Something I’m not sure about (I’ve read the book but it’s been years and years):
How did Jame Gumb come to be living in Ms. Lippman’s house? Was there some connection between them?
I thought she was his landlady until she died/he killed her & that she was the rotted corpse Clarice found in the tub.
I think (OK, assume) that Jame worked for Mrs. Lippman doing tailoring and dressmaking. Then he “took over” residence without changing his official address. That’s why Jack and the SWAT team went to his old house. I think that it was clear that it was Mrs. Lippman in the tub. I can’t imagine how that basement must have smelled.
Yes Gumb introduces himself to Starling as Mr Gordon and claims to have bought the house from Ms Lippmann two years ago.
Was that in the movie or just the book? It’s been a while, but I don’t remember her finding a body.
It was in the movie. As Clarice was going room by room in the basement she found a bathroom with what looked like a very rotted corpse in the tub. It was quite gross, looking as though the corpse was marinating in some sort of horrible brownish beef and potato stew.
In the book as well - Clarice sees a hand sticking out of a tub, and notices the second hand on the watch is still moving, just before the lights go out.
I’ll have to watch it again. (The first time I saw it, I didn’t even pick up on Dr. Chilton getting off the plane and being followed by Hannibal.)
By the way, are the books worth reading even if I’ve seen the movies?
I personally think the books are worth reading in addition to the movies.
Speaking of the book Hannibal, I have a question:
[spoiler]A tourist family happens to be filming as Lecter very publically murders the Italian police commander in Florence. The novel states that the resulting footage became instantly famous, in the manner of “the Zapruder film of the JFK assassination, and the suicide of Edgar Bolger”.
I have never been able to find any mention of this supposed real-life suicide.
Did Harris make it up?
It seems like an odd thing for him to do.
It sounds like it might be similar to the filmed suicide of Pennsylvania politician Bud Dwyer* – if this is what he’s referring to, was he compelled for some reason to change the name?
*A brief attempt at googling turned up lots of links, all of which looked workplace-questionable. If interested, google, “Bud Dwyer” AND suicide[/spoiler]
Thanks,
For the question on Hannibal, if the guy on this obsessive Hannibal annotation site can’t find it then it isn’t to be found. He thinks Harris made it up.
Better than the movies, particularly Hannibal.
Good lord, somebody has a combination of a strong interest in a novel and a whole lot of time on his hands, doesn’t he though?
So as you understand it, Frederica met Gumb while working for Mrs. Lippman? Did he take the “naughty” pictures of her?
BTW, for those who aren’t aware, there is a prequel novel and film in the works entitled Behind the Mask.
Yes and yes - both are detailed in the book.
Yep.
I figured though, that if anyone would know something that guy didn’t (specifically, whether there was a real-life filmed suicide named Edgar Bolger), they’d be on SDMB.
The books says
So I’m not sure if it is Mrs. Lippman in the tub. I don’t deny the possibility that Gumb killed her, but I don’t think he did it in Ohio. The book goes into further details about Gumb’s activities prior to skinning women:
In the book, Gumb didn’t take dirty pictures of Fredrica. Starling actually found the photos (which were considerably more pornographic) in Catherine Martin’s room (the daughter of the senator). Though it did seem that Fredrica and Gumb had some sort of relationship, because they found letters from her in his house addressed to “Dearest Secret Friend in my Breast.” She also wrote him letters from the pit.
Lest you think I’m obsessed, I just finished re-reading this book, so it’s all a bit fresh.