you finished your dissertation

“THIS IS MY DESIGN.”

THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF COLOUR

IN BRYAN FULLER’S HANNIBAL (2013)

CANDIDATE NUMBER: 024153

26TH APRIL 2016


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Hannibal’s Director of Photography, James Hawkinson, for letting

me interview him about the cinematography of the show.


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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 4 - 8

I: RED, RITUAL, AND HEAT 9 - 21

II: GREEN, ROT, AND MONSTROUS GODS 22 - 37

CONCLUSION 38 - 40


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INTRODUCTION

Upon their first official meeting in “Aperitif”, Hannibal Lecter asks Will Graham if

he has trouble with taste. Will looks visibly uncomfortable, before replying; “My thoughts

are often not tasty.” So begins Bryan Fuller’s three-season extravaganza of vivid colour,

hypnotic food, and sensuous imagery. Hannibal (2013) arguably began its journey as a

visual experimentation by Fuller and his production team, with the goal of creating a show

that would exhibit some of the most striking and visceral imagery in the rich history of re-

imaginings of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter character. The story of Hannibal is at once

a look at one of the most psychologically complex serial killers in literary history, and an

exploration of cannibalism, spirituality, the division between human and beast, and all the

spaces in between. As one of the series’ most distinguished characteristics is its uniquely

acclaimed cinematography, throughout the course of this essay, I will focus on the

presentation of colour in conjunction with the show’s employment of specific cultural

symbols to elicit an emotional connection with the audience.

Due to filming in black and white being the predominant form until the late 1930s,

the introduction of Technicolor technology marked a new opportunity for filmmakers to

experiment with symbolism and heightened reality to mark aesthetic change. Kindem says,

“almost all technological, economic, and aesthetic factors favored the use of color

cinematography for feature films” (30) – filmmakers began to use colour to depict changes

from reality. One of the first mainstream examples of this was The Wizard of Oz (1939),

where Dorothy’s Kansas is filmed in black and white to depict its miserable nature in

contrast to the bold, colourful fantasy world of Oz. As such, the presence of colour in film

has often been a signal that the natural planes of reality and its various subtextual

meanings are being emphasised.


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In Hannibal, perhaps one of the most significant mediums for conveying the

gruesome and beautiful world of the show lies in the presentation of food and organic

material in the context of cooking. In order to better understand the way in which food and

its temperature manifests as an important signifier, it is useful to first present an

anthropological theory1 of how cuisine operates in culture. The importance of food in

every culture around the world is as universal as the presence of language; Claude Lévi-

Strauss states, “if there is no society without language, nor is there any which does not

cook in some manner at least some of its food” (40). In order to present a more

comprehensive understanding of food and its position in society, Levi-Strauss proposes

what he terms ‘the culinary triangle’, a “triangular semantic field whose three points

correspond respectively to the categories of the raw, the cooked, and the rotted” (41).

fig. 1, The culinary triangle in its primary and developed forms as proposed by Levi-Strauss

In fig. 1, we see the interconnectivity of the three main states of food and the

methods of cooking that transform it into these states. The triangle contains binary

oppositions that are diametrically opposed in certain instances, whilst complimentary in

1 Lévi-Strauss’ work on the culinary habits of different tribes is highly technical in its report, so for the purposes of this essay I have selected only the most pertinent data to explore the themes in the Hannibal series.


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others. For example, the compatibility of roasting and the rawness of food results from

“incomplete cooking” (Strauss 482), as the degree of rawness differs from the exterior to

the interior of the food, i.e., charring on meat compared to the softly cooked inside.

Boiling and rotting correspond due to both processes involving the retention of water,

either through induction of heat or hydrolysis in decomposition. The process of

transformation between one state and the other can be considered a liminal space, where

the subject of transformation is no longer in its original position, yet has not entered the

post-transformation (or post-ritual) position either. This liminality occurs throughout the

show in an array of visual symbols, often to denote the presence of Hannibal’s influence

and the deification of his character.

This definition of states is bound up in the presence of coloration on the food,

wherein the presence of red (a signifier for blood) might indicate rawness, and in many

cultures, a state of vulnerability or “incompleteness” (Davis). The presence of red and

green can have different connotations; in meat, the presence of green indicates a rotted

state, whilst in vegetables, this would indicate rawness. Assigning different colours to each

of the three states enables a metaphorical exploration of how cultural traditions in cooking

and food are represented – and in some instances personified – in Hannibal, as shown in

fig. 2. Strauss references the “red singe” (42) when talking about roasting, and associates

the colour black with what has been charred, or cooked. Conversely, for the colour green,

Kalmus states “green immediately recalls the garb of Nature” (27), and so if we take the

rotted state to be one which occurs by natural intervention, it seems appropriate to assign

green to it. This may also represent the colour of mould, or decomposition. It must be

remembered that the interpretations of colours and their psycho-social significance in

cinematography are varied, and dependent on their hue and combinations with others.


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fig. 2, The culinary triangle by Lévi-Strauss with proposed assigned colours

Following on from the importance of colour - and the culinary triangle as a

metaphorical device - in Chapter 1 this dissertation will explore the symbolism of the

colour red in Hannibal. The chapter will look at the connotations of red and its relevance

to ‘roasting’ and ‘rawness’ in the series, as seen in fig. 2; this includes both a

psychological reading of how audience’s respond to the way red is produced in the show,

as well as an anthropological analysis of the symbolic imagery and how it lends emotional

and realistic credence through its attachment to common cultural tropes. It will also

introduce the theme of transformation via colour as a predominant force within the

characters and their surroundings, based on the principles of heating and cooling.

Chapter 2 will continue the discussion of colour as a catalyst for the induction of

subjects into liminal spaces, through adjustments in temperature. The hallucinations of the

Ravenstag and the Wendigo will be explored in the context of their colourscapes, as they

play an important role in establishing certain mental states that Will and Hannibal are

experiencing. The chapter will also examine the role of ‘incomplete’ deities and worship

within the show, and how the nature of colour and temperature affects the way the

audience views growth, decay, and transformation.

(RED)

(BLACK) (GREEN)


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Through an analysis of some of the show’s most memorable and striking visuals,

this essay hopes to establish the power of the colours red, green, and black and their

individual meanings as the strongest signifiers in the show. These specific aesthetic

choices by the producers and cinematographers of Hannibal have created a semiotic

system that perpetuates the constant transformation of its characters. I will conclude that

the main driving force for change in Will Graham’s psyche, and the entire trajectory of the

narrative, is the dominating presence of colour in its diversity of forms.


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I

RED, RITUAL, AND HEAT

The relationship the colour red has with the characters and symbols in Hannibal

can be read through two different kinds of lens: the psychology of contemporary

filmmaking and the impact it has on audiences, and the anthropological interpretation

through which we experience red, not only as a base colour, but in its various

manifestations in cultural minutiae. The psychology of the colour red is one that has been

used in new and innovative forms within the medium, as audiences have become exposed

to its significance either through its prominence or absence. Kalmus talks of a “colour

conscious” (25) that encourages the study of colour harmony, appeal, and appropriateness,

which lead to an understanding of red as representing “blood, life, and love” (26). This

feeds directly into the anthropological interpretation of the colour red, as it links together

our psychological associations with behaviours and customs in society, creating a unique

code by which we identify its characteristics. In the semantic field of cooking, red is

associated with heat, meat, and, if we reference the adapted version of Levi-Strauss’

culinary triangle (see fig. 2), the rawness and/or roasting of food. By exploring both of

these perspectives in this chapter, I aim to establish the cultural signifiers of the colour red

as present in Hannibal in various iterations, and the effects this has on our reception of

Hannibal and Will’s relationship.

Whilst the colour red is in abundance in Hannibal (2013), its meaning is multi-

faceted and often duplicitous in its nature. It appears in food, blood, flowers, as a signifier

for the unreal, and arguably constitutes the main force by which transformation occurs as a

result of temperature changes. We can associate its presence with heat, a form of

transformation from a raw or lifeless state into something new, or the changing of bodies


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through cooking as a form of cultural expression or natural intervention. In my personal

interview with James Hawkinson, the cinematographer for Hannibal, he described the

connotations that the colour red held for him, saying “although it is at the farthest end of

the visual spectrum and therefore the weakest signal, it possesses great power being the

color of blood. It is arguably the first color we see in the womb and at birth. It can signal

danger and create panic” (Appendix A). It is the themes of blood, danger, and rebirth that

arguably feature strongest in the show, not just when present as blood, but also when

emphasized by the combination of red with other colours.2

Something that is abundantly clear in the cinematography of the show is the way

James Hawkinson disturbs the organic settings of Hannibal’s world by the polluting

presence of colour. The intensity of the colour blocking, and the framing of certain

characters within specific palettes creates associations by the audience as to their

motivations, moods, and relationships with each other. Red startles us, leads us on, and

makes us uneasy. In the pilot episode, ‘Aperitif’, one of the most vivid appearances of red

is not in an organic setting, but in the bathroom when Will and Jack are having their

discussion about the crime scene (fig. 3) and Will’s state of mind.

2 The various connotations of combining red with other colours is something I will explore further in Chapter 2.


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fig. 3, Still from “Aperitif”

The bathroom, a “normally antiseptic space, devoted to cleanliness and order”

(Van Der Werff), becomes a polluted and threatening space. This is emphasised by Jack

Crawford’s abrupt screaming at a bystander to “use the ladies room” (“Aperitif”), and

generates a negative association with the chaotic and destructive power of these

surroundings. Kalmus says of colour that it “can subtly convey dramatic moods and

impression to the audience, making them more receptive to whatever emotional effect the

scenes, action, and dialogue may convey” (26), and in this instance, the audience feels the

urgency of the situation, and Jack and Will’s own desperation to come to a solution. Very

often, red is presented as a part of the show’s most elaborate and cinematically beautiful

tableaux, such as when it features in the feasts that Hannibal prepares for his guests - a

notoriously ominous feature of the show (fig. 4).


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fig. 4, Promotional photo for season 1 of Hannibal (2013)

These are made all the more gruesome by the dramatic irony that the majority of

the food is made up of human flesh, yet when I asked Hannibal cinematographer, James

Hawkinson, about this, he stated, “The images are so Hypnotic and Intoxicating that the

Horror begins to work on a subconscious level. In other works, when the images are so

beautiful, we forget we are looking at a murder scene rather than art” (Appendix A). This

masquerading of horror as art is similar to the way Hannibal Lecter himself is played by

Mads Mikkelsen, where Mikkelsen aims to convey the character as an erudite, charming,

and intelligent individual with an affinity for humanity, all the while concealing his

Lucifer-like characteristics3. This is particularly intriguing when considering the potential

deification of the character, as we might see the banquet he throws for his guests as an

allegory for a Saint’s feast day.4 The artistry and complexity of the food furthers reading

into colour as a crucial vehicle for symbolism in the show; as Koroll says,

3 Hannibal’s poise and airs of grace can also be seen as very characteristic of Milton’s Lucifer in Paradise Lost, a charismatic but fundamentally evil character. 4 The representation of Hannibal as monster/fallen deity will be explored further in Chapter 2.


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“Hannibal walks a fine line in maintaining its blatant separation from reality, while also

teasing at the genuine psychological elements that affect characters and viewers, alike.”

fig. 5 Still from “Savoureux”

The show’s focus on food and consumption is evident even in the episode titles. In

each of the show’s seasons, the episode titles correspond to a different cuisine’s courses,

such as “Dolce” or “Antipasto” in the Italian-themed first half of season 3, or “Sorbet” in

the French-themed season 1. An automatic association with each cuisine is created through

this in the audience’s psyche, and the season’s individual elements begin to take on a more

significant meaning in light of its titular structure. Therefore, a connection between the

psychological associations of the colour red and its manifestations in a cultural reality is

established. For example, when referring back to the culinary triangle and Lévi-Strauss’

anthropological observations of food habits in French culture, it is notable that several

prominent dishes in French haute cuisine are served raw, such as steak tartare or foie gras

entier. Conversely, Lévi-Strauss points out that when preparing a feast for a banquet, the


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majority of the entrees on a French menu will be roasted, as roasting is seen as a prodigal

and aristocratic form of cooking.

The relationship in the culinary triangle of the raw and the roasted is in the

incompleteness of its cooking, and the act of roasting is associated with “destruction and

loss” (Lévi-Strauss 44), a concept that might be applied to Hannibal’s manipulation of

Will’s psychological state. Will represents the rawness of food, untainted and as yet

untouched by Hannibal’s influence, and thus we often see Will as being ‘polluted’ by the

presence of red - often in the form of blood. There is an interesting dimension to the primal

way in which the audience receives Hannibal’s act of killing; whilst he is meticulous to a

fault, there is significant reference to the clash of human instinct and human civility.

Hannibal himself says, “first and worst sign of sociopathic behavior, cruelty to animals”

(“Coquilles”); here, he means humans when referring to animals, suggesting that pure

instinctual cruelty is abhorrent, whilst elegance in killing is ethically more righteous. The

horror at other murders in the show is different to what the audience experiences from

Hannibal’s rituals. As Brillat-Savin says, “one becomes a cook, but one is born a roaster”

(qtd in Garval 60); Hannibal is a refined producer of rituals, transforming his meals – or

more accurately, his victims – according to a precise recipe for what he considers

transcendence and honouring.

When exploring the link between rawness, roasting, and the colour red, the show

manipulates and emphasises their interconnectivity to portray Hannibal and Will’s

relationship as a labyrinthine series of exchanges, motifs, and transformations. The sheer

volume of red on-screen, particularly at moments where Hannibal is shown

killing/cooking, is emblematic of the relationship he has with his victims. He himself says,

“I am an ethical butcher” (“Coquilles”), and his personalised code of ethics can further be

observed in the way he prepares a vast majority of his victims. Self-proclaimed as eating


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those who have slighted him or been rude – often in seemingly inconsequential ways –

Hannibal’s literal roasting of his victims is a form of exo-cannibalism - a kind of

preparation and ritual reserved for one’s enemies. Lindenbaum, in her essay ‘Cannibalism:

Symbolic production and consumption’, states that “cannibalism emerges less as a single

form of behaviour located in a number of out-of-the-way places, than as an activity to be

comprehended by reference to its place in particular cultural orbits” (95). Cannibalism as a

form of sacrifice and or survival exists in many tribal societies, and is often associated

with ritualistic acts intended to worship deities or as a form of transcendence by physical

transformation of the body. Sahlins refers to “cooked men” (75) being presented as

sacrificial victims in return for boons from supreme beings; however, these offerings must

be conducted in very disciplined conditions and have to conform to that deity’s spiritual

code of worship. Hannibal’s cannibalistic behaviour does not occur in isolated segments,

but rather corresponds to an entire system of ethics that guides his actions, and in

particular, his attitudes towards Will.

His eventual desire to kill and eat Will is not only a form of forgiveness, but a

transformative ritual that can be likened to that of the cultural transition of food from a raw

(and thereby red) state, into that of a cooked one (which we might take to be black). In this

instance, exploring the temperature transitions through the medium of colour gives us a

stronger indication of how Hannibal and Will’s relationship evolves through the course of

the series. The diversity in the use of the colour red signifies the shifting mental

preoccupations that Will is submitted to, mainly at the hands of Hannibal’s manipulations.

From an anthropological perspective, the colour red is, in many cultures, associated with a

heating of the body. Beck states, “most foods are thought by Indians to either heat or to

cool the body on consumption, whilst some substances have this effect by contact alone”

(553); this literal heating of the body and its humors then becomes the metaphorical


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transformation of an individual from a position of pre-ritual imperviousness to a post-ritual

position of vulnerability. As red associates with fire, and to a large degree primitivism in

the context of its discovery, the semiotics of cooking become intertwined with the

transformative powers of rituals; preparation is as important in consumption as the feast

itself.

Beck continues, explaining the “importance of heat as a symbol of a point of

transition” (557), designating that whilst this is also applied to bodily transformations such

as the burning of a body on a funeral pyre, it also applies to the cooking of food from a

raw form into an edible form. In Hinduism, saffron and paprika are commonly used in

rituals of purification when cooking white foods, such as rice, in order to transform it from

a raw (incomplete) state, into that of a cooked (culturally altered) state. Hannibal’s

ritualization of ‘eating the rude’ as a form of forgiving them for their transgressions is a

direct parallel to this, as he literally uses heat – and therefore, the colour red – to render

their transition complete. On an episodic basis, he subjects his individual victims to this,

whilst the season arc focuses mainly on his attempts to bring out the serial killing potential

in Will through psychological manipulation.

A recurring trope throughout the series is the splattering of blood across Will’s

face, a symbol whose connotations might be compared to that of ‘blooding’ in the context

of hunting. Whilst the history of blooding bears further references to sainthood (in the

form of St Hubert)5, it is widely accepted as a ritual of induction into the life of the hunt or

“an expression of gratitude for a kill” (Dubuc). Hannibal is often the one who provokes the

triggering of Will’s power of empathy through the committing of murder; the show

therefore suggests that Hannibal is attempting to induct Will into the world of killing by

the literal baptism of blood. The extreme nature with which he does this figures especially 5 St Hubert is a saint associated with the first known instance of blooding following a hunt; the blooding originally constituted drawing a cross on one’s forehead in blood as a sign of gratitude for the kill.


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in the story arc where he incites a seizure in Will by ignoring his encephalitis (“Buffet

Froid”); the text is presenting a literal ‘baptism by fire’, in the form of inflammation of the

brain. Hannibal’s literal attempt to ‘cook’ Will’s brain reinforces the idea of thermal

induction, and again, the colour red features as a transformative force through the guise of

heat. Indeed, the power of literal fire features at several important points in the show, such

as when Freddie Lounds is supposedly burned alive in a wheelchair (“Kō No Mono”), or

when Will sees the Ravenstag’s antlers burst into flames (fig. 6). The metaphorical fire

here is a visual hallucination meant to represent Will’s deteriorating trust in Hannibal and

their friendship; this kind of temperature shift is more closely associated with a form of

reawakening, a different type of rebirth.

fig. 6 Still from “Relevés”

Another powerful cultural connection in the show when exploring the connotations

of blood spatter across Will’s face and how this is a form of ritual is the symbol of the


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bindi. Bindu is considered to be the point at which “creation becomes and may become

unity”, and “the sacred symbol of the cosmos in its unmanifested state” (Ranganathananda

21); these powerful religious connotations give the colour even greater emphasis,

particularly as they appear across Will’s character (fig. 7). Their appearance foreshadows

his transformation and ‘pollution’ by Hannibal, as he is lured into accepting his

transformation past the liminal stage.

fig. 7, Still from “Aperitif”

This represents yet another common belief in Hinduism, that of the positive or

negative effects of colour combinations, and the power of colour as a transporting tool in a

spiritual sense. The coupling of red and white symbolises a reinvigoration and vitality;

however, the combination of red and black emphasises the polluting nature of the red, and

is emphatic of earthen limitations and disease. As we see in fig. 7, the contrast between

Will’s light-coloured shirt and the bloodstains on his skin, along with the bright light


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shining on him from the left, create an unsettling portrait of him seemingly illuminated by

the horror before him. Will’s pure empathy also plays a significant role in this, especially

pertaining to the liminal stage of his ritualisation6. The presence of red around Will’s

character is often situated in his psychological instability, as he becomes ‘polluted’ by

Hannibal’s presence and killings. It can also be said that Hannibal’s visceral killing of his

victims, and the dominating presence of blood at the various crime scenes, is left behind as

a reminder of their own polluting – and potentially ‘dirty’ – existence in his eyes. This

ritualistic cleansing is similar to the bathing ritual Beck describes in South Indian culture,

where a priest rubs saffron (an earthy, reddish substance) into the body of the one he is

attempting to absolve of wrongdoings (559). In fig. 8, we might even detect a direct link to

the use of water to cleanse oneself, as Will attempts to wash his face, yet hallucinates that

the basin is filled with blood (“Aperitif”).

fig. 8 Still from “Aperitif”

6 Liminal spaces and their navigation in the show will be explored further in Chapter 2.


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Reconciling the themes of cleansing and sacrifice through the temperature

transition from different sections of the culinary triangle creates a complex system of

character dynamics, yet one instance in the series remains poignant in its establishment of

the hierarchy of what is cooked and what is raw. Acting as perhaps the most dramatically

effective ‘blood sacrifice’ in the series, the finale of season 2 sees Hannibal ruthlessly

maim the majority of the main characters in the show. The intensity of bloodlust here is

emotionally overwhelming for the audience, as Will, Alanna, and Jack are all grievously

injured in some way or another following their discovery of Hannibal as the perpetrator of

the crimes that they have been investigating. Hannibal’s apparent massacre of them is his

attempt at clearing them of their sins in an abstract sort of blooding; their metaphorical

immolation is spiritual, and somewhat apocalyptic in nature. The combination of the heat

of red tones with the cooler, soothing surroundings highlights the characters’ bloodshed;

Kalmus posits “the modification of a positive color by the introduction of another hue

modifies the mental reaction to the degree of the intensity of that hue which is introduced”

(27). The environment is not stark in its contrast, pitting colour against colour (fig. 9).

fig. 9 Still from “Mizumono”


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Instead, there is a balanced palette that invites its audience to seek answers within

the shadows - when asked about this, Hawkinson confirmed that “the blacks are never

artificially crushed as I want the viewer to search into the darkness to unravel the Mystery.

Crushed blacks would represent a complete void and in this void there are no answers”

(Appendix A). As a result, the reds and surrounding influencing hues are blended in with

gels, rather than colour blocked, which would detract from the emphasis on the liminal

space Hannibal creates to enact his heating ritual.

In the developed culinary triangle (fig. 2), the relationship between the colours red

and black is that of the raw and the cooked, or of the roast and the smoked. As both

roasting and smoking can have connotations of fire, yet that which has been cooked cannot

be made raw again,7 the transformation that occurs between these states is unilateral; once

something becomes black, or is smoked, it can never revert to its organic state. The season

2 finale of Hannibal exemplifies the transition of its main characters – particularly Will –

into a cooked and aware state through the medium of blood as metaphorical heat. If we

observe Hannibal as deity and hunter, in this context, the ritual of slaughter and smoking is

symbolic in many cultural and spiritual parallels for the preparation of meat and its

cleansing without negative ramifications. When Native American tribes smoke animal

meat in a buccan,8 it “must be destroyed immediately after use of the animal will avenge

itself and smoke the huntsman” (Lévi-Strauss 45). In this instance, Hannibal’s associates

have discovered the truth of his nature, and he takes it upon himself to cleanse them of

their betrayal through purification. He does not simply aim to destroy the metaphorical

buccan or spoil the meat; he wants to burn down the entire tribe.

7 Whilst Lévi-Strauss posits a triangle, the diagram can also be read in a cyclical fashion, whereby the raw can become cooked or rotten, but the cooked cannot become raw once again, having instead to become rotten through natural transformation in the form of decay. 8 A wooden device used by Native American Indian tribes for the smoking of animal meat.


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II

GREEN, ROT, AND MONSTROUS GODS

In Hannibal (2013), it is clear that although being incredibly prevalent in many of

the show’s motifs and character transformations, red is not the only significant colour used

to project specific connotations onto the audience. The combination of red with other

fundamental colours such as green or black can emphasise the kind of transformation or

disembodiment that is occurring on screen; however, it can also serve to indicate the

presence of liminal spaces that have not yet become inhabited by one form or another.

These liminal spaces are often characteristic of cultural and spiritual phenomena such as

half-men, half-gods, as well as monstrous beings, which are often subjected to rituals of

transformation through the introduction of stimuli like blood, consumption, or decay. By

exploring the metaphorical meanings of these elements of the show, it becomes clear that

the presence of colour is meant to evoke certain physical and/or psychological

transformations undergone by the characters.

Where the colour red has been presented as a form of heat with the potential to

exact transformation, I now posit that within the show, the colour green may possess

similar, yet opposing, qualities of enacting change within the characters it touches.

However, in the case of green tones, and to some extent its combination with black, this

effect is that of allocating the subject into a liminal space. In the case of Will and

Hannibal, Will’s evolution from an antisocial pure empath into Hannibal’s determined

rival must first take him through the liminal phase of being disoriented and confused by

the mental games being played upon him. He begins to have visions of the Ravenstag - a

visual hallucination that carries its own cultural connotations – which itself begins to

mutate into something more gruesome and representative of both his confused mentality,


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as well as the somewhat inevitable and god-like forces that govern his simultaneous

growth and decay.

Continuing to view the cinematography through the lens of the psychological and

the anthropological, the concept of liminality appears throughout the series in various

forms. In anthropology, liminality refers to the status of a subject that no longer holds a

pre-ritual status, but has not stepped into the post-ritual state, and so experiences a

sensation of confusion and disorientation (Barfield 477). Horvath states that during periods

of liminality, “social hierarchies may be reversed or temporarily dissolved, continuity of

tradition may become uncertain, and future outcomes once taken for granted may be

thrown into doubt” (51); this kind of disorientated mental state can immediately be

attributed to the titular character, Will, as his mind is continuously being tampered with by

those around him, and in particular, Hannibal Lecter himself. Nevertheless, this creation of

the ambiguous liminal space in the series allows the producers of the show to elicit a sense

of unease and suspense from the audience, as they themselves become lured into the

psychological traps that are set for the show’s characters. As Hawkinson himself says,

“Within this Hypnotic Sensuality is a terrifying truth: we are watching a Psychopathic

genus and the mechanisms of his serial killings” (Appendix A); everything from the

symbolism to the colour palettes is employed to make the audience leave every episode

with more questions than answers.


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fig. 10 Still from “Amuse-Bouche”

The colourscapes and sets that surround Will are crucial to understanding his

position in the world and his sense of unease around the majority of society. Whilst

Hannibal is confident in his command of the spaces and colour palettes around him, Will

often shrinks from the focus of the shot, unwilling to take control of the frame. Saraiya

observes the show’s framing of characters within rigid lines and symmetry, (fig. 10)

stating, “Here [Hannibal] is in his natural habitat: the library, a collection of perfect

rectangles. The shot puts him in the center, where he is in harmony with the symmetry of

the room.” Will is presented in earth tones, with tan trousers and a green-tinted shirt,

whilst Hannibal is the picture of tailored perfection, sporting non-threatening blue with a

delicate accent of the red tie.9 The difference in levels is very clear, with Hannibal placing

himself in a higher sphere than Will and asserting his control over the room and their

dynamic. The swathing of the shot in green is significant, and when I asked about the

9 The costumes in Hannibal are also often indicative of its characters’ personalities; Hannibal begins the series in passive blue and tan tones, and progresses into wearing more black and red. The majority of female characters in the show also sport red colours, e.g. Freddie Lounds’ hair, or Alanna Bloom’s red dresses, to highlight their driven nature and assertion of dominance.


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motivations for using so much green in the show, James Hawkinson commented, “Green is

the opposite of Red and can possess a soothing effect, however, I find certain tones of

green Melancholic and use it to induce this emotion. Melancholia possesses Mystery and

this entices the viewer to take the journey” (Appendix A). This encouragement of the

viewer builds a stronger sense of connection with Will himself, as we are invited to be

subjected to the same kind of rituals and transformations as he is. As Oshima says, “Green

softens the heart” (119); however, this feels more like letting down your guard, rather than

soothing a hurt.

The significance of green in filmmaking is diverse particularly because of its strong

associations with nature, the organic, and growth. Because of this, it can be seen as a

signifier of the feminine or the masculine, decay or nurture, peace or despair. The

combination of green with earth tones often serves the purpose of reassurance and

security; Richard Allen comments on the clothing worn by Sarah in Alfred Hitchcock’s

Torn Curtain (1966), saying “the colour of Sarah’s clothes, green and brown, provides an

oasis of warmth and security” (135).

fig. 11 Will Graham’s house in Wolf Trap, Virginia


26

We might compare this not just to Will’s clothing in fig. 8, but also to his domestic

sphere, where he is surrounding by nothing but wilderness in the form of forest and open

plains (fig. 11). The audience associates him with the organic aesthetic, and so it is

reasonable to also associate him with growth and decay in the natural world, as seen in the

show. Referencing again Lévi-Strauss’ adjusted culinary triangle, Will corresponds to the

corner which is most heavily influenced by external factors, either by nature or by cultural

manipulation; that is, of the rotten. This is emphasized by the way that Will’s mental state

is in a consistent decline throughout the first season, something that is personified in the

manifestation of the Ravenstag and his eventual metaphorical ‘hunting’ of it. This

transformation into the rotten is a natural shift (fig. 2), as it is catalyzed by the presence of

the black spectres in his life; namely, the Ravenstag (and eventual Wendigo), a

hallucination that is meant to represent Hannibal.

The process of rotting pervades through the fauna and flora of the entire series, as

the cinematography causes the audience to find organic matter repulsive. In other

instances, the cycle of growth and decay is subverted, as natural processes are reversed or

altered to reflect a synthetic manipulation by external forces. In “Amuse-Bouche”, Jack’s

team discovers a ‘botanical garden’ of sorts, as Eldon the pharmacist has been burying

diabetics alive in order to help his mushrooms grow. In fig. 12, the green tones overcrowd

the frame, forcing the audience to pay attention to every detail in the shot, which strangely

makes the presence of the decaying hand more noticeable. It is in the centre of the frame,

and its presence can be likened to the uncanny, something that is “at once frightening, but

familiar” (Freud 4). Despite the bodies themselves showing signs of decay, the team

discovers that they are in fact being kept alive by the IV drips.


27

fig. 12 Still from “Amuse-Bouche”

Whilst going through a process of decomposition is usually reserved for dead

organic material, the individuals are in fact still alive, which puts them in a very peculiar

liminal space between life and death. They are surrounded by green (or rot as we might see

on the triangle in fig. 2), and hence the ambiguity of their position in the world is

highlighted and made all the more unsettling. This perversion of the natural schema serves

a dual purpose; it renders the environment of the show significantly more alien to its

audience (fig. 13), and it forces the viewer to experience the world in its coarseness, much

like Hannibal might see it.


28

fig. 13 Still from “Œuf”

Saraiya comments on the nature of these images, stating that they “give us a

glimpse, too, of how the world must look to Hannibal, where everything you eat has an

element of the living, loathsome organic: As we consume tea and coffee, Hannibal

consumes us.” The audience learns to view food and organic material as grotesque, and so

begins to understand Hannibal’s viewing of humans as the same. The depictions of rotting

food are swathed in bold red and green tones (fig. 14), accentuating their decomposition,

yet drawing our eye to them in the same fashion as classical artwork might. As Hawkinson

himself says, “when the images are so beautiful, we forget we are looking at a murder

scene rather than art” (Appendix A), and often in the series, we end up questioning

ourselves for finding them attractive.


29

fig. 14 Still from “Kaiseki”

The unique way in which the cinematographers are able to produce such a hypnotic

quality from such violence lies in the “soothing” (Hawkinson Appendix A) or ‘cooling’

characteristics of some of their colour palettes. These transformations and the resulting

liminal spaces are evoked in the audience by connecting the show with a sense of cultural

relatability, wherein the viewer associates certain elements, such as deities or monsters,

with specific symbols or colours that then elicit an emotional response. By exploring the

anthropological connotations within the show’s symbolism, the cultural associations offer

the opportunity for a closer connection between series and viewer. Two significant

concepts that feature in the portrayal of Hannibal and Will’s relationship in particular are

the Ravenstag and the figurative trickster god.

The Ravenstag is so named in the show for its appearance as a large black stag with

a plumage of feathers around its neck similar to that of a raven (fig. 15). It features as a

visual hallucination and specter in Will Graham’s nightmares, and has been speculated to

symbolize Hannibal’s presence in Will’s life, as well as his developing affinity for the act


30

of killing after he first shoots Garrett Jacob Hobbs. The stag in Native American Indian

culture is seen as “a messenger, an animal of power, and a totem representing sensitivity,

intuition and gentleness” (Aleph), whilst the raven in many cultures is associated with

gods, either as a trickster or a bringer of omens. In both Hinduism and Native Pacific tribal

society, the raven is a “creator of the world” (Clark 48); however, due to it being a carrion

bird, it is also heavily connoted with death and decay. The combination of the stag, a

creature very entwined in the natural world of flora, and the raven, a symbol

simultaneously of creation and destruction, immediately renders the Ravenstag a liminal

space in and of itself. Its presence is ominous and reassuring all at once, as it represents

Will’s fear of what he may become and yet also guides him through his darkest doubts.

fig. 15 Still from “Mizumono”

Peter Counter speculates that, “the most critical keepsake Lecter ever removed

from a victim was Will Graham’s ravenstag”, playing with the idea of sacrifice and loss as

seen in Hannibal’s removal of his victims’ organs. This is made even more poignant when


31

Will decides to metaphorically shoot the Ravenstag, in order to betray Hannibal’s trust to

catch him. The Ravenstag itself undergoes a transformation throughout the series, as it

slowly becomes more humanoid and uncanny. Starting as a manifestation of the natural

world, it is in harmony with the palette that often surrounds it, with the combination of its

intense blackness and the soothing green environment creating a melancholic atmosphere.

Looking at the adapted culinary triangle, we see that these two colours are further away

from the most incomplete end of the spectrum, that being the raw, red, or the roasted. The

stag and Will are more intimately connected due to the absence of a heating red;

nevertheless, as Hannibal begins to worm his way into Will’s mind, the audience sees

instances of the polluting colour creep into the representation of the stag, such as when its

antlers bleed. The stag becomes the Windigo, the transformation from a natural organic

figure into a cultural product that is associated with the supernatural, and more pertinently,

cannibalism.

The term windigo [Ojibwa wīntikō] in Native American Indian culture refers to a

class of supernatural monsters that are grotesque in nature and exhibit “great spiritual

power” (Brightman 337). This definition then narrows down when Brightman talks about

windigo psychosis, “an Algonquian-specific psychiatric disorder whose sufferers

experienced and acted upon obsessional cannibalistic urges” (337). The creature is often

depicted as skeletal, emaciated, and possessing “insatiable greed” (Brightman 339),

characteristics that it embodies in folk talks to warn others against such immoral

behaviours. The windigo appears as a mutation of the Ravenstag the further along the

series goes, to illustrate the level of influence that Hannibal’s psychological games are

having on Will’ psyche and his perception of reality. The once soothing colour palettes in

the natural, vegetative landscapes that surrounded the original form of the Ravenstag are

replaced by dense blackness and shadows to highlight the darker, more threatening nature


32

of the windigo creature. Kalmas states, “black lowers and renders more base and evil any

colour” (27), and this is clear in the way the very presence of the windigo elicits fear and

uncertainty (fig. 16). The image becomes more analogous with the colours red and black, a

result of the intruding ‘pollution’ of these colours and their shifting position within the

culinary triangle’s hierarchy towards the cooked.

fig. 16 Still from “Hassun”

The concept of liminality is also highly significant in the figure of the windigo, as

it is neither simply human nor beast; due to the spiritual significance of the windigo and

the symbolism of the raven as a trickster god, it is possible to interpret it as a half-man,

half-deity. Hannibal’s poignantly says, “the feast is life, you put life in your belly and you

live” (“Sorbet”); his literal consumption of ‘life’ in the form of others is a form of godlike

sacrifice, a transcending of ordinary human flesh into something superhuman. Cannibal

hunger is, in many cultures, referred to as “divine hunger” (Sanday 5), due to its

prevalence in the diets of the gods. The show presents him as a literal “devourer of men”


33

(Pollock 268), a cannibalistic deity that appears in many cultures, much like the windigo in

Native tribal society, or the rākṣasa in Hinduism and Buddhism. This comparison of

Hannibal to a trickster god that assumes power through consumption is emphasized by the

liminal spaces he occupies, as he is neither fully human nor fully demon; his

representation as the windigo is exemplary of this, similarly to the representations of

cannibalistic beings in contemporary culture and traditional folklore. Bryan Fuller has

quoted Mads Mikkelsen himself, saying that he wanted to play Hannibal “as Satan - this

fallen angel who's enamoured with mankind and had an affinity for who we are as people,

but was definitely not among us - he was other” (Fuller). The appearance of the creature as

entirely immersed in black whilst the entire colourscape of the frame is also immersed in

shadows emphasizes its specter quality, a threatening presence that seems otherworldly

and alien. The Ravenstag begins as a mysterious guide to Will Graham, and through a

physical transformation catalyzed by Hannibal, becomes a figure of his nightmares.

fig. 17 Still from “Kō No Mono”


34

One of the most powerful images and signifiers of Hannibal as a deity is the

appearance of the wendigo in “Kō No Mono”, during Will and Hannibal’s therapy session

(fig 17). As the fully formed windigo complete with stag antlers, the creature assumes the

position that is traditionally seen in Hinduism in the god Shiva. Shiva takes many forms,

yet is most commonly known as “the destroyer of the world” (Gruenwald), and “is

responsible for the change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive

sense of destroying the ego” (Marchand). The fact that Shiva is associated with both

transformation and destruction translates onto the audience’s perception of Hannibal as a

half-deity with the power to enact change in both a negative and positive capacity. This is

how Hannibal sees himself, and how he believes Will should see him as well. The Shiva

symbol is also reminiscent of the way that Hannibal presents Freddie Lounds’ fake corpse

to Will. This exhibitionism creates a strong connection between the portrayal of Hannibal

as a Luciferian character and the ominousness of the transformation that he has subject

Lounds to upon her death, in a sacrificial tribute fashion (fig. 18). A sign of warning and

tribute all at once, it confirms what is subtext in the entire series: deities are dangerous

foes with immense force. Will asks Hannibal whether God felt good about dropping a roof

on thirty-four of his supporters – Lecter’s reply? “He felt powerful.” (“Amuse-Bouche”)

fig. 18 Still from “Kō No Mono”


35

The theme of deification in the series can also be seen in the nature of the copycat

killers that occasionally act as worshippers to Hannibal’s – or the Minnesota Shrike’s –

elaborate killings. In fig. 19, the human totem pole is erected as a kind of legacy, a

testimonial to a lifetime of work done by the killer; it is also a reference to Native

American Indian totem poles, which were carved to commemorate stories and mythical

legends, often of “great spiritual beings that were half-animal, half-human forms”

(Feldman 4). This is another example of the way the series plays with liminality and

transformation, here presenting it as a horrifying icon that is a pastiche of traditional

cultural forms.

fig. 19 Still from “Trou Normand”

Another significant transformation in the context of deities and transcendence

occurs in the story arc of the Great Red Dragon, or Francis Dolarhyde. Dolarhyde is

dedicated to becoming the Great Red Dragon from William Blake’s series of watercolour

paintings created between 1805 and 1810. Dolarhyde’s obsession with the painting and the

sheer strength he believes the Dragon exudes compels him to murder entire families in


36

order to become this entity. As seen in fig. 20, Dolarhyde is initially surrounded by the

murkiness and melancholy of green tones, as his transformation is only in its initial phases,

and he is the sole presence of red in his surroundings.

fig. 20 Still from “The Great Red Dragon”

The further and further he gets in his quest to embody the Dragon, the more

significantly the colour palette changes to reflect this shift in persona. Hawkinson

comments on this, saying “Red became more prevalent as the story became "the Great Red

Dragon" and I began gelling lights with Red filters to underscore the character's

transformation, his Rebirth” (Appendix A). Here we see another example of the use of

colour to underscore a transition, particularly in the scene where Dolarhyde consumes the

physical copy of the painting, ‘The Great Red Dragon’ at the Brooklyn Museum. His

literal consumption of the colour red acts as a figurative rejection of the undecided green

tones around him, and he rises as if a phoenix from the ashes.


37

In viewing the colours green and black as signifiers for liminal spaces, and then the

deified characters that occupy those liminal spaces, it is possible to return to the relevance

of food and the culinary triangle in the hierarchy of the show. Therefore, we might further

adapt Lévi-Strauss’ diagram to include corresponding states to the already exiting

categories of raw, rotten, and cooked. As we seen Will so often surrounded by green, and

the colour green being associated with organic and its decay or twisted growth, the

category of rot can be seen as representing the influence of the natural, or the basic

presence of life, or humanity. Due to their threatening and liminoid nature, the specters

and deities in the show are most heavily influenced by cultural perceptions that we put

upon them, and so could be seen as representing the cooked. The raw is reserved for

primal instincts in their most fundamental form, and occurs most commonly in the guide

of red tones; these we can associate with the potential for transformation in the form of

cultural growth and rendering, or natural decay and rot.


38

CONCLUSION

Colour transforms. As Kalmus says, “colour is effective and seductive…but colour needs

to be kept under control” (qtd in Doy 117), and in Hannibal’s universe, the transfigurative

potential of red, green, and black, are expertly harnessed by the show’s producers to

striking effect. The significance of each of these colours as psychological stimuli for their

audience, as well as their potency in the context of their cultural symbolism, have

contributed to the way that transformation occurs within the show. Whether this is the

figurative ritualization of Will through Hannibal’s mental games, or the literal physical

change of the Ravenstag into the Wendigo creature, the colour establishes the tone, the

transition, and in many cases, how we as an audience will respond to it.

Red exists as a signifier for many different mental states in the human mind, ranging from

life and rebirth to danger and blood. When seen in Hannibal, the audience is brought to the

forefront of highly stylized violence that acts as a placeholder for the psychological

damage being done to Will Graham’s mind. The intensity of the colour blocking is

highlighted by its presence in otherwise dark or mellow environments, lending urgency

and threat to the situations it is polluting. The audience becomes more receptive to its

presence, and as such, its cultural connotations are emphasized as we form associations in

our perception of it on-screen.

Looking at the colour through an anthropological lens, and using an understanding of some

of the show’s most prominent themes, i.e. food, death, ritual, and decay, it is possible to

combine the psychological connotations with the cultural systems represented in the series.

Lévi-Strauss’ culinary triangle is a vehicle that allows for the assigning of different colours


39

to the raw, cooked, and rotten; these states and their connotations then become an effective

metaphor for explaining their interchangeability, and in some instances, transformative

capacity. The colour red is here a heating presence, acting as a driving force behind Will’s

ever-decreasing grip on reality, and so might be associated with instability,

incompleteness, and aggressive destruction: all qualities of the raw or the roasted in the

culinary triangle.

Green, on the other hand, is intended to represent the soothing counterpart of red, and

instead of inciting transformation through violent injection of energy, instead symbolizes

the slowness of transition in the context of growth and/or decay. In many interpretations

and colour analyses, green appears as melancholy, atmospheric, associated with nature and

the domestic sphere of being – one of the main reasons that it is avoided by avant-garde

filmmakers such as Nagisa Oshima, who wish to steer away from the complacency and

comfort of the colour. However, it’s potential as advancer of transition should not be

underestimated, and James Hawkinson himself says, “Melancholia possesses Mystery and

this entices the viewer to take the journey” (Appendix A). The unknown of the green and

the anaesthetic of familiarity it creates by its association with what we know – nature, the

organic, the idyllic – lures us into its trap. By the time we realize that what it really

symbolizes is more akin to that of the uncanny and the undetermined liminal space, we are

already ensnared. This aligns green with the rotten in the culinary triangle, as it is most

closely engaged with the effects of the natural world, and the most subjective in its

interpretation as material that constitutes something decaying, or something growing.

The featuring of black is similarly symptomatic of liminality, particularly in its

engagement with the supernatural and the presence of gods and monsters. The Ravenstag


40

and the Wendigo are black creatures, and these visual hallucinations take their place as

culturally significant in our imaginations, synonymous with cannibalistic spectres, Hindu

destroyer deities, and Native American spirits of trickery or wisdom. The amalgamation of

all of these qualities into the iconic figures that haunt Will Graham’s psyche create a

network of signifiers by which we navigate the psychological games that the show plays

on its characters and its viewers. The more we watch, the darker things become, and the

more it becomes clear that Hannibal is not simply human; he is something tainted, and

something that taints.

As Will himself says, “It’s beautiful” (“The Wrath of the Lamb”). Lauded as one of the

most cinematically beautiful series in the history of television, Bryan Fuller and his team

have resurrected the classic Hannibal Lecter narrative in a refreshing, and often death-

defying, explosion of visceral imagery and picturesque tableaux. The main feature of this

reinvention is its emblazoned colour palette; whilst at first glance the artistry of the show

seems to serve only the glorification of violence and death, the fact is that the series gives

us so much more than that.

In red, we get heat, pollution, instability, and the burden of incompleteness. In green, we

are given the languid, but pungent, process of decay through the intervention of nature. In

black, we see realm of the liminal and the ritual, and man’s relationship to the supernatural

presence in the cultures he worships. In Hannibal, we fear a reckoning; in Will, his design.


41

APPENDIX

(A)

JAMES HAWKINSON PERSONAL EMAIL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

What was your main reasoning for focusing so much on the colour red (and to

some extent, green) in the show’s photography?

The color Red creates an immediate and visceral response in the human mind.

Although it is at the farthest end of the visual spectrum and therefore the weakest

signal, it possesses great power being the color of blood. It is arguably the first

color we see in the womb and at birth. It can signal danger and create panic. The

use of this color started in the pilot episode to fore-shadow Lecter's first on-screen

murder. In a therapy session, the Doctor's patient reaches for a tissue (hand in

focus) while the wall behind looms in a menacing Red tone. By season three, Red

became more prevalent as the story became "the Great Red Dragon" and I began

gelling lights with Red filters to underscore the character's transformation, his

Rebirth. Green is the opposite of Red and can possess a soothing effect, however, I

find certain tones of green Melancholic and use it to induce this emotion.

Melancholia possesses Mystery and this entices the viewer to take the journey.

How far do you agree with the term ‘vibrant and violent’ to describe the

show’s visual aesthetic? Is the purpose of the powerful visuals to create an

audience response of shock or discomfort, or was the aim purely to emphasise

certain characteristic/themes in the show?

Everything I do with my cinematography is to support the themes and tones within

the narrative. The work can be dark and "Film noir"-ish, however the blacks are

never artificially crushed as I want the viewer to search into the darkness to unravel

the Mystery. Crushed blacks would represent a complete void and in this void there

are no answers. "Shock and discomfort" are more components of editing and sound

design. I feel there was much more to the show than just being "vibrant and

violent" as I find a great deal of hypnotic sensuality in the work.


42

How do you create this incredible balance on the show between pure violent

gore and terrifying suspense/fear of the unknown?

Within this Hypnotic Sensuality is a terrifying truth: we are watching a

Psychopathic genus and the mechanisms of his serial killings. The images are so

Hypnotic and Intoxicating that the Horror begins to work on a subconscious level.

In other works, when the images are so beautiful, we forget we are looking at a

murder scene rather than art. Only later, the horror dawns on the viewer as it haunts

their subconscious and hopefully their dreams.


43

APPENDIX

(B)

FIGURES USED

Figure 1: “The culinary triangle.” Lévi-Strauss, Claude. Trans. Peter Brooks. "The

Culinary Triangle". The Partisan Review 33 (1966): 586–96. Print.

Figure 2: ---. “The culinary triangle.” Modified by author.

Figure 3: Still from “Apéritif”, Hannibal.

Figure 4: Promotional photo for Hannibal season 1.

Figure 5: Still from “Savoureux”, Hannibal.

Figure 6: Still from “Relevés”, Hannibal.



Figure 9: Still from “Mizumono”, Hannibal.

Figure 10: Still from “Amuse-Bouche”, Hannibal.


Figure 12: Still from “Amuse-Bouche”, Hannibal.

Figure 13: Still from “Œuf”, Hannibal.

Figure 14: Still from “Kaiseki”, Hannibal.

Figure 15: Still from “Mizumono”, Hannibal.

Figure 16: Still from “Hassun”, Hannibal.

Figure 17: Still from “Kō No Mono”, Hannibal.

Figure 18: Still from “Kō No Mono”, Hannibal.

Figure 19: Still from “Trou Normand”, Hannibal.

Figure 20: Still from “The Great Red Dragon”, Hannibal.


44

WORKS CITED

“Amuse-Bouche.” Hannibal. Ontario. 11 Apr 2013. Television.

“Aperitif.” Hannibal. NBC. Ontario. 4 Apr 2013. Television.

“Buffet Froid.” Hannibal. Ontario. 30 May 2013. Television.

“Coquilles.” Hannibal. Ontario. 25 Apr 2013. Television.

“Hassun.” Hannibal. Ontario. 14 Mar 2014. Television.

“Kaiseki.” Hannibal. Ontario. 28 Feb 2014. Television.

“Kō No Mono.” Hannibal. Ontario. 9 May 2014. Television.

“Mizumono.” Hannibal. Ontario. 23 May 2014. Television.

“Œuf.” Hannibal. Ontario. 26 Apr 2013. Television.

“Relevés.” Hannibal. Ontario. 13 Jun 2013. Television.

“Savoureux.” Hannibal. Ontario. 20 Jun 2013. Television.

“Sorbet.” Hannibal. Ontario. 9 May 2013. Television.


45

“The Great Red Dragon.” Hannibal. Florence. 25 Jul 2015. Television.

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Counter, Peter. “Resurrecting the Ravenstag.” Dork Shelf. Np, 3 Jun 2015. Web. 7 Apr

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Goldman, Eric. “Hannibal: ‘Trou Normand’ Review.” IGN. IGN, 23 May 2013. Web. 2

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---. The Raw and the Cooked. Great Britain: Pimlico, 1994. Print.

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49

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