The Hardest Thing In The World

i am somewhat at a loss as to know how exactly to review, or at least give my thoughts on, the film Hannibal Rising. i am not too far from sitting on the fence with this one, as for every positive aspect of the film there seems to be a negative. ho hum, let me give it a try.

an obligatory warning - this review may well contain spoilers, although as it is the young Hannibal we speak of obviously we know he survives at the end of it. there will however be references to the novels and the films, so proceed with caution.

first things first, and a big round of applause for Gaspard Ulliel in his performance of the young Hannibal. the role of Hannibal Lecter is, in the eyes of most, the exclusive property of Mr Anthony Hopkins. brave indeed is the soul that tries to challenge that perception. he gets the mannerisms and style of Hannibal spot on, and physically you are convinced that yes, this boy will grow up to be Hannibal. one odd note on the appearance, though - young Gaspard has rather dark eyes, whereas Mr Hopkins had those rather notable blue eyes. surely the budget could have accomodated a pair of contact lenses or two?

the rest of the cast do the job asked of them, and there's no one you can argue with as being a waste of space in it.




now, what makes commenting on this film one of the hardest things in the world is the whole point of the film itself. there are two perspectives on this one. Michele, who has never read the Thomas Harris novels, found Hannibal Rising interesting, "entertaining" if that is the right word for such a dark tale, and compulsive viewing. i, on the other side, have read the novels, and subsequently found the film somewhat lacking in point and reason in regards of its very existance.

don't get me wrong, i would not slam the film - i too found it to be most impressive. it's just that once you have read the novels, you are aware of all you need to be of the historical tale of Hannibal, in particular with regards to his sister Mischa, and basically know why Hannibal Lecter grew to be Hannibal The Cannibal. as a consequence, lovers of the books may well find that Hannibal Rising flirts dangerously close to being seen as a cash-in, a final go at getting more money out of the series. ultimately it isn't this - far from being a cheap and cheerful experience, it is clear that all involved with this film had a good deal of passion and interesting in the subject matter.

the main problem with Hannibal Rising is that it starts a cycle which does not end cinematically - this would be a brilliant film if Ridley Scott had done a more faithful adaptation of Hannibal. the whole thing would have made a great deal more sense, but with Ridley's altering of the ending of Hannibal, the psychological journey Lecter begins in Rising has no defined ending.

my reccomendation for fans or, if you will, admirers of the tales of Hannibal Lecter is to see this film, as it is worthwhile. just don't have wild expectations of it, and if you have read the novels, be prepared to be angry with the job Ridley Scott did with Hannibal a few years ago.

be excellent to each other, and try not to eat each other in doing so.