"I HAVE THREE TESTICLES!"

John Corbett's a sport.

I'll expand on that "Ugh."

I was an instant fan of the film version of The Silence of the Lambs (I even bought the CD of Howard Shore's score on the way home from the theater) -- it was an often overwhelming work for me -- and it became clearer to me over the years how human and humane a film it is. This strengthened my fondness of it.

I didn't see Hannibal in the theater. Later Dad got it on DVD, and was impressed with it -- he's not overly fond of gory or gruesome films, either -- so I had access to it. I saw it. And hated it. The humane side was, in my opinion, gone, except for flashes (Barney picking up the dying bird; but that wasn't enough). And considering how humane Ridley Scott's work can be (it's how I describe Blade Runner, Thelma & Louise, and, to an extent, Black Hawk Down), I was even more disappointed. It ultimately seemed an exercise in Twisted Twists. (I already knew how the film had been advertised about its ending, like it was a gimmick. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS: NOT GIMMICKY.)

I did read the novel later (as I'd read Lambs back in the Nineties), and while I have issues with it, I think it's a purer work, with an undercurrent of Thomas Harris saying -- this is my interpretation -- "At some level, a lot of you want this story to go to a certain place. You might not really want it to go there, though. Think about it."

I sometimes let myself think the film doesn't exist. (I do let myself think that the films based on Red Dragon still exist: I think they're decent films, especially Manhunter. But neither's a classic. And I do call Silence a classic.)

By the way, Jonathan Demme's Oscar acceptance speech remains a favorite of mine: he SO clearly didn't expect to win, and rambled and giggled at the podium for 3 minutes 34 seconds.