Movie preview: Hannibal Rising

Young Hannibal Lecter and his little sister are orphaned in 1944 Lithuania and taken captive by Nazis. Food is scarce and Lecter's sister is served as the main course one desperate and devastating evening. Lecter survives the ordeal and years later lands at the Paris home of his uncle and Japanese wife. There he enrolls in medical school, is taught Asian culture and fighting by his aunt, and vows to avenge the deaths of his family members. Hannibal Rising is rated R for its "strong grisly violent content" and stars Frenchman Gaspard Ulliel in the title role.

Gaspard Ulliel said it was fun playing Hannibal: "It's very fun and you have great thrills working on this character. It's a great role, very complex, very deep, very interesting and also very pleasurable. It's very fun, all this perverse killings and this very intelligent way of preparing all the crimes."

Gaspard Ulliel on the expectations of playing Hannibal Lecter: "I was a bit hesitant because I knew that it's a very big popular series and a popular character. I knew that there would be a lot of expectations from the audience and the critics. I knew that it was a bit risky for me but it's such an amazing character and such a great role that I couldn't say no."

Following are clips from Hannibal Rising:

Hannibal describes medical school: (Gaspard Ulliel) "This work scholarship means I must spend much of my spare time preparing bodies for the anatomy class. My studies are fascinating and absorb me completely. Yet I still find myself thinking about my sister and the men who took her from me."

Hannibal and the Inspector talk about war crimes: (Gaspard Ulliel) "You lost family in the war?" (Dominic West) "Yes." (Ulliel) "How?" (West) "Some in combat, some were shipped east." (Ulliel) "Did you catch who did it?" (West) "No." (Ulliel) "But they were Vichy, men like the Butcher." (West) "Yes." (Ulliel) "Then we are both suspects."

Hannibal takes a lie detector test: (Man) "Do you have any guilty knowledge of the death of Paul Momund?" (Gaspard Ulliel) "Guilty knowledge?" (Man) "Limit your responses to yes or no." (Ulliel) "No." (Man) "It's vanilla. He reacts to nothing."

Lady Murasaki asks Hannibal where he has been: (Gong Li) "Where have you been? You smell of smoke, but not. Where did you go?" (Gaspard Ulliel) "I found them. The men who killed my family."
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