Red Dragon filmed at BMA

Dozens of trucks, a camera crew and film production personnel descended upon the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) last Monday to shoot scenes for the Bret Ratner-directed Red Dragon, the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, in which Oscar- winner Anthony Hopkins once again reprises his role as the serial killer Hannibal Lecter.

Production for the film occupied the entire stretch of Art Museum Dr. between N. Charles St. and the University as well as occupying the BMA parking lot and areas inside the museum. Production began early in the morning, around 7:30 a.m., and wrapped at about 8 p.m., according to a source with the production.

Two-time Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, The English Patient), was on hand to film a scene inside the BMA. Fiennes plays serial killer Francis Dolarhyde.

According to a source with the production, the BMA was used to film a scene in which Dolarhyde visits the Brooklyn Museum of Art in search of William Blake's "Red Dragon" painting. Dolarhyde believes he will be empowered if he consumes the painting, the source said.

Fiennes was at the BMA most of the day but spent some time in a grey, tinted-window Suburban, traveling back and forth between the production's base camp at the University's Eastern campus.

The production spent a majority of the day rehearsing and shooting exterior establishing shots outside the BMA.

Letters that read, "The Brooklyn Museum of Art," were placed on one of the exterior walls of the BMA, and dozens of extras, on foot and in cars, worked most of the afternoon preparing for what will be only seconds of footage, a source with the production said.

Extras started from various points outside the museum and began walking pre-planned paths during rehearsals and filming.

The establishing shot also involved cars leaving the BMA, while a cab drove up and dropped off two men in front of the wall reading, "The Brooklyn Museum of Art."

"It seemed like it was run smoothly and efficiently," said junior Brian Udoff, who was on hand watching the production work. "I felt badly for the extras though because it was 85 degrees and they were [wearing heavy clothing]."

Red Dragon tells the story of ex-FBI agent Will Graham, played by two-time Oscar nominee Edward Norton, who has to get inside Lecter's mind in order to catch the serial killer known as the Tooth Fairy (Fiennes), according to a production press release. The press release also says that Graham has to come out ofretirement to work the case, having quit after having nearly caught Lecter, but almost losing his life in the process.

Red Dragon spent the last two and a half weeks filming in downtown Baltimore,Westminster, Cockeysville and Carroll County, finished filming in Baltimore this week and is now moving on to Islamorada, Fla., the source with the production said. The film is scheduled for release this October.