The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

User Rating:

8.7/10   

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers (WGA):

Thomas Harris (novel)
Ted Tally (screenplay)

Release Date:

14 February 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Brilliant. Cunning. Psychotic. In his mind lies the clue to a ruthless killer. - Clarice Starling, FBI. Brilliant. Vulnerable. Alone. She must trust him to stop the killer.

Plot:

A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims.

Plot Keywords:

FBI | Serial Killer | Psychiatrist | Agent | Psychopath

Awards:

Won 5 Oscars. Another 39 wins & 27 nominations

Cast

Jodie Foster	...	Clarice Starling
Anthony Hopkins	...	Dr. Hannibal Lecter
Scott Glenn	...	Jack Crawford
Anthony Heald	...	Dr. Frederick Chilton
Ted Levine	...	Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb
Frankie Faison	...	Barney Matthews
Kasi Lemmons	...	Ardelia Mapp
Brooke Smith	...	Catherine Martin
Paul Lazar	...	Pilcher
Dan Butler	...	Roden
Lawrence T. Wrentz	...	Agent Burroughs
Don Brockett	...	Friendly Psychopath in Cell
Frank Seals Jr.	...	Brooding Psychopath in Cell
Stuart Rudin	...	Miggs
Maria Skorobogatov	...	Young Clarice Starling (as Masha Skorobogatov)

Also Known As:

El silencio de los inocentes (Argentina) (Colombia) (dubbed version) (Uruguay) [es]
Das Schweigen der Lämmer (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Le silence des agneaux (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
O Silêncio dos Inocentes (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
лНКВЮМХЕ ъЦМЪР (Soviet Union: Russian title) [ru]
A bárányok hallgatnak (Hungary) [hu]
El silenci dels anyells (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
El silencio de los corderos (Spain) [es]
Il silenzio degli innocenti (Italy) [it]
Kad jaganjci utihnu (Croatia) (video title) [hr]
Kad jaganjci utihnu (Serbia) [sr]
Ko jagenjcki obmolknejo (Slovenia) [sl]
Kuzularin sessizligi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Milczenie owiec (Poland) [pl]
Mlcanie jahniat (Czechoslovakia: Slovak title) [sk]
Mlcení jehnátek (Czechoslovakia: Czech title) [cs]
När lammen tystnar (Sweden) [sv]
Nattsvermeren (Norway) [no]
Ondskabens øjne (Denmark) [da]
Tacerea mieilor (Romania) [ro]
Uhrilampaat (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Denmark:15 | Italy:VM14 | USA:R (certificate #30301) | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (tv rating) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 (directors cut, video realese) | Finland:K-16 (cut video version) | New Zealand:R16 | Poland:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2009) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (video rating) (special edition) | Australia:M (re-rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:15 (original rating) | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Israel:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (cut) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Singapore:PG (video rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Singapore:R(A) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Bellaire, Ohio, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

When Jonathan Demme filmed the scene where Lecter and Starling first meet, Anthony Hopkins said he should look directly at the camera as it panned into his line of sight. He felt Lecter should be portrayed as "knowing everything."

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Clarice opens the music box, it plays and winds down. As it winds down, the musical pitch lowers. Actually, the pitch should stay the same - the music should just slow down.

Quotes:

[first lines]
FBI instructor: Starling! Starling! Crawford wants to see you in his office.
Clarice Starling: Thank you, sir.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The X Files: Hollywood A.D. (#7.19)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

Sunny Day

In a Class by Itself

Brilliant Best Picture of 1991 that never gets old. "The Silence of the Lambs" deals with a young FBI cadet (Oscar-winner Jodie Foster) who is sent to interview a captured madman (Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins in one of the greatest performances ever on the screen) to find out about a serial killer (Ted Levine) who is stripping the skin from his female victims after they die. The FBI has had no luck with the case and agent Scott Glenn tries to throw a curve-ball to Hopkins by sending Foster. Hopkins is a former doctor of Levine and holds the clues to capturing the unknown criminal. Needless to say the film takes many twists and turns, creating a suspenseful thriller that has no equal. At the heart of "The Silence of the Lambs" are the confrontations between Hopkins and Foster. They play a complicated chess match of words which results in some of the greatest footage ever captured for the cinema. Hopkins dominates in spite of the fact he has approximately 17 minutes of time in the film. This is a film that will wrap itself around you and you will likely never be able to shake some of the key elements you have seen in this amazing masterpiece. 5 stars out of 5.