You Don’t Say No to “Big Dino”

Ridley Scott wasn’t necessarily interested in directing a sequel to Silence of the Lambs, but he was talked into it by one of the most persuasive international producers, Dino De Laurentiis. Jodie Foster, who played the lead in that film, was approached to reprise her role for Hannibal but took exception to the way her character had evolved in the later movie. Her character, Clarice Starling, was played by Julianne Moore. Here the focus was strongly on the Hannibal Lecter character, again brilliantly played by Anthony Hopkins. Where Silence of the Lambs was a psychological thriller, Hannibal is more of an out-and-out horror film. There are many scenes of explicit gore and violence, difficult to watch at times. The film received poor reviews. Ridley Scott did not attend the premiere because his mother had passed away at age ninety-five.