Shots Through Bars
Withing Manhunter there are several instances where Graham and Lector are discussing concepts and having conversations through cell bars. The point of this is very simple, they are both imprisoned. Whether by the law or their own minds they seem to have no way out. The key to this is that it's not just Lector who is in prison but Graham as well. This is a very significant idea because the movie isn't just about solving the case but how he solves it Graham has to go to a place in his mind that haunts him, one that he is trying to trap inside his own prison never to be let out again.
Getting In CharacterA key feature in "Manhunter" is Graham's ability to change his mindset to try to put himself in "The Tooth Fairy's" mindset. This is where a key character, Hannibal Lector, comes in. Lector is a man who Graham feared to even speak to because Lector could get inside his head and lead him down a path he barely got away from last time. As discussed in Manhunter: Senses of Cinema "everyone inhabits some kind of prison" in which case it talks about how Graham "appears framed by the bars of Lector's cell". This scene is where Graham is going to visit Lector in order to "gain the scent" in order to get into the mindset of the serial killer. However the image of Graham being seen through bars symbolizes the main conflict of the movie: Grahams inner struggle with diving into character and unable to get out of character when the job is done.
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