The Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the

most taut, suspenseful,
produced. Director Jonathan
harrowing film is dark,
frightening, yet
film, Clarice Starling, a
the advice of the imprisoned
serial killer, known only as
The intimate and disturbing
murderers who mutilate their
shocking, particularly the
the notorious, cobra-like,
psychopath Hannibal Lecter
British actor Anthony
game to share information
killer ("Buffalo Bill") with
and rising female FBI agentStarling (Jodie Foster). The
film is in the developing
in a cat-and-mouse battle of
spell-binding discussions in
Their relationship dances
between psychopath/aspiring
psychologist/therapeutic

Directed by
Produced by

Jonathan Demme
Kenneth Utt
Edward Saxon
Ron Bozman

Screenplay by

Ted Tally

Based on

The Silence of the

Lambs
by Thomas Harris

Starring

Jodie Foster
Anthony
Hopkins
Scott Glenn
Ted Levine

Music by

Howard Shore

Cinematography Tak Fujimoto

Edited by

Craig McKay

Distributed by

Orion Pictures

Lambs (1991) is one of the

psychological thrillers ever
Demme's superbly-crafted,
moody, somber, and truly
exhilarating. In the
young U.S. FBI trainee, seeks
Dr. Lecter to apprehend another
"Buffalo Bill".
characterizations of mass
victims (usually female) were
character of evil personified intelligent psychiatrist turned
(portrayed masterfully by
Hopkins) and his bargaining
about another wanted serial
dedicated, fledgling, vulnerable
trainee/investigator Clarice
most compelling part of the
dynamics of their participation
nerves, and the many chilling,
four scenes between them.
and alternates back and forth
female agent, deranged
patient, and father/daughter.

The Silence of the

Lambs was released on
Release dates
February 14, 1 grossed $272.7 million
February 14, 1991, and
991
worldwide against its $19
million budget. It was only the
[1]
third film, the other two
being It Happened One
Running time
118 minutes
Night and One Flew Over
the Cuckoo's Nest, to win
United States
Country
Academy Awards in all
the top five categories: Best
Picture, Best Actor, Best
Actress, Best Director,
English
Language
and Adapted Screenplay. It
is also the first Best Picture
$19 million[2]
Budget
winner widely considered to
be a horror film, and only the
[2
second such film to be
nominated in the category,
$272.7 million
Box office
[4]
[5]
after The Exorcist in 1973.
The film is considered
"culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant by the U.S. Library of Congress and was selected to be
preserved in the National Film Registry in 2011.

Production
The Silence of the Lambs is based on Thomas Harris' 1988 novel of the same name and is the second film to
feature the character Hannibal Lecter following the 1986 film Manhunter. Prior to the novel's release, Orion
Pictures partnered with Gene Hackman to bring the novel to the big screen. With Hackman set to direct and
possibly star in the role of Lecter, negotiations were made to split the $500,000 cost of rights between
Hackman and the studio.[7] In addition to securing the rights to the novel, producers also had to acquire the
rights to the name "Hannibal Lecter", which were owned by Manhunter producer Dino De Laurentiis.

Owing to the financial failure of the earlier film, De Laurentiis lent the character rights to Orion Pictures for
free.

Casting
Jodie Foster was interested in playing the role of Clarice Starling immediately after reading the novel.
However, despite Foster having just won an Academy Award for her performance in the 1988 film The
Accused, Demme was not convinced that she was right for the part.[14][15] Having previously collaborated
on Married to the Mob, Demme's first choice for the role of Starling was Michelle Pfeiffer, who turned it
down, later saying, "It was a difficult decision, but I got nervous about the subject matter".[16] As a result,
Foster was awarded the role due to her passion towards the character.[17]
For the role of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, Demme originally approached Sean Connery. After the actor turned it
down, Anthony Hopkins was then offered the part based on his performance in The Elephant Man.[18] Other
actors considered for the role included Derek Jacobi and Daniel Day-Lewis.[19]
Scott Glenn was cast in the role of Jack Crawford, the Agent-in-Charge of the Behavioral Science Unit of
the FBI in Quantico, Virginia. To prepare for the role, Glenn met with John E. Douglas, whom the character
is modeled after. Douglas gave Glenn a tour of the Quantico facility and also played for him an audio tape
containing various recordings that serial killers Lawrence Bittaker and Roy Norris had made of themselves
raping and torturing a 16-year-old girl.[20][21] According to Douglas, Glenn wept as he experienced the
recordings and even changed his liberal stance on the death penalty.[22]

Filming
Principal photography for The Silence of the Lambs began on November 15, 1989 and concluded on March
1, 1990.[23] Filming primarily took place in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with some scenes shot in
nearby northern West Virginia.[24] The exterior of the Western Center near Canonsburg, Pennsylvania served
as the setting for Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.[25] In what was a rare act of cooperation
at the time, the FBI allowed scenes to be filmed at the FBI Academy in Quantico; some FBI staff members
even acted in bit parts

Critical reception
The Silence of the Lambs was a sleeper hit that gradually gained widespread success and critical acclaim.
[34]
Hopkins, Foster, and Levine garnered much acclaim for their performances. Review aggregator Rotten
Tomatoesreports that 94% of 69 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of
8.4 out of 10. The site's consensus reads: "Director Jonathan Demme's smart, taut thriller teeters on the edge
between psychological study and all-out horror, and benefits greatly from stellar performances by Anthony
Hopkins and Jodie Foster."[35] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average
score of 84 out of 100, based on 17 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[36]
Roger Ebert, of the Chicago Sun-Times, specifically mentioned the "terrifying qualities" of Hannibal Lecter.
[37]
Ebert later added the film to his "Great Movies" list, recognizing the film as a "horror masterpiece"
alongside such classics as Nosferatu, Psycho, and Halloween.[38] However, the film is also notable for being
one of two multi-Academy Award winners (the other being Unforgiven) disapproved of by Ebert's
colleague, Gene Siskel. Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Siskel said, "Foster's character, who is appealing,
is dwarfed by the monsters she is after. I'd rather see her work on another case.
Accusations of homophobia, transphobia and sexism

Upon its release, The Silence of the Lambs was criticized by members of the LGBT community for its
portrayal of Buffalo Bill as bisexual and transsexual. In response to the critiques, Demme replied that
Buffalo Bill "wasn't a gay character. He was a tormented man who hated himself and wished he was a
woman because that would have made him as far away from himself as he possibly could be." Demme
added that he "came to realize that there is a tremendous absence of positive gay characters in movies".[47]
In a 1992 interview with Playboy magazine, notable feminist and women's rights advocate Betty
Friedan stated, "I thought it was absolutely outrageous that The Silence of the Lambs won four [sic] Oscars.
[...] I'm not saying that the movie shouldn't have been shown. I'm not denying the movie was an artistic
triumph, but it was about the evisceration, the skinning alive of women. That is what I find offensive. Not
the Playboy centerfold.

Terms