The Silence of the Lambs (film)
"The Silence of the Lambs" is a film that blends elements of horror, crime drama, and psychological thriller, centering on the character of Clarice Starling, portrayed by Jodie Foster. As a young FBI trainee, Starling faces the daunting task of capturing a serial killer, a mission that poses significant physical and psychological risks, particularly as a woman in a dangerous environment. The film intricately explores her relationship with the notorious incarcerated killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, played by Anthony Hopkins, who manipulates her vulnerability while providing insights into the mind of the killer she seeks.
Directed by Jonathan Demme, the film not only focuses on the pursuit of a serial murderer but also serves as a profound commentary on Starling's personal growth, confronting her fears, and overcoming her own weaknesses. "The Silence of the Lambs" garnered critical acclaim and significant awards, establishing both Demme and its lead actors as major figures in the film industry. However, it also sparked controversy, particularly regarding its portrayal of a transvestite killer, which some members of the LGBTQ+ community criticized as reinforcing negative stereotypes. The film's impact extended beyond its narrative, influencing pop culture and spawning several sequels.
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The Silence of the Lambs (film)
Director Jonathan Demme (1944- )
Date Released on February 14, 1991
Besides winning five Academy Awards and grossing over $130 million in the United States alone, The Silence of the Lambs became the film for which the director Jonathan Demme would become best known and established not only Anthony Hopkins as a leading man but also his character, Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter, as one of the most infamous villains in Hollywood history.
Part horror film, part crime drama, and part psychological thriller, The Silence of the Lambs wove together a complex story from the perspective of Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster), a young Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) trainee for whom the capture of a serial killer represents her biggest and most dangerous challenge. The danger is not only physical—as a woman, Starling herself risks becoming the killer’s next victim—but also psychological: Encouraged by her superior Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn) to enlist the assistance of the incarcerated serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter, whose trademark had been the devouring of his victims, she reluctantly becomes vulnerable to his insidiously subtle manipulation.
Thus, the capturing of the killer becomes a sort of red herring (or, as such devices have come to be known in cinema, a MacGuffin). Jonathan Demme’s main concern was the effective dramatization of Starling’s loss of innocence and her initiation into maturity as she comes face to face with criminals capable of a brutality, a deviousness, and a depravity she had previously only experienced secondhand. In the process, she discovers weaknesses within herself that she had been unable to confront and develops the strength to overcome them.
Impact
Before directing The Silence of the Lambs (based on the 1988 novel of the same name by the crime novelist Thomas Harris), Jonathan Demme had made thirteen films ranging from cult favorites such as Caged Heat (1974), Melvin and Howard (1980), and the Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense (1984) to the hit comedy Married to the Mob (1988). With The Silence of the Lambs, however, he established himself as a director capable of transforming serious cinema into box-office and Oscar largesse. The film had a similar, status-cementing effect upon the careers of Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster, both of whom, despite having compiled lengthy and critically well-regarded Hollywood résumés, had never been considered top-draw performers.
Besides spinning off the sequels Hannibal (2001), Red Dragon (2002), and Hannibal Rising (2007), The Silence of the Lambs also gave rise to controversy. That the serial killer turns out to be a transvestite obsessed with creating an outfit from the flayed skins of his victims led members of the gay rights community to accuse the film of having insensitively reinforced the stereotypical linking of homosexuality and pathological instability. Demme’s 1993 film, Philadelphia, a sympathetic portrayal of an AIDS victim suffering unfair discrimination, was generally considered to have been, at least in part, his response to such criticism.
Bibliography
Bliss, Michael, and Christina Banks. What Goes Around Comes Around: The Films of Jonathan Demme. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1996.
Harris, Thomas. The Silence of the Lambs. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1988.
Simon, John. John Simon on Film: Criticism, 1982-2001. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books, 2005.