#veers into some gushing over Clarice WHAT A SURPRISE /s

[peremadeleine]

watching Red Dragon and Silence back-to-back was definitely interesting

for one thing, it’s fascinating to see how much Ted Tally took from his original script for Red Dragon (especially in the conversations between the respective leads and Hannibal...and at one point Crawford says “Lecter said a lot of things,” which is of course Ardelia’s line to Clarice)

for another, while I’ve always considered Red Dragon a perfectly serviceable, even a pretty good, movie and adaptation--which it certainly is--the difference between it and Silence is astonishingly wide. to a lesser extent the same is true of the book (you all know that I think Clarice is simply a better character). yet the stark difference between the two films--“this is fine” vs. “this is phenomenal”--came into pretty sharp focus watching one right after the other.

my dad pointed out that Howard Shore’s score and the cinematography had a lot to do with the effectiveness of Silence, as did the pacing. a lot of the delivery in Red Dragon (especially coming from Ed Norton’s Will, which is disappointing because I know he’s a good actor) comes off as a little rushed and a little rote. yet the movie still dragged, for me, to the point that I committed the sin of fast-forwarding through some of Dolarhyde’s scenes even though Dolarhyde is, to me, by far the most compelling and sympathetic of the trilogy’s villains!

and frankly the performances, well...they don’t compare. with the exception of a few scenes, Ed Norton felt like he was playing a role. he’s barely angry when Will is supposed to be angry. he’s just strangely even-keel, one-note. (I notice they also pulled way back on making him an alcoholic.) even Anthony Hopkins’ spontaneity, if that’s the right word, as Lecter is diminished--the scene where he’s on the phone getting Will’s home address to me fell flat because the energy and effort weren’t there (no chewing gum, no cutesy “charming” accent...) and I can hardly blame the man: he wanted to play his probably favorite role one more time, but twelve years had passed. and Dolarhyde is fine; there’s nothing wrong with Ralph Fiennes, he can hold his own against anyone, but his character just doesn’t come off properly on screen for me--he didn’t in Manhunter, either.

I will say that I really like Harvey Keitel’s Crawford. I don’t think I like him better than Scott Glenn, but I like him as much as Glenn. Keitel is kind of the “cop” side of Crawford (vs. the “lawyer” side of Glenn’s). he wouldn’t, probably, have worked in Silence at all, but he’s good in Red Dragon. I also think Molly was cast perfectly...she’s not much of a character, though, and her big moment at the climax is given mostly to Will. (Speaking of: why can no adaptation of this story commit to scarring up Will’s face in the end???)

oh, and that dinner-and-a-show scene in the cell...who the fuck consented to give Lecter metal utensils? that took me right out of it and ruined my suspension of disbelief, because ain’t no way anybody giving that boy a fork.

Ted Tally is fantastic, I wish he’d written a faithful adaptation of the final book too--that said, for the love of God, the line in Hannibal’s letter to Will is “any rational society would either kill me or give me my books” and there was no need to change that. D<

all that to say...we popped in Silence, in theory, because it was Sir Tony’s birthday--as usual, however, by the 20-minute mark, I kind of forgot I was watching it for him, because it is utterly Jodie Foster’s film. don’t get me wrong, his performance is worthy of its hype and its awards. but you end up watching the movie for Clarice, and that’s as it should be. sure, she’s not as rich a character on screen as she is in the books, but the performance is still absolutely stellar and captivating and basically I spent every two minutes thinking “god I love her” over and over. that first scene between them in particular just crackles because they are both masters of their craft (acting that is) and they are both killing it and it’s a wonderful thing to behold. her delivery is never rushed and I don’t think it ever hits a false note. 

I no longer picture Jodie when I read the books, not like I did when I first read them (no, bless him, do I picture Tony as Hannibal)--that said, I still think she owns that role on-screen. I’ll never understand how more people are not head-over-heels in love with Jodie’s Starling, because God, I am.

also this exchange...

Jack Crawford is helping your career. Apparently he likes you and you like him.

I never thought about it.

Do you think Jack Crawford wants you, sexually? True, he is much older, but do you think he visualises scenarios, exchanges, fucking you?

I almost laughed out loud last night, because...Hannibal’s got it bad, doesn’t he? “true, he is much older, but...”--he’s talking about himself, even if he’s not yet aware of it. 

he’s becoming aware of it, of course. later...

Don't you feel eyes moving over your body, Clarice? And don't your eyes seek out the things you want?

not in a crude way, necessarily, but aren’t his own eyes doing that? he draws her, repeatedly, after all. and doesn’t he himself visualize scenarios and exchanges with this woman he’d like to know in private life (wink wink)? it’s no wonder Sir Tony, who had to memorize and deliver this script who knows how many times, shipped it in the early 90s!

a few small things I didn’t like as much as the book, though: Barney putting out the chair for Clarice (in the book it’s Hannibal’s idea, his way of being a courteous host...a sign of his esteem for this no-name young woman, esteem he’s never shown any other visitor in the asylum before) and almost everyone calling her “Clarice” instead of “Starling” (in the book Hannibal is p. much the only one, other than her parents, who calls her by her first name, which makes it more intimate and significant)

anyway...just some very disorganized observations and thoughts. also the rat-tail on Lecter was a sin for which someone must atone. that’s all!