Hannibal Lecter
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| Hannibal Tetralogy character | |
|---|---|
| Image:Heyes.jpg | |
| Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter | |
| Birth name | Hannibal Lecter (VIII) |
| Titles | Hannibal Lecter M.D. Count Hannibal Lecter |
| Aliases | Lloyd Wyman Dr. Fell |
| Nickname | Hannibal the Cannibal |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Caucasian |
| Ancestry | Lithuanian nobility (Paternal) Italian nobility (Maternal) |
| Relatives | Mischa Lecter (Sister) Count Robert Lecter (Uncle) Lady Murasaki (Step-Aunt and Guardian) Balthus (Cousin) |
| M.O. | Cannibalism and Torture |
| Occupation(s) | Surgeon, clinical psychiatrist, forensic psychologist, culinary artist, artist, musician, library curator |
| Created by | Thomas Harris |
| Portrayed by: | Brian Cox - Manhunter Sir Anthony Hopkins - The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, Red Dragon Gaspard Ulliel - Hannibal Rising Aaran Thomas - Hannibal Rising (child) |
Hannibal Lecter is a fictional character in a series of novels by author Thomas Harris. Lecter is introduced in the 1981 thriller novel Red Dragon as a brilliant psychiatrist and cannibalistic serial killer. This novel and its sequel, The Silence of the Lambs, feature Lecter as one of two primary antagonists. In the third novel, Hannibal, Lecter becomes the main character. His role as protagonist continues into the fourth novel, Hannibal Rising, which explores his childhood and development into a serial killer. Lecter's character also appears in all five film adaptations. The first movie, Manhunter, was loosely based on Red Dragon, and features Brian Cox as Lecter, inexplicably spelled as "Lecktor". In 2002, a second adaptation of Red Dragon was made under the original title, featuring Anthony Hopkins, who had previously played Lecter in the motion pictures The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal. Hopkins won an Academy Award for his representation of the character in The Silence of the Lambs in 1991.
In 2001, Hannibal Lecter (as portrayed by Hopkins) was voted by The American Film Institute to be the most memorable villain in film history.[1]
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[edit] Origin and development
Thomas Harris has given few interviews, and has never explained where he got inspiration for Hannibal Lecter, but in a documentary for Hannibal Rising, Lecter's early murders were said by the filmmakers to be based on murders that Harris had covered when he was a crime scene reporter in the 1960s. The video is available on YouTube.
In 1992, Harris also paid a visit to the ongoing trials of Pietro Pacciani, who was suspected of being the serial killer nicknamed the Monster of Florence. Parts of the killer's modus operandi were used as reference for the novel Hannibal, which was released in 1999.
In Red Dragon, Harris firmly states that Lecter has no known psychological condition. However, Harris makes Lecter's keeper Frederick Chilton claim that Lecter is a "pure sociopath" despite characteristics in his behavior that are inconsistent with the condition.
[edit] Appearance
Hannibal Lecter is described in the novels as being small and sleek, and with wiry strength in his arms.[2] In The Silence of the Lambs it is revealed that Lecter's left hand has the condition called mid ray duplication polydactyly, i.e. a duplicated middle finger.[3] In Hannibal, he has plastic surgery on his face and also has his extra digit removed, however, Red Dragon and Hannibal Rising make no mention of this physical abnormality.
Lecter's eyes are shade of maroon, and reflect the light in "pinpoints of red".[4] He is also said to have small white teeth[5] and dark slicked-back hair.
[edit] Film portrayal
Brian Cox portrayed Hannibal Lecktor in the 1986 film Manhunter. Cox said his characterization was inspired by Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel.[6]British actor Anthony Hopkins is the most commonly referenced actor as Hannibal Lecter because he portrayed the character in three of the five films, and won an Academy Award for his performance as the character in Silence of the Lambs, which was released in 1991. Hopkins claimed that he drew inspiration for his depiction of Lecter from HAL-9000, the villainous computer from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.[7]
Gaspard Ulliel portrays Lecter as a young man in the 2007 motion picture Hannibal Rising. Ulliel stated that he based his portrayal on Hopkins' and mixed it with his own style.
Actor Aaran Thomas portrays Lecter as a child in Hannibal Rising.
[edit] Character history
[edit] In literature
Hannibal Lecter was introduced in the 1981 novel Red Dragon. Upon his introduction, we learn that he is a brilliant psychiatrist who is incarcerated after he is revealed to be a cannibalistic serial killer. Lecter spends his time during his incarceration writing articles for medical journals.
Red Dragon was a best seller, which depicted Special Agent Will Graham consulting Lecter on catching a serial killer known only to law enforcement and media as "The Tooth Fairy". The novel portrays a tension between Graham and Lecter, as it is revealed that Graham was the agent who captured Lecter and incarcerated him, and whose profiling and interaction with Lecter had a severe impact on his psyche.
Seven years later in 1988, Lecter made his appearance in the sequel novel The Silence of the Lambs, where he assisted a rookie FBI Agent named Clarice Starling on catching a killer known only as Buffalo Bill. In this novel, Lecter only exploits the killer's weaknesses after Starling tells him about her childhood demons. Lecter develops a romantic interest in Starling, and he escapes from eight years of incarceration during a transfer to another facility.
Following the success of The Silence of the Lambs and of the immense popularity of the character, Harris worked on a third novel titled Hannibal, which took place seven years after the end of Silence of the Lambs. In 1992, Harris visited Florence, Italy and paid visit to the ongoing trial of "Il Mostro", or the "Monster of Florence". Harris used inspiration from that trial to compose the background story in Hannibal. The novel took Harris seven years to complete, and it was released in 1999. In the novel, Lecter is found to be residing in Florence, Italy, where one of his two surviving victims, Mason Verger, is attempting to have him captured. Lecter returns to the United States and is captured by Verger's henchmen, only to be rescued by Starling. In the novel, Lecter's beloved deceased sister named Mischa is introduced. As the details of her death are revealed, it can also be concluded that Lecter's actions were revealed to stem from early childhood trauma, which Harris drew inspiration from the lives of real-life serial killers. In the novel's conclusion, Lecter kidnaps Starling and attempts to transform her into Mischa; after failing to do so, Lecter and a disgraced Starling elope to Argentina.
In 2006, Hannibal Rising, the prequel to Red Dragon was released after Dino De Laurentiis, owner of the cinematic rights to the Lecter character since Manhunter, told Harris that he was going to make another Hannibal film, which depicted Hannibal's childhood and his development into a serial killer. Harris wrote the script, then the novel, despite not wanting to, due to the threat that if he didn't, De Laurentiis would employ someone else to do it. The book follows young Hannibal from his traumatic childhood in Lithuania, to his medical studies in France. During the same time, he is hunting the ex-partisans who had killed and eaten his sister.
[edit] In film
1986 saw the release of the Michael Mann film Manhunter, which was loosely based on Red Dragon. For reasons unknown, the filmmakers changed the spelling of Lecter's name to "Lecktor," who was portrayed by acclaimed Scottish actor Brian Cox.
In 1991, Orion Pictures produced a Jonathan Demme-directed film adaptation of Silence of the Lambs, in which Lecter was played by British actor Sir Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins made Lecter a cultural icon, receiving a "Best Actor" Academy Award for his performance. Hopkins' Lecter remains the shortest lead role to ever win an Oscar, appearing in the movie for a total of only about sixteen and a half minutes. Jodie Foster, who portrayed Clarice Starling, won a "Best Actress" Academy Award for her role in the movie.
In 2001, ten years after the release of the Silence of the Lambs, the anticipated sequel Hannibal was adapted to film, with Hopkins reprising his role as Hannibal Lecter. After the film was released, it earned mixed reviews. The ending for the film was changed from the novel due to the controversy that the novel's ending generated upon its release in 1999. In the film adaptation, Mischa is never mentioned, and the ending was changed with Starling attempting to apprehend Lecter; instead of them eloping to Argentina. It is often misinterpretated that Jodie Foster, who had portrayed Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs, made the producers change the ending due to her disappointment with Clarice's character in the novel; however, the producers were planning to change the ending even before Foster considered reprising the role. Hopkins stated that he was happy with the novel's ending, and also stated that he suspected that the characters would end up with each other when he filmed the end of Silence of the Lambs. In the film Hannibal, Lecter escapes from Starling's custody after cutting off his own hand to free himself from her handcuffs. Hannibal did not receive the same acclaim as its predecessor allegely as a result of deviating from the original book.
In late 2006, the script for the film Hannibal Rising was adapted to novel format. The novel was written as to explain Lecter's development into a serial killer. The French actor, Gaspard Ulliel, did not receive the same acclaim as Hopkins did for his portrayal of Hannibal Lecter for Hannibal Rising. The novel and film are both often discussed as being inconsistent with Lecter's childhood as portrayed in the novel Hannibal during flashbacks of the character's life. Several differences are often noted, such as a change in Lecter's age during his sister's death, and his overall behavior and modus operandi when compared to his later character. As with most serial killer flicks, Hannibal Rising is often regarded as appealing to younger audiences rather then appealing to general audiences like its predecessors.
[edit] In other media
Hannibal Lecter has often been the subject of parodies and references in general media. In addition to making an appearance in MAD magazine, Hannibal Lecter has been the subject of parody for several animated television series such as South Park and The Simpsons. Numerous other parodies have been done such as appearing in an amateur musical based on The Silence of the Lambs (SILENCE! The Musical), and references from more known musical artists such as Eminem. In Austin Powers: Goldmember, Dr. Evil parodies Hannibal in his prison cell when Austin goes to ask him where Goldmember was.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ AFI's 100 Heroes & Villains. American Film Institute (June 2003). Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ The Silence of the Lambs p.16, para. 2: "She could see that he was small, sleek, and in his hands and arms she saw wiry strength like her own".
- ^ Silence of the Lambs p.15, para. 2: "Dr. Lecter has six fingers on his left hand".
- ^ Silence of the Lambs p.16, para 4: "Dr. Lecter's eyes are maroon, and they reflect the light in pinpoints of red".
- ^ The Silence of the Lambs p.17, para. 4: "He tapped his small white teeth against the card and breathed in its smell".
- ^ Biography at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Silence of the Lambs at Rotten Tomatoes
[edit] External links
- Hannibal Lecter at the Internet Movie Database
- Information about Hannibal Lecter, with a strong central focus on Manhunter (1986)
- Crime Library profile of Lecter
- Hannotations
- German fanpage with downloads
- The Hannibal Lecter Studiolo
- The Hannibal Lecter Studiolo Forum
- Lecterphiles community on Livejournal
| Thomas Harris's Hannibal series | ||
|---|---|---|
| Novels Red Dragon • The Silence of the Lambs | Main Characters Hannibal Lecter | Films Manhunter • The Silence of the Lambs • Hannibal |
| Secondary Characters List of minor characters in the Hannibal series | ||
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