“The Red Dragon,” the first novel from Thomas Harris’s tetralogy about the relationship of serial killers, Dr. Hannibal Lector, and FBI agents, it was no coincidence that he became a cult work. Even taking into account the fact that the famous intellectual maniac is an episodic character, the focus of the story is FBI consultant Will Graham and Francis Dolarheid, aka “Tooth Fairy”. Immediately after its release in 1981, the book becomes a bestseller, the corporate identity of the author is recognizable.
Harris skillfully draws a tense plot and describes a lot of mental pathologies. The key figure in the opus is the serial killer, carving entire families, inserting pieces of mirrors into the eye sockets, playing sports in his free time, working in a video salon, collecting newspaper clippings about his “exploits” and conducting secret correspondence with Dr. Lector.
Predetermined future
In The Red Dragon, Thomas Harris plunges the public into the abyss of the gloomy soul of Francis Dolarchide, an unwanted child who has been raised in a nursing home by a cruel grandmother who threatens to deprive the boy of his genitals for each disobedience. A child surrounded by death is rejected by peers in the whole world because of a physical defect - an inborn deformity on the face. His lips and sky seemed to be dissected. From childhood, Francis begins to manifest sadistic tendencies.
One of the most dramatic components of Francis Dolarchide's adult life is getting to know and getting close to Ribe McClean. At first it seems that the fragile blind girl will be the salvation for the hero, because Francis is comfortable with her for the first time in her life. However, a happy ending in this story cannot be a priori.
"Manhunter"
The story of Francis Dolarchide received two film adaptations. The creation of the first can be considered a personal merit of producer Dino de Laurentis and aspiring director Michael Mann. Shortly before the release of their project, the film "Year of the Dragon" failed miserably, so the creators decided to play it safe and called their brainchild "The Manhunter." The image of a serial killer, nicknamed "Tooth Fairy" embodied on the screen Tom Noonen.
The narrative focuses on the work of the forensic medical examination and the investigation of William Graham, with the authors intentionally emphasizing the similarities between him and the maniac. The director uses highly stylized colors to reflect the duality of their characters and the similarity of the investigator and the killer.
The picture received mixed reviews, although today it is at the stage of rethinking and reappraising. Its resurgent popularity is due to the later film adaptations of the writer's books. Already, many critics and moviegoers consider the film a cult.
"Red Dragon"
After the triumphant premiere of the picture-sequel of Johnnathan Demme's “Silence of the Lambs” and “Hannibal” by Ridley Scott, Dino de Laurentiis ventured to enter the river twice and retake the “dragon”. So in the history of the film industry appeared the second film adaptation of the book - the film "Red Dragon" by Brett Ratner. In the movie of 2002, the actor Rafe Fiennes embodied the image of Francis Dolarheid, striking the highest degree of merging with, to put it mildly, an extraordinary character.
Director Brett Ratner, who previously specialized in comedies, showed his best skills without at least lowering the level set by Jonathan Demme and Ridley Scott. In addition, he adequately stood the comparison with Michael Mann. Although, according to some film critics, the new adaptation closer to the literary source is, in the artistic sense, inferior to The Manhunter.
Series
Francis Dolarchide appears in the NBC television channel thriller Hannibal only in season three. In the first two, the narrative focuses on the relationship between the best FBI analyst Will Graham and psychotherapist Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
Since the “Tooth Fairy” has a psycho-schizoid personality disorder, he has a different “I”. Dolarheid is truly obsessed with the painting by W. Blake "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Dressed in the Sun", which gave the idea for the embodiment of an alternative personality. In the series “Hannibal,” Francis Dolarchide as a character is reborn to life again, which indicates that the audience’s interest in this hero is not weakening.
In the television version, the role of the “tooth fairy” will be played by Richard Armitage. Known to the domestic audience as John Thornton from "North and South" and Guy Gisborne from "Robin Hood." The British actor gained worldwide popularity after the role of the King of the Dwarves in the epic of P. Jackson "The Hobbit". The films “The First Avenger” and “Towards the Storm” are also considered significant projects in the filmography of the performer.