Peter Walker (pw@pw.cablenet.co.uk)
Fri, 25 Jun 1999 18:05:06 +0000
Now there's an idea and thanks to Mark Sullivan and James
Doherty for their comments - well said. This is my last post
on the subject of chocolate cheesecake...er.. Hannibal so
make the most of it. One: Kev Smith is absolutely wrong (an
unusual occurance but sadly true) in his assessment of
Hannibal. No way is it a cozy. In reality it is a re-working
of (the early) James Bond films. I joke not. In the same way
"Lord of the Rings" was a re-working of "The 39 Steps" so too
is this a reworking. Lector is in fact 007. A neat twist. He
has his Jag (read Aston Martin), his Chateau Petrus (aka Dry
Matini) and his kitchen knives (re Walther PPK). Take Lectors
effortless intellectual ability on any subject - Bond. Mason
Verger is basically Dr No, Blofeld and Goldfinger rolled into
one (not to mention his eel). I could go on - the black
humour in the killings etc - but I think I've made my point.
Cozy? Gothic? Tosh. Two: Hannibal redefines writings
relationship to film. It is more of a film than film itself.
If it is a film script in waiting then the big joke is (and I
suspect Hannibal is Harris's idea of a big joke) is that it
is a film that can never be made. The excessively visual
style of the book - not to mention the super violence - packs
more in than any film could. Chew on that Mr De Laurentis.
Three: My point of view is that, basically, yes we can all
send round recipes for choc cheescake (and I have a great one
by Roald Dahl) but we should stick to what the list is about.
Fair enough but Hannibal has thrills, horror, excellent
writing and a sublime (and tad gothic) ending. It is so much
more than just another serial killer book. Just look at the
responses to it. That at least seems to be a worthy
discussion point here judging by the number of postings.
Peter. PS One final point: Lector's epicure consumption of
white truffles, fois gras and Chateau d'Yquem...he's a
phsychiatrist...could this be a clue as to who'll play him in
the film...Kelsey Grammer. You heard it here first.
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