Dr. Hannibal Lecter

• Think to yourself that every day is your last. The hour to which you do not look forward will come as a welcome surprise. As for me, when you want a good laugh, you will find me in fine state… fat and sleek, a true hog of Epicurus‘ herd.

• You are indeed a remarkable boy. I think I’ll eat your heart.

• We musn’t judge too harshly, Will. It was his first time. Have you never felt a sudden rush of panic?

• Ah yes Dr. Chilton. Gruesome isn’t he? Fumbles at your head like a freshman pulling at a panty girdle.

• Tell me, Will. Did you enjoy it? Your first murder? Of course you did. And why shouldn’t it feel good? It does to God. Why only last week in Texas, He dropped a whole church roof on the heads of 34 of His worshippers, just as they were groveling for Him. He wouldn’t begrudge you one journalist.

• Without our imaginations, we’d be like all those other poor dullards. Fear is the price of our instrument.

• [in the final letter to Will] My dear Will, you must be healed by now… on the outside at least, I hope you’re not too ugly. What a collection of scars you have. Never forget who gave you the best of them, and be grateful, our scars have the power to remind us that the past was real. We live in a primitive time, don’t we, Will? Neither savage nor wise. Half measures of the curse of it; a rational society would either kill me or put me to some use. Do you dream much, Will? I think of you often. Your old friend, Hannibal Lecter.

Will Graham

• He’s not keeping the organs as souvenirs, Doctor. He’s eating them.

• [To Dolorhyde's girlfriend, Reba] You say he was kind and thoughtful to you. I believe it. People who study this sort of thing say he was trying to stop. Why? Because you helped him. That probably saved some lives. You didn’t draw a freak. You drew a man with a freak on his back. There was a lot wrong with Dolorhyde, but there’s nothing wrong with you. [smiles] Except your hair. Your hair is a train wreck.

• [Of Dolorhyde] When I read his journal, it was just so sad. I couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. He wasn’t born a monster; he was made one through years of abuse.

Francis Dolarhyde

• I am the Dragon. And you call me insane. You are privy to a great becoming, but you recognize nothing. To me, you are a slug in the sun. You are an ant in the afterbirth. It is your nature to do one thing correctly. Before me, you rightly tremble. But fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe!

Dialogue

:Dinner guest: Hannibal, confess. What is this divine-looking amuse bouche?
:Hannibal Lecter: [smiles deviously] I’m afraid if I tell you, you won’t even try it.
:Will Graham: I need your opinion now.
:Hannibal Lecter: Then here’s one… you stink of fear under that cheap lotion. You stink of fear Will, but you’re not a coward. You fear me, but still you came here. You fear this shy boy, yet still you seek him out. Don’t you understand, Will? You caught me because we’re very much alike. Without our imaginations, we’d be like all those other poor… dullards. Fear… is the price of our instrument. But I can help you bear it.
:Will Graham: That’s impossible.
:Hannibal Lector: Almost. Not quite.
:Will Graham: I thought you might enjoy the challenge. Find out if you’re smarter than the person I’m looking for.
:Hannibal Lector: Then by implication, you think you are smarter than I am, since it was you who caught me.
:Will Graham: No, I know I’m not smarter than you.
:Hannibal Lector: Then, how did you catch me?
:Will Graham: You had… disadvantages.
:Hannibal Lector: What disadvantages?
:Will Graham: … You’re insane.
:Reba Mclain: If there’s anything I hate worse than pity, it’s fake pity. Especially from a walking hard-on like Ralph Mandy.
:Francis Dolarhyde: I have no pity.
:Dr. Frederick Chilton: Tell me, when you saw Lecter’s murders, their style, so to speak, were you able perhaps to reconstruct his fantasies? And, if so, did you jot down any impressions?
:Will Graham: No.
:Dr. Frederick Chilton: Let me be frank, Mr. Graham. The first definitive analysis of Lecter will be a publisher’s wet dream. I’d give you full credit, of course
:[Graham ignores him, and walks toward the cell door]
:Dr. Frederick Chilton: Dammit, man, you must have some advice. You caught him. What was your trick?
:Will Graham: I let him kill me.
:Hannibal Lecter: Beneath the yellow folder, you’ll find your latest rejection slip from the archives. It was brought to me by mistake with some of my archives mail. I’m afraid I opened it without looking. Sorry.
:Dr. Frederick Chilton: I think we’ll remove Dr. Lecter’s toilet seat as well
:Francis Dolarhyde: Drop it. Do it now, gumshoe. Your son is about to change. Then your wife. You can watch, then I’ll take care of you.
:[Will drops knife, then notices that his son has wet himself]
:Will Graham: [imitating Dolorhyde's grandmother] Look at you. I have never seen a child as disgusting as you! You pissed yourself, you dirty little beast? You want me to cut it off? Is that what you want me to do? Apologize! Don’t cry at me, you little faggot! Say it! Say it, or I will cut it off! Say, “I’m sorry, daddy, I’m a dirty little beast. Freak. Harelip. And no one will ever love me!
:[Enraged, Dolorhyde attacks him]
:Will Graham: Run!

Cast

• Anthony Hopkins — Dr. Hannibal Lecter

• Edward Norton — Will Graham

• Ralph Fiennes — Francis Dolarhyde

• Harvey Keitel — Jack Crawford

• Emily Watson — Reba McClane

• Mary-Louise Parker — Molly Graham

• Philip Seymour Hoffman — Freddy Lounds

• Anthony Heald — Dr. Frederick Chilton

Source: Wikiquote