The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Title: The Silence of the Lambs

Series: Hannibal

Based on the Book: The Silence of the Lambs

Written By: Thomas Harris

Director: Jonathan Demme

Starring: Jodie Foster, Lawrence A. Bonney, and Kasi Lemmons

Rated: R

Released:1991

Personal Rating: 5/5

Oscars: 5

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.
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Hannibal
I have heard a lot about this character. I wasn't even that familiar with him until a month or two ago. But I knew that Anthony Hopkins has been credited with bringing Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter mainstream. I had seen Hopkins as Hannibal in Red Dragon and his performances are different in both films. In Red Dragon, Lecter is mad at Will Graham for capturing him. While Lecter still has respect for Will, the end goal is causing pain (though Lecter is still teaching Will through the pain and torment). In The Silence of the Lambs, Lecter has no reason to hate Clarice. Both seem to bond with each other and I think I found another ship. Hannibal still plays with Clarice, but there seems to be no nefarious end goal for her in Lecter's mind. He seems to want to help Clarice capture the killer so she can think clearly once again.

The Music
I am hardly one to comment on the soundtrack of any movie (notable exception is when I fangirled over the Inception soundtrack by Hans Zimmer), but The Silence of the Lambs has some very notable scenes where music just heightens and deepens everything. One of those moments being when Hannibal makes his escape. He is a very suave character that is also sadistic. So the music when he kills the guards just highlights that fact and makes the scene even more terrifying.

The Opening Sequence
The original opening was to be Clarice in a fake drug bust (aka some training exercise), but was changed to her running along a field course. I like this opening as it's simple and a big thing with horror is running (either metaphorically or literally). So the opening imitated a movie where the first person shown is killed while showing how fit Clarice is. That Clarice is not just a woman behind a desk but someone who is highly motivated. Motivated mentally and physically to become an FBI agent. It then seamlessly transitions to Clarice meeting with Jack Crawford without any of the flow being broken.

Final Thoughts
This movie does deserve all the respect it has been given. It is very well crafted in the details. I admit I watched it while doing last minute clean ups before Dad arrived home (he went on a month long trip to Italy) so some of the details will need a second viewing to fully appreciate. I don't really look on Hannibal as a villain in this movie, though he is not pure good either. I think part of that perception may be because he is helping Clarice (the protagonist) and so how she perceives him is influencing my own viewpoint (might write a tumblr post on that later). I would highly recommend this movie for anyone wanting to experience a nice chill up their spines.