Media critics widely lamented the cancellation of NBC’s Hannibal this year; the show is considered one of the best adaptations of the iconic serial cannibal series. Non-fans might not understand the appeal since we’ve heard that story several times before, but even for those without an appetite for the antihero doctor might see an exciting film analysis exercise here. The first Hannibal story, Red Dragon, has been portrayed in visual media three times – once as Manhunter, then as Red Dragon, and finally in the third season of Hannibal – which offers a unique opportunity to see the same scenes rewritten by three different creative teams from identical scripts.
HitFix’s Drew McWeeny wnalyzed the differences in-depth, including a clip (embedded above) that crosscuts between all three versions while still telling a cohesive story. It’s rare that the same film is filmed so many times outside of experiments and exercises, let alone the same script, so this is an exceptionally valuable opportunity for anyone who wants to dissect different filmmaking styles or how those styles have evolved over time.
We’ll hop on that wagon that laments the end of the series (we hear good things from our staff), but we’re glad it produced at least one terrific teachable moment for film scholars.
If you want to see what else Bryan Fuller did with this famous character, we currently carry season 1 (HU DVD 14307) and season 2 (HU DVD 14308).