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Celebrating 1,000 NCIS-franchise episodes

Hannibal Lecter: Hannibal the Cannibal

Lisin

By Lisin
in Hannibal [V]

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Lisin

Lisin

Hannibal Lecter is one of my favorite characters in all of movies, film and TV. Mads Mikklesen is doing an excellent job here. Hannibal is the one character on this show that is portrayed exactly as he should be based on the books and movies. My only wish is to see him kill more people just because they're rude, because that's a big thing in the books that always amuses me. 

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Lisin

Lisin

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He's killed two separate hunters specifically because he didn't feel they were hunting deer ethically and were rude to him (20 years apart also, it's clearly a thing for him), and of course he's been known to off people who are in orchestras who aren't performing up to snuff and without whom he feels the orchestra will improve. Also everyone hates census takers, always interrupting you when you're trying to sit down to dinner.

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Lisin

Lisin

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I generally consider him an anti-hero, but mostly from the books... I mean by the end of the series he's basically the protagonist and you're sort of supposed to be rooting for him and Clarice to live happily ever after (?? it's messed up people... ) BUT on this specific show? I'd say villain. I mean he's elegant and beautiful and makes delicious looking gross food and all that, but in the end he's the bad guy I think? It's so hard to separate my appreciation for the finer things and the acting and the Mads Mikklesen of it all that I'm often distracted and forget he's bad. Then something happens and I'm reminded that no, in this version at least I want Hannibal caught and I want Will to win.

Then again they haven't introduced Mason Verger yet. People will probably cheer Hannibal when that happens.

This may sound crazy also, but calling him Hannibal makes me like him more. Doctor Lecter has such harsh consonant sounds that he sounds more menacing and I don't know, less cuddly. Hannibal isn't scary to my ears, Doctor Lecter is.

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MisterGlass

MisterGlass

It is unusual but not invalid for an antagonist to be a main character.  Lecter is a villain and the main character, like Iago in Othello.  Seeing his machinations doesn't diminish his evil, not after all his gaslighting and the deaths of Abigail and Beverly.

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kwerkee

kwerkee

I feel they switched leads. Last year, despite the show title, was definitely all about Will Graham. This season (at least so far) however, is all about Hannibal. We see his day-to-day activities, we see him actually kill, we see more of his house and we even get to see him sexed up.

I'll petition next year to be all about Chilton. I wouldn't need any other sitcoms to fill my TV schedule.

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annlaw78

annlaw78

I'll petition next year to be all about Chilton. I wouldn't need any other sitcoms to fill my TV schedule.

 

 So true!  I could watch that scene of him staring warily at the zombie hand/chicken foot appetizer every day. 

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niven

niven

Hannibal did get more screen time this season, but that's because Will's in jail, and I think Fuller's lead is still and will always be Will Graham (he said so a couple of times actually). Everyone's life basically revolve around visiting Will's prison one way or another. Sometimes it's even feel forced, like scenes where Alana visits Will are so boring.

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MisterGlass

MisterGlass

Plans within plans.  As Will said, this has all been according to his design.  The question will be what Will, his creation, his monster, does from here. 

I think Hannibal approved of the changes to Will evienced by the attempt on Hannibal's life, and that's why he provided the evidence to free Will.  Will said Hannibal still wants to be his friend, and if so, he must have had a plan ready for keeping Will available.  Chilton filled the niche nicely.

The scene with Will holding a gun to Hannibal in the kitchen was interesting.  Hannibal didn't try to fend him off, but he did look away when the gun was on him.  I could not determine how much of his reaction was a need for self-reservation, and how much was attempting to play Will.

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niven

niven

(edited)

I see the kitchen scene as his play to lull Will into a sense of power. It's like saying, you're holding the gun, you have the power to kill me anytime, but then you won't ever know why I did all this, are you ok with that or would you prefer to know the answers before killing me?

Hannibal was very calm in the pool scene and he managed to overpower gun wielding Beverly and Jack, so I don't believe he was scared of Will. Which is why, when he opens the door for Will, he asks again, are you going to point a gun and try kill me again or are you here for the answers?

Edited by niven
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Slovenly Muse

Slovenly Muse

I think in the kitchen, Hannibal was using his knowledge of Will to manipulate him. He knew that by threatening him or attempting to defend himself, he could give Will a reason to shoot him. By turning his head away and closing his eyes, he appeared as non-threatening as possible, submitting to his fate, putting the decision to shoot him squarely on Will's shoulders, knowing that as much as Will hated him, he would not be capable of gunning him down in cold blood. By seeming to submit, he actually takes away Will's power to shoot him.

Will uses the same strategy in his own kitchen when Chilton pulls a gun on him. He is not afraid; he understands Chilton well enough to know that there is no chance that Chilton will shoot him, so long as he does not provoke him.

It kind of delightfully highlights the "food chain" on this show. Hannibal is at the top, the most effective at controlling those around him. But Will is climbing fast.

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iamdog

iamdog

I can totally buy Hannibal being able to accomplish so much in the dead of night and looking fresh as a daisy in the morning. Why? Because he's so fucking good.

Most of his displays are plausible to me, certainly they'd take a huge amount of precice planning and effort and there's a huge reliance on luck of not being seen - but Hannibal is essentially the devil and so luck tends to be in his favour.

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niven

niven

Tonight's episode, Su-Zakana, showed a lot of Hannibal's "nonchalant wtf" facial expressions. It's truly a joy to watch, priceless. Hannibal petting that silence lamb was such a nice touch too.

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Reo

Reo

MM inhabits Hannibal to such an extent that I am thoroughly creeped out by him.  I know a lot of people find the actor handsome, but he triggers my red flag - run program so sharply that I can't see it at all.  Kudos to MM for a masterful job.  I believe him as Hannibal.

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niven

niven

I loved that we got Hannibal talking about Mischa, his emotion was devastating even though his expression was subtle. Mikkelsen is doing an insane job slowly letting out the true Hannibal via mannerisms. He's been playing him so conservatively around everyone so far that it's like he's been feeling a bit more comfortable to embrace his own nature between playing the Vergers and Will.

 

Can't wait to see how they'll integrate Lady Murasaki and Uncle Robertus into Hannibal's life in the show. Wonder who'll get cast as the Lady.

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niven

niven

I'm not sure I want them to explain Mischa's death. Bringing her up once in while for an insight of Hannibal's inner feeling/thought is great, but explaining everything might not work so well. After all, Hannibal Rising wasn't exactly a great story.

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jeansheridan

jeansheridan

I guess, but I did love the limited explanation we got in Hannibal.  Just the horror of it.  It didn't make me like him more, but it made me understand why he wanted/needed Clarice.  

 

And it looks like he's been trying to create a friend in a wide range of people--Dr. DuMaurier (probably the best pre-Clarice), the student agent (totally blanking on her name!  And where on earth did he "store" her?), Abigail, Jack a bit, and now Will and ultimately Clarice.  Margot was maybe a possibility, but he seems more ...not quite paternal with her.  He seems deeply sympathetic.  I think he likes her lack of BS, her directness.  There's a bit of Clarice in her.  But maybe she's too damaged.  

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lulee

lulee

For anyone looking for some Mads during the long wait until season 3: I watched Adam's Apples on netflix yesterday and would recommend it. It's a Danish dark comedy and Mads plays a role verrrrry different than Hannibal.

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niven

niven

For anyone looking for some Mads during the long wait until season 3: I watched Adam's Apples on netflix yesterday and would recommend it. It's a Danish dark comedy and Mads plays a role verrrrry different than Hannibal.

 

I like Adam's Apples. I would reccomend After The Wedding, Flame & Citron, A Royal Affair, and The Hunt as well. Don't forget to prepare some tissues though...

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lulee

lulee

I like Adam's Apples. I would reccomend After The Wedding, Flame & Citron, A Royal Affair, and The Hunt as well. Don't forget to prepare some tissues though...

I really enjoyed After the Wedding and A Royal Affair. The Hunt and Flame and Citron are in my Netflix queue; I've been hestitating with The Hunt because I think it will be too gut wrenching. My admiration for Mads as an actor knows its bounds though: months ago I quit Pusher about an hour in and haven't gone back to it.

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yuliana

yuliana

After that finale, Mads is the definitive Hannibal Lecter for me. Damn he is so good, so good. In that last 15 minutes of the finale he looks predatory during his quest to kill Jack and so full of emotions when he was gutting Will without making obvious big changes in his facial expressions. So understated yet so powerful, it's really impressive.

 

I've only known him from Casino Royale, but I think I'll be having some Madsrathon of his filmography this weekend. Will keep notes of the suggestions here =D

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John Potts

John Potts

Jeansheridan I wonder how they will explain Misha' s death.  It was during WW II in the books.

 

 

Have they definitively established Hannibal's backstory (he was Lithuanian in the books)? If he was growing up in Yugoslavia he could have been involved in the civil war there, although Hannibal would have to be younger than MM to still be a boy, or at least, youth during (say) the siege of Sarajevo (1992-96). And making him too much younger would mean it would be (even more) implausible for him to qualify as a psychiatrist in the US.

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lulee

lulee

They've left Hannibal's backstory underdeveloped. I think all that's been mentioned is that he had a sister Mischa who died. Nothing about country of origin, nothing about parents, etc.

I guess they could make him from Fictionalstan.

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DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

I'm assuming they will delve into this more next season with him on the run and the FBI probably looking into his past more. It seems like the logical time to do his backstory anyway.  It makes sense that they haven't delved into it too much yet--them wanting to keep Hannibal somewhat mysterious until the jig was up and all. I mean, we all knew what he was, but the other characters didn't and now I think we might see some of it through the other characters learning about it.

 

Side note--I have a friend I tried to get to watch the show last year and she couldn't get past the eatin' people thing, but after seeing only a couple episodes she thought that it was Will Graham that was the copy cat killer. So, I guess there is someone out there that didn't know who he was.

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yuliana

yuliana

They've left Hannibal's backstory underdeveloped.

 

IMHO Hannibal himself was underdeveloped. They only gave him around 10 minutes screen time per episode, sometimes even less, and all he did basically was obsessing about Will. It pays off in the finale with the sudden burst of emotions from Hannibal, but really made me kind of sad that it's the one and only occasion where Mads get to show his real acting range out of the whole 13 episodes.

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niven

niven

I really enjoyed After the Wedding and A Royal Affair. The Hunt and Flame and Citron are in my Netflix queue; I've been hestitating with The Hunt because I think it will be too gut wrenching. My admiration for Mads as an actor knows its bounds though: months ago I quit Pusher about an hour in and haven't gone back to it.

 

The Hunt is pretty heavy, yes, but Mads was amazing and he was used perfectly in that movie by the director. All the other casts were great too. Pusher is not my type of movie, so I haven't watch it and I don't think I will, but I know lots of people think the whole Pusher series was great.

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annlaw78

annlaw78

 

Have they definitively established Hannibal's backstory (he was Lithuanian in the books)? If he was growing up in Yugoslavia he could have been involved in the civil war there, although Hannibal would have to be younger than MM to still be a boy, or at least, youth during (say) the siege of Sarajevo (1992-96). And making him too much younger would mean it would be (even more) implausible for him to qualify as a psychiatrist in the US.

I figured they could make him from a colonial African background.  There was violence and bloodshed as Rhodesia became Zimbabwe throughout most of the 70s, which would fit in with Mikkelsen's real age.  There was a lot of upheaval in Uganda, too.  It sort of fits in with his "mongoose and snake" proverb, given that mongoose aren't exactly native to Scandinavia.  The accent's a bit off, but I think he spent most of his post-war childhood in Paris, per the books, right?

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Demented Daisy

Demented Daisy

This may sound crazy also, but calling him Hannibal makes me like him more.

 

 

Half the time, when I'm thinking of him and analyzing the show, I catch myself mentally calling him 'Anniba!  

 

Hannibal Rising wasn't exactly a great story.

 

 

Oh, I disagree, but miles vary, of course.

 

I think he spent most of his post-war childhood in Paris, per the books, right?

 

 

Indeed.

 

I also disagree with the idea that Hannibal in an underdeveloped character.  But I concede that my viewpoint may be tainted by my knowledge from the books.

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Blue Chihuahua

Blue Chihuahua

I'm about halfway through The Hunt now. I have to watch it in snippets because it's heart wrenching, and this is from someone whose heart rarely gets wrenched watching a movie! I adore A Royal Affair as well; it's one of my favorite movies! I've been trying to get my mother to watch it by telling her it's in Danish (she's 1/4), but no luck yet. 

 

Also, I think this hiatus is already doing weird things to my brain. I was watching a friend's kid the other day and we were watching Frozen for the 80th(?) time. Only, this time when the song 'Let it Go' came on, I kept replaying the scene with Hannibal going out into the rain from the finale in my head. I admit, it made me crack up! And it's only been nearly two weeks so I can't wait to see what my brain comes up with in the coming months. 

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Fen

Fen

(edited)

 

Bringing over a question that arose in the comments on Sarah's latest post: do we consider Hannibal an anti-hero, or a villain?

 

I find him much more villainous than his film counterpart. 

 

For a start, Mads Mikkelsen is really good at being downright frightening - especially when it's physical violence.  I'm not sure whether it's a body type thing, or because he's a dancer and knows exactly how to use his body - but his movements are really sudden and deliberate and strong.

 

The other characters have been built up much more.  In Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal it's really just Clarice and Lecter who are afforded a lot of detail and depth - but in this version I care about all the characters, even those who were purely antagonistic in the films, like Freddie Lounds and Chilton.

 

Also, when we saw Lecter kill in the films, it tended to be in situations where he had to in order to regain his freedom.  What he did was frequently horrible - but if he wanted out, he had no other option.  Murders that were carried out for other reasons tended to happen off-camera.  Here, you see Hannibal killing simply because he wants to.  Also, he's hypocritical on occasion.  The guy who built over the area of the land where the rare songbirds nested deserved death, but Hannibal can serve up Ortolan?

 

Lastly - and I'm not sure about this - but I think the books/films never explicitly stated that Hannibal carried out his mutilations while the victim was still alive.  That behaviour is sort of a marker of depravity in the books.  Mason Verger is an absolute monster who wants to torture his victims.  When Clarice is reading the autopsy report on Frederica Bimmel, "(her) eye raced down the autopsy protocols to the free histamine tests to confirm that he killed them before he did the rest".  What Buffalo Bill does is abominable - but he's 'better' than Mason.  The show has been really insistent that Hannibal does what he does when the victim is still alive - and it's hard to retain much sympathy in the face of that kind of sadism.

Edited by Fen
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DittyDotDot

DittyDotDot

I've always seen him as a villain (even though I don't like the term because it always conjures cartoon images of mustache twirling and maniacal mad men--which doesn't really fit Hannibal.) An anti-hero does the wrong thing, but for altruistic reasons. Hannibal does the things he does because it's a fun little game for him--it's a sport. However, I do think Hannibal does think he's helping folks in his own twisted way. And I guess what he did for Margo could be seen as altruistic. Hum, this Hannibal guy isn't so easy to classify, is he?

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John Potts

John Potts

DittyDotDot Hum, this Hannibal guy isn't so easy to classify, is he?

 

Which would go along with his comment in Silence - "You expect to pick my mind with this blunt instrument?" There's no simple explanation for the way Hannibal is (although apparently Hannibal Rising - which I've neither read nor seen - did try to provide one).

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greenbean

greenbean

(edited)

I don't think Hannibal is an anti-hero at all. Jack is closer to an anti-hero. He pushed Will to the brink, and operates outside of FBI procedure to save people and catch killers. This season, Will moved slightly to the anti-hero side, though I would say he's more of an unconventional hero. Neither are anti-heroes though.

 

I'm not seeing what Hannibal has done to be considered a hero. I think he's a villain. I've always liked a good villain, but sadly they do often draw the short straw in terms of writing quality. Things can become cartoonish because I think people believe you're not supposed to like villains, and a villain isn't supposed to be multifaceted.

 

I have certain views on this topic, but I don't want to go on. Though they're portrayed as being on the side of good, I often find anti-heroes more annoying and dangerous than villains. I also think anti-heroes are an acceptable way for some people to like villains. I'm glad there are no anti-heroes on the show. I am sick of that tired trope. Including the idea that it's the most interesting and best form of characterisation. I think outside of some instances such as Batman, it's a cheap distortion.

 

Maybe Mads' Hannibal will have an effect where villains finally get a better deal.

Edited by greenbean
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Fen

Fen

 

although apparently Hannibal Rising - which I've neither read nor seen - did try to provide one

 

Apparently Thomas Harris was basically forced to write that by Dino De Laurentiis - who essentially told him to make with a story or he would get someone he hated to write it instead.  Hannibal being Harris' creation, he reluctantly agreed.

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mledawn

mledawn

For a start, Mads Mikkelsen is really good at being downright frightening - especially when it's physical violence.  I'm not sure whether it's a body type thing, or because he's a dancer and knows exactly how to use his body - but his movements are really sudden and deliberate and strong.

 

This, so much. The scene where he is standing behind Beverly in the basement, his sudden lunge to flick the light switch was so surprising...even moreso because Mads plays Lecter as so still for the majority of the time. I rewound that moment a few times, actually.

The fight scene was beautiful - I've rewound Hannibal vaulting the island in the kitchen more times than I would like to admit. I know Mads does a lot of his own stunts, and there is a portion of the fight where you can ever-so-slightly see the trace of a back pad under his dress shirt, which just impresses me to no end.

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GreyBunny

GreyBunny

^ So much this.

 

When he was throwing himself against the pantry door, there were six (SIX!) crew members behind it to hold it, and they ended up with bruises.  Mads must have hit that door with some fantastic strength.

 

Even when he's being brutal and frightening, he moves so beautifully.  He's mesmerizing to watch.

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Tippi Blevins

Tippi Blevins

Do you suppose Hannibal paused for a moment before eating his first person? (I guess his sister.) Like, did he think, "No, I can't possibly become a cannibal. It rhymes with my name. It's much too on-the-nose!" 

 

And his weird cell arrangement. He has a toilet in there, as per Alana's speech. What about a shower? Do they have to wheel him out in chains a couple of times a week for a cleaning in the hospital washroom? What a nerve-wracking experience that must be for his handlers.

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Crossbow

Crossbow

Do you suppose Hannibal paused for a moment before eating his first person? (I guess his sister.) Like, did he think, "No, I can't possibly become a cannibal. It rhymes with my name. It's much too on-the-nose!" 

 

And his weird cell arrangement. He has a toilet in there, as per Alana's speech. What about a shower? Do they have to wheel him out in chains a couple of times a week for a cleaning in the hospital washroom? What a nerve-wracking experience that must be for his handlers.

 

He was forced to eat his sister. But maybe when he tracked down the people who forced him to do it, it was REALLY because they made him Hannibal the Cannibal.

 

Ihadn't thought about bathing. I bet they'll show us - Mads will jump at any excuse to be naked.

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Fen

Fen

I hadn't thought about bathing. I bet they'll show us - Mads will jump at any excuse to be naked.

 

I think it is completely vital and necessary to characterisation and plot and other important things that we see this.

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Crossbow

Crossbow

Got bored and looked up the "real" Hannibal Lecter. He only killed one person, served 20 years, and died peacefully at 81. He caught Tom Harris's attention because he was being allowed to practice medicine while still in prison.

 

http://knowledgenuts.com/2014/04/20/the-terrifying-hannibal-lecter-was-based-on-a-real-criminal/

http://www.vice.com/read/i-found-the-real-hannibal-lecter-for-thomas-harris

http://www.latintimes.com/who-was-real-hannibal-lecter-see-photo-gay-mexican-doctor-alfredo-balli-trevino-who-was-inspiration

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