DEVIL'S ADVOCATES - THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Barry Forshaw - Out now – published in paperback by Auteur Publishing. 102 pages, RRP £9.99.

To coincide with the 25^th anniversary of the publication of Thomas Harris’s novel ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, Auteur Publishing have released a new addition to their Devil’s Advocates series. Author Barry Forshaw begins with a look into the origins and inspirations for writer Thomas Harris’s first foray into the twisted mindset of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, (‘Red Dragon’ 1981) and the subsequent film adaptation by Michael Mann. He then dissects the world-famous follow-up novel and Oscar winning screen interpretation directed by Jonathan Demme and continues on his dissection of the Lector legacy with the resulting ‘Hannibal’ and ‘Hannibal Rising’ novel and films (not forgetting the almost entirely forgettable 2002 film RED DRAGON), and ending up with the current television series: ‘Hannibal’.

Little is known about the less than prolific (5 novels in 38 years) author Thomas Harris. Refusing to give interviews or even do book signings, the most significant detail we do know is that as an editor and reporter he covered crime-related events and he spent time at the F.B.I. researching serial killers for his second novel: ‘Red Dragon’(1981). Whilst there he (naturally) came across the case of our old friend, the famous farmer fiend from Wisconsin, Ed Gein. Forshaw wastes little time in wheeling out the well-known and well-worn influences Gein had on both Robert Bloch’s novel ‘Psycho’ and Hitchcock’s cinematic masterpiece. However, to his credit, Forshaw also includes lesser known works such as Jack Smight’s NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY (1968), and suitably tips his hat to the giallo works of Bava and Argento in particular in filmic influences.

From ‘Red Dragon’ we got the (first) film version: MANHUNTER (1986), directed by Michael Mann, and the first onscreen incarnation of Lecter (Lecktor) in Brian Cox. Arguments rage to this day when comparing Cox’s understated (and non-American accented) reading of the now (in) famous character with Anthony Hopkins’ Oscar-winning performance. Personally, I prefer Cox and Mann’s MANHUNTER to Hopkins and Demme’s SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (heck, I even prefer Ridley Scott’s HANNIBAL to SILENCE as a film) and, unlike author Forshaw’s belief – this is based on having seen the films in the cinema on their initial releases rather than just on retrospective ‘in-hindsight’ home viewings. In fact after coming out of the Odeon Leicester Square having attended the opening night of SILENCE OF THE LAMBS I can still recall the overwhelmingly deflated sense of disappointment.

Despite this opinion, I found Foreshaw’s analysis of the film intriguing - albeit a tad over-complementary - and I will now revisit the film with renewed vigour.

Overall, it’s a quick punchy and intelligent read, even if the author does over-employ the term ‘de-rigueur’, and it offers some fascinating interpretations and theories into the phenomena of ‘Hannibal the cannibal’ and how Thomas Harris’s literary creation has seeped into the mainstream consciousness. 

*** (out of 5 *)   

Paul Worts

(This review was originally published on the Frightfest website.)