Hannibal Rising will be released to U.S. theaters on February 9, 2007. (IMDb doesn't list Canada, Bethany. Surely it will be released in Canada.)

I know Bethany is excited about this, and I am to a moderate degree. Is anyone else?

February 9th here, too. I've had plans for a couple of weeks now to go and see it on opening weekend with a friend of mine.

I was originally upset at who they got to play Lecter (cause when I heard that this kid was French, to play an Eastern European Lecter, well, it didn't add up), but the trailers have proved me wrong

I will not see it till it hits DVD but it does look good.

I caught the first showing of Hannibal Rising, this afternoon. Pay no attention to the horrifically negative reviews because it was quite good. It wasn't a brilliant film, and it certainly wasn't another The Silence of the Lambs (there will never be another one like that), but it was very good. Gaspard Ulliel played a young Dr. Lecter as well as it could be done. I just wish he looked a bit more like Anthony Hopkins.

At first, the killings seemed to be a bit too flamboyant for Lecter's tastes (pun intended). Then I realized that I was watching a young, angry, and immature Lecter. Patience and style are things that come with age.

I was braced for an awful movie, after I read the reviews; but, I was very pleasantly surprised by how good it was. After you watch the first few minutes, you will see why little Hannibal Lecter became Dr. Lecter, and you'll actually feel great sympathy for him.

I also enjoyed it (went with a friend last night). I, too, was expecting terrible, terrible things cause of the reviews, but was suprised.
There were very few things that bugged me, but the major one was Lecter's aunt. I could not stand her for some reason. I dunno.

I also think that Gaspard Ulliel did a good job - it's just gonna take me a bit of getting used to, to think of and believe him growing up into the Anthony Hopkins Hannibal

Hey, Joseph, did you realize that during one scene, when Hannibal was in his room, he started listening to one of Bach's Goldberg Variations, which in Hannibal, he plays on the piano (not the exact variation, though)? I thought that was a great connection But I'm a nerd and am probably one of about 10 people to pick that up!

I loved his aunt, even though she was about to seduce Lecter. I know that they were not blood relatives, but still...

I picked up on the music, but I thought that was what Dr. Lecter was listening to in his pretty little cage in The Silence of the Lambs.

There were also a lot of pigs in the movie, too.

He was listening to a different Bach piece in his cage in Silence of the Lambs, I believe.

The pigs made me grin Piggies.

As much as I've loved this character, I hope that Thomas Harris does not try to squeeze out one more Lecter story. I think we've reached the end of the rope, and anything more would come off as cheesy.

The only question that I've not had answered is why Hannibal stopped killing for revenge and started killing for mere entertainment. The only reason I can come up with is that he finds rudeness reason enough for killing and having a nice dinner.

Revenge killings only last as long as the person is alive If Lecter killed all the people he wanted to take revenge on then there would be no one left eventually so he would have to switch

I would have assumed that, after all his targets were killed, he would stop killing. Lecter was too brilliant to just kill. There had to have been a reason for him to put forth such effort.

I just had another question. Did he ever finish medical school in Canada or the U.S., or did he fake a medical license and start practicing? I feel sure that he never went back to France.

I beleive he finished medical school in the US and then studied to be a psych. Mind you, I could be wrong.
As for killing, I dunno, cause in Hannibal, Barney says that he PREFERS to eat the rude when possible, which means that he doesn't necessarily just kill the rude. Maybe it became a compulsion? Kill the rude/those who have wronged/insulted him or his taste (like the flautist), and if there's none of them around, kill someone else?

I need to read Hannibal. (I liked Barney.)

Rudeness was my guess. Thanks for confirming that.

I have a vague memory from Hannibal (the movie) of Dr. Lecter wanting to eat someone's wife. If I remember correctly, he was fond of her. I wonder if killing and cannibalizing also became something sexual?

I don't think he wanted to; I think it was probably only a threat. It was Inspector Pazzi's wife and eh said something like "I'm giving very serious thought to eating your wife". He said that when he knew Pazzi was "working" for Verger. I think it was kinda like in Hannibal Rising when he said he kidnapped the cook's child in order to get information from him, because when he was talking to Pazzi after, he said "If you give me the information I need, I might be persuaded to leave without my meal".

Mind you, again, I'm not sure.

You're right. I remembered all that when I read your post.

I am sure that my brother will buy it as soon as it hits DVD and any more that does not take to long.

I ended up seeing it again, last night. It wasn't as good the second time around.