It rubs the lotion on its skin. It does this whenever it is told. Only one of what seems like an infinite number of quotes from
The Silence of the Lambs, mainly due to the amazing performances of every actor in the movie.
A serial killer named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) is on a killing spree, kidnapping and murdering young women. Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is a young, up and coming FBI agent who is assigned to the Buffalo Bill case. Her boss sends her to meet with psycho serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a psychological genius that he hopes will give her insight into the mind of Buffalo Bill. Because of her inexperience and honesty, Hannibal takes a liking to Clarice and begins to slowly feed her information to help the FBI apprehend Buffalo Bill.
The story for The Silence of the Lambs, taken from the book of the same name by Thomas Harris, focuses on the relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter. The movie is propelled forward with clues from Hannibal as the FBI races against time to find Buffalo Bill before he murders his latest victim.
Watching this movie, I felt like I was a part of it. The way that Hannibal feeds the clues to Clarice and she slowly deciphers their hidden meanings was perfectly timed and executed. Every time I figured out the answer to one of Hannibal's clues, Clarice also discovered another piece to the puzzle -- it was as if I was working with her to find Buffalo Bill.
The look and feel of the movie helped to solidify my involvement in the plot. There was a gritty, dark style to almost all the scenes that made me feel as if I was in prison with Lecter. This is in stark contrast to
Manhunter, an earlier Hannibal Lecter movie, which was so bright and white that the movie felt almost antiseptic -- kind of like a hospital.
But the key to The Silence of the Lambs is the performances. There is no doubt that Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins were perfect in their roles as Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter and certainly deserved the awards they received. But it was all the supporting players that really made the movie complete. Ted Levine was perfect as Buffalo Bill. He was able to do a ridiculous accent along with "the dance" in front of the mirror and all of it was natural and believable. Scott Glenn as Starling's FBI boss Jack Crawford was also perfect. He had just the right combination of authority and arrogance, and was still able to convey a bit of "romantic tension" between him and Clarice. And who could forget Anthony Heald as Dr. Frederick Chilton. As the head of the maximum security mental institute where Hannibal was held, he was so unlikable that you end up hoping that Hannibal will kill him.
A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti. We've heard this quote so many times, we almost hold the movie responsible for its intrusion in popular culture. But it's because of the excellence of
The Silence of the Lambs that these quotes have become burned into the retina of our time.
The Silence of the Lambs Movie Cast and Credits
Directed by
Jonathan Demme
Written By
Thomas Harris (novel)
Ted Tally (screenplay)
Cast (in credits order)
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
Masha Skorobogatov .... Young Clarice Starling
Jeffrie Lane .... Clarice's Father
Leib Lensky .... Mr. Lang, Storage Manager
George 'Red' Schwartz .... Mr. Lang's Driver (as Red Schwartz)
Jim Roche .... TV Evangelist
James B. Howard .... Boxing Instructor
Bill Miller .... Mr. Brigham
Chuck Aber .... Agent Terry
Gene Borkan .... Oscar
Pat McNamara .... Sheriff Perkins
Tracey Walter .... Lamar
Kenneth Utt .... Dr. Akin
Adelle Lutz .... TV Anchorwoman
Obba Babatundé .... TV Anchorman (as Obba Babatunde)
George Michael .... TV Sportscaster
Diane Baker .... Sen. Ruth Martin
Roger Corman .... FBI Director Hayden Burke
Ron Vawter .... Paul Krendler
Charles Napier .... Lt. Boyle
Jim Dratfield .... Sen. Martin's Aide
D. Stanton Miranda .... Reporter #1 (as Stanton-Miranda)
Rebecca Saxon .... Reporter #2
Danny Darst .... Sgt. Tate
Cynthia Ettinger .... Officer Jacobs
Brent Hinkley .... Officer Murray
Steve Wyatt .... Airport Flirt
Alex Coleman .... Sgt. Jimmy Pembry
David Early .... Spooked Memphis Cop
Andre B. Blake .... Tall Memphis Cop (as Andre Blake)
Bill Dalzell III .... Distraught Memphis Cop
Chris Isaak .... SWAT Commander
Daniel von Bargen .... SWAT Communicator
Tommy Lafitte .... SWAT Shooter (as Tommy LaFitte)
Josh Broder .... EMS Attendant
Buzz Kilman .... EMS Driver
Harry Northup .... Mr. Bimmel
Lauren Roselli .... Stacy Hubka
Lamont Arnold .... Flower Delivery Man
Lawrence A. Bonney .... FBI Instructor
Darla .... Precious
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeff Busch .... EMS Attendant (uncredited)
John Hall .... State Trooper (uncredited)
Lynette Jenkins .... Nurse (uncredited)
Chris McGinn .... Autopsy Victim (uncredited)
Ted Monte .... FBI Agent (uncredited)
George A. Romero .... FBI Agent in Memphis (uncredited)More Reviews of The Silence of the Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs Review by James BerardinelliMovie Review and Information Page for The Silence of the Lambs at The Internet Movie Database
