Hannibal (2001)

Directed by Ridley Scott

Produced by Dino De Laurentiis, Martha De Laurentiis & Ridley Scott

Starring Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Ray Liotta, Frankie R. Faison, Giancarlo Giannini, Francesca Neri & Gary Oldman (uncredited)

Hannibal

Boasting a long, long tortuous journey to the screen (which I could recount verbatim, but for the sake of brevity it would be far easier for you all to simply watch the "Breaking The Silence" documentary on this set's second disc), Ridley Scott's film version of Thomas Harris' "Hannibal" (previously commenced under the MUCH better title of "The Morbidity Of The Soul") makes a rapid entrance to DVD. It seems like only yesterday (well, February 2001 actually) that this one was screening at every multiplex in my neck of the woods! But here it is, one of the most wonderfully macabre passages of mainstream horror to grace a cinema screen in years, primed and ready to be embraced by purveyors of the digital medium. And what a fantastic addition to any collection it is! Just wait until you get to the Extra Features listing below…Hold on! Hold on! I don't sit up 'til daybreak for nothing…have a read of my opinion of the film first…please. :)

Taking place ten years after the events of "The Silence Of The Lambs", "Hannibal" commences with Dr. Lecter (still Hopkins!) still at large, having assumed the guise of a curator at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. Clarice Starling (Moore) is still living in the shadow of her past glories, but herein faces public disgrace when one of her tactical operations (a drug bust) takes a serious turn for the worst. Facing public humiliation and a severe blow to her professional standing with the FBI, Starling's career seems verging on crumbling. All is not lost though, as eyes from afar are studying her shame with an almost affectionate sense of compassion. Yes, the good doctor has been moved.

Meanwhile, a powerful, horrifically scarred and crippled former patient of Lecter's, the grotesque Mason Verger (Oldman), is rifling through everyone who may have come in contact with Lecter with a morbid, revenge driven motive. Whatever the cost, it is his obsession to capture Lecter so that he may exact his own justice against the man responsible for the ruination of his being. FBI official Paul Krendler (Liotta) elevates Lecter to the status of Ten Most Wanted and reassigns Starling to the case (albeit with ulterior motives), and Florentine inspector Rinaldo Pazzi (Giannini) suspects he may have happened across the good doctor. Is time finally running out for the cunning, chameleon like psychotic? On the contrary, Hannibal sees the opportunity to bond the affinity he holds for Starling, in the process tying up a number of loose ends that threaten to restrict his freedom. But however well calculated he may be, he is not prepared for the levels that Verger's ties stretch, nor the insidious lengths that money will corrupt.

Comparisons between Demme's "Silence" and Scott's "Hannibal" are bound to rear their ugly heads from here to eternity, but for me it was a case of: two different novels, two different directors, and two different films. If you walk in expecting another "Silence", you will be sorely disappointed, however if you walk in expecting a Ridley Scott film of similar power to his previous foray in the horror genre ("Alien"), then you should come away suitably impressed. Scott and screenwriters David Mamet (responsible for the first FIFTEEN drafts) and Steven Zaillian ("Schindler's List") have paired away the more controversial elements of Harris' novel, instead focussing on Lecter himself and his relationship with Starling. Gone are the elements of child abuse perpetrated by Verger, the whole character of Verger's lesbian sister and, most importantly, the entire original ending that seems to have been universally panned. What remains is a potent continuation of a character that has become "pop-culture", and an even deeper slide into the world of his twisted psyche. This is far more powerful than it first appears, wholly in part to Scott's consummate skill as a director and storyteller.

Those expecting the ferocious, hypnotic Lecter of the first (okay, second) film will be very surprised with the mannered and eloquent one of this film. Although still a figure to be feared, Scott exacts a morbid fascination with the character, extracting an unsettling empathy from the audience for his plight. Surrounding characters become infinitely more monstrous than the doctor himself, Oldman's Mason Verger going on to become one of the most frighteningly compelling and unsettling villains of recent years. Of what remains, John Mathieson's cinematography is superb, bringing Florence beautifully to life and permeating the grislier passages with the darkness they deserve. It must be said, this is a much brighter, more colourful film than the drab palates of the last film. Hans Zimmer, on the back of the best score of 2000 ("Gladiator") crafts a richly operatic, lush string-driven work herein, which is a perfect compliment to Scott's (without wanting to spoil much of the surprise) macabre love story. Special mention goes to makeup effects artists Greg Cannom and Keith VanderLaan for creating some of the most seamless effects, and one of the most disturbing character makeup's, to have graced the screen since Makeup FX were King.

Okay, onto the discs (as there are two: disc one is the feature, disc two is the supplementals). I'll be perfectly honest here: Columbia/Universal's R4 disc is nigh on perfect. I could bore you out of your brain (or Paul Krendler's for that matter) with the technical details, but I won't. Suffice to say, I can't imagine "Hannibal" looking or sounding any better than it does here. I don't think it even looked this good theatrically! Scott is one man who understands the medium of DVD. Letterboxed at its theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85, and 16:9 enhanced, picture is just about perfect. Audio options are either Dolby digital 5.1, or DTS 5.1. Obviously the DTS track wins out for performance, but there's really nothing in it. I was tempted to say "F*** me! A horror film in DTS!", but there's more on the way…very soon… :)

Time for a deep breath…it's Extra Features time! Disc 1 contains an audio commentary by Scott, who is always a joy to listen to, and as usual he presents another insightful overview of his film (listen for the famous cigar, and a sly crack about the infamous "dinner scene"!). Disc 2 is the one that stuns in its sheer wealth of material. Kicking off, there's the 73 minute documentary "Breaking The Silence - The Making Of Hannibal", which can be watched in one sitting, or broken down into five featurettes. Great viewing it is too! A small segment of the makeup FX reel blew me away, as it highlights an effects sequence that I didn't pick as an effect! Next up is a colossal gallery of 38 minutes of deleted & extended footage (no point detailing these, just watch 'em!) that DOES included Scott's original ending (Sorry! No spoilers!). Following this are three Multi-angle vignettes, that can be played from up to five different angles, and with a multitude of audio options (best of the lot is Ridley's storyboard to film comparisons). Yikes…another deep breath! Get ready for more in the shape of the teaser trailer, theatrical trailer, and no less than NINETEEN TV spots. Finally, there are two sets of photo galleries encompassing 17 Production Stills galleries (tallying up a massive 560 stills!), and 4 Poster art galleries (56 images…some of which it's a crime they weren't used!). The Photo Galleries are all anamorphically enhanced, and are of good size images for a change (the Bond discs ticked me off with their matchbox sized images!). No prizes for guessing how long that lot took me to get through for you all!

Being one of the first territories to receive this 2 disc set, I can happily say if you loved this movie, don't think…just head out and buy it on day of release as I did (well, next to nobody sends me screeners!). It's a mighty impressive set, effortlessly rating as Disc of the Year thus far for me (at least, until Coppola's "Godfather" trilogy hits DVD in October). Scott's film has its critics, of which, I am not one. I found it an entertaining horror opus on theatrical release that shocked and disturbed with equal aplomb (Verger's visage stuck in my head like a road accident for weeks), and on disc it has lost none of its power. It is, of course, just that wee bit smaller. A perfectly flawless disc, augmented by the biggest set of supplementary materials you'll ever see afforded a genre film. Just awesome!

Footnote: There have been rumours that the R4 feature disc is modified from the theatrical release. This is simply that…a rumour. I am tempted to say that it is also a blatant, scurrilous lie! An employee of Australian theatrical distributor for the film UIP confirmed with me that the disc is indeed UNCENSORED.

Special thanks with this review must go out to Marc Vinci for his consultancy assistance with Harris' literary source novel (as I had no time to read the book before this review!). Thanks mate! That's another beer I owe you!

Review by M.C.Thomason


 
Released by Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment
Classified R (18+) - Region 4
Running time - 131m
Ratio - Widescreen 1.85 (16:9)
Audio - Dolby digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Extras :
Audio commentary by Ridley Scott; "Breaking The Silence - The Making Of Hannibal" documentary (consisting 5 featurettes); 14 Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary & inclusive of the Alternate ending); 17 Photo Galleries (comprising 560 still images); 3 Multiple Angle Vignettes (Anatomy Of A Shootout, Ridleygrams & Title Design); Teaser trailer; Theatrical trailer; 19 TV Spots (Is that enough for everyone?).
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