Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase

Since the moment it was released in 1991, The Silence of the Lambs has been mocked on a consistent basis in TV shows, movies and practically anything else that’s media-based (up to and including View-Masters). Yet, in-spite of the nearly endless series of nods, references and blatant knock-offs, Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase marks the only parody of Silence of the Lambs that legitimately works. Airing as an episode of the cult British comedy series The Comic Strip, Gregory: Diary of a Nutcase is a surprisingly savage attack on the Jonathan Demme classic. It’s such a sharp satire that it actually makes its source material look hackneyed. The only complaint I have about it lies in the camcorder segments with Adrian Edmondson which seem kind of unnecessary and redundant (we already get it. The film is unrealistic. We don’t need Gregory to further hammer this point home). British comedy nerds might recognize Nigel Planer, The Day Today’s Doon Mackichan and Keith Allen (father of Lily Allen) as Hannibal Lecter.


For some reason or another you can’t embed the full episode so here’s a preview with links for the full episode below.




Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkEESkltdsY

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVzGS-4i3CM

Part 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAu860rdE4E

Part 4:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4lL9BMpRvY

3 comments:

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  2. I think they were also parodying HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, which is where the home movie verite comes from. The painting comes from John Wayne Gacy(or did Hannibal Lecter paint? I forget. It's also the only SILENCE parody not to quote the fava beans line.

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  3. I've never seen Henry - believe it or not - but I think you're right. I want to say that Lecter painted but I can't remember either.

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