The velvety evil of Dr. Lecter: Music for your next dinner party? (Hannibal - Soundtrack)

Member Name: zusy

Product:	Hannibal - Soundtrack
Date:	03/03/01 (579 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Atmosphere.... the chance to have Hannibal crooning in your very own home...

Disadvantages: See 'picking over the bones of one's meal', below...

Amongst the eerie moaning of violins and clanking chain sound effects, the beautiful clarity of a female chorus, singing like angels on high...his voice, oh that softly spoken, sinnister voice:

"Dear Clarice, I have followed with enthusiasm the course of your disgrace and public shaming. My own never bothered me except for the inconvenience of being incarcerated...but you may lack perspective."

This is the moment in the film when Clarice receives a handwritten envelope with her name on it. There is nothing else on the envelope but her name in a sophisticated, flowing script... but we all know who it's from.

As she reads the letter, we hear Hannibal's voice reading the words for us. It's a thrilling moment on screen, and still manages to retain the same chillingly thrilling impact on the accompanying soundtrack.

I am not normally a one for buying film soundtracks, they generally hold little interest for me (unless there is an especially good line-up that I would normally listen to, anyway.)

Whilst watching the film, however, one of the things that most affected me was the music and sound effects - they were thoughtfully conceived and wound through the narrative like a silky ribbon, holding together some of the more shakey areas and adding a great deal of interest.

If you detest classical music of all kinds, then this may not be the album to buy, but I am an enthusiastic-amateur-occasional-classical-listener ; by this, I mean that I like a lot of classical music but couldn't tell you what it was I was listening to (more likely the advert it came from :-)

This is a highly atmospheric soundtrack - full of the same fragile balance of beauty and innocence, danger and death, as the film itself.

Track 5 - 'Avarice' - particularly encompasses these themes. Moody violins build from gentle crooning lilts to darkly menacing scraping of the bows. A child's music box seems to play in the background, the soun
d of fading in and out... Scary stuff, even if you didn't know what the film was about and had never seen or heard of it.


Hans Zimmer has done an outstanding job in composing this soundtrack, it certainly makes for an unsettling audio experience.

I suggest you use this soundtrack in the following way:

Buy several bumper packs of candles and arrange them around a dining table, laden with your finest china and silverware (perhaps borrowed from a kind friend if you own less than fanciful cutlery and table-ware).

Lots of dainty vases filled with wild flowers (or more exotic blooms if your purse will allow) would add a lovely touch. Note: old milk bottles will simply *not* do.

Have standing by, a griddle (or any portable cooking equipment - a camping stove will do at a push...) from which food can be cooked and served immediately to the table.

Also standing by, a silver salver (oh, tin-plate if you must) heaped with meat & organs of an undeclared origin (soya mince or Quorn for veggies).

Hopefully, your guests should be arriving soon, so change into some exquisite designer outfit to (literally) die for - frayed cardigans and crumpled polyester clothes are a big no-no at such an occasion as the one you are creating...

Slip the CD into the player, dim the lights to let the candlelight flicker, and welcome your guests as the soundtrack echoes ominously around the room.

It should be remembered, that the guest you most dislike (perhaps invited especially *because* you dislike them), should be placed at the head of the table, nearest the griddle-pan, large carving knife and assorted surgical equipment.

Licking your lips and noticably salivating is highly recommended. This should add splendidly to the atmosphere, and I am sure your little tête-à-tête should go with a real swing....

Alternatively, of course, you may prefer, as I did, to listen to the CD in from the comfort
of an over-stuffed sofa, whilst flicking through the weekend newspaper supplements. Either way, the aural experience is a real treat.

For those of you who missed Hannibal's sweet little farewell at the very end of the film's credits - it is reproduced here at the end of the CD. Not quite the same as listening to it in a desrted cinema, but a nice touch all the same :-)

Are you unfortunate enough to have neighbours who bother you with teeth-grindingly awful pop-dirges at exceedingly high volumes?

Ah, then the answer is to buy this soundtrack and switch it way up - put the speakers in the garden, for extra bonus points. They will no doubt be placing 'For Sale' notices on their front lawn very shortly, following such weirdly spookiness from your very good selves.

Shall we pick over the bones of the meal, my dears? Well, we can, but really I found very little to be picky about, regarding this soundtrack.

Perhaps it would have been nice to hear more of Dr. Lecter's silkily threatening tones...that honey-dripped velvet laced with poison. However, this is not an audio-book, it is the music and some of the sound-effects that made up what I, personally, thought was a very good film.

Perhaps it would also have been nice to get a few more pictures from the film on the album-sleeve, but at least the 'face in the pigeons' bit (at the start of the film) can be seen nestling behind the CDitself.

There's a stunning shot of our favourite Doctor, though - walking through some rain-glistened Florentine alley-way - a picture I would love to have as a huge poster.

Are you licking your lips yet? Are the metaphorical juices beginning to flow?

Sit back and let the violins, choir singers, Hannibal's sonorous utterances and flapping pigeon wings weave their tastily wicked little spell.

The very cheapest place I could find, to purchase this soundtrack, was at:

www.cd-wow.com

£8.99 pl
us free postage&packing! It arrived very quickly, too (about three days in all, and this is longer than it should have been, as they had to order more stock...)

Bon Appetite...

>;->

Summary: