# Hannibal continuity question **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2001, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172 "2001-02-12T17:49:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/1 "2001-02-12T17:49:19Z")
If Mason Verger survived Lecter’s attack, why didn’t the authorities know who Lecter was? Will Graham caught Lecter when he reconized the “wounded man” in Lecter’s office. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/2 "2001-02-12T19:18:19Z")
Weird . . . I was **just thinking** the same thing this morning. I’ll have to look back to see if the novel covers it; for the moment, I assume he was comatose or otherwise traumatized and unable to give a statement. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/3 "2001-02-12T19:44:10Z")
I got this in email today. It does not answer your specific question, but it does point out some other inconsistancies/problems with the film (some are legit and some are not). [http://www.films.movie-mistakes.com/letters/h/hannibal.htm](http://www.films.movie-mistakes.com/letters/h/hannibal.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Peta\_Tzunami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b487fb/32.png) [@Peta\_Tzunami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peta_Tzunami)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/4 "2001-02-12T21:55:21Z")
In “Manhunter” (the movie based on the book “Red Dragon”), didn’t they say that two of Lector’s victims survived–one in mental institution and one was on a respirator. Assuming Mason was one of those two (which that figure to be questionsable as well), perhaps his story was either untellable due to physical restrictions until after Hannibal was caught or was unbelievable due to the act he committed. A case of “who are you going to believe–the respected and renown psychiatrist or a drug using, pedaphile into erotic behaviors who just cut off his face and fed it to his dog?” Perhaps Mason could not remember what exactly happened until later… ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2001, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/5 "2001-02-13T01:50:45Z")
I don’t think Verger wanted the authorities to get involved. He wanted to deal with Hannibal himself. That sound plausible? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2001, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/6 "2001-02-13T01:55:46Z")
No; the cops would ask “who did this?” and Verger would say, “gee, I dunno…” My best bet is that mentioned above, that he was incapable of communicating for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![Deiket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Deiket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deiket)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2001, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/7 "2001-02-13T12:53:31Z")
Spoilers? Do I even need to say that? That is a good question. In the book, Hannibal, Mason is the one on the respirator. He can’t talk very well and has a lot more injuries, like, no lips, hardly and face. Really, the only part of his body that can move is his one hand. He’s bedridden. My thoughts on why Mason didn’t, or couldn’t, point a finger to Dr. Lecter is one of two things. He was drugged when the good doctor convinced him to peel off his face and feed it to the dogs. Also, wouldn’t you think that someone who has lived through that much pain and blood loss would be stuck in the hospital for a while? And not necessarily awake, either. That’s what I have so far, but I’m planning on going back and re-reading all three books. I am very bored, and it shouldn’t take more than one day for each. If I find anything, I’ll be sure to type it out to y’all. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2001, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/8 "2001-02-14T10:58:14Z")
WAG, here. The attack on Mason and Will Graham showing up at Lecters office could have only been a day or two apart. ---
**Author:** ![pldennison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@pldennison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pldennison)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2001, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/9 "2001-02-14T14:44:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\*WAG, here. The attack on Mason and Will Graham showing up at Lecters office could have only been a day or two apart. \*\* Nah. The book and movie both, IIRC, say Verger was Lecter’s fourth victim (of eight or nine). ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/10 "2001-02-15T02:12:07Z")
I do believe that Peta Tzunami is on the right track. From what I remember of my reading of the book “Hannibal”, it’s mentioned that Mason Verger did the injuries to himself. Isn’t that right? Dr. Lecter was present but all he did was convince Mason Verger that it would be a good idea to mutilate himself, and Mason Verger was on drugs at the time. If I were a policeman, my first instinct would be to believe the well-known psychiatrist who says “I tried to stop him from cutting himself with a knife but I couldn’t”. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/11 "2001-02-15T02:28:43Z")
Hannibal did something that caused Verger to be confined to a wheelchair. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2001, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/12 "2001-02-15T08:33:28Z")
Lecter snapped Verger’s neck, according to the novel, after the facial. ---
**Author:** ![GraceTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c4cdca/32.png) [@GraceTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GraceTX)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/13 "2001-06-26T05:22:39Z")
In _Manhunter_, Will Graham said he was interviewing Hannibal because he was Verger’s doctor. He said he saw a book with pictures of war wounds in Hannibal’s office and realized he was the man they were looking for. When he went outside to use the pay phone to call the police, Hannibal attacked him. I assume that’s when he was captured. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/14 "2001-06-26T05:42:12Z")
Read all 3 novels, been wondering the same thing. Oh, and for no reason I’m pointing out that this is my 100th post. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/15 "2001-06-26T05:52:26Z")
Um… wasn’t Mason one of Lector’s victims from before he was originally caught and put in the institution where Clarice first met him? And then didn’t Mason wait _years_ for the chance to get his revenge? He waited until Lector had the chance to break out and make his escape before going after him. That’s what I got from the books… ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/16 "2001-06-26T18:03:02Z")
**mouthbreather** : > [@](#): > > I got this in email today. It does not answer your specific question, but it does point out some other inconsistancies/problems with the film (some are legit and some are not). People email lists of film inconsistencies to you? How does that work? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@The\_Tof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tof)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/17 "2001-06-26T20:35:46Z")
My thought wasn’t so much that the police chose not to believe Mason-- as much as Mason wasn’t so interested in getting the cops involved. It’s been awhile since I have read the book… but he was interested in a homosexual encounter with Hannibal. Hannibal knew it and took advantage… but to Mason his homosexual encounters were to be kept stricly secret. For purposes of the family fortune and family business. So, when he had this disaster strike him, he was more willing to say, I did this to myself while I was stoned out of my ass… then to say… my gay lover told me to do this. It probably wasn’t until later that Hannibal’s involvement was discovered. That was my WAG anyway… ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/18 "2001-06-26T22:09:01Z")
What I want to know is why, if Hannibal could unlock his handcuffs in _Silence_ with just a small part of a fountain pen, did he have to resort to cutting his hand off while in a kitchen full of assorted lockpicking possibilities? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2001, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/19 "2001-06-26T23:38:38Z")
Because Thomas Harris didn’t write the end of the movie, some idiot movie guy did. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2001, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172/20 "2001-06-27T06:39:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fiver \* > \*\*People email lists of film inconsistencies to you? How does that work? \*\* Well, see…I have these things called friends. Some of said friends used this wonderful new technology by which I am able to read on my computer what they have typed on theirs. I think it uses something called SMBD or PAP4 or something like that. Anywho, it’s cool. Um, seriously, I don’t think I understand the question. I went to go see Hannibal with some friends, we were talking about inconsistancies afterwards, and then the next morning someone emailed me a link relevant to our discussion. 😕 Or is this some joke that I’m not getting? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hannibal-continuity-question/54172.md?page=2)