I saw the movie version of Silence of the Lambs years ago when it first came out and absolutely loved it. Of course, as I mentioned in my previous post on Red Dragon, I became interested in the story of Hannibal Lecter again because I watched a show on the Biography channel about the movie and it was really great. I'm absolutely amazed and very impressed by how well the movie follows the book, at least as far as I can remember. Of course, this is not the sort of story one easily forgets whether after watching the movie or reading the book. Both the book and the movie are well done with visual images that are very difficult to forget. As I was reading the book, I truly could see the whole movie playing in my head. I can't imagine another actor playing the part of Clarice Starling than Jodie Foster! Of course, Jodie isn't in the movie version of Hannibal; Clarice is played by Julianne Moore in that one. She does a decent job, but there is no denying the fact that Jodie and Anthony Hopkins had a true chemistry on screen.
If you've seen the movie, then honestly, you've read the book. They did a wonderful job following the story of the book. Only the details that can be left out without ruining the story have been left out, so if you don't read the book, you're not missing anything. It hurts to say that, but I'm trying to be honest!
Of course, if you enjoyed the movie and you like to read, you'll still enjoy reading the book. It's definitely worth the read for the plain and simple sake of reading!!!! I would ALWAYS go for the book before the movie, but this is one case where both are done superbly, so whatever you would choose, you'd have a winner!
One thing I don't remember about the move (I'll watch it again as soon as I can get it from Netflix) is whether or not they explain in the movie why Buffalo Bill's real name is "Jame" rather than "James." That IS explained in the book. It's a really "stupid" reason, but considering how very twisted Buffalo Bill is, it's an explanation that works.
I know this is really sick, but one scene the movie really brings to life better than the book--it's really difficult to understand exactly what happens in the book because there's so much detail to the scene--is the scene where Hannibal escapes. It is definitely grusome to read, but when I WATCH Hannibal pull the officer's face off his own, there's nothing scarier or more horrible!
It reminds me of the post I did several months ago about how sick our society is without needing books, movies, and other media to help. Of course, that brings up the whole "situation" (wrong word, but I can't think of the RIGHT one rigt now) that just happened in Arizona (I think that's where it took place). The horror of that scene is enough to give a person nightmares for a lifetime. To think that a madman took a gun into a public place and started shooting, not stopping until he'd hurt a large number of people, and, worst of all, killed an innocent child......may God have mercy on us all.......
After talking about this book and movie in class, I mentioned it to my mother to get her opinion on it. She really likes scary movies, and I've started to get into them too. So she said that we should watch the movie.
ReplyDeleteI thought the movie was ok, but it was not one of my favorites. It was not really scary to me because everything was pretty much expected. As the movie progressed, it seemed like the characters gave Hannibal Lector a little bit of trust in a way. Maybe they saw him as a "good guy" in a way because he was helping catch Buffalo Bill. However, common sense would dictate that if someone murdered and ate people before, then he probably will not stop.
I thought it was fascinating how Hannibal Lecter was a professor, which has high prestige in society, but he was insane. He had that calm, reasonable character that could probably persuade people to agree with his views. When I think of someone insane, I think of someone who does not function well in society. Hannibal Lector could blend in with society perfectly if no one found out what he did.