Movie Review
The Silence Of The Lambs
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| The silence of the lambs poster |
The silence of the lambs is a 1991 American psychological thriller film written by Ted Tally and directed by Jonathan Demme. The silence of the lambs is one of the few movies in Hollywood to win five major academy awards including best actor and best actress in a leading role and it is the first of its genre.
Plot and presentation:
The silence of the lambs(1991) is a psychological horror movie but it also somehow reflects on gender equality. Clarice Starling, Played by Jodie Foster is the main protagonist of this movie. Clarice Starling, who is a FBI trainee is appointed to hunt down a psycho killer named "Buffalo Bill"(played by Ted Levine).
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| Jodie Foster as Clarice(screenshot from The silence of the lambs) |
As a part of the investigation Clarice has to speak with another serial killer named Dr. Hannibal Lecter(played by Anthony Hopkins) who also happened to be a psychiatrist. Throughout the conversation with Dr. Lecter, Starling gets to know more about the killer and the nature of his crime. Dr. Lecter seemed very polite and gentle at the first glance but according to Clarice's boss Mr. Jack Crawford, Hannibal Lecter is a veteran at going into other people's mind, So starling was very cautious and she was successful at bringing out information about the crime.
As the story progresses we get to know more about his their psychology. "Buffalo Bill" is the type of serial killer who only makes women his victims and skins them afterwards. Later it is revealed why he does so. Clarice, along with Mr.Crawford begins her investigation on "Buffalo Bill" by studying his killing patterns and tries to understand his motives.
Later Clarice again turns to Dr. Lecter about the information of this case. She makes a contract with Lecter that if he chooses to co-operate, he will be transferred to a new cell with less restrictions. Lecter agrees but he plays a game called "quid pro quo", in which he slowly reveals information about the killer and in return he gets know more about Clarice's past life. Later it's revealed that the contract was flop, instead he was taken to a cell in Memphis. Clarice comes to meet him again in his new cell. This time she finally gets the right clues about the investigation and Hannibal gets to know about the childhood trauma of Clarice.
The rest is the nail biting attempt of Clarice's finding "Buffalo Bill".
The psychology of characters:
Clarice Starling is portrayed as the empowered female lead:
Jodie Foster undoubtedly gave one the best performances of her career in this movie. She portrayed the character of a young aspiring FBI and she did a quite brilliant job. In few scenes the movie also mocks the idea of "A man's job". There are more than one occasions where Clarice is found amidst of men which is shown in such a way that it looks empowering.
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| screenshot from The silence of the lambs |
The childhood trauma and her desperate attempt to save a lamb brings out the soft human side of her character but at the same time her passion and dedication towards her job brings out the professional side. Overall The silence of the lambs is a great female led movie and Clarice Starling is an iconic feminist character.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter:
This one character is perhaps even more iconic and at the same time terrifying. Anthony Hopkins's take on this role is absolutely phenomenal.
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| screenshot from The silence of the lambs |
Dr. Lecter seemed considerably more gentle and calm than any other convict but he had an intimidating presence. We don't get to know much about the character's past. The motives of his killings are simple and the nickname "Hannibal the cannibal" reflects that. Hannibal Lecter is shown as more skilled and talented than any average person. With an exceptionally high IQ Dr. Lecter also have incredible memory and a high perception. His brief meeting with senator, his last phone call with Clarice and many other things about him really get into the viewer's head.
Verdict:
The silence of the lambs is one of the greatest psychological thriller. From every aspect the movie is nearly flawless. It's tense, it's dark and it is also frightening.The rating of the movie would be a 9/10.
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