Hannibal - CE

First released in 1991, director Jonathan Demme unleashed The Silence of the Lambs upon an unprepared international audience and, in doing so, produced one of the most tense and disturbing suspense films in modern cinema. One of only three films in the history of the Academy Awards to scoop the major Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Screenplay, The Silence of the Lambs’ box-office intake was more than $130 million. Soon after the film’s blockbuster run, it seemed inevitable that a sequel would be made to capitalise on its predecessor’s success.

Stung by The Silence of the Lambs’ performance after his own production of 1986’s Manhunter (also known as Red Dragon: The Hunt for Hannibal Lecter) flopped, Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis secured the film rights for Thomas Harris’ third novel, Hannibal, as it was being written. The powerhouse quartet most responsible for The Silence of the Lambs’ success - Jonathan Demme, Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, and screenwriter Ted Tally - were approached to participate in the sequel. However, the film project seemed destined for failure before it even had a prepared script.

After the completion of his novel, Harris promptly dispatched copies of Hannibal to Demme, Foster, Hopkins and Tally for their approval. However, all but Hopkins expressed passionate objections concerning the apparent gratuitous nature of two of the book’s pivotal plot points. Tally declined the opportunity to write Hannibal’s screenplay, which was then passed into the hands of screenwriter David Mamet. At the insistence of Demme and Foster, who harboured concerns over new character elements, Mamet rewrote the screenplay no less than fifteen times.

Hannibal’s troubled script was allocated to Steven Zaillian (whose credits include Schindler’s List) after Foster remarked that Mamet’s screenplay was “too grisly.� In order to placate Foster and accommodate her rejection of the manner in which her character was portrayed in the original novel and film script, Zaillian revised and removed scenes that the actress objected to. His efforts were for nought; without explanation, Foster retired from the project, along with potential director Demme. Both De Laurentiis and Hopkins were reportedly “outraged� and “furious� with her decision.

An intense search to find a replacement for Foster, as well as a new director, was conducted. Supplanting other hopefuls for the coveted role of FBI Agent Clarice Starling, which included Gillian Anderson, Cate Blanchett, Angeline Jolie and Helen Hunt, Julianne Moore (Boogie Nights) was recruited; her rapport with Hopkins’ was considered a good omen. De Laurentiis, a long-time admirer of Ridley Scott’s directorial skills, especially of his work on The Duelists (1975) and Alien (1979), contacted the British director as he was completing post-production on Gladiator (1999).

After a brief meeting with the Italian producer, Scott was commissioned to direct Hannibal with his own inimitable style.

Despite its traumatic production history, Hannibal proved to be an unstoppable behemoth at the box-office. Upon its opening weekend Hannibal had grossed approximately $58 million, giving it the distinction of being the third-biggest picture debut is U.S. cinema history, exceeded only by 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park ($72 million) and 1999’s Star Wars: The Phantom Menace ($64.8 million).

"Would they give you a medal, do you think, Clarice? Would you have it professionally framed and hang it on your wall to remind you of your courage and incorruptibility? All you would need for that is a mirror. "

Hannibal’s story occurs ten years after The Silence of the Lambs and Lecter’s escape from the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Despite remaining high on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) now resides in Florence, Italy, masquerading as Dr. Fell, the newly-appointed curator of one of the city’s art museums. Lecter’s anonymity seems assured, until the arrival of an Italian detective, Rinaldo Pazzi (Giancarlo Giannini, whose credits include Lina Wertmuller's satirical 1975 classic Swept Away), who is investigating the disappearance of Dr. Fell’s predecessor.

Inevitably, Pazzi learns of Dr. Fell’s true identity; however, instead of informing his superiors that he has discovered the infamous criminal psychologist, Pazzi decides instead to keep the information to himself. Discarding his moral obligation to serve the public and uphold the law, the Italian detective seeks to apprehend Lecter himself, and obtain the lucrative $3 million reward being offered by the reclusive and malevolent Mason Verger (Gary Oldman, uncredited and unrecognisable under heavy prosthetic make-up).

Lecter’s fourth victim and the only one to have survived, Verger was one of the diabolical doctor’s psychiatric patients, being treated, it seems, for his acute paedophilia and homo-erotic tendencies. During a personal visit from Lecter, Verger was forced to perform an act of self-mutilation, lacerating his face with shards of broken glass while the tendrils of flesh were fed to his dogs. Twisted within as well as without, Verger’s obsession with Lecter is all-consuming and he creates an insidious plot to lure him out of hiding: he will use the object of Lecter’s dark affection, Clarice Starling, as bait.

After the rescue of the Senator’s daughter, Catherine Martin, and the killing of Jame Gumb, Special Agent Clarice Starling (Julianne Moore) was the darling of the FBI. Now, however, both her career and personal life are in sharp decline. When a DEA mission to apprehend a lethal drug baroness, Evelda Drumgo (Hazelle Goodman) fails and precipitates a bloodbath resulting in the death of five people, including a police officer, Starling is unfairly singled out as a convenient scapegoat. Leading the charges of incompetence against her is the corrupt law official, Paul Krendler (Ray Liotta).

Krendler, once a fellow agent in Starling’s department, the Behavioural Science section in the FBI’s Quantico Academy, continues to harbour resentment over Starling’s rejection of the sexual advancements he made throughout their traineeship. Verger has clandestinely approached Krendler in regards to the possible whereabouts of Lecter’s location; as she is the individual who is most familiar with Lecter’s idiosyncratic behaviour, Starling is reassigned to the Behavioural Science division and the case.

Slowly and methodically, Verger weaves his perverted web of intrigue and manipulation, content in the knowledge that it is only a matter of time before both Lecter and Clarice meet once more.

Hannibal is presented in its correct aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is anamorphic. The transfer itself is immaculate and almost qualifies as reference material, bar for a few minor instances.

Black levels are wonderfully solid and exhibit great depth, providing exceptional levels of contrast; John Mathieson's cinematography is reminiscent of Jeffery Kimball’s work on Stigmata, Jacob’s Ladder and Flashdance, with impenetrable blacks and harsh, blinding whites. The film itself has a strong modern look to it and is profoundly slick, accentuated by Scott’s creative use of slow-motion, digital video, high-speed and still photography.

Details, too, are razor-sharp; there is no evidence of edge enhancement. Shadow detail is superb, appearing neither too opaque or dark; indeed, the balance of shadow level is perfect. Flesh-tones are accurate and there is no evident colour-bleeding or oversaturation. For the most part, the film’s colour palette is muted to keep in line with its modern appearance and consists mostly of steel-greys and washed-out blues.

There are no evident MPEG artefacts, nor are there any discernible film artefacts; this print can be deemed pristine. Hannibal is not an action film, yet it does contain a dynamic shootout near the film’s beginning; despite the high level of activity and rapid cutting, there is no grain. Although there are some isolated moments throughout the film where aliasing is seen - most notably, at 14 minutes and 28 seconds involving a bridge, and a row of seating at 29 minutes and 13 seconds - they proved not to be distracting.

The layer transition occurs at 57 minutes and 20 seconds. Logically placed at the end of Chapter 15, it is so slight that it was undetected until the second viewing of this title.

There are two audio selections available, that of the English Dolby Digital 5.1 and the English DTS 5.1 sound tracks. In terms of comparison, both tracks seem to be on an equitable level; however, to my perception at least, it appears as though the DTS 5.1 has the slight edge in regards to dialogue and sound and seems to possess both a richer texture and ambiance. This is not to suggest that the Dolby Digital 5.1 is inferior; on the contrary, it provides great ambiance that is essential in producing the film’s ominous mood.

Dialogue is firmly placed within the centre speaker and is always clear and easy to understand; in particular, Hopkins’ inimitable Welsh dialect is rich and vibrant, while Oldman’s rasping voice sounds wonderfully reptilian. In conjunction with the front soundstage, the rear surrounds provide almost constant support; instances where they are truly inactive are rare. For instance, in the scenes where Starling is working within the bowels of the Quantico FBI Building, subtle office noise and distant corridor traffic can be heard, almost outside the edge of normal human perception.

Hannibal’s narrative is driven mostly by dialogue and tension, allowing relatively little use of the subwoofer; however, when it is deployed, it makes its presence known to awesome effect. The most obvious example of its devastating use is during the shootout at the Fish Market; there is deep resonance in this scene, courtesy of gunfire, shattering glass, and grinding metal. The rear soundstage also supports the violent exchange with a plethora of noise that will convince viewers they are within a heated street battle.

Composer Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Driving Miss Daisy) has scored Hannibal with a classical, almost operatic, soundtrack which is in sharp contrast to Howard Shore’s composition for The Silence of the Lambs. Shore’s instrumental arrangements were suitably dark and sombre, befitting Demme’s film perfectly. Zimmer’s score is light and melodic, underscoring Hannibal’s ghoulish humour; nowhere is this more apparent than in his subversive - some would say perverse - use of Strauss’ The Blue Danube.

Hannibal is released onto a two-disc DVD set. For some time now, Columbia TriStar have undertaken a policy to package their products with a wealth of extra features and this title is no different. However, this set contains a mammoth amount of additional material; in short, it constitutes overkill.

Director’s Commentary with Ridley Scott: Proving that he is evidently very comfortable with the DVD format, Scott provides yet another superb commentary, comparable with his previous efforts on Alien and Gladiator. Scott talks animatedly about the film, revealing detailed information about every aspect of its story, characterisation and production. He also makes constant comparisons between his film adaptation and Harris’ novel, remarking on the enormous difficulties in translating the 600-page book into a 135-page script.

Scott manages to strike the perfect balance of describing the on-screen action without becoming boring and officious, unlike William Friedkin’s rambling monologue on The Exorcist. His British dialect is always clear and easy to understand; perhaps the most pleasing aspect of his commentary is that he does not speak during important lines of film dialogue, instead remarking on their significance afterwards. Upon listening to this absorbing feature, this reviewer gained a new respect for Hannibal.

Breaking the Silence, The Making of Hannibal: A fascinating and informative documentary running for 1 hour and 13 minutes, Breaking the Silence delves into the troubled history of the film and provides illuminating details regarding all facets of its creation. Presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 with a non-anamorphic screen aspect ratio of 1.33:1, this feature can be viewed either as a whole, or separately as a series of short featurettes: Development, Production, Special Make-up Effects, Music, and Reaction.

Development. Including conversations with Ridley Scott, Dino de Laurentiis, and the cast of Hannibal, this featurette focuses on the attempts to conceptualise Thomas Harris’ novel and its adaptation to the screen. Of particular note are the revelations surrounding the turmoil surrounding Jodie Foster’s decision to quit the project and the frantic search for her replacement. In its individual form, Development runs for 16 minutes and 3 seconds.

Production. With a running time of 19 minutes and 40 seconds in its separate format, this is easily the longest of the featurettes. Although primarily concerned with the rigours of location shooting in Florence, Production also includes conversations with the cast and crew, and touches upon the special effects and CGI that were used in the film’s grisly finale.

Special Make-up Effects. Perhaps the most intriguing of all the short features, this contains conversations with Kevin Vanderlaan and Greg Cannom, Hannibal’s special effects designers. Running for 13 minutes and 22 seconds, Special Make-up Effects centres on the creation of many of the film’s visual showpieces, the prosthetics of Mason Verger, the animatronic child in the Fish Market shootout, the mechanical Sardinian boars, and the animatronic puppet seen in Hannibal’s finale.

Music. An interview with Hans Zimmer, composer of Hannibal’s film score, this featurette also includes a behind-the-scenes look at the composition’s studio recording, and runs for 14 minutes and 16 seconds.

Reaction. This short feature includes footage from the film’s Hollywood and New York premieres and the after-party function supporting Hannibal’s release. Including conversations with cast, crew, and celebrities of the film industry - feauturing apperances by Francis Ford Coppola, James Woods, and even a cameo from Muhammad Ali - Reaction has a length of 12 minutes and 37 seconds.

Multi-Angles Vignettes: Offering multiple video angles and audio selections, this feature allows the viewer to access the available options via the audio and angle buttons on their DVD remote. There are three featurettes placed within this section: Anatomy of a Shootout, Ridleygrams, and Title Design.

Anatomy of a Shootout. This vignette allows the viewer a comprehensive breakdown of Hannibal’s dramatic “Fish Market� scene and ‘direct’ it through four distinct camera angles, which can be viewed individually or simultaneously. Presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and with a screen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, each camera angle features outside its frame the following technical information: scene and take, frame per second, lens, camera mount, and exposure. This feature runs for 9 minutes and 28 seconds.

Ridleygrams. Since he was a film student in England, Ridley Scott has made it a practice of using detailed storyboards to assist him with his directorial efforts. Indeed, his perfectionism and adherence to this procedure attained legendary status when Scott impressed the executives of 20th Century Fox with his storyboards for Alien; consequently, the studio increased substantially the film’s budget. The term ‘Ridleygrams’ is a reference from within the film industry, and describes Scott’s artwork.

There are three different angles to choose from: Interview with Ridley Scott, Ridleygrams (which displays Hannibal’s storyboard elements), and Storyboard/Shot Comparison (which compares Scott’s artistic conceptions with scenes from the finished film cut). The conversation with the director features the remaining two angles playing in union alongside him; these angles can be viewed separately, either from the Ridleygrams menu or the angle button on the DVD remote.

It should be noted that both the Interview with Ridley Scott and Ridleygrams are presented in a screen aspect ratio of 1.33:1. All of these vignettes are featured in Dolby Digital 2.0 and have a running time of 8 minutes and 41 seconds.

Title Design. A member of Scott’s London production company and a director in his own right, Main Title Designer Nick Livesey's volume of work is impressive; his most notable achievement is the design of the Emmy-nominated titles for the Showtime network’s The Hunger. Livesey also maintains a prolific career in directing commercials for RSA Films and music videos.

There are four video selections available, consisting of the Final Title Design, Original Teaser Cut, Shooting Pigeons (which features footage of Livesey feeding and chasing the birds in Florence’s Piazza della Rupubblica), and Nick Livesey’s Notebook (which includes the title designer’s ideas and conceptual artwork contained within his personal handbook. With the exception of the Original Teaser Cut, these vignettes are presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and in a screen aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

In addition to the video angles, there are four choices in this section’s audio department: Final Theatrical Mix, Original Trailer Mix, Commentary by Nick Livesey, and Commentary by Ridley Scott. These selections can be chosen “on the fly� during the actual viewing of the different video angles and vice versa; as with this section’s video component, audio is featured in Dolby Digital 2.0.

Deleted and Alternate Scenes. An impressive amount of footage is featured here that was discarded either to improve the film’s pace and generate maximum tension, or because it was deemed too graphic. In the case of the Fish Market Aftermath, the shooting of drug baroness Elveda Drumgo results in a more gruesome end than portrayed in the film’s final cut; the reason for its deletion is understandable for it adds nothing to the scene and is quite exploitive. However, the real revelation in this section is the Return to the Dungeon as Starling descends into the basement of the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane where Lecter was imprisoned.

In total, there are fourteen deleted scenes with a combined length of 34 minutes and 39 seconds, all of which are presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 and a screen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. These scenes cannot be selected to play in a continuous reel, back-to-back, but only individually.

Marketing Gallery: This feature is an excellent indication of the extent of Universal's saturation campaign to promote Hannibal.

Theatrical Trailers. There are two film trailers presented in this small section, consisting of the Teaser Trailer, with its brief length of 58 seconds, and the slightly longer Domestic Trailer, running for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Both cinematic shorts are featured in Dolby Digital 2.0 and have a screen aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

TV Spots. In what is essentially a case of commercial overkill, this component consists of no less than nineteen television advertisements for Hannibal. Alternating between lengths of 15 and 30 seconds, and collectively running for 4 minutes and 50 seconds, these spots are all presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 with a screen aspect ratio of 1.85:1. There are two alternatives to viewing this feature, either separately or in a consecutive order.

Still Photos. Another prime example of Universal’s excessive marketing for the film, this supplement consists of 17 photo galleries containing a phenomenal 560 publicity snapshots.

Poster Concepts. Divided into four categories relating to the their art designers, New Wave Entertainment, 71 Design Team, Nick Livesey, and Final Key Art, this section is comprised of 35 posters.

DVD Credits. This is not so much an extra per se, but an eight page listing of the people who designed Hannibal’s DVD supplements, the technicians who conducted the audio mastering and telecine transfer, and the teams who compiled the behind-the-scenes and interview footage. Also included are special thanks to the film's cast and crew.

Hannibal can be viewed on a number of different levels. The film can be regarded as an insight of the corruptibility of the modern world when individuals forsake morality in exchange for personal gain, whether it be financial, beneficial, or sexual. It can also be looked upon as no more than a slick and sophisticated slasher film whose inspirations are drawn from Hitchcock’s Psycho and Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street. Personally, I regarded Hannibal as a twisted, perverse love story with psychosexual elements and a dark eroticism shared between the film’s main characters, Lecter and Starling.

Undoubtedly, Hannibal belongs to Anthony Hopkins. With his smooth, articulate speaking voice, which is both seductive and malevolent, Hopkins brings a sense of intellectual sophistication that, in a lesser actor’s hands, would be most laughable. Despite Hopkins’ mesmerising performance, there is a dangerous precedent in the producers’ attempt to transform Lecter from a cold-blooded predator with cannibalistic instincts into an anti-hero, whose motivation to kill, it seems, is governed by his abhorrence of rude and inconsiderate people. In my opinion, this severely weakens the character.

One of the aspects that made The Silence of the Lambs so chilling was the apparent lack of motivation for Lecter’s criminal activities; other than the explanation that he consumed human organs as a means of collecting ceremonial trophies, Lecter’s reasons for his murderous behaviour were purely his own. This “softening� of the Lecter character is but one of Hannibal’s flaws; the other one is the treatment of Starling’s character. Julianne Moore puts in an admirable performance as Clarice Starling; not for one instance did I envision Jodie Foster in Moore’s role.

While it is true that Moore’s Starling is sometimes stilted, this is not due to her acting abilities; indeed, she had to contend not only with the enormous pressure of fulfilling audience expectations, but also with a film script that was heavily condensed from Harris’ novel, which suffered accordingly. Given the limitations of her supporting role (it should be remembered that Starling, although a pivotal character in the film, is not its focus), Moore is allowed moments in which to shine, most notably in her first phone conversation with Lecter and its finale, where Hannibal’s psychosexual subtext reaches its zenith.

Although there are some serious structural problems with Hannibal, I cannot help but love this film. If it was directed by any other than Ridley Scott and the film was not based on the masterful literary work by Thomas Harris, no doubt would I severely criticise Hannibal. I would recommend Hannibal to anyone who has seen The Silence of the Lambs and enjoyed it. But, under no circumstances, should there be any preconceived ideas about the film’s worth as a sequel. Both The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal beg comparison with each other, however, it is unfair as they are completely different.