Villacorte, Ray Kenward M.

ABELS 2-2

A CLASSIC THAT STILL KILLS: A SILENCE OF THE LAMBS REVIEW

Jonathan Demme's Silence of the Lambs has been regarded by film critics as one of the
best movies to be released in the history of cinema. Released in 1991, it stars Jodie Foster
as the smart FBI agent-in-training Clarice Sterling and Anthony Hopkins who brilliantly
nails the terrifying villain, Hannibal.

Based on the book of the same name, it tells the story of Clarice Sterling and how she
becomes entangled with the serial killer Hannibal the Cannibal while doing an
investigation of a serial killer called Buffalo Bill, who is still at large. Jack Crawford (Scott
Glenn) assigns Sterling to the task of interviewing Lecter, pique his interest, and securing
his help in drawing a psychological profile of the new killer.

This new killer has a different modus operandi, but still as grisly as others expect. He
skins his victims alive and turns them to clothes. (This framework of murder is based on
one of America's popular serial killers, Ed Gein.)

I have read the book last year when I was starting to get into Thomas Harris' Hannibal
universe. Lambs was the first one I read because of its prominence, followed by Red
Dragon, Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising. After finishing the novel, I decided to watch the
movie to see how it was translated from page to screen and I was impressed by how
Jonathan Demme handled the adaptation. It was faithful to the book, retaining a majority
of the crucial scenes and dialogues from the novel version, while also making tweaks and
slight differences especially when it comes to the characters themselves.

The difference between book Clarice and movie Clarice are their backstories. Harris'
Clarice's father was more of a nighttime security dead and being shot point blank was
sort of his fault. Her mother couldn't make ends meet to support all of her children so
she sent Clarice to a ranch. There, she witnessed the slaughtering of the lambs and their
screaming was etched in her young mind. She ran away from the ranch with a blind horse
until they reached an orphanage where she stayed. Demme's Clarice, on the other hand,
was roughly the same save for a few key elements. Her father, who was a town Marshall,
was killed in the line of duty. After being sent to her mother's cousin's ranch, she ran
away with a lamb to save it from being slaughtered. The ranches was furious at her and
that was why she was sent to an orphanage.

Hannibal from the book and the movie was a bit different when it came to their
personalities as well. Book Hannibal was arrogant, bragging more about the manner he
kills his victims. He also has six fingers in the novel. Hopkins' Lecter was more terrifying
due to the fact that he always seems calm and collected and very charming. Ironically,
he becomes a safe place for Clarice in the movie.

What is also fascinating is the visual scheme of the film. Clarice is a female FBI trainee
thrust into a major investigation dominated by males. The camera angles and eye lines
of the male characters show how they undermine Clarice's abilities. Their faces take up
eighty percent of the screen, leaving only a bit of negative space. When Clarice is shown,
however, she is farther from the camera and does not occupy the shot. Her internal
monologue from the book is perfectly translated in these types of shots, making us
uncomfortable under the male gaze just as Clarice does.

Another thing that makes this film a masterpiece is Hannibal Lecter himself. Contrary to
most villains, Lecter is not violent. We have been told that Lecter is depraved, yet during
Sterling's interview with him, he is presented as otherwise. Lecter's neighbors in the
facility all behave wildly, but Lecter seems like any other man on the street, albeit there
is an eerie aura surrounding him. What makes him scary is that he has all the power.
During the interview, he makes Sterling feel small (as seen in the way Lecter and Sterling
were shot, with Sterling sitting down and taking only half of the screen, showing how
she's being manipulated by Lecter, who was standing up straight and whose face was
occupying more than half of the screen).

There is nothing scarier than a villain with no clear motive such as Hannibal which is why
he is my favourite character. No other villain has ever made me feel uncomfortable and
on edge with doing absolutely nothing but talk and stare at the camera like Hannibal.

Overall, this movie is a must-watch for all film enthusiasts out there. It has everything,
from spectacular camera work and perfect atmosphere, to riveting characters and
gripping dialogue. Silence of the Lambs is truly one of cinema's finest offers.