Thursday, February 9, 2012

The Great Scenes # 23: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Directed by Jonathan Demme

It still amazes me to this day that this film, a serial killer horror film released in February, swept the major categories at the Academy Awards which tend to favor sweeping, feel-good epics over contemporary genre flicks. The Silence of the Lambs is such a great film that it still shocks and thrills people to this day. Perhaps one of the most chilling scenes in the film is not a scene of violence or gore but this scene when Dr. Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter drills and psychoanalyzes Agent Clarice Starling to reveal deep, personal information about herself. My mentor once told me that this scene illustrates that Hannibal Lecter is not only a literal cannibal but he's also an emotional cannibal as well. This is a cannibalistic scene in which Hannibal is eating Clarice Starling's psyche to satisfy his sick perverted pleasure. This is probably the scene which sealed the Oscar wins for both Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.

15 comments:

Bart said...

classic movie is classic.

Shockgrubz said...

I get more chills watching this clip than I do in all the gore-fests of late.

Outcast said...

Amazing scene in a truly amazing film, it deserved to clean up the awards upon it's release.

Bersercules said...

I love that movie and I loved that scene!(though I liked the buffelo bill scenes more) I'm glad to hear it won lots of awards!

Anonymous said...

I've watched this movie like 300 times.

Mark said...

I haven't seen that movie but that scene was disturbing. And perfect, except for the music at the end. It fitted the scene but it was slightly overbearing.

Sub Radar (Mike) said...

Hopkins still holds the record for shortest amount of screen time resulting in an Oscar (for this film)... crazy.

MRanthrope said...

love this film. I remember watching it on VHS with my older cousins as a little kid and not understanding what the hell was going on...but being creeped out nonetheless. As I grew up and saw it again...instant favorite.

Copyboy said...

That movie still gives me the chills.

psychology-knowledge said...

That`s a great classic movie.
Interesting blog you got here. Following!

dopdavid said...

this movie is an instant classic, released the year i was born

Thomas Duder, Author of the Things said...

What trips me out isn't what's IN the movie (which is truly excellent and of good vintage) but, rather, the quotes and scenes that AREN'T in the movie. It's not like everyone got together and said "Hello Clarice" and thought that was part of the movie. It just seems to have been spawned out of the chaos that is the sea of collective consciousness.

Or somethin'. Pro'lly internet. Either way, I find that fascinating.

Anonymous said...

This was absolutely brilliant.

The Angry Lurker said...

One of the best ever from a classic movie and book....

Electric Addict said...

im such a movie noob. thanks for informing me of a great classic, i'll netflix it now :)