Another film from the "classics" series. "The Silence of the Lambs" is a very good film, and in the over two decades since its release, just about everything that can be said about it has been said. Instead of just discussing the movie on its own, I would instead like to examine its portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in comparison to the currently airing television show "Hannibal", which features many of the same characters and themes.
I mentioned just before this season premiered that I think the television show boasts the best filmed depiction of Hannibal Lecter. This is not a criticism of other actors who have played the role, but a reflection on both the show's writing and the brilliant performance of Mads Mikkelsen. In actuality, the show probably boasts the best filmed depiction of every major character in the cast--it's just that the character of Hannibal tends to get the most attention.
Anthony Hopkins' performance in "The Silence of the Lambs" became almost instantly iconic, and not just because of what he himself brought to the table. The audience's first impression of him occurs before he even appears. After hearing his doctor relate the story of how he attacked a nurse and ate her tongue, almost anything Hopkins did would have been effective--the audience was preprogrammed to be impressed. Hopkins does deliver an unsettling performance, often staring directly into camera. For the movie, that is enough, but there isn't actually much there in the way of realism or believability. I didn't really notice this until I saw Mads Mikkelsen's take on the character.
"Hannibal", so far at least, covers the time period before the title character has been imprisoned for his crimes. He actually helps the FBI to catch other serial killers. The first season sees him teaming up with Hugh Dancy's Will Graham (the main character from the novel "Red Dragon"), and the show follows the complex relationship that forms between these two characters. The characters' situation alone gives Mikkelsen a much more dramatically interesting character to play. We get to see Hannibal functioning as a practicing psychiatrist and cannibal. We get to see him attempt to hide his true nature from others whom he genuinely considers to be friends. We get to see him become nervous when his cover is at risk of being pulled aside. This is much more fascinating than the imprisoned, over-the-top boogeyman the character was in "The Silence of the Lambs" film. The best representation of the fundamental difference in the two portrayals is the famous line where Hopkins' Lecter speaks of eating a census taker, and then makes a slurping sound. Mikkelsen's character wouldn't be caught dead making that sound. When this realization struck me, it force me to examine the scene from the film more closely. While before the moment had served to make the character even more creepy and unsettling, I now realized how kind of ridiculous it was. If that had taken place in real life, I wouldn't have been scared--I would have probably laughed in the guys' face.
The creators of the show have said that they hope to eventually cover the events from the books. I hope they are allowed to get that far. I can think of many scenes from the films that would be positively electric when played between the characters on the show who would have several seasons worth of conflicts and emotional baggage. "The Silence of the Lambs" is a good movie, but "Hannibal" may be the best television show I've ever seen.
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