[Warning: This review contains spoilers.]
The 1991 thriller “The Silence of the Lambs” is a film that I revisit often and hold in high regard as being one of the best films of all time. In “The Silence of the Lambs,” we get to see FBI academy student Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) be assigned to speak to famed cannibal and psychologist, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), in an attempt to figure out the details surrounding an active serial killer known as “Buffalo Bill” (Ted Levine).
This film first entered my film radar when I was a mere 7-year-old, because of a book that my aunt had given me as an Easter gift: “Peeps: A Candy-Coated Tale.” Yes, Peeps as in the bird and rabbit-shaped marshmallows. In this book, there was a parody of the film poster, and I vividly remember my mom looking through the book with me and finding this poster hilarious. As a curious child, I asked about why it was so funny, and what “Silence of the Peeps” was, and my mom told me that it was a parody of a movie, one of her favorite movies, actually, but I was still too young to watch it. Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to find a copy of this page from the book online, but believe me, this is very real.
I finally got to watch this film for the first time only a mere six years later. I was an active fan of horror by this time and saw the film on Netflix and decided to take the plunge and it’s been a film I watch at least once every year. I love this film so much that I have a physical copy of it. Not only do myself and my parents love it, but it’s a film that has earned such recognition that it’s frequently parodied and referenced, such as these scenes from Clerks II [NSFW] and South Park. It’s even referenced in children’s media.
Now, to go into why I love this film so much: the acting, cinematography, and directing.
When it comes to the acting, I think that every member in this cast holds their own and is one of the biggest factors to the success for this film. I mean, if it wasn’t a factor, I don’t think that Hopkins and Foster would’ve won best actor and actress at the Oscars. For brevity, I’m only going to talk about these two actors in this review.
Foster is able to show all sides of Clarice’s personality in full, from her desire to live for her father, her unresolved childhood traumas, and her strength to keep going and get to the bottom of the case, even when it means she ends up severely endangering herself. We can feel her pain, her discomfort, her anxiety, and her happiness. We feel uncomfortable with her during her initial conversations with Lecter, start to feel more at ease when she realizes that she can work with him, we experience her happiness upon finding Buffalo Bill herself, and we feel the heart-racing panic when she finds herself being hunted by him in the basement.
Hopkins depiction of Lecter is outstanding, to the point where Foster was actually afraid to speak with him during filming. Granted, Hopkins was scared of Foster, too, but to be able to play the part of a psychopath to the point where your co-star, who should know that you’re “normal,” is scared of you, has to be a marker of pure talent. Hopkins does blink in the film, even though it’s commonly believed by vie that he never blinks. Being able to maintain that dead stare into the camera (which is meant to be from Clarice’s point of view) with his monotone, completely emotionless voice, speaking mostly about deep subjects close to her heart completely sells the derangement of Lecter.
Now, about that stare. Cinematography and the direction from directors usually go hand in hand. Director Jonathan Demme knew that he wanted those close-up shots of Lecter’s face and piercing eyes because of exactly how uneasy Hopkins was capable of making viewers, and cast and crew, feel. There are also instances where I feel as though Demme chose to film at certain angles to display the power dynamic between Clarice and Lecter. In the first meeting between the two, Clarice is seated and Lecter is speaking down to her. As these meetings continue, we start to see a shift where we see Clarice speaking down to Lecter as he’s now the one who is seated, and after Clarice breaks his trust with the false deal, Lecter is back on top, with Clarice left pacing like a zoo animal while he is the one in a cage.
Now, my one critique has to do with the “disturbing” imagery in the film. To me, it’s not really all that disturbing as I’m a big horror fan and work in haunted houses that buy hyper-realistic prop bodies from companies like Ghost Ride. However, I think that this is the one detractor this film has. I think it’s important to the plot to discuss and show the autopsy of the most recent Buffalo Bill victim and the mutilated body of Lt. Boyle (Charles Napier), but no matter how well told this story is, there will always be people who are turned off by these images and will dismiss the film. Some people, such as my mother, are able to shrug it off, but some can’t, and for those who can’t stand it are really missing out on an amazing story that overall doesn’t feature unnecessary gore; it’s all contextually relevant.
With this all being said, there is really so much more I could discuss about this film and it really has such an important place in film history, in my opinion. It’s a film that I feel stands the test of time and deserves to. Regardless of how you may feel about the horror/thriller genre, this is a must watch in my book.
Final Review – 10/10
