Fava beans and a nice Chianti

"People don't always tell you what they are thinking. 

They just see to it that you don't advance in life."

-Hannibal 

One of my all time favorite movie characters. He is a man of pure evil. I want to share with you the BEAUTIFUL UGLINESS of Hannibal essential trades and my favorite quotes. 

The Gentleman

Sophisticated and Complex. Charming and well educated. Doctor Hannibal Lecter´s elegant darkness has some kind of magnetism to me. As it is to stare at a candle. It is evil and knowledge ... insanity or wisdom. He is an avid reader, clean , obsesive with the detail of his drawings and most of all his gourmet cooking. Dr. Lecter has become such an ICON of EVIL, perfectly well dressed and proper manners, a Classic Movie Monster. He is a Cannibal Serial Killer but after all,  A TRUE gentleman.

"and don't your eyes seek out the things you want?"

-Hannibal 

The mask

It is a warning. It captures everything Lecter is INSIDE. A beast who knows no limit. He will speak words to lure you into his world. His mind. He is twisted and likes to test who ever comes to inquire him. With Clarice Starling he feels attracted. With Will Graham he feels matched. He enjoys talking to both of them.

"Well, Clarice - have the lambs stopped screaming?"

-Hannibal 

Good Taste 

I think as a symphony orchestra starts tunning... such is Dr. Lecter´s mind. Always preparing for what comes... fine wines, good food , proper dress code and most important of all "no rudeness". If there were commandments in the life of Dr Lecter, that would be number ONE. Rudeness is not tolerable. Wether verbally or by action he does not stand it. Proper manners and behavior is the best human quality. He enjoys playing piano and listenting to Opera.

"Now you're being rude, and I hate rude people."

-Hannibal 

The Perception 

Lecter hasn´t lost his sense of humor. He is sarcasm and knows how to talk to any one.  But he is never out of control. Whatever he says he has thought of it at least 3 days prior. He can be soft, as a warm bath or agressive as a razor. He is evil in a seductive way. Whatever he says it is for his advantage.

 I'll call you if I think of anything else, would you perhaps like to leave me your home phone number?

 -Hannibal 

Through the Glass

As a true evil movie archetype,Dr. Lecter is demented and behind bars. Or shall we say behind the glass. Dr. Chilton who´s in charge of the Baltimore Hospital is his True nemesis. Lecter´s language is Freudian-Sarcasm. He questions by affirmation he wants to know about the person in front of him but by making fun. Chilton as many others think they are smarter than Lecter. Chilton wants to analyze Lecter´s mind in an attempt to gain money and fame. I love the scene where Lecter demands a dinner with a waiter in his cell. And during that dinner Lecter looks at the security camera. No words, he just raises the glass. Because he knows Chilton is watching him and will be very angry when he smiles. 

"Ah yes Dr. Chillton. Gruesome isn't he? Fumbles at your head like a freshman pulling at a panty girdle." 

-Hannibal 

The monster

As Dracula or Frankenstein, Dr. Lecter comes from literature. Thomas Harris way of writing is dense and macabre. I most say i read (RED DRAGON, HANNIBAL AND SILENCE OF THE LAMBS)and the movie portrayal of Dr. Lectrer is mearly the surface of the complexity of this character. He is meticulous and horrifying. He is a monster with good taste.

"Io fei gibetto de le mei case." 

I made my own home... be my gallows."

-Hannibal 

Whatever Hannibal does it atracts us. It makes us watch. I think the most scary aspect of Hannibal is that it could be real or someone we know. That human darkness we know exists. As the movie theatre resembles the glass that separates us from the monster. The illusion of safety. As Clarice , Will Graham and ourselves find out. He cannot hurt us ...as long as he is behind the glass. 

 "What a collection of scars you have. 

Never forget who gave you the best of them, and be grateful, our scars have the power to remind us that the past was real." 

-Hannibal

My absence of faith

ab·sence
1. The state of being away.
2. The time during which one is away.
3. Lack; want: an absence of leadership.
4. The state of being absent-minded; inattentiveness: absence of mind.

Its incredible it´s been 20 years...

1994....it was an ERA.

Not too long ago....In a time where the internet did exist, but mostly to do home work. One of the most important years in my life. I turned 16 and entered high school. My life was about to change.

In an over exposure of images and sounds going from pop culture to film making. I became hungry for music videos,  magazines & comic books, movie TRIVIA and playing Metallica riffs on my guitar. Smoking cigarrettes and drinking dark coffee.

Everyday i wanted more. A change was in fruition.

As Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega discuss foot massages in Pulp Fiction , the sound of Alice in Chains "No excuses " on the radio and Kurt Loder saying KURT COBAIN IS DEAD. Oliver Stone´s Natural Born Killers was called our GENERATION´S "A Clock Work Orange", Alex Proyas directed The Crow and Trent Reznor sang "I ...hurt... myself today. to see... if i still feel !!! "

It was the year when ... Superman died and Batman was broken. John Candy played James Harlow in his last movie Wagon´s East. while Cypress Hill´s B-REAL screams "they say we are generation X..,.well i say we are generation FUCK YOU!!!"

All of this during a commercial break. The visual language was evolving. And it began to influence me in a lot of ways. Morphing into the unknown. The way I saw & understand EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED. We became faster viewers, demanding attention and visual literacy in every entertainment offer.

These are 3 examples of movies that made 94 a year to remember.

Pop Quiz Hot Shot!

SPEED is Jan De Bont´s masterpiece. Because it is flawless. I didn´t liked it too much at first. But as i´ve watched it over the years i find myself DRAWN to it. Watching it several times and saying it´s PERFECT. The good guy who saves  the nice girl from a bus where the bad guy put a bomb. That simple. Destroy everybody.

"Visions are worth fighting for"

To me Tim Burton´s best movie is ED WOOD. Because it is not about a troubled fictional character, its about a trully disturbed movie director. A man who had a lot to say and express but a secret so dark, he couldn´t be himself everywhere. Brilliantly filmed in exquisit Black and white.  Johnny Depp´s portrayal of Hollywood´s worst horror/sci fi director  is a life time role for him.

As Ed Wood serches for Bela Lugosi ( Martin Landau) to bring credibility to his work films. It resembles the life of Tim Burton as he searched for Vincent Price to do a role in Edward Scissorhands.

Johnny Depp most complex role and multi-dimensional character. by far. With such a brilliant cast, i love it is so underrated. It was always for rent at the video store.

"The gift of PAIN"

In BLOWN AWAY Tommy Lee Jones plays an irish terrorist living in Boston. Planting explosives and morbidly finding inspiration by singing U2´s... "With or Without you".

Starring Jeff Bridges as a bomb squad leader. A villain with a slogan " to create a new country called Chaos and a new goverment called Anarchy"

1994 meant  the beginning of my love for editing and the attention to detail in every aspect of television  & movies. It was a musical revolution also.  I always loved movies but i began to respect their makers. Realizing it was a team effort. Music videos introduced me to a lot of bands i wasn´t aware of or hadn´t listened yet. I realized both music and films could embrace. I had found my true calling in life. Whatever i was going to study ...It had to be something with sound and image. I had to love it. Not  because i wanted a job. But because i needed to be happy. 

Not only in films have i learned the visual language.

I also must recognize my favorite MTV teachers: 

 Anton Corbjin, Matt Mahurin, Wyne Isham, Samuel Bayer and Mark Pellington. Who directed some of my favorite music videos the backbone of my visual culture.  

I proudly can say  images & sounds remain to this day on my life, 20 years later.

My absence is gone.