#25 The Silence of the Lambs

In Summary

The first film in this list with a woman in a leading role, The Silence of the Lambs is as much about what it is to be a woman as it is a crime thriller.

Our protagonist, Clarice Starling, is a rookie FBI agent who has been promoted early in order to interview the convicted cannibal Hannibal Lecter in order to help catch the serial killer known as Buffalo Bill. The reason why? Because she is one of the few women in the FBI - a sacrificial lamb.

The Silence of the Lambs places you directly into the shoes of Clarice as she sets about her task. The first shot of the film follows Clarice through her daily run. Out of breath, perspiring, we can feel both the struggle and determination for Clarice. That shot then follows her through the FBI headquarters, feeling the eyes of men lingering on her, she looks out of place yet is trying her hardest to fit in.

Aspects of that opening sequence becomes a motif throughout The Silence of the Lambs particularly that creeping feeling of the male gaze on the female body. This is most strongly felt during the scene where Clarice walks alone through a cell block of serial killers, each of them desperate to take a piece of her for themselves.

Then enters Hannibal Lecter.

There is something very different about him. Calm, urbane, and charismatic, yet in a chilling and unsettling manner. He seems as equally likely to recite poetry as he is to tear your face off.

Lecter and Clarice's relationship proves to be mutually beneficial throughout the film - a quid pro quo. Lecter provides information that helps Clarice track down Buffalo Bill, Clarice unwittingly helps engineer Lecter's escape from prison. There is a blurred power dynamic, Clarice is the one meant to be in control but it is Lecter who is pulling the strings.

It is Clarice's lack of control that drives the intrigue in The Silence of the Lambs as the investigation presses further on. She is not on an equal footing with almost any of the other characters in this film, she is having to rely on every last ounce of determination to plow her own furrow.

A Memorable Quote

A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Things You May Not Know

• Anthony Hopkins is only on screen for 24 minutes of the film's two-hour running time, but still won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar.
• Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling only share four scenes with each other during the entire film.
• The film rights to the novel upon which this film was based originally belonged to Gene Hackman, who pulled out around a year before the film began shooting.

One of the Greatest of All Time?
The Silence of the Lambs is a thriller stands the test of both time and repeat viewings due to the strength of its characters. It isn't really a film about the crime which is being solved, it is about its lead characters.

Director, Jonathan Demme, does an excellent job at placing the viewer directly into the shoes of Clarice Starling. The film feels dank, creeping and claustrophobic as we feel male eyes linger over her. There aren't many films that place an audience in the place of a character quite as effectively as The Silence of the Lambs.