The Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris)

Title: The Silence of the Lambs

Series: Hannibal

Author: Thomas Harris

Released: 1988

Rating: 5/6

Basic Plot: A serial murderer known only by a grotesquely apt nickname--Buffalo Bill--is stalking women. He has a purpose, but no one can fathom it, for the bodies are discovered in different states. Clarice Starling, a young trainee at the FBI Academy, is surprised to be summoned by Jack Crawford, chief of the Bureau's Behavioral Science section. Her assignment: to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter--Hannibal the Cannibal--who is kept under close watch in the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane.

Dr. Lecter is a former psychiatrist with a grisly history, unusual tastes, and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice herself form the core of Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs--and ingenious, masterfully written book and an unforgettable classic of suspense fiction.
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Will Graham's Life
At the end of Red Dragon you're left wondering if Molly is going to leave Will or not. That and Will's drug trip. In this book don't expect answers to his love life. But that's not to say you don't get any answers about how he's doing. You find out he's a drunk in Florida with a messed up face. Oh the joy!

Clarice and Hannibal
I had prepared myself to start to ship these two and now I can't wait to read Hannibal to watch it evolve. Upon seeing the movie I could see how people could want these two together. For every time Hannibal teases Clarice, he tries to help her. It's complicated in this book, mainly because Hannibal being in a normal relationship isn't going to happen anytime soon. I mean...Hannibal isn't the guy to do dinner and the movies. Well, without the dinner being people.

Hannibal the Cannibal
I was first brought into the folds of the Hannibal fandom through the NBC show Hannibal. So there are many a joke made about almost no one realizing Hannibal is the one they're after. So when the line 'Hannibal the Cannibal' came up I was just wondering why no one has put the two together. I know that it's because the FBI doesn't work that way but...I can think whatever I want no matter how illogical!

Final Thoughts
So far, this is my favorite of the Hannibal books. Maybe it's because of the fact that Hannibal really gets his big chance to shine. You get Clarice Starling who, not only dealing with struggling to become an actual FBI agent, deals with sexism time and again. Instead of losing her cool, she stands up to it. She is great, never mind the other characters. And poor Bella!

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.