The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers (WGA):

Thomas Harris (novel)
Ted Tally (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 February 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Brilliant. Cunning. Psychotic. In his mind lies the clue to a ruthless killer. - Clarice Starling, FBI. Brilliant. Vulnerable. Alone. She must trust him to stop the killer.

Plot:

A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

Plot Keywords:

Basement Pit | Man Gina | Based On Ed Gein | Blood Splatter | Gruesome

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 39 wins & 27 nominations

Cast

Jodie Foster	...	Clarice Starling
Anthony Hopkins	...	Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Scott Glenn	...	Jack Crawford
Anthony Heald	...	Dr. Frederick Chilton
Ted Levine	...	Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb
Frankie Faison	...	Barney Matthews
Kasi Lemmons	...	Ardelia Mapp
Brooke Smith	...	Catherine Martin
Paul Lazar	...	Pilcher
Dan Butler	...	Roden
Lawrence T. Wrentz	...	Agent Burroughs
Don Brockett	...	Friendly Psychopath in Cell
Frank Seals Jr.	...	Brooding Psychopath in Cell
Stuart Rudin	...	Miggs
Masha Skorobogatov	...	Young Clarice Starling

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Philippines:R-18 | New Zealand:R16 | Italy:VM14 | Denmark:15 | USA:R (certificate #30301) | Finland:K-15 (directors cut, video realese) | Finland:K-16 (cut video version) | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA (tv rating) | Brazil:14 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (video rating) (special edition) | Australia:M (re-rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:15 (original rating) | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Israel:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (cut) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Singapore:PG (video rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Singapore:R(A) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Bellaire, Ohio, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The idea to use glass in Lecter's Baltimore cell as opposed to traditional bars came from production designer Kristi Zea. The idea came about because director Jonathan Demme was unhappy shooting the Lecter scenes through bars, as he felt they negated the sense of intimacy between Lecter and Starling which he was trying to achieve.

Goofs:

Factual errors: A forensics expert's opinion of the autopsy scene: over 8 errors were made. Among them: the body was fingerprinted without collecting evidence under the victims fingernails, and the ink would have destroyed the evidence. You cannot get fingerprints off a body if it is in that condition.

Quotes:

[first lines]
FBI instructor: Starling! Starling! Crawford wants to see you in his office.
Clarice Starling: Thank you, sir.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Married with Children: Guess Who's Coming to Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (#10.1)" (1995)

Soundtrack:

Sunny Day

A truly remarkable film

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits

Rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is assigned to get into the mind of notorious incarcerated serial killer Dr Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to get his evaluation on the elusive Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who's been abducting and killing young women. When a prominent senator's daughter is kidnapped, it becomes a race against time to find her before she is killed and all the while Lecter is playing mind-games with Starling as well as any help he can provide...

The first of Thomas Harris's Hannibal novels to be adapted for the screen, only to be followed some years later with some very lacklustre (but inevitable!) follow-ups, despite it's age this remains one of the most effective chillers of modern times. Despite the mainstream appeal of the film, the grainy lighting and laid-back budget give it an art-house feel that sets it apart from other such films that were as successful. The film manages some effectively disturbing scenes that make it a not altogether pleasant viewing experience.

Performances wise, in a very early role, a young Foster shows her promise for future roles, with a gripping portrayal of naivety and vulnerability here that is very compelling and convincing, even though there are some plausibility problems with someone as junior as her being assigned to do something like that. Hopkins too is brilliant as Lecter, playing a dangerous man behind bars who's ability to get inside your head and see the things you don't want him to see makes him no less dangerous, if not more so, than if he was on the outside. He's certainly received the most acclaim for his role over the years, but in my humble opinion, he's actually over-shadowed (though only slightly!) by Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill, a truly extraordinary psychopath with an unsettling sexuality disorder that is probably one of the nastiest things ever to be seen in such a mainstream film. As supporting FBI agent Crawford, Scott Glenn is impressive but sort of just faded into DTV land after this film.

It's easily one of the most popular films ever made, so it's likely a lot of you are familiar with it already, but with reviews on the so-inferior follow-up films Red Dragon and Hannibal, I thought it only right that I'd finally give this first film a mention. Truly remarkable. *****