Mmmm “Liver with some Fava Beans”
Robert Louis Stevenson once said, "The Devil, can sometimes do a very gentlemanly thing." In the movie Silence of the Lambs directed by Jonathan Demme, ex-psychiatrist Hannibal, the Cannibal, Lector acts as a poise gentleman to FBI agent Clarisse Starling. Armed with his psychiatric and manipulative background, Hannibal helps Clarisse with both her childhood past and tracking down the elusive serial killer, Buffalo Bill. Despite being a horrific killer, audiences are drawn to Hannibal Lector’s contrasting appeal, etiquette, body language, brilliance, artistic ability, and brutality.
The audience is introduced to the contrast character of Doctor Hannibal Lector at the end of the basement of a mental asylum. The descending scenery of gates and doors is bathed in red, depicting the image of hell. Ironically at the end of the isle, expectations for a beastly devil are shattered when a calm and poised man with gray hair is grinning behind the glass.
The image of coldblooded killers are mostly ghastly and satanic; yet, Hannibal the Cannibal’s delicate etiquettes charm the audiences. In the first meeting with Clarice, Lector greets her with good manners, “Good morning…May I see your credentials?...Sit, please.” Unlike his rambunctious neighboring inmates, such as Miggs, Hannibal has an eerie charm attracting audiences as well Clarice.
The Cannibal’s dark humor is his most enjoyable personality. Hannibal eases the tension of audiences with his sharp remakes to the female characters of the movie. He nails Clarice on the head with his question about her relationship with Jack Crawford, “Do you think Jack Crawford wants you, sexually? True, he is much older, but do you think he visualizes scenarios, exchanges, fucking you?” This remark shows the dim funny side of the Cannibal. His twisted humor makes another appearance with his muzzled meeting with the Senator,
“Tell me, Senator. Did you nurse Catherine yourself?
- What?
- Did you breast-feed her?
-Yes, I did.
- Toughened your nipples, didn't it? - You son of
Amputate a man's leg and he can still feel it tickling. Tell me, Mom, when your little girl is on the slab, where will it tickle you?”
The Senator was appalled by his words, yet the audiences were delighted at the disgust that Hannibal cooked up.