In The Darkrnby George McCartneyrnDinner Is ServedrnThe original newspaper advertisenrentsrntor Hannibal (director Ridley Scott’srnadaptation of Thomas Harris’s nocl) dis-rn])laed a ghonlish-looking close up of therneponvmous protagonist, a more-thanusualhrnmad pschiatrist who has an unfortunaternpenchant for dining on hisrnpaHcnts. hi the person of Anthony Hopkins,rnHannibal the Cannibal glared at usrnnialeolentl, a crazed smile creasing hisrnaging face.rnA week into the film’s run, however,rnthe pichire changed. Now, we see Hopkinsrnstanding bv a candlelit dinner tablernregarding Clarice Starling (JidiannernMoore), the FBI agent with whom he’srnconducted a cat-and-mouse relationshiprnsince the’ met in Ihe Silence of thernLambs. She sits across from him in an elegantrneening dress as he thoughtfulh’rnprepares her meal. Despite his evidentrnattention to her needs, she stares past himrninto the middle distance, seemingK indifferentrnto his labors. It might as well berna scene from ‘ihe Remains of the Day,rnin which Hopkins plaed the perfecth’rnscr ile butler—a man self-effacingK dedicatedrnto caring for his masters. Now, wcrnmay assume his masters are MGM studiornexecuties —if not the paying public atrnlarge. Tlie hae ordered him to whiprnup a little something to set their jadedrnpalates ahngle once more. The resultingrnconcoction invoKes a particularK outrernariant of cannibalism that has sent aiidieneesrnout of the theater indiscreetlyrnabuzz (hence the new ad). Rather thanrnriiink it a liability, MGM has chosen torntake full adxantage of this widespreadrndisclosure of the film’s denouement.rn”Come back for a second helping,” onernersion co’l urges.rnIf you happen to be among those stillrnunfamiliar witii the film’s excesses, yournmay want to skip the next fic paragraphs,rnsince I w ill be addressing tiicm in .somerndetail.rnSct)tt’s preious film, Gladiator, containedrnplent’ of violence, but it was all arnmatter of sleight-of-hand suggestion carriedrnoff ingeniousix’ with quicksiKer editing.rnHere, however, he has called uponrnhis special-effects technicians to shovernHannibalrnProduced and Distributed byrnDino De Laurentiis and MGM StudiosrnDirected by Ridley ScottrnScreenplay by David Mametrnand Steven Zaillianrnfrom the novel by Thomas HarrisrnLast ResortrnProduced by the BritishrnBroadcasting CorporationrnDirected by Paul PavlikovskyrnScreenplay by Rowan foffernand Paul Pavlikovsh’rnReleased by The Shooting Gallervrnblood and viscera in our firces. As in thernnocl, Dr. Lccter comes out of retirementrnto revenge the sullied honor of hisrnreluctant protege, Clarice. At considerablernrisk to himself—including being setrnupon by a herd of flesh-eating hogs —hernfinally accomplishes his gallant mission.rnHe captures (and terminally discomfits)rnClarice’s arch-tormentor, Paul Krendlerrn(Ray Liotta), whose offenses are as muchrnpolitical as criminal.rnIn order to advance his own interests,rnKrendler, a careerist in the Departmentrnof Justice, planted evidence that compromisedrnClarice’s professional integrit’ andrnforced the FBI to suspend her. Worse,rnhe’s made unwanted passes at her andrndisparaged women in general, claimingrnthey’re better suited to taking dictationrndian conducting investigations. Further,rnhe assmiies Lectcr is “queer” becausernlie’s interested in such “artsy-fartsv stuffrnas chamber music and Renaissancernpainting. For these crimes, Krendler getsrnliis head handed to him — literally. F’irst,rnLecter drugs liini, then saws off his skidlcap.rnNext, he sits Krendler down to a dinnerrnof morsels taken from his ovn brain.rnWith each slice of gray matter removedrnfrom Krcndler’s head, tlie unfortunaternagent loses more and more of his mind,rnuntil he begins jabbering crudeh’ andrnbreaks into a childlike rendition ofrn”Swinging on a Star.” This grisly scene isrnstaged to make Lecter’s rexenge on behalfrnof his Clarice seem both laudablernand amusing. Although there werernscreams and groans at the showing I attended,rnI also heard chuckling and evenrna smattering of applause. Of course:rnHere was a homophobic male chaministrnbeing literally reduced to the idiot he hadrnalready proved himself to be culturally.rnThere’s modern justice for ou! Hatecriminals,rnbeware!rnThere is something fundamentalKaskewrnabout this narrative’s premise: Dr.rnLecter is a monster who mruders wantonly,rnbut we are encouraged to admirernhim. The word “monster,” b the vya’,rnappears in the noel when die narratorrngrandly informs us thatrndicre is no consensus in the psychiatricrncommunih’ that Dr. Lecterrnshould be teniied a man. He hasrnlong been regarded by his profe.ssionalrnpeers in pschiatn”.. . asrnsomething entirely Odier. Forrnconveiiienee the’ call him “monster.”rnHarris, of course, has another term inrnmind. He’s made Lecter a superman inrnthe Nietzschean sense: an individualrnwho exists far be-ond the pett- parametersrnof good and evil. Yes, he kills, but hisrnvictims are inariablv contemptible.rnThey’re men who lack cultivation, e,speeialKrnregarding their relations withrnwomen. There’s the wretched Krendler,rnfor one; but we are also treated to hisrnopposite, a middle-aged Italian policemanrn(Giancarlo Cianninil, married to arnmuch younger woman whom he indulgesrnuxorionsly for fear of losing her.rnFach, in his own wa, has objectifiedrnwomen and tjierefore deseres dcatli atrnLecter’s avenging hands. The doctor,rnyon sec, is an aesthete who can’t abidernunseemly behavior. He is also a man ofrnuncompromising taste (so to speak). Hernonce killed an inferior flute pla’er in tiiernPhiladelphia Symphony Orchestra tornmake room for someone more talented.rnAs a pknfid grace note, he fed the musician’srnremains —suitabK’ disguised —torntiie orchestra’s board of directors.rnWhat are we to conclude? That beingrngiult of bad manners and exhibitingrnpoor taste are capital crinies?” Sounds likerna higher order of fascism, a call to cleansernMAY 2001/47rnrnrn