Why would he hurt Mason though?
What was the point?
shareMason was Hannibal's exact opposite. He was everything that Hannibal resented in life and society. Hannibal was a killer and a cannibal, but he had a code. Mason had a God complex that allowed himself free reign to molest and abuse anyone he wanted for his kicks, be it the children from the camps or his sister Margot. And as dead as he wanted Mason, he knew death was too easy and too good for him. So he wanted to make sure whenever anyone saw Mason, they were seeing HIM and not the beautiful visage he lived behind.
shareIn the film, Mason's past pedophilia is only mentioned in passing, and in his current form we don't see him doing anything wrong other than justifiably plotting revenge. On top of that, the film's Mason has a quirky sense of humor that makes him somewhat likeable.
The novel's Mason was much more of a one dimensional caricature of a villain, a sadist with no redeeming human qualities at all (even when paralyzed, he still finds ways to psychologically torture children at the Neverland Ranch-like playground on his estate).
he still finds ways to psychologically torture children at the Neverland Ranch-like playground on his estate).
how did he do that? share
What do you mean "how"? Do you mean physically? He wasn't paralyzed nor maimed when the pedophiliac crimes took place. When Hannibal gave him the "popper" (probably a hallucenicgen instead), me was asking Mason to smile like he did at the children, or something like that. Lecter was punishing him for his heinous acts against children.
shareMason was Hannibal's exact opposite. He was everything that Hannibal resented in life and society. Hannibal was a killer and a cannibal, but he had a code. Mason had a God complex that allowed himself free reign to molest and abuse anyone he wanted for his kicks, be it the children from the camps or his sister Margot. And as dead as he wanted Mason, he knew death was too easy and too good for him. So he wanted to make sure whenever anyone saw Mason, they were seeing HIM and not the beautiful visage he lived behind.I freakin' love this reply.
Bravo.
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Wait a minute... who am I here? share
One thing I disliked about Thomas Harris' later novels is that he fell in love with his own character. In Red Dragon (and in the film Manhunter), Hannibal Lecter was completely amoral. He was helping Dollarhyde murder entire families, including children, and wasn't particular in his own choice of victims.
In later novels, Harris turned Hannibal Lecter into some sort of avenging superhero protecting damsels in distress. I much preferred the nihilistic, amoral Lecter as a character.
Exactly my problem, this humanizing of psychopaths.
shareI concur!
shareI don't see a point in that other than to "humanize" Hannibal, it's a cop-out to me.
shareIn the novel Red Dragon, Lecter asks Graham why he should help him with the Tooth Fairy case. Graham's instinctive response is to tell Hannibal that the Tooth Fairy is murdering entire families, including children, but then corrects himself when he realizes such moral concerns wouldn't motivate Lecter to help in the slightest (while the intellectual challenge of the case might).
So how did we get from that nihilistic Lecter to the avenging superhero Lecter who kills people as punishment for being rude to women or cruel to children and animals? Lecter went from a cannibal version of Dr. Moriarty in the early novels to a cannibal version of Batman or Superman in the later ones.
I agree, it kinda sucks.
shareI disagree. I don't think Lector left him alive. I think he just survived. Lector snapped his neck, I think it's fair to say Lector wanted him dead. Also the guy was rich and his parents prob got him the best medical stuff to keep him alive. And in the book it's mentioned that Lector had three of victims survive. Will Graham, Verger and some other unnamed person that went crazy after the attack.
i told you not to stop the boat. Now lets go. Apocaylpse Now
I don't think Lector left him alive. I think he just survived. Lector snapped his neck, I think it's fair to say Lector wanted him dead.
When Mason asks Lecter whether he regrets not finishing him off, Lecter's response is "No, because I prefer you just the way you are" or something like that, implying that his goal was to leave Mason a mutilated cripple rather than to kill him outright.
And in the book it's mentioned that Lector had three of victims survive. Will Graham, Verger and some other unnamed person that went crazy after the attack.
The third surviving victim is probably the nurse whose tongue he ate (we see a video clip of Lecter attacking her in Hannibal, and she's mentioned in Silence of the Lambs). share
When I saw this film, on cable, the first time, I had no idea Gary Oldman played Mason! I didn't realize until much later who it was.
Oldman is a good character actor.
Mason was a one dimensional, creepy, bore, living to torture Hannibal.
I'd always wondered why Mason was chair bound. I assumed there were other injuries involved. Funny how I wanted Hannibal to win over Mason!
I believe that was the intention!
Wow, very nice! Really.
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