The Identity and Ethics of Hannibal LecterAnthony Hopkins, as Hannibal raises some interesting ideas about reality, identity, and our perception of serial killer. First of all, the film would never have been made if Hopkins had not agreed to make the sequel (Sterritt). Second, although Hopkins has taken on many roles, his memorable roles (besides Hannibal Lecter) are not as villainous as his characters in "Remains of the Day" or "Shadowlands." When it comes to this ethnography of the audience watching the film, the philosophy of Hannibal is directly related to the philosophy of Hopkins and this can be seen in the audience's reactions. Filmmakers know the power of 'celebrity in American society, and as Americans we generally like to 'clap back'. for characters played by actors we admire or like to see as our favorites. So, Hopkins admirers, the work will immediately give the character of Hannibal credibility and protagonist status despite what they know of the character's actual actions. Then, due to the media coverage and media recognition of Hopkins' "acting prowess", younger moviegoers who have not been exposed to Hopkins and his 30-year film career will be inclined to embrace the opinion that he is a great actor and, therefore, to consider him as the protagonist of the film "Hannibal. Of course, we cannot consider the protagonist/antagonist identity of Hannibal as an accident or an original idea. Quoting films such as “Terminator” and “Pulp Fiction,” one journalist wrote: “More and more often we see psychopaths and serial killers as protagonists. (Goldberg)Four Orders of MeaningJean Baudrillard, a French philosopher, believed that there are four orders of meaning. of meaning. The first order is that "signs are thought of as reflecting fundamental reality;...... middle of paper ......from here that the film, "Hannibal is inscribed in one way or another other under all of these progressive orders of meaning. It is not up to me to show the reader where he perceives reality or its relationship with the character of Hannibal but, in conclusion, the fourth order of meaning will say that the serial killer does not exist; is just a media-generated idea. I believe the serial killer exists, but as a very different symbol than the one presented in the media. "Hannibal simply shows us, as a society, how far we will go to accept a killer in our lives. Works Cited Goldberg, Jonah, "Violent Fantasy, National Review, 10/23/2000, Vol. 52 Issue 20, p. 62. Sterritt, David, "Why Hannibal gives us chills, Christian Science Monitor, 02/16/2000, Vol. 93 Number 58, p. 15. Baudrillard, Jean, http://carmen.artsci.washington.edu / panop/baudrillard.htm