What’s better than watching a couple of horror movies in the middle of the night on the beach during the December holidays?
Nothing, that’s my answer.
I watched a hefty amount of horror movies during the holidays. Few involving the Hannibal Lecture series such as Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon with two stories revolving around Agent Clarice Starling and one plot revolving around Agent Will Graham, both characters developing a relationship with the infamous doctor, Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter. As each story developes and progresses throughout the movie, the audience discovers more and more of who Hannibal Lecter is, what he does and why he does it.
The first movie of the series was the Silence of the Lambs.
Silence of the Lambs poster
The story revolves around the unraveling case of Buffalo Bill and Agent Clarice Starling, played by Jodie Foster, who seeks the help of Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins. Throughout the story, inexchange of the information of Buffalo Bill, she reveals a little more of her unhappy childhood to the doctor, only to let their relationship progress.
I personally enjoyed this movie since we see the developing relationship between Hannibal and Clarice. It’s really interesting how two opposing sides can easily blend into one blossomg connection, only to see unconfine the mysteriousness Hannibal maintains. Although Hannibal’s appearance throughout the movie is not quite frequent, he definitely comes as a major character, being an important source of information.
The second movie of the series is Hannibal.
Hannibal Poster
This story still revolves around the life of Agent Clarice Starling, played by Julianne Moore. At this time, after solving the case of Buffalo Bill, she becomes only more known and popular amongst the people for her work but only to gradually decrease her popularity due to the multiple deaths of cops in the midst of a public shoot-out during an arrest. It is then her life is threatened and haunted constantly by appearances of Hannibal Lecter and it becomes a race against time to discover his whereabouts before a much evil opponent with a grudge kills the doctor.
Within this movie, we discover moer of a human side to Hannibal. We see most of how he feels towards other people and his reasons for those feelings he has. There are multiple secrets we discover throughout the film and I feel like this movie is a vital episode to the series since it uncovers so much of what Hannibal is like.
The third movie of the series is Red Dragon.
Red Dragon Poster
This film is set before Agent Clarice Starling was involved and begins before Hannibal Lecter was arrested. Edward Norton, who plays as Agent Will Graham, is suddenly forced to get back to work in an attempt to solve a deadly case after a traumatizing attack from the doctor. Desperate to solve the case, he returns to the one source he can imagine and his one nightmare, Hannibal Lecter, who assists Will Graham.
I thought this movie was really interesting, seeing how one can face his nightmare, only to save himself and others around him. The uses of symbolism was constant and frequent and important too, as it becomes more meaningful throughout the movie. We also sight moments of a softer side to an evil figure within the movie, seeing that there is more reason to the actions he takes.
Developing Characters
- Agent Clarice Starling; A rookie FBI agent with an unhappy childhood to boot, she comes across as a rather stoic and determined character. At first, she is unfazed by Hannibal and his background and has trouble figuring out the confusing riddles he says and seem to think rather inside of the box. As we continue watching the two movies, we discover she developed into a famous FBI agent, still maintaining her courage and determination for work. With the work she’s done with Hannibal, she has the ability to think outside of the box, aiding her solving multiple cases. Although Hannibal and her had developed their friendship, the appearances and hints of Hannibal’s existance within the world does not scare her but rather worries her.
- Hannibal Lecter; With an unhappy background, he has grown to be a famous doctor at first, secretly killing those he finds disrespectful to the community and eats them thus his nickname, Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter. To discover more of his past, you’d have to watch the fourth movie of the series-Hannibal, The Rising. Known as a genius, he constantly torments his victims emotionally and psychologically.
- Will Graham; Married with two children and a loving wife, he is an FBI agent who has similar traits to Agent Clarice Starling herself. Smart and with the ability to think outside of the box, he solves multiple cases with the help of Hannibal Lecter, someone who Will finds as a companion. In the midst of solving the cases behind the mysterious deaths, Hannibal, the killer himself, attacks Will who successfully wounds Hannibal and arrests the doctor.
Genre
- Horror
- Psychological Thriller
Narrative Structure
(According to the order of the FILMS, not the stories within the films.)
- Non-Linear Structure
-The overall stories amongst the films are constantly switching back and forth.
-In the beginning, Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal are movies that involve Hannibal and Agent Clarice Starling after he is arrested.
-The Red Dragon involves Hannibal and Agent Will Graham, a little before Agent Clarice Starling was introduced and slightly before Hannibal was arrested.
-The fourth movie, Hannibal, The Rising, revolves more around Hannibal and his background, his past and unravels more of his family.
-The story of the films overall start along the beginning.
Watch the trailers of all three movies! You got to watch these movies.
I loved all these three movies and I’m hoping to watch the fourth movie of the series soon, seeing that Hannibal, The Rising, is posted up on YouTube. Silence of the Lambs was not disappointing, that’s for sure, having to see the overall complexity of Clarice’s relationship with Hannibal. It was clear what kind of person Hannibal was, despite the fact that his appearances were not quite frequent throughout the movie. Hannibal was a satisfying movie since we saw more of Hannibal and his life after Silence of the Lambs, we see more of his humanly and soft side towards Clarice, even noticing hints of his romantic feelings to her. I honestly think Clarice and Hannibal make quite a beautiful couple within the movie even though the ending to Hannibal is altered and different compared to the novel. What I loved about the Red Dragon was how you can notice the romantic side of even the darkest person in the world and seeing that romantic side, you know there are places for mutual feelings within one’s self. I hope to enjoy the fourth movie and discover more of what Hannibal hides because yet, I’m slightly confused of how he came to be.
