
The performances do work. Julianne Moore is excellent, even if it is difficult to see how her character would have grown out of the vulnerable Clarice Starling of The Silence of the Lambs. Hopkins is outstanding, showing just a taste of worldly boredom with his lot. Ray Liotta is wonderfully nasty as Krendler, a man who eventually gets a taste of his own mental shenannigans. The standout performance though has to be Gary Oldman, for his virtually uncredited take on the slug Verger.
Spoiler free plot summary:
Lecter is alive and well, living in Florence. Starling is in disgrace for being a good cop. A local plod spots Lecter. Mason Verger (an early victim) has offered a large reward. The Italian policemen goes after the reward. The FBI catch wind and go after him too. Hannibal is captured. Meanwhile, someone trains some pigs to eat people. Lecter and Starling meet through complex plot macguffins. All hell breaks loose. A spooky, sequel friendly ending happens.
In summary, a good film bit dissapointing when compared to the first one.
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Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
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![Hannibal [DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78509515.jpg "Hannibal [DVD] [2001]")
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