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Admiring Gong Li
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Marla
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 Posted: Wed Oct 18, 2006 5:43 am Post subject: Reviews - Sneak Peeks |
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A fan saw a sneak preview - and gives it a positive review:
| Quote: | Hannibal Rising Sneak Preview
By Alice Meichi Li
October 18, 2006
So my beloved Anonymous Nee-chan got me into a free sneak preview of Hannibal Rising at the Village East theatre.
It's apparently going to be released next February, so they haven't exactly put the finishing touches on it yet.. They gave us a survey after the movie where we can give our opinion on the movie and that'll determine what they edit. I feel so powerful.
Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for this movie.. Anonymous Nee-chan got me into a sneak preview of Red Dragon four years ago too, and I was super-excited to see it before it was released to theatres but it was sort of a let-down.
But I loved Hannibal Rising... Perhaps it was the amazing performance by Gaspard Ulliel or the guilty satisfaction of prequels where you can quell your curiosity about origins.
Gaspard Ulliel was absolutely perfect as Hannibal. I did not miss Anthony Hopkins one bit, because he portrayed him so truly to Hopkins' version -- down to the taunting dead-on British accent, predatory glares (or longing stares at Gong Li, take your pick), and suave motions. Hannibal's magnetic presence is what carries the films, and Gaspard Ulliel certainly exceeded my expectations.
(Note that it's possible for the actual theatrical release to be edited differently. Also, this is pieced together *strictly* from memory without notes, so there may be inaccuracies in the sequence of events, quotes, or whatever. I'm only human, after all.)
[Highlight text to read the next section - warning: heavy spoilers]
The opening scene portrays the quaint Lithuanian countryside surrounding Lecter Castle. Young Hannibal and Mischa, his cherub-cheeked younger sister, play on a dock overlooking a pond. Hannibal draws an "M" in the dust with a twig and proclaims "'M', for Mischa!"
However, this tranquility doesn't last as his family is frantically packing up to flee their home while World War II eugulfs their country. Nazis overtake the Lecter Castle as the family is beginning to settle down in a cottage in the woods. All is well for a brief period of time, as we watch Mischa being bathed by their mother and Hannibal blowing bubbles in her bathwater through her tiny silver bracelet.
Yet, we'll find that this secluded security doesn't last. The war is brought over to their literal front yard as an exhange between a Russian tank and fighter plane leaves Hannibal's parents amongst its casualties. The newly orphaned Hannibal is left to take care of Mischa on what little sustenance they have left and stone wolves away from his parents' corpses at night.
Russian deserters find their way to the cottage, spotting light from inside as Hannibal feeds his sister. They seize it and take Hannibal and Mischa for cover if discovered, chaining them up after Hannibal puts up what fight a 10-year-old can muster.
It quickly becomes apparent that the desolate condition of the war in the dead of winter has left the deserters starving. They inspect the children, pinching their cheeks and limbs, and find that Mischa has pneumonia and would die soon. In a scene that Hannibal regularly recalls in his nightmares, Mischa is taken outside to be slaughtered and subsequently boiled in her own bathtub to serve as sustenance.
It is 8 years later and Hannibal once again lives in Lecter Castle, converted into an orphanage. His aristocratic lineage is overlooked, and he is tormented by peers so that he does not feel entitled to privilege. We are introduced the the young man as he is the only orphan in line refusing to sing. The leader taunts him about appearing mute, although he screams out in his nightmares, and Hannibal deftly stabs his hand with a fork when it is raised to him.
The headmaster lectures him about his violent behavior, chiding, "Hannibal, Your problem is that you do not heed what's established. You aren't supposed to stand up to bullies!" (Or words to that extent.)
As Hannibal endures another nightmare about Mischa, the officials take him out to be locked up in a separate wing of his castle for making too much noise. Here we find that he has created a secret passage to a room where his mother kept momentos of their family, and finds information about his uncle and aunt living in France. Under the cover of night, Hannibal escapes the orphanage to find the remainder of his family.
He arrives at his uncle's chateau to find that his uncle is since dead, leaving behind his beautiful aunt, Lady Murasaki (played by Gong Li, most widely known for her role in Memoirs of a Geisha. Poor woman, keeps being cast as Japanese characters.). She quickly takes him under her wing, commenting that he reminded her of his uncle.
Over the years, she teaches him the arts of kendo (from which he gained his quickness and agility), ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement), and exposes him to her traditions of honoring her ancestors. She shows him how she polishes their katana with clove oil before a suit of samurai armor (that so happened to contain a mask similar to the one Hannibal wears in the original movies), and a scroll which depicted a tradition of placing an enemy's head on a platter.
The tension and attraction that builds up between them lends Hannibal a homocidal protectiveness for her. During a trip to the market, a corpulent butcher shouts racist comments at Lady Murasaki and suggests that Japanese vaginas were sideways. Hannibal does not hesitate to attack him in kind, but their fight was broken up.
Of course, he does not let this display of rudeness go. (And we all know how he feels about rude people.) He waits near a lake, playing a lute, as the butcher has just returned from fishing (consequently gutting a fish). The butcher's belligerant nature drives him to attack first with a small knife, and Hannibal makes short work of him with a full-length katana -- cutting him in ironic fashions that recalled the racist comments the butcher spewed earlier. Before he finally beheads him, he shows him a marvelously-rendered sketch of the butcher's head on a platter.
He brings the butcher's catch of fish back to be served as dinner at the chateau, and the cook comments that the cheeks of the animal are usually the sweetest parts.
The police are now on the case of the murder, and Inspector Popile takes the lead in the investigation. Lady Murasaki finds the butcher's head on her ancestors' altar as Hannibal's offering to her. However, she protects him since he did it for her, declaring "It was a crime of passion," with a hungry smirk. She advises him to wash his hands of the clove oil smell.
Inspector Popile takes Hannibal in for questioning, where we see the origins of Hannibal's countenance when it comes to the police. He extracts information about Popile's family being lost in the war, suggests that they were similarly under suspicion for similar motives, and jokingly offers to share his alibi with him. "I can always tell them that you were fishing with me, Inspector." The way Ulliel taunts Popile's motives and how he says "Inspector" starkly recalls Silence of the Lambs. The boy has certainly done his homework. Bravo.
Hannibal gains a work-study scholarship at a medical school, and fully enjoys his hands-on studies with the human anatomy. While at school, we see his exquisite dorm room is decorated with his charcoal renditions of the men who killed and ate Mischa, drawn from photographic memory (as he did with Il Duomo in his jail cell.). Every once in a while he visits Lady Murasaki and asks if he could stay with her, but she sends him back to medical school.
While working to collect bodies, he happens upon Inspector Popile questioning a prisoner under the influence of a truth or memory serum before his execution. He overhears the interrogation and learns that the war criminals who killed Mischa were still alive. This reignites his desire for The Crow-like vengeance, and he pockets the serum to induce a waking recollection of his memories to guide him. During this sequence, he surrounds himself with his drawings of the murderers, and puts on a record of Bach's "Goldberg Variations".
Afterwards, he quickly disappears again to Lithuania in order to inspect his old cottage for more evidence to help him find the murderers. There, he comes across Mischa's old bathtub filled with her bones and teddy bear, as well as the dog tags of the deserters. One of the deserters happened upon Hannibal and tried to attack, but Hannibal quickly subdued him.
The next morning, the deserter awakens to find himself tied to a tree as Hannibal confronts him about his sister's death. Hannibal taunts him splendidly, extracting information about the remaining deserters from him before beheading him slowly as his horse walked away with the other end of the rope that wrapped around the deserter's head. It was later found that Hannibal roasted his cheeks with wild mushrooms and had a lovely bruschetta.
Upon returning to France to pursue the remainder of the murderers, Lady Murasaki embraces him and tells him how worried she's been that he was gone for so long, commenting that he smelled like "smoke.. and blood". He confides in her his plans of vengeance, and she disapproves but decides to be supportive since she understands his motives.
They travel to the city where the next victim lives, and happen upon him and his family in a cafe getting change for their church offering. Lady Murasaki attempts to discourage him from killing the man the entirety of the time, citing his family. This makes no difference to Hannibal. He lures the man's young daughter over with a maraschino cherry, and notices that she's wearing Mischa's old silver bracelet. He then places half her father's dog tag into her pocket and sends her back to her family as he and Lady Murasaki disappear.
This alerts the man and the rest of the deserters to Hannibal's presence as a threat, and connects him with the first murder. They send out one of their fellow deserters to spy on and subdue Hannibal. He ends up sneaking into Hannibal's lab as he works on a human heart, and stalks him with the intent of shooting him. However, Hannibal is able to sense the presence of the man in his lab and takes preventative measures by sawing off the hand of a cadaver to serve as a decoy while he attacks his would-be murderer. He later replaced the hand and patted the body with a quick apology. After a bit of torturing in a vat of preserving fluid, he leaves the man to drown.
He then begins to plot the murder of the next victim, and Inspector Popile confronts Lady Murasaki about protecting Hannibal. It's revealed that all three of them have lost their families in World War II -- Lady Murasaki's in Hiroshima -- but Popile manifests his need for justice against war crimes by putting criminals through the legal system rather than murdering them out of vengeance as Hannibal does. Popile mentions that the young boy Hannibal died when Mischa did, and there can be no love in his heart anymore. Murasaki is drawn to agreeing with him and once again attempts to convince Hannibal to surrender his next victim to Popile for due process rather than killing him.
Hannibal sets out to murder one of the last deserters (an especially despicable individual) and his botched attempt leads to his near-death. The deserter asks him if he loved Mischa enough to kill him and feed him to her, and Hannibal states the affirmative. The deserter then reveals that was how much he loved himself, and that was what drove him to do the things he did. As Hannibal's throat was nearly slit, he narrowly escapes due to a measure he planted ahead of time only return to the chateau and find that the deserter's henchmen have kidnapped Lady Murasaki to use as bait. When the deserter leads Muraski to speak to Hannibal on the phone, she slams her fist into the side of a bird cage and tells Hannibal to "listen carefully" for a hint as to where to find her.
Hannibal tracks this clue to the first man he found in the cafe, and tricks him into revealing Murasaki's location on the main villain's houseboat by threatening the welfare of his children. He gives up the information, but Hannibal ends up killing him anyway. However, he ended up not harming a hair on the children's heads.
Once on board the boat, the last deserter shoots Hannibal in the back as he goes to rescue Murasaki. Convinced this shot in the spine had paralyzed him, he goes to molest Murasaki in front of Hannibal. However, the bullet had been deflected by the katana Hannibal kept concealed behind his back, and he struck back. Once the deserter was completely subdued, he begins to torture him and carve an "M" in his chest "for Mischa".
Lady Murasaki protests this, asking him to stop and hand the deserter over to Inspector Popile. (I would suppose this is why he approves of the fact that Clarice would never ask him to stop.) He doesn't, and Murasaki ends up cutting the throat of the boat captain who happened along to discover the grisly scene, to protect him.
Before Hannibal kills the final victim (in France, at least), he confesses his love to Murasaki. However she reflects the opinion of Popile, saying that love cannot exist in his heart. This devastates him, and he begins to eat the cheeks of his final victim while he's still alive as Murasaki leaves.
Murasaki and Popile find each other, and an explosion on the houseboat convinces them both that Hannibal is dead. However, he got away on a rowboat beforehand and is on his way to Canada to kill the absolute final deserter. The movie ends with Hannibal finding him in a Canadian taxidermy shop and inquiring about wanting a head...
Naturally I loved Lady Murasaki. Not only have I adored Gong Li since Ju-dou, but how can I *possibly* resist a woman named after the color Purple?
I'm totally going to see it again in February. |
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_________________
"A 'star' sounds crazy. It is only the work of everyone around a star that makes it shine. One should not overrate oneself; otherwise, the light goes out very fast." ~Gong Li |
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cocoa
Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 6:14 am Post subject: |
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| Somebody else on the IMDB saw it...and liked last night .I was going to ask some questions about GL but someone already has so I will post them here when they answer them. |
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NewPath
Joined: 22 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 11:34 am Post subject: |
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| Interesting. It seems the feedback received from this screening and the one months ago are very different. Most people who went to the earlier screening didn't like it. But this time, two people claimed they saw the film and both liked it. |
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cocoa
Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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Here is the answer
| Quote: | Gong Li was good. Personally, I hated her in Miami Vice, so seeing her in this film was a reminder that it may have been Miami Vice, not Gong Li, that was bad.
Her accent is still noticeable, however because everyone talks with an accent in this film it wasn't a problem. |
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NewPath
Joined: 22 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:52 pm Post subject: |
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One more positive review on AICN:
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30447
A spy wants to eat up HANNIBAL RISING with some fava beans and a nice chianti!!!
Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a test screening review of the Young Hannibal flick, HANNIBAL RISING. I'm a little wary about a prequel story for Mr. Lecter, but if this guy isn't pull our leg then this sounds like not only a worthy addition to the Hannibal Lecter universe, but a solid damn movie in its own right. Might be some spoilery stuff below, but our reviewer doesn't go too deep into the events of the flick. Still, tread carefully if you're afraid of spoilers. Enjoy!!!
Hi,
Johnny “Chuck” Death (the Man in the Tan Hat (NYC)) with a review of the new entry in film world’s Thomas Harris’ Lecter series HANNIBAL RISING. The screening took place in Edgewater NJ just a short hop across the GW Bridge. You printed my report from the NYC Monster House screening so I thought I’d toss this your way.
I attended with my wife the BatChick and we were, quite frankly not expecting much. We were told ithe usual -t was one of the first showings and the film was not finished (effects, music, scratches etc. ) We got much more than expected. We were riveted from the start to the finish. And the film looked and sounded pretty darn locked to me.
The film opens in 1944 as the Lecter family including young Hannibal and his little adorable sister Misha leaves their castle for the lodge in the woods. Russian Tanks, crashing Nazi aircraft (the effects looked finished to me) leave the kids orphaned and then come the scumbag local criminal bastards. Things go from bad to worse and anyone who has read Hannibal already knows that Mish is eaten.
Flash forwards - Hannibal escaping an orphanage that was once his family castle. He displays some traits, can not speak and screams from nightmares.
He makes it to Paris where he is taken in by his aunt Gong Li (really). He learns the way of the Samurai, is the youngest student accepted to med school on a working scholarship (working in the morgue) and meets up with inspector Papilon who is hunting war criminals. Some great moments between the two, hints of Hannibal’s ability to “turn the tables” and play mind games. After defending his aunts honor in a typically Lecter fashion Hannibal goes on the hunt himself.
I don’t want to give away any more. Gaspard Ulliel is excellent as Young Hannibal. The period setting is remarkable. The cinematography by Ben Davis is as gorgeous as Gong Li. The script by Thomas Harris grabs you and leads you deeper into the legend of Lecter. The audience seemed overall pleased and I hope they change not a frame. Far superior to Red Dragon. As good as Hannibal. One of the most entertaining movies I have seen this year.
Johnny “Chuck” Death
The Man In The Tan Hat |
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NewPath
Joined: 22 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Just curious, does anyone know when the book will come out? |
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cocoa
Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 1:50 am Post subject: |
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The book come out December 5th.
So good we are getting some positive feedback
Some more stuff from the poster:
"Gong Li was good. Personally, I hated her in Miami Vice, so seeing her in this film was a reminder that it may have been Miami Vice, not Gong Li, that was bad.
Her accent is still noticeable, however because everyone talks with an accent in this film it wasn't a problem."
She did look good and wore a lot of silk robe stuff. She and Gaspard had good chemistry except that she is supposed to be his aunt which, looking at them together, doesn't make much sense. And there was no real...love scene. Just minor bits.
don't know for sure how much the rest of the audience liked it but I heard mostly positive things on my way out to the lobby.
And I don't think Gong Li pulled off the English accent...she just sounded like someone who doesn't know English very well. |
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Marla
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Joined: 31 Dec 1969
Posts: 5198
Location: The O.C.
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| Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 6:22 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for the updates. I haven't been online since yesterday afternoon.
| Quote: | | she is supposed to be his aunt which, looking at them together, doesn't make much sense |
She is his aunt by marriage, not by blood.
| Quote: | | Her accent is still noticeable, however because everyone talks with an accent in this film it wasn't a problem. |
Sometimes, I think movie-goers expect everyone to speak English with an accent like mine. As long as her lines could be understood, it shouldn't be a problem.
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_________________
"A 'star' sounds crazy. It is only the work of everyone around a star that makes it shine. One should not overrate oneself; otherwise, the light goes out very fast." ~Gong Li |
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cocoa
Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:14 am Post subject: |
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these two statements contridict
| Quote: | | she just sounded like someone who doesn't know English very well. |
| Quote: | | Her accent is still noticeable |
is her accent just simply noticable or does she simply not speak English well.? |
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Marla
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Location: The O.C.
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| Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 7:58 am Post subject: |
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Based on the few English words I have heard her speak during interviews, she is perfectly understandable. She apparently used an "English" accent in the film, though, rather than her own natural voice.
| Quote: | | Her accent is still noticeable. |
Perhaps the movie-goer heard her natural accent coming through at times. What the movie-goer meant really isn't clear, is it?
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_________________
"A 'star' sounds crazy. It is only the work of everyone around a star that makes it shine. One should not overrate oneself; otherwise, the light goes out very fast." ~Gong Li |
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NewPath
Joined: 22 May 2006
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| Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 9:55 am Post subject: |
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| Just FYI, COTGF Chinese website added a "behind the scene" clip yesterday, which showed the foreign directors who visited COTGF set in Beijing, including the two (Oliver Stone and Steve Spielberg) we already knew and, surprisingly, the director of Hannibal Rising. Yimou asked him how Gong Li's English is now, and he said "it's getting better." |
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cocoa
Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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| NewPath wrote: | | , the director of Hannibal Rising. Yimou asked him how Gong Li's English is now, and he said "it's getting better." |
Weird since she already finished HR before Curse. He was just curious I guess or wanted to visit GL  |
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cocoa
Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Fri Oct 20, 2006 12:29 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Based on the few English words I have heard her speak during interviews, |
I am anticipating when she does a whole interview in English. Could be awhile. |
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cocoa
Joined: 05 Aug 2006
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| Posted: Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:20 pm Post subject: |
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A bit more
| Quote: | | The chemistry was lovely.. subtle, and impregnated the quiet moments. It's certainly there in the way they look at each other, and how she gently cradles his hand while she sews up a cut in his thumb from an ikebana accident.. And yes, they do kiss. Initiated by Murasaki. |
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Marla
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Posts: 5198
Location: The O.C.
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| Posted: Sun Oct 22, 2006 10:48 am Post subject: |
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More feedback from Alice Meichi, who saw the test screening:
| Quote: | maria34: To tell you the truth, I don't really mind there is not a love scene between them, as long as they kiss. It seems more romantic.
Alice Meichi: I agree… for some reason, even quiet moments where they are just looking at each other seem very intimate. There's also another scene I forgot to add in -- While she's teaching him ikebana, he accidentally cuts his thumb deeply while cutting a flower stem, and she sews up the wound. (This part was a little graphic, and I don't know if it'll stay in the movie or not because the audience reacted badly to it.) There's such tenderness and chemistry between then -- I was quite happy.
Consumed: Being a true Lecter fan, which we all are, it's easy to understand his love of culture. The Japanese culture is rich and detailed. I have so much confidence in Thomas Harris and they way he will depict Hannibal embracing what Li Gong's character is giving to him. I fear though, this Kendo training sequence in the film. I'm not quite sure how to explain it... I just hope it is not overdone.
Alice: I didn't feel it was.. It was rather brief and served to be more of an expository scene of how Murasaki and Hannibal are becoming closer (somewhat flirtatious, even) than say, a cheesy martial arts montage. |
I am looking forward to seeing publicity stills of Li and Gaspard...
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_________________
"A 'star' sounds crazy. It is only the work of everyone around a star that makes it shine. One should not overrate oneself; otherwise, the light goes out very fast." ~Gong Li |
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