Hannibal Lecter
So I just seen the Hannibal Trailer on NBC. I am uber excited! When I first heard that there was going to be a television show based on Thomas Harris’s title character, I was a little apprehensive. The giddy school girl in my was excited, but I didn’t want NBC/prime time cable tv to sully the character. I mean can you really sully the rep of a cannibal? lol
When I was around 7 years old… I know shame on you mom! lol I seen the Silence of the Lambs. I practically grew up watching this film. Granted I should have grown up mutilating animals and cooking ants under a magnifying glass just based on the crap I watched, but I had a good grasp of reality… You know for a 7 year old lol. I knew that Hannibal Lecter was only in the movies (little did I know the real world) so I was okay. But I grew to love him as a character and I have actually grown to have empathy for real people who may not act the way society wants them to. Particularly anyone with a mental defect, and those society deems “Evil”. I don’t believe that anyone is born evil. I don’t believe for one minute that Junior is gnawing on his crib bars just wishing to get out to gouge of fluffy’s eye with his Tinker Toy rod or Lincoln log. I am a firm believer of Nature and Nurture playing a huge part on what become not only as children, but also adults.
I digressed a bit there eh? lol Anyways, I later seen William Petersen’s portrayal of Will Graham in Manhunter, I was probably around 17 or 18.
Will Graham 1986
I almost like Manhunter, more than Silence of the Lambs, it is an 1986 B-Thriller. The story is awesome, but it was such a low budget film that they used an air compressor a thin PVC pipe and ketchup as blood spatter from a shot gun blast! lol I love the film, You see Graham’s relationship with Lecter here. Lecter, no matter how bad a guy, manages to make himself needed. He has the rare affect of being not only a serial killer but also a psychologist. He can profile others that are not unlike himself. And that is just what he does for Graham. But he makes a menace of himself. He has a way of getting into Will’s head that when Will leaves the psych prison, he does so running. Literally. He runs down a huge circular ramp until he is outside so he can get air because he’s just about hypoventilating.
Hannibal Lecter get’s into peoples minds like that. In the Silence of the Lambs, after (Multiple) Miggs said something vulgar to Clarice Starling, Lecter was able to crawl so deep into Migg’s head that Miggs swallowed his own tongue and died. All while both Lecter and Miggs were in separate cell’s. Unable to see one another.
I don’t want the powers that be to muddy down Lecter’s character. I want him to have the same presence that creeps world out in the films. I want him to be able to give people nightmares! With Network television, they have certain rules they have to follow. They can’t have curse words on. They can’t allow too much gore. Well that is what Hannibal is. He eats people and if that that isn’t gore. Well than I don’t know what is.
My worries have taking a flying leap out an 80 story window! The trailer shows lots of blood. You see bodies mounted on deer antlers. I’m not so sure of this Will Graham though. He seems… I don’t know. He’s weird. He seems to be a little on the squirrely side. In the time between Hannibal Rising and Manhunter/Red Dragon there is a huge gape of time where in HR we see Lecter as a 20 something, to Manhunter/Red Dragon when he is 48 years old. Will Graham doesn’t make an appearance until Manhunter/Red Dragon. At the beginning of M/R D we see the friendship that Graham and Lecter have. We also see the moment when Graham realizes that his friend isn’t exactly who he thinks he is. Through out M/R D, Graham is rattled to be back at his profession of FBI Criminal Profiler. He’s building his confidence back up through out the films (M/ R D). He lacks confidence, but he’s not weird.
I should tell you that Red Dragon is a remake of 1986’s Manhunter… lol
Anyways in the show Hugh Dancy’s Will Graham is weird. He’s almost Socially retarded. Graham isn’t supposed to be like that yet. He should be a normal functioning FBI agent. I hope I can get passed this Will Graham. This is Will Graham before he meets Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
Will Graham 2013
Here’s hoping that the show makes up for this Flub of Grahams character.
Plumcosm 