Dr_Gor
Posts 893
|
4/8/2007 5:36 PM
posted awhile ago
Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
Who played the better 'Psycho' out of Anthony Hopkins or Anthony Perkins? Sir Anthony Hopkins has defined the character of 'Hannibal Lecter' for all of us... He is quite disturbing in that role, there is no doubt! He also played quite a convincing psychopath in "Magic" ... He also played "Quasimodo" in the 1982 version of "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame"... Anthony Perkins clearly defined 'Norman Bates' in the "Psycho" series... He is QUITE disturbing in that role! He also played a convincing psychopath in "Pretty Poison"... as well as 'Jeckyll and Hyde' in "Edge Of Sanity"... While Hannibal Lecter has a much higher 'body-count', I feel that Norman Bates is the more 'disturbed' of the two... I would much rather fight Norman than Hannibal because I feel I could take that butcher-knife away from Norman and shove it up his ass... Hannibal Lecter, with his infinite knowledge of human anatomy and his skill with edged weapons, would not be so easy.... What do YOU think, fellow Horror-philes... let me know...
|
|
|
tmoney
Posts 181
|
4/8/2007 11:57 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
I'm going to have to go with Perkins here and let me try and explain why. First off, I love both roles, and think they are both phenomenal characters. BUT for me, Hannible Lecter is more of a villain of spectacle, and Norman Bates is more of a guy-next-door-who-could-snap-one-day kind of villain. I think while Lecter is a more brutal, violent, dangerous villain, Bates was a more disturbed, unpredictable villain. I mean, at first, I thought, "Bates is such a nice guy. Getting her supper and all. And trying to make conversation. And taking care of his dear old mother...and BAMMM! She's dead. As for Lecter, I wouldn't get within ten miles of his cage. Bates I might get a little closer to. And I think Perkins performance as Bates is just unbelievable, and really captured the psyche of a deranged person, I feel that Hopkins was playing a "character out of a book" person. Just comparison, but I do like them both.
|
|
|
Indie
Posts 142
|
4/9/2007 1:37 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
I'll have to go with Hopkins.... Don't get me wrong perkins must have had it tough getting that gone back in the day, but there is something chilling about the way hopkins just focuses as Lector. He just has to give you a look. It seems both effortless and frenetic when Hopkins lets the psycho break through his usual cold exterior. Plus I happen to appreciate odd dynamic of the extremely educated psychological and analytical mind on a complete cannible. If Hannible were real, I don't think I'd be able to out-smart him; e.g. he'd completely kill me.
|
|
|
Dr_Gor
Posts 893
|
4/10/2007 8:41 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
One more note on this subject... I have noticed that even the most RAGING homos in hollywood have at least slept with a member of the opposite sex... at one time or other... Elton John was actually MARRIED, to a WOMAN (!) at one time... as was David Bowie (!) ... ( to Angela Bowie... she said in an interview that she got tired of coming home and finding David Bowie and Mick Jagger in bed together !!!) ... Even Michael Jackson was married to Lisa Marie Presley for Christ Sakes (!)... and she even stated publicly that they had sex together... BUT, I have heard the rumor and I don't know if it's true, that Anthony Perkins NEVER had sex with a woman in his entire life... even though he had plenty of offers... I find this QUITE disturbing! ...
|
|
|
Indie
Posts 142
|
4/11/2007 9:36 AM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
My mom told me that she had a big crush on Perkins back in the day.... well until psycho.
|
|
|
Puhnner
Posts 197
|
4/11/2007 12:14 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
Off the subject a bit and call me a heretic, but I always enjoyed Brian Cox as 'Hannibal Lecter' (in Michael Mann's Manhunter ; in fact, I enjoyed this film much more so than Red Dragon), much more than Sir Anthony Hopkins, whose performance seemed to peak for me in the Silence of the Lambs and descend further and further into Sir Anthony playing Hopkins playing Hannibal playing Sir Anthony as the series progressed ( maybe, blame it on the Director instead of Hopkins ). I also found Manhunter much more effective than Red Dragon; and Hannibal only so much fetid bilgewater under the bridge ( hell, even the book stunk ). Brian Cox seemed more real person than the 'super hero' that Lecter became ( I have not seen Hannibal Rising ), similar to Mitchum' Max Cady in Cape Fear compared to De Niro's Cady in Cape Fear. There, I have said it, but it remains only my opinion and subject to the same lack of insight with which all my opinions are formed and proffered..
|
|
|
Dr_Gor
Posts 893
|
4/11/2007 5:39 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
Thank You, Mr. Puhnner, for your input! It is a real pleasure to have you in this group! However, I must disagree with you on this one... I HAVE seen "Manhunter" more than once and it is, in fact, part of my collection... I enjoyed this movie immensly! BUT, I found ANTHONY HOPKINS performance to be The ULTIMATE! He is the consumate actor and he portrays a 'psychopath' better than anyone! (except, maybe, Anthony Perkins!)... have you seen "The Edge" or "Instinct" ? I DO agree with you in that i liked the original "Cape Fear" over the remake... Robert Mitchum vs. Gregory Peck (!) are you kidding me? I just cannot believe that this movie did not receive a much wider audience and publicity! Please keep your input coming, Puhnner... that is what this group thrives on... Thank You ... < GOR >
|
|
|
BigJeffLebowski
Posts 17
|
4/11/2007 6:17 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
I'm going to have to second Puhner's Hannibal Lecter assessment. I absolutely love Hopkins in the role, and he certainly deserved his Oscar, but there's something undeniably creepy about the ordinariness of Brian Cox's performance. Hopkins' Lecter relishes his deviance, while Cox's is more cavalier about it. That his Lecter could sooner pass for a normal member of society ultimately makes him more unsettling than Hopkins'. For the same reason, I'm going to have to answer Perkins to the original question, albeit with reservations.
|
|
|
Puhnner
Posts 197
|
4/12/2007 8:39 AM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
This description above of the two was extremely well put and my sentiments. While there are very few scenes that I can think of that rival the creepiness of Sir Hopkins standing at attention behind the 2" thick plexi while waiting for Ms. Starling ( one look at Hopkins and I could understand why he remains on the closed side of the glazing; while if Cox had been there instead, I would not have understood and this wondering why such an ordinary looking fellow would be there, would be even more frightening and disconcerting ), on the other hand, the scene of Cox/Lecter fiddling with the opened phone with a metalic gum wrapper piece, getting a dial tone, and then saying ( and I botch this ); 'could you dial this number for me, I haven't any hands?' put a supreme chill up my spine. This precise ordinariness of Cox, got right to me; rather than Sir Anthony/Lecter's increasingly mythical superhero attributes, which as they increased, became decreasingly unbelievable to me. Cox remains completely believable to me, while Sir Anthony/Lecter becomes less and less so. The truth be told, I have gotten less and less enjoyment from watching Sir Hopkins since Silence of the Lambs. He became a Jack Nicholson like actor ( no matter what, he is always Jack Nicholson ) for me despite his obvious talents. It has been such a long time since I read the works, but it seems that Sir Hopkins' performance prompted the mythical character change in Hannibal; the film version of Sir Hopkins/Lector pushing and forming the book version. Anyone read Hannibal Rising and care to comment?
|
|
|
Risselada
Posts 1349
|
4/12/2007 12:40 PM
posted awhile ago
Re: Hannibal Lecter vs Norman Bates
I've heard that the portrayal of the Bates character in Psycho was actually at least partially inspired by Dennis Weaver's character in Touch of Evil. He's probably my favorite thing about that movie. Super weird!
|
|
|