Musical Monday: Shriekback

Today's musical delight is a slight departure in that it's a soundtrack from a movie.

"Manhunter", directed by Michael Mann, appeared to little fanfare in 1986. The film was based on the book "Red Dragon" by Thomas Harris and features the cuddly Hannibal "the cannibal" Lecter, the world's favourite serial killer.

Hannibal Lecter didn't become a movie sensation until "The Silence of the Lambs" was made in 1991, starring Anthony Hopkins as the oh-so-clever but evil killer. Hopkins won an Oscar for his efforts.

Hollywood being greedy Hollywood decided that it would be a good idea to remake "Manhunter", but this time starring Hopkins. Lecter was originally played, brilliantly I might add, by Brian Cox.

So the film "Red Dragon" was duly presented to the public in 2002 and made more in a weekend than "Manhunter" did in its entire run.

I mention all this because I'm a great fan of "Manhunter", which I believe is a movie masterpiece and I think is superior to "Red Dragon". The special investigator is played by William Petersen - little known in 1986 - who went on to fame and fortune in the CSI series; apparently, the idea for that series came from "Manhunter."

I recently rewatched "Manhunter" and "Red Dragon" - and read the novel "Red Dragon" - one after the other to compare the treatments. I think both movies stand firm in their own ways. I still prefer "Manhunter": for one thing, I think Tom Noonan's depiction of Francis "The Tooth Fairy" Dolarhyde is definitive; Ralph Fiennes was pale in comparison.

Incidentally, the reason why "Manhunter" wasn't called "Red Dragon" after the book was because it was thought at the time that Red Dragon would make it sound like a Kung Fu movie! The title Manhunter is pretty feeble but the film isn't.

Anyway, I also love the screen music during "Manhunter" and only recently bothered to look up who was responsible. The piece I feature here is Coelocanth by a group called Shriekback. Never heard of them. But Mann uses three of their tracks for his film. Very atmospheric. The climax of the film throbs to the sound of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida by Iron Butterfly, a track I know well. "This Big Hush" by Shriekback is also a fine track.

Manhunter versus Red Dragon? Both killer movies but Manhunter edges it.