The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

We are approaching the 35th Anniversary of what is likely one of the most celebrated and influential movies of the 1990's.  Adapted from Thomas Harris' best-selling novel of the same name, this is the story of student FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) on her first assignment: to develop a psychological profile of the infamous serial killer, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) who is currently incarcerated in Baltimore.  Of course, she also finds herself on a hidden mission as well dispatched by her superior, Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) - she meets with the intimidating Dr. Lecter to also glean clues on how to best catch another serial killer who is currently on the loose, Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine).  And what results is an intensely brutal and psychogical cat-and-mouse between Clarice, Hannibal, and Bill.  Not only was this film a suprise box office smash upon release in February '91 but it would also go on to win the rare "Big Five" at the Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Director for the late, great Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia, Talking Heads: Stop Making Sense, Something Wild).    

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon  

Transcript

THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS - 1991

Directed by Jonathan Demme

Starring Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Diane Baker, Kasi Lemmons, Frankie Faison, Tracey Walter, Charles Napier, Danny Darst, Alex Coleman, Dan Butler, Paul Lazar, Ron Vawter, and Ted Levine

Genre: Horror Thriller (Audio clip)

Things I learned from Silence of the Lambs:

- Never trust anyone with a poodle named "Precious"
 - Night vision goggles had been around since the '30's but it apparently took around 60 years for us to realize just how cool they were.
 
 - We covet the people or things we see everyday.
 
 - Anytime a loosely incarcerated serial killer/cannibal asks for a second dinner, just say NO.
 - If you need someone to compose stirring, suspenseful music for your scary tale about scary men who perform ritualistic murders, skin people, eat people, or transform into human-size flies....then Howard Shore is your guy. 🫡
 
 - If you're having trouble opening a vertical garage door, a rapid pump floor jack can come in quite handy.
 - Nobody EVER made such effective use of the dead-center POV shot than DP Tak Fujimoto did with this movie.
 - Any FBI agent who STILL tries to rescue you - even after you call her a "f$&king bitch" for no reason - is the real deal!

- Anthony Heald is among the best at playing smug assholes...it says a LOT that I hated his character as much as Buffalo Bill.
 
 - And along those lines….Baltimore can be quite the fun town if you have the right guide.

This genre masterpiece is just the cinematic gift which keeps on giving. 😉

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

-        It's a pretty awkward movie theater moment for a 15-year old to see with his mother...a grown man dancing naked to "Goodbye Horses" with his junk tucked in. :o (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

-        And SPEAKING of the man who danced with said junk tucked in…..Ted Levine deserved as much acclaim for his freaky performance here as Jamie Gumb/Buffalo Bill as the two leads who both won Oscars. (Audio clip)

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Ok stepping away from the format of “Things I Learned” I find it necessary to narrow down THIS category to ONE iconic scene EACH for each of the two main leads….and there’s just an abundance of riches to choose from no less….

THE standout moment for Anthony Hopkin’s Hannibal Lector….wow this was a TOUGH call as I was so tempted to choose the moment of his daring escape…..pretty much capping off an incredibly gruesome AND tense sequence of cat-and-mouse with the local police from his open gymnasium cell in that courthouse at around the 80 minute mark…..we’ll call this the runner-up, the capper of that scene seeing him pull off Jim Pembry’s face in that ambulance.  One of the GREATEST “Shit just got real” moments in the history of cinema. (Audio clip) 

But no my personal favorite remains his final appearance at the end of the film – the combination of his AMAZING final line and then the camera pulling back as he swaggers in his panama hat several feet behind Dr. Chilton in Jamaica as the closing credits roll…..just a great ending! (Audio clip) 

Now for my Runner-Up for Clarice??  Tough call but I have always just ADORED the moment when we first see Agent Starling step up to clear out the local cops from that funeral home….clearly an intimidating situation and Foster just NAILS it with her delivery.  (Audio clip) 

Now this might seem like an obvious HERO Moment but I don’t care….I had already mentioned the true novelty at the time of release of seeing Buffalo Bill’s eerie POV with his night vision goggles…..even moreso the abject terror of seeing how he not only has the drop on Clarice whom he’s stalking behind but how he’s….TOYING with her….but then that IMAGE of her quickly turning around once she hears him cock his gun and just UNLOADING!! Such a gratifying moment not only to see her character triumph but also beautifully set up by an earlier scene when we see her in training….and learning the hard way to “watch her six” – LESSON LEARNED. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person most responsible for the success of this film):

- Anthony Hopkins is living proof of how you can first become an Oscar-winning movie star well into your '50's.

- God bless Jodie Foster for absolutely killing it with a role that every other major Hollywood actress was afraid to play.

- Jonathan Demme could direct anything masterfully within any genre...his film 

Ok now stepping away from the format of things I learned…..this is a VERY tough call and I have pretty firmly committed over the past year toward NOT copping out with this category and spreading the wealth.  Both Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins were well-deserving for their Oscars – not only for delivering such effective performances within the context of the story but also TRULY iconic characters: 

Almost thirty-five years later, Hopkins’ much imitated but never equaled portrayal of Hannibal Lecter remain one of THE Great Cinematic Villains right up there alongside Darth Vader, The Wicked Witch of the West, Joker, and Hans Gruber.  Yes he’s not the actual final villain of this film but he leaves his mark regardless.  And Foster’s portrayal of Clarice Starling – including that much imitated but never quite equalled West Virginia accent – she remains of the The Great Upright Cinematic Heroes….not only an on-screen Feminist icon to rival the likes of Sarah Connor, Ellen Ripley, or Marge Gunderson but just earnest, decent heroic figures on-screen in general to even rival the likes of Atticus Finch, Rocky Balboa, or…yes….Rick Blaine from Casablanca.  She is THAT good in this film, a character who is incorruptible yet always interesting to watch.  

STILL at the end of the day, it came down to the unexpected filmmaker who adapted a  story which many thought too grisly to bring to the big screen at the time….he made it not only palatable for mass audiences but inherently cinematic in a way which no one thought possible.  Serial killers, crime scenes, the minutia of forensics…..this stuff had been shown on-screen hundreds of times before this through pop culture….but never before with such humanity, attention to detail, and fearlessness.  Yes there were films like Dirty Harry, Blue Velvet, Michael Mann’s unofficial/official PREQUEL to this film Manhunter which came out just five years prior…..but they never reached this level of both intelligent and digestible, straightforward storytelling in this particular version.  As a storyteller, Demme both respects his audiences enough to not spare them the horrific details but ALSO respects his characters enough (with an exemplary assist from master DP and frequent collaborator Tak Fujimoto) to show us THEIR POV’s….what resulted was TRULY lightning in a bottle.  For directing a genre masterpiece and one of the Best films of the 1990’s, Jonathan Demme is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5 

Just for context, just think of ALL of the stuff throughout entertainment which this film’s success laid the groundwork for…..previous episode Seven, the CSI franchise, Mindhunters, the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, true crime podcasts like “Serial” or “My Favorite Murder,” various Netflix limited series on serial killers…..it just goes on and on and it ALL pretty much kicked off with the surprising breakout success of this Thomas Harris adaptation back in February of 1991.  Happy 35th Anniversary to not only one of THE Best Horror Films of All Time – yes I consider it horror – but also one of the most influential films of all time.  And I NEVER get tired of rewatching it…..

Streaming on Prime Video

And that ends another TEDIOUS, VERY TEDIOUS review!