The Silence of the Lambs (film)

The Silence of the Lambsis a 1991 Americanpsychological horrorthriller filmdirected byJonathan Demmeand written byTed Tally, adapted fromThomas Harris's1988 novel. It starsJodie FosterasClarice Starling, a youngFBItrainee who is hunting a serial killer named "Buffalo Bill" (Ted Levine), whoskinshis female victims. To catch him, she seeks the advice of the imprisonedHannibal Lecter(Anthony Hopkins), a brilliantpsychiatristandcannibalisticserial killer. The film also features performances fromScott Glenn,Anthony Heald, andKasi Lemmons.
The Silence of the Lambswas released on February 14, 1991, and grossed $272.7 million worldwide on a $19 million budget, becoming thefifth-highest-grossing film of 1991 worldwide. It premiered at the41st Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for theGolden Bear, while Demme received theSilver Bear for Best Director. It became the third and most recent film (the other two being 1934'sIt Happened One Nightand 1975'sOne Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) to winAcademy Awardsin the five major categories:Best Picture,Best Director,Best Actor,Best Actress, andBest Adapted Screenplay. It was the first (and to date only)horror filmto win Best Picture.
The Silence of the Lambsis regularly cited by critics, film directors, and audiences as one of thegreatest and most influential films. In 2018,Empireranked it 48th on their list of the 500 greatest movies of all time.TheAmerican Film Instituteranked it thesixty-fifth greatest film in American cinema, as well as thefifth-greatest and most influential thriller film, while Starling and Lecter were ranked among thegreatest film heroines and villains. The film is considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically" significant by the U.S.Library of Congressand was selected for preservation in theNational Film Registryin 2011.Asequel,Hannibal, was released in 2001, followed by twoprequelfilms,Red Dragon(2002) andHannibal Rising(2007).
Clarice Starling, anFBItrainee, is assigned by her boss,Jack Crawford, to interview the incarceratedHannibal Lecter, a highly intelligent former psychiatrist andcannibalisticserial killer. Crawford secretly hopes to gain insights into a psychopathic serial killer known as "Buffalo Bill", who kills overweight women and skins them.
Starling meets Lecter in his cell at theBaltimoreState Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Although initially courteous, Lecter rebuffs her, quickly deducing Crawford's true motive. As she is leaving, another prisoner, Miggs, flings hissemenat her, angering Lecter, who then changes his mind and provides Starling with a clue. This clue leads to a jar containing a man's severed head. The man is linked to Buffalo Bill, and Lecter offers toprofilethe killer on the condition that he is transferred away fromDr. Frederick Chilton, whom he detests. Meanwhile, Lecter influences Miggs to swallow his own tongue and commit suicide, presumably to avenge his revolting action toward Starling. Around the same time, another victim is found with adeath's head mothlodged in her throat.
InTennessee, Buffalo Bill abducts Catherine Martin, the daughter of a U.S. senator. Crawford authorizes Starling to offer Lecter a fake deal, promising a prison transfer if he helps them capture Buffalo Bill in time to rescue Catherine. Instead, Lecter demands aquid pro quo, offering clues in exchange for personal information about Starling, to which she agrees and reveals that her father, a police officer, was murdered when she was a child. Chilton exposes Starling's deceit and offers Lecter a new deal. Lecter agrees and is flown toMemphis, where he provides Senator Martin with accurate information on Buffalo Bill's appearance but falsely identifies him as "Louis Friend".
Starling later realizes that the name is ananagramof "iron sulfide", also known as "fool's gold". She visits Lecter, now imprisoned in Tennessee, and recounts a traumatic childhood incident in which she heard lambs screaming as they were slaughtered in a barn but was unable to save them. Lecter speculates that she hopes saving Catherine will end the recurring nightmares she has from this event. Satisfied, he returns the case files to her. That evening, Lecter brutally kills his two guards and escapes from his cell.
With the notes provided by Lecter, Starling figures out that Buffalo Bill knew his first victim: Frederika Bimmel. She travels to Bimmel'sOhiohometown and discovers that both she and Buffalo Bill weretailors. In Bimmel's room, she finds evidence revealing that Buffalo Bill is making a suit out of human skin. The culprit is a man named Jame Gumb, who believes he istranssexualbut was deemed too violent to apply for asex-change operation. Crawford and anFBI Hostage Rescue Teamstorm Gumb's address inIllinoisbut find the house empty. Meanwhile, Starling follows a lead that takes her to the house of one of Bimmel's former clients. There, she meets the real Jame Gumb, realizing he is Buffalo Bill after spotting a death's head moth. She pursues him and finds Catherine trapped in a dry well in the cavernous basement. Gumb stalks Starling withnight-vision gogglesbut reveals himself by cocking his revolver; she reacts quickly and shoots him dead.
At the FBI Academy graduation party, Starling receives a phone call from Lecter, who is inthe Bahamasat aBiminiairport. He assures her that he has no intention of pursuing her and requests that she return the favor, which she says she cannot. He hangs up, stating that he is "having an old friend for dinner" as he trails a newly arrived Chilton into the crowd.
In the years following its release,The Silence of the Lambswas subject to much film criticism regarding its themes of human sexuality and sexual politics.Throughout the film,Clarice Starling's gender is emphasized as a distinguishing feature, as she is a minority amongst her numerous male peers, though film scholarBarry Forshawnotes that "any feminist agenda is never bluntly formulated verbally".
Somegay malecritics and feminists felt that the film's portrayal ofBuffalo Billnegatively associated theLGBTcommunity with deviance, psychopathy, and violence.Despite this, Bill's sexual orientation is never explicitly stated in the film, andHannibal Lecterexpressly states Bill is "not reallytranssexual".DirectorJonathan Demmeargued that this criticism was misguided, tellingThe New York Timesthat "I got all this unfounded abuse... [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".
In a 1992 interview withPlayboymagazine, thefeministandwomen's rightsadvocateBetty Friedanstated: "I thought it was absolutely outrageous thatThe Silence of the Lambswon 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 thePlayboycenterfold."
In following years the film (and its claims that Bill is "not really transsexual") has been criticized fortransphobiabytransfeminists, who claimed that it is "one of the most significant and impactful examples of pop culturetransmisogyny" and it "encourages disbelief of trans people'sself-identification".
The Silence of the Lambsis based on the1988 novelbyThomas Harris. It was the second film to feature the character Hannibal Lecter; the first,Manhunter(1986), directed byMichael Mann, was based on the first novel in the Lecter series,Red Dragon(1981). Prior to the release of theSilence of the Lambsnovel,Orion Picturespartnered withGene Hackmanto adapt it for film. With Hackman set to direct and possibly star in as FBI agentJack Crawford, negotiations were made to split the $500,000 cost of rights between Hackman and the studio.The producers also had to acquire the rights to the Lecter character, which were owned byManhunterproducerDino De Laurentiis. Owing to the financial failure ofManhunter, De Laurentiis lent the rights to Orion for free.
In November 1987,Ted Tallywas brought on to write the adaptation;Tally had crossed paths with Harris many times, with his interest in adaptingThe Silence of the Lambsoriginating from receiving an advance copy of the book from Harris.When Tally was about halfway through with the first draft, Hackman withdrew from the project and financing fell through. However, Orion co-founderMike Medavoyencouraged Tally to keep writing as the studio took care of financing and searched for a replacement director.Orion sought Jonathan Demme to direct. With the screenplay not yet completed, Demme signed on after reading the novel.From there, the project developed quickly; Tally said: "[Demme] read my first draft not long after it was finished, and we met. Then I was just startled by the speed of things. We met in May 1989 and were shooting in November. I don't remember any big revisions."
Jodie Fosterwas interested in playing FBI agent Clarice Starling immediately after reading the novel.However, despite having just won anAcademy Award for Best Actressfor her performance inThe Accused(1988) at the61st Academy Awards, Demme was not initially convinced that she was right for the role.Having just collaborated onMarried to the Mob(1988), Demme's first choice for the role of Starling wasMichelle Pfeiffer, who turned it down, later saying, "It was a difficult decision, but I got nervous about the subject matter."He then approachedMeg Ryan, who also turned it down for its gruesome themes. The studio was skeptical aboutLaura Dernas a bankable choice,so Foster was ultimately awarded the role due to her passion for the character.Molly Ringwaldauditioned but was deemed "too young".
For the role of Lecter, Demme originally approachedSean Connery. After Connery turned it down,Anthony Hopkinswas offered the role based on his performance inThe Elephant Man(1980).When Hopkins's agent told him that a script was on his way titledThe Silence of the Lambs, Hopkins responded, "Is it a children's story?"Hopkins called his agent back after reading the first 10 pages and said, "This is the best part I've ever read." He accepted the role after having dinner with Demme.
Other actors considered for the role includedAl Pacino,Robert De Niro,Dustin Hoffman,Derek JacobiandDaniel Day-Lewis.Forest Whitakerhas stated that he also auditioned for the role. The mask Hopkins wore became an iconic symbol of the film. It was created by Ed Cubberly, ofFrenchtown, New Jersey, who had made masks forNHLgoalkeepers.
Hopkins developed his portrayal of Lecter by drawing inspiration from theHAL 9000computer as voiced byDouglas Rainin2001: A Space Odyssey,as well as the vocal patterns of writerTruman Capote.In a 2001 interview withGQ, Hopkins clarified that he did not base Lecter's vocal cadence onKatharine Hepburn, as some people had believed. He also revealed that the decision to play Lecter as still and unblinking was not influenced byCharles Manson, as some had speculated.Hopkins admitted to being intimidated by Foster, who had just won an Academy Award, and initially felt scared to talk to her.
Gene Hackman was cast to play Jack Crawford, the Agent-in-Charge of theBehavioral Science Unitof the FBI inQuantico, Virginia, but he found the script too violent.Scott Glennwas then cast in the role. In preparation for the role, Glenn met withJohn E. Douglas. Douglas gave Glenn a tour of the Quantico facility and also played for him an audio tape containing various recordings that serial killersLawrence Bittaker and Roy Norrishad made of themselves raping and torturing a 16-year-old girl.According to Douglas, Glenn wept as he listened to the recordings, and even changed his liberal stance on thedeath penalty.
Principal photographyonThe Silence of the Lambsbegan on November 15, 1989, and wrapped on March 1, 1990.Filming primarily took place in and aroundPittsburgh,Pennsylvania, with some scenes shot in nearby northernWest Virginia.The Victorian home inPerryopolis, Pennsylvania, used as Buffalo Bill's home in the film went up for sale in August 2015 for $300,000.The home sat on the market for nearly a year, before finally selling for $195,000.The exterior of theWestern CenternearCanonsburg, Pennsylvania, served as the setting for Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.A scene set in the FBI Director's office was filmed in the office ofUnited States Secretary of LaborElizabeth DoleinWashington, D.C.In what was a rare act of cooperation at the time, the FBI allowed scenes to be filmed at theFBI Academyin Quantico; some FBI staff members even acted inbit parts.
The design for the basement and pit used by Buffalo Bill was inspired by the real-life kidnappings and murders performed byGary M. Heidnik.
Themusical scoreforThe Silence of the Lambswas composed byHoward Shore, who would also collaborate with Demme onPhiladelphia. Recorded inMunichduring the latter half of the summer of 1990, the score was performed by theMunich Symphony Orchestra."I tried to write in a way that goes right into the fabric of the movie," explained Shore on his approach. "I tried to make the music just fit in. When you watch the movie you are not aware of the music. You get your feelings from all elements simultaneously, lighting, cinematography, costumes, acting, music. Jonathan Demme was very specific about the music."The music editor was Suzana Peric.A soundtrack album was released byMCA Recordson February 5, 1991.Music from the film was later used in thetrailersfor its 2001 sequel,Hannibal.
In addition to Shore's score, recordings of popular music are used prominently in the film. This includesBritishpost-punkmusic, such as the song "Hip Priest" bythe Fallwhich can be heard playing during the climactic scene in which Starling enters Buffalo Bill's house.The song "Goodbye Horses" byQ Lazzarusbecame a cult hit after it was featured in an iconic scene with Buffalo Bill applying makeup and speaking to himself in the mirror.
The Silence of the Lambswas released on February 14, 1991, grossing almost $14 million from 1,497 theaters over the 4-dayPresidents' Dayweekend, placing at number one at the US box office. It remained at number one for five weeks.
The film opened at theOdeon Leicester Squarein London in June 1991 and grossed £290,936 in its opening week, which distributorRankclaimed was a world record opening week from one theatre.The following week, it expanded to 281 screens and grossed £4,260,472 for the week, a UK record.
The film grossed $131 million in the United States and Canada with a total worldwide gross of $273 million.It was thefourth-highest grossing film of 1991in North America and the fifth-highest-grossing film worldwide.
The Silence of the Lambswas asleeper hitthat gradually gained widespread success and critical acclaim.Foster, Hopkins, and Levine garnered much acclaim for their performances. Review aggregatorRotten Tomatoesreports that 95% of 153 film critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.80/10. The website's critical 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."Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 86 out of 100, based on 20 reviews from mainstream critics, indicating "universal acclaim".Audiences polled byCinemaScoregave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.
Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Times, specifically mentioned the "terrifying qualities" of Hannibal Lecter.Ebert later added the film to his list ofThe Great Movies, recognizing the film as a "horror masterpiece" alongside such classics asNosferatu,Psycho, andHalloween.However, the film is also notable for being one of two multi-Academy Award winners (the other beingUnforgiven) to get a bad review from Ebert's colleague,Gene Siskel. Writing forChicago 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."
The film won theBig Five Academy Awards:Best Picture,Best Director(Demme),Best Actor(Hopkins),Best Actress(Foster), andBest Adapted Screenplay(Ted Tally) at the64th Academy Awards, making it only the third film in history to accomplish that feat.It was also nominated forBest Sound(Tom FleischmanandChristopher Newman) andBest Film Editing(Craig McKay), but lost toTerminator 2: Judgment DayandJFK, respectively.
Other awards includeBest Filmby theNational Board of Review of Motion Picturesas well as at the CHI Awards and PEO Awards. Demme won theSilver Bear for Best Directorat the41st Berlin International Film Festivaland was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Directorat the49th Golden Globe Awards. The film was nominated for theGrand Prixof theBelgian Film Critics Association. It was also nominated for theBritish Academy Film Award for Best Filmat the45th British Academy Film Awards. Screenwriter Ted Tally received anEdgar AwardforBest Motion Picture Screenplay. The film was awarded Best Horror Film of the Year during the 2ndHorror Hall of Fametelecast, withVincent Pricepresenting the award to the film's executive producerGary Goetzman.
In 1998, the film was listed as one of the100 greatest films in the past 100 yearsby theAmerican Film Institute.In 2006, at the Key Art Awards, the original poster forThe Silence of the Lambswas named best film poster "of the past 35 years".The Silence of the Lambsplaced seventh onBravo'sThe 100 Scariest Movie Momentsfor Lecter's escape scene. The American Film Institute named Hannibal Lecter (as portrayed by Hopkins)the number one film villain of all timeand Clarice Starling (as portrayed by Foster) thesixth-greatest film hero of all time.In 2011,ABCaired a prime-time special,Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time, that counted down the best films chosen by fans based on results of a poll conducted by ABC andPeoplemagazine.The Silence of the Lambswas selected as the best suspense/thriller and Dr. Hannibal Lecter was selected as the fourth-greatest film character. In 2012, theMotion Picture Editors Guildlisted it as the 26th best-edited film of all time based on a survey of its membership.
The film and its characters have appeared in the followingAFI "100 Years" lists:
In 2015,Entertainment Weekly's 25th anniversary year, it includedThe Silence of the Lambsin its list of the 25 best movies made since the magazine's beginning.
The film was released onVHSon October 24, 1991 byOrion Home Video.It was the most rented video in the United States upon release,and ended up as the second most rented video of 1992.It was released onDVDon March 6, 2001 byMGM Home Entertainmentin both Widescreen (1.85:1) andFull Screen(1.33:1) versions.The Criterion Collection, which had released the film on LaserDisc in 1994, released a DVD special edition in 1998, and later a Blu-Ray edition in 2018.
ThesequelHannibal(2001) only saw the return of Hopkins after Foster and director Jonathan Demme declined to return because of the onscreen increase of violence and gore.Hopkins again returned to the role of Hannibal Lecter in theprequelfilmRed Dragon(2002) while another prequel,Hannibal Rising(2007), sawGaspard Ullieltake over the role.The TV seriesClarice(2021) takes place after the events of the film, with actressRebecca Breedsportraying Clarice.The seriesHannibal(2013–2015) is another adaptation ofRed DragonandHannibal Rising, taking place before the events ofThe Silence of the Lambs.
According toThe Guardian, beforeThe Silence of the Lambs, serial killers in film had been "claw-handed bogeymen with melty faces and rubber masks. By contrast, Lecter was highly intelligent with impeccable manners," and played by an actor with "impeccable credentials".
WhenThe Silence of the Lambswas re-released in the United Kingdom in 2017, theBritish Board of Film Classificationreclassified it from an18to a 15 certificate. The film's co-producer Ed Saxon said audiences had become desensitized and that the film had become less shocking.However, the BBFC's Craig Lapper felt that audiences had instead become used to procedural crime dramas with serial killers as dramatic tropes, and suggested thatThe Silence of the Lambshad created interest in these themes.
Former United States PresidentDonald Trumprepeatedly referred to Hannibal Lecter andThe Silence of the Lambsduring his2024 presidential campaign, claiming that other countries are "dumping" their "insane asylum" patients and convicted prisoners into the country, while likening immigrants to the fictional cannibal.