Post by Ed Wilding

Hannibal I’ve long suspected that Hannibal Lecter was inspired by a real person. The character's intelligence, elegance, unnerving calm, and psychopathy always felt too specific to have been invented entirely from scratch. It turns out, there was substance to my suspicion. The man who helped inspire Lecter was Alfredo Ballí Treviño, a surgeon from Monterrey, Mexico, whose life took a dark and violent turn. Thomas Harris encountered Treviño almost by accident at the Topo Chico high-security prison while working as a young crime reporter. Harris was there to interview another inmate, but Treviño caught his attention. He had a quiet confidence and an unusual elegance that seemed at odds with his surroundings. He spoke softly, appeared thoughtful and composed, and gave the impression of a highly intelligent professional. Harris assumed he was a doctor. Only afterwards did he learn that Treviño had been convicted of murdering and dismembering his lover. The contrast made an indelible impression on Harris: here was a man who could be charming, articulate, and cultured, yet capable of lethal violence carried out with cold, clinical detachment. That dissonance became the core foundation of Hannibal Lecter. ‘Vide Cor Meum’ from the film Hannibal is only an accompaniment here, but it feels appropriate. There is a beauty and sophistication to it, but something distinctly sinister lurks in the shadows. Watch Lecter at the end of the scene — at his most charming, seductive, and unsettling. The aria was written specifically for the film. It’s rather lovely. https://lnkd.in/eCf4c_8X