The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

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

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Nov. 21	8:00 PM	WGNAMER
Sun. Nov. 22	2:00 PM	WGNAMER

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]
Hitsujitachi no Chinmoku (Japan) [ja]
I siopi ton amnon (Greece) [el]
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 (director's cut) (video rating) | 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:

Sean Connery was director Jonathan Demme's first choice to play Hannibal Lecter, but he turned the part down. Connery later did a similar serial-killer thriller called Just Cause (1995), where Ed Harris plays a sort of bible-bashing, redneck rip-off of Hannibal Lecter. The film was neither a critical or commercial smash like The Silence of the Lambs (1991) was.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Sgt.Pembry is preparing to handcuff Dr. Lecter to the bars of his cell while bringing in his requested second supper, he has him sit with his back to the bars and his arms thrust behind him in order secure the shackles. In this scene it is apparent that Dr Lecter has been waiting for a fair amount of time between his first meal and his second serving because we see his drawings and magazines spread over the entire desktop surface. A closeup of the Drs arms, however, reveal that the cuffing procedure must have been repeated several time during the filming process in order to get a good take as there are already red, discolored areas on actor Anthony Hopkins wrists from the multiple donning and shedding of the handcuffs before they are even applied in film.

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 Spooky House (2003)

Soundtrack:

Real Men

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.