Once upon a time there was some discussion about Hannibal Lecter on our Facebook chat. At the time I recall debating Mads Mikkelson's performance on NBCs Hannibal as being on par with Hopkins and potentially even better in moments. I think my opinions were based on my most recent viewings of Hopkins in Hannibal. I've just rewatched Silence of the Lambs and two scenes stand out as untouchable.
First- are introduction to Hannbal- standing with his perfect posture very prim and proper he is clearly a type of character we have never seen before. When he asks Clarice what Miggs said to her and she replied in truth that Miggs said he could smell her cunt. He paused before saying that he could not. That pause was a thing of beauty.
Second- the scene again with Clarice in Memphis prior to his escape. They're pressed for time and speaking much more rapidly now. His intensity in their dialogue while forcing Clarice to both share and come up with the answers herself by only offering guidance on Buffalo Bill was amazingly good.
I love what Mads has done with the role and I look forward to binge-watching season 2 very soon, but he doesn't quite match Silence of the Lambs Hopkins.
Hannibal performance grades
Silence of the Lambs-Hopkins- A++
Hannibal-Hopkins A-
Hannibal Mads- A
p.s.- Jodie Foster is good too but Julianne Moore holds her own in Hannbal.
Hopkins' portrayal of Hannibal has long been one of my, if not the, favorites. Hannibal is one of my favorite characters of any movie/show/book... and I'm certain a part of that is simply how well Hopkins played the part.
ReplyDeletePart of reason it stands out in Silence of the Lambs so much is that he doesn't appear that much in the film. So when we do see him, it's memorable and Hopkins is just simply better than everybody else involved and that's not at all a slight on the rest of the cast.
Mads Mikkelson has been excellent, and is at least approaching Hopkins' level. I agree, though, that it's not quite there. I do think the fact that Mikkelson has Hugh Dancy across from him is pretty significant. Dancy plays an amazing Will Graham, far better than the fine performance Edward Norton gave us in Red Dragon. Dancy and Mikkelson play off each other so well that they both benefit from the chemistry.
Brian Cox played the part in Manhunter, but I haven't watched that since high school, so I can't accurately recall the performance.
There's also Hannibal Rising with Gaspard Ulliel as a coming of age Hannibal. This movie paled in comparison to the others, but I still enjoyed it. I didn't hate Ulliel's go at it, but I didn't love it. He often felt like he was trying to force a persona and got a little over the top.
My grades would be...
Hopkins - A+ (not for all 3 individually, but collectively)
Mikkelson - A
Ulliel - B
Cox - ??
I'll likely rewatch all 5 movies sometime, perhaps this summer with most of the series I watch being on break.
Here's my biggest problem with Hopkins as Lecter: he gradually gets turned into an anti-hero, which is complete bullshit. This is less true in Silence of the Lambs, which is easily the best movie made with him in it, but it's very much the case with Hannibal and maybe Hannibal Rising, too, which I haven't seen. Hopkins's portrayal has been tainted by that, and you can see it happening in Silence. That colors my ranking of Hannibal Lecters.
ReplyDeleteThe character in Manhunter is a thug with a certain level of charisma and intelligence, a southern gentleman who also kills and eats people. Cox has a couple scenes in the movie, and it's one of the better parts of it, but it's not as iconic as Hopkins and Manhunter was a flop. The movie is steeped in the 80's and the actor playing Will Graham is pretty bad.
The TV portrayal of him is as an unknowable, ancient, evil force. Mads, with his vague accent and quiet menace, is perfect for this. All the extras the show gives him make the character that much richer, especially the plastic suit he wears when he's about to kill someone. This is just a part of the medium, such that TV can add more to the story, but if we're comparing actors, I'd take Mads any day of the week. For me, he now owns the character of Hannibal Lecter. He's what I imagine first when the character is mentioned. The second season sealed it as he slowly let his guard down around Will. There's so much more going on in his performance than Hopkins's, which is great but more heavy on the affectations. Mads's version would never make the Chianti/fava beans sound, and he's the better for it.
Great point on the fava beans sound- Hannibal is too dignified for that.
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