The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

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Directed by Jonathan Demme.

Starring Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins.

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In this multiple Oscar-winning thriller, Jodie Foster stars as Clarice Starling, a top student at the FBI's training academy whose shrewd analyses of serial killers lands her a special assignment: the FBI is investigating a vicious murderer nicknamed Buffalo Bill, who kills young women and then removes the skin from their bodies. Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into this case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out. Lecter does indeed know something of Buffalo Bill, but his information comes with a price: in exchange for telling what he knows, he wants to be housed in a more comfortable facility. More important, he wants to speak with Clarice about her past. He skillfully digs into her psyche, forcing her to reveal her innermost traumas and putting her in a position of vulnerability when she can least afford to be weak. The film mingles the horrors of criminal acts with the psychological horrors of Lecter's slow-motion interrogation of Clarice and of her memories that emerge from it. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Comic-Con 2008: Guy Ritchie, Jo ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"5:54 - Here comes director James McTeague, Naomi Harris, and… “arch rival of Stephen Colbert….RAIN!” “Wow, it’s like mini-Twilight” someone says behind us when people start screaming for Rain. 5:51 - Now they’re on to Ninja Assassin, and when Joel Silver says the name “Rain” people go nuts. Although not quite the level of Twilight nuts that we witnessed earlier. Here’s a clip that Silver tells us is “Just for Comic-Con, so lets not talk about it to anyone else.” “Raised to be a warrior…Trained to be a killer.” Scenes of kids training, teenagers training, adults shedding tons of blood with knives. This movie is all done in red and black, even with red and black washing machines in a laundromat scene. Someone cue the Les Miserables soundtrack. Ninjas, swords, explosions, car chases… I don’t really know what this is about, but there’s a lot of screaming and flying blood. The ninja chucks a Chinese star at the screen, which turns into a little embellish between the words Ninja and Assa ... " [More]

The Silence of the Lambs (1991, ...
by CinemaRian in CinemaRian Blog

hasn't rated it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"I am probably the last person to come around to The Silence of the Lambs. I had previously seen part of it in middle school on TV, and was unimpressed, but that is the wrong way to view the film (A future sign of my maturity would be to never watch movies on TV, and in fact, to rarely watch TV in general). I also waited to see it again because I had read and disliked the novel on which the film is based by Thomas Harris. The movie is better than the cold and detached book, and in fact, most other films. For those few among you are unfamiliar: the FBI is searching for a new serial killer nicknamed Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn), the head of the Bureau's behavioral science division, orders interviews with all captured serial killers to help profile Bill, but one of the most heinous, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a former psychiatrist turned cannibal, refuses to cooperate. Thinking Lector might be more likely to talk to an attractive young woman, he se ... " [More]

Antibodies - Review
by mercurial in a filmblog

loved it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"Owing in large part to tomes of modern serial-killer lore as The Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, Antibodies attempts to weave a twisted epilogue to such tales of woe in a visually alluring, yet bemusedly hackneyed way. Featuring a murderer with a stare that will produce nightmares in the most thick-skinned of horror fanatics, the film follows the events after his capture and the mysterious circumstances around a police inquiry into one of his victims. A slew of plot twists keep the dramatic tension palpable without flirting too much with the unbearably implausible - all leading to a barrage of revelations that will keep you guessing till the closing credits. " [More]

Re:Films or film making??
by leeroy711 in Viewing with a purpose

liked it.

"[quote user="mercurial"] [quote user="leeroy711"] Having said all of this, I would clearly put myself in the catagory of the latter. These are not that easy to pin down because they are absolutely not mutually exclusive. That is to say, a fan of films is naturally going to be also a fan of the process and vice versa. But, I do think that if you look at it just right, there are two distinct catagories. Any thoughts??? [/quote] Yeah, you're right. I unfortunately find myself in the third distinction where I juggle both schools of thought and have to breakdown (usually) each film I watch. Most of my friends have given up listening to my advice about films because they have seen my movie collection and have said that they can't trust someone that has Requiem for a Dream (the fan of filmmaking side of me) next to Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (the fan of stupid, fun films side of me) on the shelf. On the other hand, I consider myself along the lines of Ebert. He has said how h ... " [More]

Re:Films or film making??
by mercurial in Viewing with a purpose

loved it.

"[quote user="leeroy711"] Having said all of this, I would clearly put myself in the catagory of the latter. These are not that easy to pin down because they are absolutely not mutually exclusive. That is to say, a fan of films is naturally going to be also a fan of the process and vice versa. But, I do think that if you look at it just right, there are two distinct catagories. Any thoughts??? [/quote] Yeah, you're right. I unfortunately find myself in the third distinction where I juggle both schools of thought and have to breakdown (usually) each film I watch. Most of my friends have given up listening to my advice about films because they have seen my movie collection and have said that they can't trust someone that has Requiem for a Dream (the fan of filmmaking side of me) next to Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion (the fan of stupid, fun films side of me) on the shelf. On the other hand, I consider myself along the lines of Ebert. He has said how he submits to the unconven ... " [More]

Re:Hannibal the Cannibal
by leeroy711 in Serialicious

liked it.

"[quote user="mercurial"] Undoubtedly the most widespread and critically acclaimed serial killer movie is The Silence of the Lambs. The acting, direction, dialogue, cinematography, and nature of the characters all coalesce into a fantastically terrifying portrayal of madness (both beautiful - Hannibal, and perverse - Bill). Unfortunately I think the films that followed were rather haphazard and spoil a great character. Manhunter, which was the first filmic adaptation of Harris' Hannibal, wasn't the most profound movie but nonetheless established the character as one of the nastiest antagonists out there. The Silence of the Lambs followed and allowed for the predictable sequels. Hannibal had its moments of gory goofiness but ultimately wasn't anything special. Red Dragon moved the franchise into a different direction and was interesting, but something seemed to be missing. Lastly Hannibal Rising, a prequel following the birth of the man, is intriguing in its execution and beautifu ... " [More]

Hannibal the Cannibal
by mercurial in Serialicious

loved it.

"Undoubtedly the most widespread and critically acclaimed serial killer movie is The Silence of the Lambs. The acting, direction, dialogue, cinematography, and nature of the characters all coalesce into a fantastically terrifying portrayal of madness (both beautiful - Hannibal, and perverse - Bill). Unfortunately I think the films that followed were rather haphazard and spoil a great character. Manhunter, which was the first filmic adaptation of Harris' Hannibal, wasn't the most profound movie but nonetheless established the character as one of the nastiest antagonists out there. The Silence of the Lambs followed and allowed for the predictable sequels. Hannibal had its moments of gory goofiness but ultimately wasn't anything special. Red Dragon moved the franchise into a different direction and was interesting, but something seemed to be missing. Lastly Hannibal Rising, a prequel following the birth of the man, is intriguing in its execution and beautifully filmed yet lacks that ... " [More]

Re:Top 5 Antagonists
by leeroy711 in Top 5

liked it.

"I'm quoting myself because I disagree with myself, "self, how could you come up with a list of Antagonists and not include the coin flipping Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men? I am very dissapointedin myself. That should probably #2 " [More]

Top 5 Antagonists
by leeroy711 in Top 5

liked it.

"1. Peter Lorre's character - M - Great performance, creepy character, whisteling that tune over and over in my dreams 2. The Lone Biker of the Apocalypse - Raising Arizona - satirical and scary as hell at the same time3. Benoit Benoit Poelvoorde - Man Bites Dog - how could you not love this guy?4. Hannible Lecter - Silence of the Lambs - when he puts that guy's face on as a mask was my favorite scene. 5. Kevin Spacey's character - Seven - very similar to his character in The Usual Suspects but add the psycotic murdering funtime. " [More]

Re:Ask the Doctor...
by Dr_Gor in HORROR MOVIES 101

loved it.

"Yeah, you're right, Rizzo. As I have mentioned before, the SAW movies are not my favorites for exactly that reason. I mentioned this as an example of REALISM in the sense that there were NO supernatural elements at all... The things in the movie COULD have happened although it is not very likely. For one, I would have figured out that the guy laying in the middle of the floor was not dead, ESPECIALLY if I were a DOCTOR... in an effort to get my hands on that gun I would convince the guy at the other end of the room to slide the toilet tank lid as hard is he could at the 'body' to move it a few inches in my direction so I could grab it. ("If I get out of here so do you..."). Then it would be 'game over'. Jigsaw would have no choice but to release me or he would die before I did... and his 'electrocution-buddy' wouldn't dare pull the trigger on that once I have a hold of his 'boss' because he would get it too... simple, hu ... " [More]

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Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

With Silence of the Lambs, director Jonathan Demme and screenwriter Ted Tally, working from the Thomas Harris novel, peel back the layers on the horrors of everyday life and childhood, which begin to loom as large as their villain Hannibal Lecter's more outlandish crimes. Justice is served, but we feel no safer as a result. The Silence of the Lambs won all five major Academy awards, one of only three films in history to do so (the others were It Happened One Night (1934) and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)). Jodie Foster's tightly wound Clarice and Anthony Hopkins' Chianti-and-fava-bean-loving Lecter have become classic movie performances, and the film has taken its place as one of the most complicated and unnerving psychological horror movies. Horror films fans will also want to keep an eye peeled for cameos by directors George A. Romero and Roger Corman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Tags: cannibal , serialkiller , fava-beans , psychopath , terrifying
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