When the movie came out, I started writing to Roger Ebert at his Movie Answer Man address about once a week. I have never expected to get an answer from him but I enjoy the exercise. It's a hobby. I thought I'd post the letters here. If anyone cares to take a crack at answering them, I'd love to hear from you. I didn't save the first two letters but I'll be adding as I go from now on. If Mr. Ebert ever does answer me, I'll post it here.
WARNING: Contains Spoilers
February 26, 2001
Dear Movie Answer Man,
Thomas Harris is a very clever writer. In his latest book, Hannibal, he plants all the "elements of epiphany" in the reader's mind. Page after page, there are clues to "tug at our attention" challenging us to look beyond what is on the surface. He does this because, as he says himself, "In that moment when the connection is made, in that synaptic spasm of completion when the thought drives through the red fuse, is our keenest pleasure." How keen it is indeed!
The movie also contains a number of things that "tug at our attention", themes if you will. Thomas Harris was consulted after all. One fairly evident theme is that of the roller pigeons, or pigeons in general, and the pigeon theme is carried over from Silence of the Lambs. Recall Fredrica Bimmel's father kept pigeons and he killed a couple while Starling was in the house searching Fredrica's room. (There is a breed of pigeon known as the starling pigeon, by the way.) In Hannibal, we see pigeons during the opening credits. Then there are pigeons in the piazza with Pazzi, the dead pigeon that Barney takes home, and finally the roller pigeons. The movie mentions them twice. I feel a tug.
Hannibal taunts Clarice about her low-ceilinged life and about her need for approval from those beneath her. Roller pigeons fly very fast and very high, then they tumble back down. There are shallow rollers and deep rollers. The offspring of two deep rollers will crash and die. Synaptic spasm. Epiphany. Icarus! (Note that in the book, Hannibal has a subscription to ICARUS magazine.)
It's rare when a movie can hit me days after I've seen it with a delightful revelation and still it keeps me thinking and wanting to see it again to figure out, say, what's up with the feet? The previous movies based on Harris' books solved all the puzzles for you. This one tugs at the attention of the careful movie watcher.
So what do you think? What's up with the feet?
Thank you for your time,
Dorothy
March 4, 2001
Dear Movie Answer Man,
I wrote to you last week or so about the roller pigeons and Icarus. I've recently seen Hannibal again and the Icarus allusion is further confirmed in the scene where Hannibal writes Clarice a letter. If you look closely you will see feathers on Hannibal's desk and of course, the letter is sealed with wax. Nice touch.
The fans interest me too. They are mostly ceiling fans but Barney has a window fan and Clarice has a little fan on her desk in the dungeon (interestingly, this one isn't on). In the book, wheels are important. I'm wondering if fans don't serve the same purpose here.
Wheels are used in astrology. I've already written about the astronomical subtext of the story, my favorite example being the connection to the asterism of the "amputated hand" in the constellation Cetus, the Whale, i.e. Hannibal's ambergris-based hand cream. So we have the stars circling above, ceiling fans, the carousel, the wheel, the circle, the eternal. (In the book, Mason's eel makes a figure eight.) It's a possibility.
But then the scene at the Fish Market adds an interesting twist. (By the way, I love the hanging garlic there to ward off evil spirits.) The van which carries the FBI agents, rather than being marked "MARCELL'S CRAB HOUSE" as in the book, (a nod to the constellation cancer perhaps), is labelled "Ashoka Authentic Indian Cuisine". Now, Ashoka was an Indian Emperor, some 2300 years ago. His reign was symbolized by the wheel, the wheel that is now on the Indian flag, the Wheel of Law. Interestingly, there is a myth regarding Ashoka. After some great battle, while Ashoka was admiring his victorious carnage, a beggar approached him with a bundle in his arms and said, "Mighty King, you are able to take so many lives, surely you can return just one life - to this dead baby." Ashoka, then devoted himself to non-violence and became a strict vegetarian. Clarice, however, saved the baby, goes on to kill more people and the Vegetarian Times on top of the refrigerator would be Krendler's.
I'm not really sure how that all fits but I'd be interested in your thoughts on the subject.
Thank you,
Dorothy
March 10, 2001
Dear Movie Answer Man,
I wrote you recently about the fans in "Hannibal" and their possible symbolism (wheels of astrology, the wheel of law, circles, eternity, etc.) Building on that, there are certain famous circles that deserve our attention - the Nine Circles of Hell from Dante's Inferno.
Hannibal quotes twice from Dante, once from the Inferno and once from La Vita Nuova, and the opera (filmed at the Pazzi Chapel of Santa Croce) is from La Vita Nuova. "E d'esto core ardendo ... umilmente pascea." Beautiful. But Dante's influence is felt in other less-obvious ways.
Florence of course was Dante's birthplace and it figures heavily in the Inferno, Dante having been recently exiled for his political ties. In the Inferno, Satan lives in the "City of Dis" that lies in a valley, red as if it had come out of the eternal fire. Florence sits in a valley and is a city of red roofs. That's where Hannibal appropriately makes his home.
In the book during his lecture to the Studiolo, Hannibal mentions chewing in Dante and the three faces of Satan chewing on the heads of Judas, Brutus and Cassius. [For an illustration, see here. Thanks to Cesar for the link.] ] (Krendler's computer screen name in the book, by the way, is Cassius199.) This chewing occurs in the ninth circle of Hell. Dante tells us that the ninth circle is a cold and frozen place, a place where traitors get their due. In the film we see Hannibal chewing as he is being chased by Gnocco. As for being frozen, Evelda is cooking crystal meth, or "ice", there is dry ice in the van with the FBI agents, there are countless crystal objects placed throughout the movie and Clarice grabs a snow globe with which to try to brain Hannibal. Krendler, a traitor to order and to his oath, gets his "head" chewed in his own house. "Io fei giubbetto a me delle mie case?"
Another, more poignant allusion to Dante is in the beginning when Clarice is asleep in the van veiled in mist from the dry ice. From La Vita Nuova, "And in his arms my Lady lay asleep wrapped in a veil." Of course, when Dante wrote La Vita Nuova, Beatrice was dead. Recall, Barney says to the pigeon, "Go on, you've mourned long enough." As I've mentioned before, there is a breed of pigeon known as the Starling pigeon.
In the book, Hannibal resurrects Clarice, but the ending in the movie is more abiguous. Krendler's boat is set adrift on the water. On the far shore, fireworks for Independence Day. What do you make of that?
Thank you for your time,
Dorothy
March 18, 2001
Dear Movie Answer Man,
Last week I wrote to you about Dante in the movie Hannibal and I showed how Dr. Lecter is associated with Satan. I thought I'd expand on that a little more if you'll indulge me.
Lecturing to the Studiolo, Hannibal brings up the story from Dante's Inferno of Pier della Vigna who, because of his betrayal and avarice, was disgraced and blinded. Della Vigna ultimately killed himself. Hannibal says, "But Dante needed no drawn illustration. It is his genius to make Pier della Vigna, now in Hell, speak in strained hisses and coughing sibilants as though he is hanging still." Note that Hannibal puts considerable stress on the word "Hell".
Mason Verger because of his disfigurement and paralysis also speaks in strained hisses and coughing sibilants. Mason had a habit of hanging himself and ultimately resorted to self-destruction with the help of Dr. Lecter. So, we can assume that Mason is in Hell, like Pier della Vigna.
But look at how nice Mason's house is, the Biltmore for goodness sakes! And Mason wields considerable power. Not quite what one would expect from someone like Pier della Vigna. But recall, Clarice calls Mason "The Rich One." In mythology, Hades is known as "The Rich One." So, perhaps Mason is Hades, ruler of the Underworld. With Hannibal as Satan, Mason then becomes identified with Hannibal and this is evident in the film in a couple of spots. There is a scene in Clarice's dungeon where we see a picture of Hannibal with a crease on his left eye that makes it look similar to Mason's right lidless eye. Plus, Mason and Hannibal both wear the infamous mask. And lets not forget that Mason peels off his face with a mirror. Could it be that Hannibal and Mason are mirror reflections of each other - twins even? Twins as in the Dioscuroi? The equinoxes? And what of Clarice and Pazzi, both in law enforcement, both rise to fame and then fall into disgrace? I'd be interested in your opinion.
Thank you for your time,
Dorothy
March 25, 2001
Dear Movie Answer Man,
Regarding the movie Hannibal and Dante's Ninth Circle of Hell, it might help to note whom Dante chose as the greatest traitors of all time and why: Judas, because he had betrayed Jesus, founder of the Church; Cassius and Brutus, because they betrayed Julius Caesar, founder of the Holy Roman Empire. Jesus of course is mentioned directly in the film but Julius Caesar is less obvious, if he's there at all. (Perhaps one of the many busts of men in togas is Julius?) However, we do know that Pazzi is killed in the manner of Judas with his bowels falling out and Krendler is tied to Cassius in the book through his screen name, Cassius199. Both Cassius and Krendler get their heads chewed. [Correction, Judas gets his head chewed. Cassius and Brutus are upside down.]
Julius Caesar was murdered on the Ides of March in 44 B.C. Mason Verger goes to some lengths to tell us that the Hylochoerus Meinertzhageni, the giant forest pig, has a total of 44 teeth. Is this coincidence? I wonder.
Aside from being two masters who were betrayed, Jesus and Julius share something else in common. Together they are largely responsible for our current calendar. Jesus gave us the year, and Julius, with the advice of astronomer Sosigenes (a dead night watchman?) aligned the days and months so that they would better agree with natural events such as the equinox. Julius gave us Leap Day.
The calendar is a means by which we measure time. Time is important in the story of Hannibal. In the book, Hannibal wants to reverse it. There is also a delightful little reference, through the steering wheel of Starling's car, to Momo, a wonderful book by Michael Ende, about a little orphan girl who must stop the men in gray from stealing everybody's time. In the movie, we have clocks and chronometers, some of which run backward, as well as the trip beyond time from Mason's to the lake house and the fan that runs in slow motion. Perhaps even the pace of the movie is in keeping with the time theme. From SOTL: "We don't reckon time the same way, Clarice."
The book ends at the millenium, presumably the 2000th anniversary of Jesus' birth. In the movie, in response to Hannibal's question if she would ever ask him to change, Clarice says, "Never in a thousand years". A thousand years of course is a millenium. But it isn't New Year's, it is Independence Day, the fourth of July. July is named for none other than Julius Caesar. Is this coincidence? I'd appreciate your opinion.
Thank you for your time,
Dorothy
March 29, 2001
Dear Movie Answer Man,
As you may recall from Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal played a recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations while he bit and bashed and carved his guards to death. In Hannibal, we hear the Goldberg Variations again, first during the opening credits and again while he reads the letter to Clarice.
Anyone familiar enough with Harris' Hannibal books can see that they are variations on a theme, like Bach's complex piano piece. So are the movies. They are all stories about "good guys" who seek help from the "devil" to catch a "bad guy". Those are the bass notes of the composition, so to speak. The first two movies are clearly similar. Hannibal, however, is a more clever variation. This time it isn't Hannibal that helps the FBI, it's his "twin", Mason Verger. (I mentioned the twin aspect in a previous note.) Hannibal now is the hunted criminal. There's also the variation in a variation with the story of Pazzi who first approaches the "devil" for help in a missing persons case.
The movies then differ in melody and tempo. Manhunter is basically a straightforward serial killer movie. Silence of the Lambs is a gothic and lewd variation. Hannibal is operatic and decadent.
But like these bass notes, there are other themes that run through all three stories that might shed some light on things. I'm particularly interested in the idea of wheeling people around. Freddy Lounds was in a wheelchair when Francis Dolarhyde set him ablaze and rolling toward the Tattler. Hannibal was wheeled around on a handtruck in Silence. Then in Hannibal, we have Pazzi on a handtruck, Hannibal on a handtruck, Hannibal on a forklift (both he and Pazzi were raised up while confined to their apparatus), Mason in a wheelchair and Krendler in a wheelchair. What do you make of all that?
Thank you for your time,
Dorothy
April 7, 2001
Dear Movie Answer Man,
Speaking of variations on a theme in the Hannibal movies, love is a common thread among all three.
In Manhunter, Francis Dolarhyde just wanted to be loved. He put mirrors in the eyes of his victims so that he could see himself being accepted and loved over and over again in the hopes that eventually it would become true. So when Reba, the blind woman played by Joan Allen, shows interest in him, we feel hope. Maybe things will be all right after all. But then his dreams are shattered when he sees her with another man.
In Silence of the Lambs, Jame Gumb perhaps was more interested in the physical act of love. He wanted to make himself beautiful, desirable. Gazing into a mirror, applying makeup while wearing the scalped tresses of some unfortunate fat girl, he asks, "Will you fuck me?"
In Hannibal, Dr. Lecter is in love. "Could he feel a daily stab of hunger and find nourishment in the very sight of her? I think so." But alas, it is an impossible love. "Would she see through the bars of his plight and ache for him?" Hannibal risks everything to come to Clarice's aid. He neutralizes her nemesis then chops off his own hand rather than hurt her. There's also Dante and Beatrice. "Vide Cor Meum." See my heart.
But Hannibal's love for Clarice was also evident in Silence of the Lambs. It all started when Miggs flung his semen at her. More of the physical aspect of love here, I suppose. But perhaps it means more. According to mythology, Saturn lopped off Uranus' genitals and the dismembered member fell into the ocean. The semen created a foam. Out of the foam Aphrodite (Venus), the Goddess of Love, was born.
From an astronomical perspective, Venus is a planet, sometimes visible at night in the West, sometimes visible in the morning in the East. To the ancient astronomers (dead night watchmen), the planet at night was Venus. In the morning, it was Lucifer. Love and the devil.
In Hannibal, in the Questura offices, there is a poster of Botticelli's Birth of Venus. The naked goddess stands on a seashell covering herself somewhat with her hands and hair. Next to this picture are photos of Il Mostro's victims, some of whom are posed like Venus in Botticelli's painting. But a close examination of the photos of Hannibal's victims in Clarice's dungeon also shows one who is posed like Botticelli's Venus. So what do you think? Is Hannibal Il Mostro, the Monster of Florence? Has he been trying to express his feelings through these killings? Or does he think that if he creates the image over and over again, he will find Love? I'd be interested in your opinion.
Thank you for your time,
Dorothy
April 22, 2001:
Dear Movie Answer Man,
I wrote to you a couple of weeks ago regarding Venus in the movie Hannibal. This time, I'd like to discuss another planet - Mercury. The closest planet to the sun is difficult to see and very fast. One day it will peek at us from the east and in a few days it furtively glimpses us from the west. The god Mercury, or Hermes, being a thief himself, was the god of thieves and pickpockets. He was also the messenger and herald of the gods. He guided the souls of the dead to Hades. Fast, he had wings on his cap and heels. He was also often pictured carrying a caduceus with its intertwined snakes, now the symbol of the medical profession.
In the movie, Gnocco is a pickpocket. We see him carrying a newspaper while he snatches a wallet from a passerby. Inspector Pazzi witnesses the crime and threatens Gnocco with imprisonment if the gypsy doesn't help get Hannibal's fingerprint. As Gnocco is chasing the doctor, the two weave in and out among the columns mimicking the motion of the planet Mercury or perhaps the intertwined snakes of the caduceus. Hannibal stops to buy a newspaper, The Herald of course, and carries it much as Gnocco carried his. When they finally bump, Hannibal "picks" Gnocco's pocket and the gypsy bleeds to death. Here, the punishment is the crime.
We feel sorry for Gnocco but perhaps our sorrow will be alleviated somewhat if we realize one important thing. He's already dead. They all are. In the book, Margot tells us so. Mason says to her right before she kills him, "You're dead, Margot." To which she responds, "We all are. Didn't you know?" Ridley Scott may be suggesting this to us through his use of shadows, Dante's "shades". Recall that the souls in the Inferno were physically abused too. The infernal irony.
But Dante didn't end with the Inferno. There is hope. Notice the white lilies scattered about in the film, the flower of the Resurrection. Dr. Fell is a Renaissance historian. Renaissance as you know literally means rebirth. Death and resurrection. The fireworks for Independence Day. Interesting things to reflect upon, you might agree. But a rebirth to what? I'd be interested in your opinion.
Thank you for your time,
Dorothy