Main Task 2.6 - (Single Sequence Analysis)

The sequence I have chosen to analyse is the opening 5 minutes of the 2007 thriller film Hannibal Rising. It follows the rise of Hannibal Lecter, a Lithuanian who turns to cannibalism following a traumatic childhood. The opening scene sees Hannibal and his sister playing in the woods as their home comes under attack from the Nazis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbKNJZW8lZs

The first image presented to the audience is that of a spider sitting on its web. As an audience, we associate spiders with fear. This foreshadows the psychological process of the main antagonist who is the key character in the film. As the narrative develops the viewer discovers that his anger and pain stems from his fear to accept the truth - the truth that he as well as the Nazis who squat in his house killed and ate his sister. The opening dialogue forebodes danger - "run away"- just prior to the Nazi attack on the castle. These techniques bring meaning and understanding to the audience in terms of narrative.

The setting of the opening sequence is the woods surrounding the castle of Lecter - the peaceful sound of the river and the innocence of nature contrasts the isolation and vulnerabilty that the woods represent in a textual tontext. The musical score compliments the atmosphere set by the location; however, as soon as the first explosion is heard the score takes a more sinister tone in that it converts to a minor key - emotions of fear and evil are usually associated with music in the minor key.

The use of mise en scéne in relation to iconography allows the audience to gain an understanding of time and context. The german aircraft as well as the children's clothing allow the audience to draw a sense of period; this is confirmed as the aircraft flies over the castle and the subtitles read '1944'. The rise of the Nazi flag, which represents evil, over Lecter castle at 3 minutes 50, introduces the antagonist to the audience. An audience with a good knowledge will immediately be able to associate the flag with evil and the following dialogue of - "You are a Jew" confirms to the audience that the antagonist is a Nazi.

Children, on the whole, represent purity and innocence across all genres; this is later consolidated as Lecter's young sister, Mischa, is taking a bath. She is a child, female and naked - the most vulnerable state possible. As well as being vulnerable she also conveys purity in that she is playing with her mother's white pearls. In the situation that the family find themselves in the audience could, perhaps, foresee death and danger through the vulnerability presented by Mischa. Furthermore, with Mischa being in that state, the viewer could be lead to believe danger awaits her. Also, being in the bath with hot water also foreshadows the death that she meets - being made into a soup cooked in a cauldron.

Hannibal Rising meets the conventions of a thriller/horror hybrid film as it features:
-Ordinary citizens drawn into danger* in this case Hannibal as a young child.
- Thrillers often take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities* Hannibal Rising sees a variety of locations; Paris, Lithuania, Canada, America (where the original trilogy begins).
- A single protagonist who plays as the monster.
- Themes of psychological and mental illness.

* reference to Wikipedia.