This is a visual redux of a video essay I published on April 4, 2022. All of the video assets have been replaced using vastly superior quality sources. Watch in '4K' for the least possible compression. In my last community post I go into more detail about my decision to re-publish some of my very early videos. But the most important thing to know is that they aren’t in place of new uploads. In fact, my output is going to hopefully be a little higher beginning in February. These are just added in between. :) -Danny
I thought I was going insane. Thanks for the clarification and the redux! Love your work, it has helped me and numerous of my peers through part of our studies! Keep it up🙌🏼
One of my favorite Clarice moments is when she reloads her gun after shooting Buffalo Bill. Terrified, shaking, but sticking to her training. Such an incredible movie
It made me laugh. An old stuttering man people were terrified of. Same as The Shining with Jack coming through the door with that grin and the axe. I burst out laughing.
That's a perfect encapsulation of the film's authenticity. In more dramatically staged films, you might expect the protagonist to relax into victory, as though knowing the final battle has been won. We don't always consciously notice that stuff, but we feel it. Filmmakers don't always consciously think it through, but they instinctively play out stories like a dance, rather than natural events. And of course, there's nothing wrong with formalistic storytelling, where actions are staged to heighten the story, rather than occurring as they might in real life. But Silence shows us how effective a story can be while also feeling naturalistic, as though the camera captured the events, rather than the events being staged for the camera.
@@ArtWonder1 either that or it showcases that if you have 15 million dollars to blow, you can get into the running for an Oscar too. (The things I’ve learned about the academy award committee lately just through a little deep dive has me wondering how that shit even still exists lol.)
Clarice is one of my favorite characters in fiction, and I think you touch on why. She is a REAL hero, emphasis on the real part. No cheesy dialog, no unrealistic feats, just an ordinary person doing ordinary things and through hard work and little luck does something extraordinary.
That was a fantastic assessment of silence of the lambs. I did not realize Hopkins was only on screen for 16 minutes because as you said, they made his presence felt throughout the entire film.
This is a trademark of Johathan Demme. This "direct to camera" acting. You see this a lot in his movies. Every Director / Filmmaker has a certain trademark or... handwriting that becomes a recurring thing.
Of all the studies of "The Silence of the Lambs" I've seen, this one really brings home the impact of Demme's use of the 'subjective camera' POV. I simply hadn't ever noticed how much time people spend _looking_ _at_ _me_ in the film.
Lector standing there, waiting, is one of the most disturbing scenes I've witnessed in my lifetime. What we expect to see is a monster, what we actually get is much, much worse. A monster is irrational, all instinct, this THING that we finally see is so much more terrifying.
He was a great counterpoint to the horror of the 80's - Jason, Mike Meyers, Freddie Krueger. Hannibal was terrifyingly grounded. Not a horror out of the subconscious, but so rationally irrational.
It's what makes him such a great villain. The mystery of him. He's clearly in a very scary place, yet he's just standing there. So poised, so measured and so firm. You don't see what makes him dangerous, but you know that he is and that mystery as to why is what makes him so terrifying.
Whatever he is - whatever he has done, he has chosen very deliberately to be and do. The second you see him you realize that, and that realization is terrifying.
@@Havreflan expanding on that, by the end of the movie we have a clear sense that he controlled everything, right from the start, and what's most terrifying about that is he CHOSE to be there in that cell. Not that he has some kind of omnipotence or clairvoyance, he didn't know Clarice existed and that they would meet, instead he seems to be evolving, changing his existence in some way and being there is part of a calculated plan. He was clearly 'happy' in that cell. When we first see him, standing there, ready to greet this new person, he seems almost joyous. The monster chose to be caught so he could improve on his monstrosity.
34 years have passed, and “The Silence of the Lambs” still manages to evoke such a strong emotional connection for me. The understated moments like an eye blink, a glance or the men in the room staring at Clarice, feel like they have their own presence in the film… It’s remarkable how these soft, quiet, nuanced details add so much depth and meaning even when they’re easy to overlook. What amazes me the most is how every second of the movie feels deliberate like a piece of the puzzle building toward its unforgettable ending. The scenes shared by Hannibal Lecter and Clarice are especially gripping, so intense that you feel like you’re in the room with them. The way the film draws you in and holds your attention is absolutely masterful. Great analysis!
One of the best movies in the world. It's a masterclass in cinematography, and it's also a masterclass in how to successfully adapt a book into a movie, if you ask me. The book is fantastic, btw, for those who haven't read it already :)
my friends, one of their dads and i were at the theater to see dances with wolves but it was sold out. i just wanted to go home but everybody convinced me we might as well see something. the poster for silence of the lambs didn't give up what it was about, was vaguely artsy. i was nonplussed. none of us went into that theater having any inkling what it was about - story, genre, nothing.
My cousin and I were staying with our grandparents for a night, I was 8 and he was 9, and we wanted to see the TMNT movie but it was sold out. They took us to see this movie instead.
that sequence where Chilton and Clarice go to Lecter's cell was like a rollercoaster ride. I remember watching it the first time. You know we're on the way to finally meet him and it's like, "here we go!" the pace of the acting and the camera and the movement are all relentless. Rapidly going deeper, darker into this...hospital? Chilling! Brilliant.
Ending it on Hannibal Lecter's, _"yeah…"_ was a good editing choice. Nicely timed too. I haven't seen anybody else do that. Also, that thumbnail is smoldering.
The reason I think Anthony Hopkins's Hannibal Lecter is the most terrifying movie villain of all time is that in spite of knowing that he's evil personified, you still feel some kind of close relationship with him, as if he might spare you if you follow his rules or he "likes" you, and what's ultimately disturbing about him is that we WANT that relationship with him because he seems so intelligent, well-mannered and interesting. We're willing to jeopardize our own safety to see if we can earn his trust and company, when the fact is that he's such a malevolent manipulator that any interest he shows in someone is ultimately a ruse to get them to do what he wants. If he doesn't want anything from you, he'd just as soon have you for dinner. The charisma and magnetism he has over the audience in spite of being such a savage and inhuman monster is a profound reach into the psyche of man. We feel willing to overlook the atrocities committed by a creature that behaves like the Devil himself, "reptilian" as he's aptly described in the video, just because his mask of humanity (that of a cultured and distinguished gentleman) is interesting for us to examine. Hopkins does a perfect job of playing a body that talks, sees and moves, but which is uninhabited by anything resembling a soul or person. He's more of a manifestation than a human being, and while that would be unnerving enough on its own, it's the fact that we feel some perverse affection for him; an affection that we trick ourselves into believing is reciprocal, but it's not. Like the actual Devil, he tricks us into coming to him in trust and confidence, and then we trick ourselves into believing that he likes us or favors us when he has nothing but disgust and enmity towards us, but nonetheless we fall for the lies we tell ourselves, that some part of him must be "good", and that ironically enhances how evil he is because he can make other people "excuse" his evil.
Hopkins' performance in this is absolutely incredible. No idea how he gives the impression that every physical movement is deliberate - as you said - not 'natural', but he nails it. Every minute gesture and detail is just... eery
@@shannonpincombe8485: She was still alive (and not yet suffering from dementia either) when this film came out. But she was very private, so I doubt that she ever said anything about this, if she even knew.
Excellent video as usual Danny. I hope you can get another video together in tribute for Lynch, I’m sure many of us would appreciate that. RIP to a visionary.
I love to read, and loved Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. So when they put this to film, I was worried like every other screen adaptation. It was going to fail miserably, But l I ended up seeing it three times in the theatre. So powerful.
Yeah i don't get the hate for "Red Dragon", i thought it was pretty good. Maybe people dislike it, because "Silence Of The Lambs" was so good, that nothing could really compare, so disappointment is predetermined.
I read all novels about Hannibal and only enjoyed “Silence of the Lambs”. “Red Dragon” was okay, but the other book (or books, I don’t even remember!) was borderline trash. It seems, that over time, Thomas Harris became more and more misanthropic, while completely falling in love with Lector (making him basically Gary Stu). I couldn’t stand that :)
@@alexeikotov7769Unfathomably L take. "Silence" was almost a masterpiece, but "Hannibal" is extremely good in its own right . Harris is far from a misanthrope.
you know, in these current times of the girl boss, the strong flawless and often OP female character whose only journey is to get everyone to realize she was fabulous all along-revisiting Clarisse is the perfect antidote-flawed, vulnerable, but resourceful, intelligent, and courageous, and not so amazingly, we care about her so much more than these modern characters. just spectacular character writing and acting.
Agreed. As a woman, I am tired of these "strong independent women" whose competence is not shown through their intelligence, capacities or abilities to overcome their own flaws, but by making men around them incompetent or simply "below" them. Clarisse was a fantastic protagonist because she was a regular good but not OP FBI agent. She doesn't outsmarts Lecter, she holds her own faced with him, but still is affected. The whole movie is a masterpiece
"strong female character" should mean strongly written female character Margie from Fargo also comes to mind. Miss Brisbee from Secret of Nimh. Ripley from Alien. So many different ways to show femininity, humanity, vulnerability, caring, and strength of character.
@@-biki-I love Ms Brisbee. She spends the whole movie doing nothing particularly amazing, except constantly and unshakingly facing her fears and terrifying situations because she needs to save her family. God I love that movie.
That's what annoys me so much about series and shows like Brooklyn99. The dialogs are so forced, the characters so out of touch with our reality, it should be a feel good series but made me actually more depressed.
The parallels between Hopkin's Lecter and Keaton's Beetlejuice are striking. Both introduced in exposition thru a warning, the first appearance of both on film in a character defining demeanor, both characters contained in their prison, yet in control of the audience's attention throughout the film and both only on screen for less than 17 minutes. That's good acting.
It's worth noting Fredric March won the Best Actor Oscar for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). That was the first time a Horror film received accolades like that. It's a great film and performance too, I recommend it if you haven't seen it.
Were going to remake it with Russell Crowe but they shelved it because they decided (for some dumb reason) that remaking The Mummy with Tom Cruise less than 20 years after successful and beloved Brendan Fraser movies was the priority. It flopped so bad they shelved all this IP that Universal owned.
I always considered Silence of the Lambs to be a thriller and not a horror movie. But maybe those to genres are siblings and the distinction is a bit murky.
wrong turn is a thriller. silence of the lambs is a horror. buffalo bill is thriller. hannibal lecter is horror. thriller is watching and hearing a tiger kill multiple other animals while you're on a three-day hike through the jungle. horror is being told there is a tiger in the jungle before that same hike, finding half-eaten gazelles and dogs and whatnot along the way, seeing those big pawprints, and hearing the leaves rustling at night. thriller is you, coming into your empty home, until you hear something in the basement, so you go down there. the light goes out in the middle of the room, and suddenly something clawy snaps out and grabs your hand with a death grip, snarling, and you feel the air move as it stands up to tower above you, saliva dripping from its maw with that _tip, tip, tip_ sound of the drops hitting the floor. horror is coming home, but something is wrong. you look at your things, and realize they aren't yours: that old tape recorder you've had since you were nine is a perfect modern replica, it's just scratched in the same places, and your bottle of dish soap is half-empty like you left it, yes, but the lid doesn't get stuck quite like it should and the grease spots on it are missing or moved. your wife is at a friends house, your son is at his part-time job, but neither pick up the phone when you ring them-which is perfectly reasonable, they're both busy grown-ups. so you lay down the phone and you just stare at it, thinking: am I going crazy? is this real? should I just man up? should I leave until someone comes back? then you hear it. a cluttering in the basement. maybe a cat, or maybe a burglar, so you grab whatever's good an heavy and open the door. you go down there, you look around, and you don't find anyone, not even a stray cat. you go to leave, chuckling nervously, but you freeze in the middle of the brightly lit room. someone just touched your _hand-_ something cold has _just_ tapped your upper arm, the sensation _burns_ in your brain. you can feel them breathing down your neck, each breath hitching and hacking out of their body. you can't move a muscle, can't even draw a breath--until you can. you snap out of it-it's your home and you have to defend it, for god's sake, who the hell do they think they are?--you jump to turn around, but there's _no one there._ the basement is well-lit, and warm, and quiet, and _empty._ and you are alone in your home.
I don't really think they're trying to emulate her tbh. The most common failings could be compared, though. Vulnerable does not mean weak and needing to be rescued. She is brilliant but not always sure of her decisions to the point of not thinking them through. (A lot of female protagonists are Leroy Jenkins-ing into bad plans to prove independence.) Mistakes or errors can be made that put the character in harms way but these errors don't require the sudden loss of IQ. Logic can still lead in the wrong direction. "Romance" (if you want to call it that) can be subtle. Seduction comes from the Latin Seducere - to lead away from. There is an inherent danger in it that need not be sexualized unless you want to write it that way. And demonstrate the intelligence of the protagonist, don't just have other characters mention it while said protagonist makes illogical decisions and makes the reader throw the book across the room and give up on humanity. There's more. I'm sure.
man, when we saw Anthony in such relative great shape acting like such a perfectly intelligent psycho(the skin mask!), walking out of that theater we were shook, as one says these days. back when I felt like the oscars meant something.
@@marcblanchet678 Look at the awards winners back then and now. It was all dramas and biopics, always the same stuff except when sci fi, fantasy or horror is so good that they have to do it.
It's crazy to think that Ted Levine played Buffalo Bill, when I think about him as either SGT Tanner as Brian Oconnor's "handler" in Fast and the Furious, or Leland from Monk. He's not in a ton of movies or shows but you go back and look at his role as Bill in this movie, he did such an amazing job, and this was on the flip side of Hopkin's brilliant acting job.
Been loving the reuploads and watching them all. Thank you for helping me branch out on different movies. Also thank you for helping me to potentially understand the WHY of certain movies I have really enjoyed.
You ought to add 2002's Red Dragon to that list. Who'd ever go back to see that flick a second time? Not anywhere near as great as 'Silence', but 1984's 'Manhunter' was pretty good in its own right. Brian Cox was the devilish original Dr. Lecktor. Great casting all around in that movie.
How many genres have such a definitive GOAT, the way that thrillers have Silence of the Lambs? Gangster movies have the Godfather. Fantasy has the Lotr trilogy. Other than those it's hard to think of such genre defining films. My heart wants to say The Matrix is that for scifi, but Alien, Star Wars, and Terminator are competitive too.
I'm gonna be pedantic af and point out that star wars is not scifi but agree with your actual point, it's interesting the way some movies have completely changed the genre they are in
@ I’ve heard mixed things. I consider it space fantasy or sci fantasy personally, but the influence it has had on science fiction aesthetics and storytelling in general is without question. Some people claim sci fi is purely aesthetically distinct from fantasy, but I tend think that the types of stories told in each respective genre are also distinct.
Genre defining sci-fi will be 2001 a space Odyssey. Cause had 2001 not been made, none of the sci-fi would have existed. It's in a way not only genre defining but also pioneering.
I remember staying up until 1 in the morning as a child because one of our two channels showed new movies every night at that time for some reason. I had just discovered what I thought of at the time as "adult" films, having watched Goodfellas the week before. The following week was Silence Of The Lambs. Sounded weird, but so did Goodfellas to my child brain. I was blown away. I could not understand how something could be so enthralling when it was mostly people talking. I just remember thinking, okay, I think I love movies now.
God damn this book is SO GOOD. If anyone enjoys this movie, do yourself a favor and buy the book or even the audiobook. I've read it 3 times and watched the movie about a dozen times, and it still doesn't get old.
I was quite obsessed with this film when it came out. I skipped classes at my university to see it at the cinema - 7 times! I love every shot, every nuance, the actors are amazing. And it's quite calm, unhurried, so confident, it needs neither flash nor bang to make its point. Howard Shore's subliminal score is the icing on the cake. Deeply unsettling, and it hasn't lost any of its impact. Great essay, by the way.
Brilliant synopsis. I remember watching this decades ago and feeling at times scarred but more in that constant experience of not quite knowing what is to come. An intelligent horror and also has the ability to make us think of our own experiences and motivations. How those events and drives have shaped us and our lives. It's definitely a favourite of mine. As a sidenote - Some of the objections that Starling experiences still occur, but the framing has changed.
Hopkins wrote one of the most beautiful Waltz piece in recent times as well. It’s called “The Waltz Goes On”. That just proves he is such a talented human being
It was a masterpiece! I came back into the states to visit when this came out. I went to see it, went back with my mom, again with my dad and a fourth time when my husband came stateside. It is my second favorite movie if all time
One of my most favorite movies. While I'm not very familiar with other works by the director, writer, cinematographer, editor, etc., this has to be a masterpiece for each of them. I also enjoy the rest of the visual media in the Lecter franchise in their own ways (yes, even the prequel "Hannibal Rising"), but this one is special.
It's a long time since I've seen the movie and have probably lost some of the context and nuances of the performance. I did listen to the audiobook a little over a year ago and it helped fit some things together. Books and movies are different mediums and both can be enjoyed. Your breakdowns are amazing. Calmly delivered with a very clean presentation.
Best part about this movie is my personal experience with it, I had just gotten my wisdom teeth removed and after being asleep for an entire day my mom amd sister leave to go shopping, leaving me amd my dad at home. I dont know what compelled him to agree with me on this but we were looking for a movie to watch, and me (having never heard of this movie as youve said before) pointed This one out when it came onscreen. He put it on and i watched the whole thing completely stonefaced, no effect. I love scary movies, I'm extremely empathetic, and i was fully lucid by that point, post anesthesia- i have no doubt if i watched it again itd have the intended effect but i always will think thats kinda funny
It's like he reaches into my brain and pulls out (,and puts words to,) why I love these films. I genuinely can not wait to see this guy tackle my favorite films of all time (LotR, The Thing, Blade Runner, and Alien.)
The other great thing is how this movie characterizes Hannibal. He's not big and scary like other movie monsters. He's calm, collected, and polite. Monsters, like Hannibal, convince you they're friendly. There aren't many people like the yelling psyche patients, but there are a lot of Hannibals. And that's more horrifying than any jump scare.
I still watch this movie like it's the first time. It's such a masterpiece. I always laugh because I went to watch it at the movies 4 times, but the funny thing about it all is that I was 14! This movie was the first "grown up" movie I watched and it was mesmerizing. Still my favorite of all time. Thank you for this analysis. It's amazing the details that you miss, even when you have seen it hundreds of times, like the tropes and the looks at the camera. I never noticed!
I read the book before watching the film and read that Thomas Harris was a war reporter overseas, and it TOTALLY shows. The brutality / psychological elements of his works show his command of medical reporting / injury / human nature. One of my favorite films.
Whole heartedly agree with your closing statement! That's what we need more of in film today, is brilliant people telling stories the way they want. That's where we get all the greatest films!
Hello Danny, I believe the video description neglects to mention the song that begins playing at 3:27 which is The Road Less Travelled by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen.
I am 75 years old. I was never an active child but a couch potato watching hours and hours of tv. Living in New York we had the three major networks, Abc, Nbc, Cbs. They had the programmed programs........music, comedy, variety......etc. There were minor channels.....that had no programs so showed old movies. As a couch potato I saw thousands and thousands of movies. I rate silence of the lambs as one of the greatest movies I have a very seen. The direction, camera work, script, music is perfect. I love how the director cuts from one shot to the next. Of course the acting performances are great. I watched the VHS copy of this great film.......I almost wore it out. Some of my other best pictures.......a guy named Joe a WW2 movie and Steven Spielberg's remake... Always....the best years of their lives....30 seconds over Tokyo another WW2 flick .......Patton with George c Scott......it's a wonderful life with Jimmy Stewart...2001 a space Odyssey.....King Kong the original 1930s movie with Fay Ray.....Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio.... Frankenstein the 1930s original with Boris Karloff . ...
You might not see this, but the first two minutes of this video is exactly why i follow you. I am _really_ good at media analysis. Annoyingly so. And yet not once have I made the connection between Starling running through the woods and a subversion of horror tropes. So many film channels never tell me anything that i couldnt have figured out by just watching the film. Im glad youre smarter than me.
Wow, impressive. What a powerful review you did. Your cuts, your script, your delivery. It's a great movie. I happened to read the book "Silence of the Lambs" some years before after I read Tomas Harris's "Red Dragon." I've subscribed to your channel. Your review is that good.
You know, it's funny... every genre somebody might think to slot this into, with whatever justification, is a genre that really should perform better. While I personally wouldn't class it as horror, I'll run with that as my example: it's inherently high drama. It's not hard at all to imagine horror driven by a strong script, complex characters and nuanced performances. It's just... most horror isn't made with that in mind. For every Alien or The Thing, there's a dozen friday the thirteenths. (Probably literally, by this point...) It's a genre that /absolutely/ lends itself to everything that should do well in terms of awards and critical acclaim in most of the major categories. (That said, good as this movie was, and it was stellar... I wouldn't mind the Oscars flamed out entirely. It's too big and too up it's own ass, at least for the major awards. How often have we seen fantastic movies get overlooked because, essentially, the Academy folks just didn't bother to actually watch them?)
Having No idea of a connection, I had seen Manhunter prior and read the first two books. Went in blind to Silence. That moment, stand up , yet hold it together in the theater ... PRICELESS
This was Jodi Foster at the ultimate of her most interesting character. She was at the height of her beauty, and this was easily her most intense character portrayal ever.
The lack of recognition that actor Ted Levine gets whenever this movie gets praised has long bothered me. He should have been up for best supporting actor.
TSOTL was also the first movie to be readily available on video before it won Best Picture. I remember when I was about 6 or 7 my sister made me watch it. I loved the movie ever since. Although there may have been parts I didn't completely understand because I was so young.
The scene in the basement, in the dark, is one of the most tense scenes ever. You really feel fear, because Clarice is terrified, and in such a human way. We know that this is the way WE would react in her situation. She's not screaming for help like the Final Girl because she has a job to do. But she's still scared as hell. Anyway, I think it's one of the best portrayals of fear and use of tension in any movie.
Very much enjoyed this and your videos - but just to add the screenwriter was Ted Tally,. I noted that credit for the film often goes to the director "(re tropes) Jonathan Demme put them in there for a reason...." when they likely were in the script written by Tally. Not a criticism but I feel that screenwriters contribution is often overlooked in favour of the directors. UPDATE: Oh, I see you mentioned Ted Tally later in the video!
Though I've never seen this movie, I've heard of it and seen some clips. I'd probably be terrified during the bloodier scenes, but perhaps the psychological ones would be more appealing. I particularly loved how to pointed out the "camera eyes". That was a novel idea to me.
Jodie Foster pulled out a performance in this movie she was never really able to match again. I would say Anthony Hopkins never lived up to his performance in this movie, too, but I don't think that is true. While it is his most memorable roles, I think Anthony remarkably gives similarly stunning performances in a LOT of the movies he is in. But Jonathan Demme certainly worked his magic to make everyone turn in the best of their craft. Really well-rounded movie.
It’s not performance that has kept Foster from having another silence of the lambs, it’s the scripts she receives. She acts her ass of in everything she’s in, but she just hasn’t received another script like this unlike Hopkins.
Fun Fact: there is a love for the horror genre as evidenced by brief onscreen references in the cast as well. Demme's mentor, the late Roger Corman, is director of the FBI, and as this was shot in Pittsburgh, George A. Romero - who himself redefined the genre with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - has a brief cameo as an FBI agent in the last scene where Hannibal & Clarice are together. Also, producer Ron Bozman - who shared Best Picture honors for LAMBS - had previously been production manager on THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, which borrowed loose inspiration from the "Wisconsin Ghoul" Ed Gein for Leatherface just as both the novel and film of LAMBS did for the character of Buffalo Bill.
Honestly when Parasite won the ocscars as well they had such an uphill climb. Horror/thrillers are such an underrated and under appreciated Oscar’s category that needs to exist. I feel like so many great and phenomenal stories, writing, and acting and cinematography are soooo undervalued. The Oscar’s ‘rating’ really is just popularity one at this point and not about the creative art.
This is a visual redux of a video essay I published on April 4, 2022. All of the video assets have been replaced using vastly superior quality sources. Watch in '4K' for the least possible compression.
In my last community post I go into more detail about my decision to re-publish some of my very early videos. But the most important thing to know is that they aren’t in place of new uploads. In fact, my output is going to hopefully be a little higher beginning in February. These are just added in between.
:)
-Danny
I thought I was going insane. Thanks for the clarification and the redux! Love your work, it has helped me and numerous of my peers through part of our studies!
Keep it up🙌🏼
Still gonna watch it in full screen without interruptions as always ❤
Thank God for that, I thought i was having an extremely strong déjà vu experience 😂
take your time if you need to Danny! your vids are pretty damn good, we'd all hate it if you got burnt out
You're the best brother! Keep it up 👍
One of my favorite Clarice moments is when she reloads her gun after shooting Buffalo Bill. Terrified, shaking, but sticking to her training. Such an incredible movie
I really like that bill dies with the night vision goggles on and his arms curling up, making him look exactly like an insect or a moth you could say.
It made me laugh. An old stuttering man people were terrified of. Same as The Shining with Jack coming through the door with that grin and the axe. I burst out laughing.
That's a perfect encapsulation of the film's authenticity. In more dramatically staged films, you might expect the protagonist to relax into victory, as though knowing the final battle has been won. We don't always consciously notice that stuff, but we feel it. Filmmakers don't always consciously think it through, but they instinctively play out stories like a dance, rather than natural events. And of course, there's nothing wrong with formalistic storytelling, where actions are staged to heighten the story, rather than occurring as they might in real life. But Silence shows us how effective a story can be while also feeling naturalistic, as though the camera captured the events, rather than the events being staged for the camera.
It’s so real. The Adrenaline would be rushing, barely able to hold it up let alone shoot again. It’s brilliant
Anthony Hopkins winning an Oscar for just 16 minutes of screen time really shows how incredible he is as an actor
Agreed. Even more insane is the 8 minutes of screen time that earned Judi Dench Best Supporting Actress in Shakespeare in Love.
Dame Judi Dench has entered the chat. 😉
Take this thing back to Baltimore
Beatrice Straight won for a single scene of 5 minutes.
@@ArtWonder1 either that or it showcases that if you have 15 million dollars to blow, you can get into the running for an Oscar too. (The things I’ve learned about the academy award committee lately just through a little deep dive has me wondering how that shit even still exists lol.)
Clarice is one of my favorite characters in fiction, and I think you touch on why. She is a REAL hero, emphasis on the real part. No cheesy dialog, no unrealistic feats, just an ordinary person doing ordinary things and through hard work and little luck does something extraordinary.
Well, a REAL cinematic hero. Sorry to sound like a pedant.
Agent Starling should be in the same pop culture conversation as Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor.
That was a fantastic assessment of silence of the lambs. I did not realize Hopkins was only on screen for 16 minutes because as you said, they made his presence felt throughout the entire film.
I never realized how much the actors act TO the camera.
Me too, really tells how much it makes you the centre of the story that you don't even realise it's happening.
This is a trademark of Johathan Demme. This "direct to camera" acting. You see this a lot in his movies. Every Director / Filmmaker has a certain trademark or... handwriting that becomes a recurring thing.
@@KRAFTWERK2K6- He also directed New Order's video for 'The Perfect Kiss.' He's also standing in the background in a doorway as the band plays.
Of all the studies of "The Silence of the Lambs" I've seen,
this one really brings home the impact of Demme's use of
the 'subjective camera' POV. I simply hadn't ever noticed
how much time people spend _looking_ _at_ _me_ in the film.
Lector standing there, waiting, is one of the most disturbing scenes I've witnessed in my lifetime. What we expect to see is a monster, what we actually get is much, much worse. A monster is irrational, all instinct, this THING that we finally see is so much more terrifying.
He was a great counterpoint to the horror of the 80's - Jason, Mike Meyers, Freddie Krueger. Hannibal was terrifyingly grounded. Not a horror out of the subconscious, but so rationally irrational.
It's what makes him such a great villain. The mystery of him. He's clearly in a very scary place, yet he's just standing there. So poised, so measured and so firm. You don't see what makes him dangerous, but you know that he is and that mystery as to why is what makes him so terrifying.
Whatever he is - whatever he has done, he has chosen very deliberately to be and do. The second you see him you realize that, and that realization is terrifying.
@@Havreflan expanding on that, by the end of the movie we have a clear sense that he controlled everything, right from the start, and what's most terrifying about that is he CHOSE to be there in that cell. Not that he has some kind of omnipotence or clairvoyance, he didn't know Clarice existed and that they would meet, instead he seems to be evolving, changing his existence in some way and being there is part of a calculated plan. He was clearly 'happy' in that cell. When we first see him, standing there, ready to greet this new person, he seems almost joyous. The monster chose to be caught so he could improve on his monstrosity.
It's Lecter :)
34 years have passed, and “The Silence of the Lambs” still manages to evoke such a strong emotional connection for me. The understated moments like an eye blink, a glance or the men in the room staring at Clarice, feel like they have their own presence in the film…
It’s remarkable how these soft, quiet, nuanced details add so much depth and meaning even when they’re easy to overlook.
What amazes me the most is how every second of the movie feels deliberate like a piece of the puzzle building toward its unforgettable ending. The scenes shared by Hannibal Lecter and Clarice are especially gripping, so intense that you feel like you’re in the room with them. The way the film draws you in and holds your attention is absolutely masterful. Great analysis!
One of the best movies in the world. It's a masterclass in cinematography, and it's also a masterclass in how to successfully adapt a book into a movie, if you ask me. The book is fantastic, btw, for those who haven't read it already :)
The book is amazing
I did see this at the theater with my mom when I was about 14 and it was a transformative experience. Still my favorite movie to this day.
It was genuinely frighteneing on a psychological level.
my friends, one of their dads and i were at the theater to see dances with wolves but it was sold out. i just wanted to go home but everybody convinced me we might as well see something. the poster for silence of the lambs didn't give up what it was about, was vaguely artsy. i was nonplussed.
none of us went into that theater having any inkling what it was about - story, genre, nothing.
yea so did i, mom had great taste in horror movies
I was exactly the same age and had the same viewing experience. Made me want to pursue film.
My cousin and I were staying with our grandparents for a night, I was 8 and he was 9, and we wanted to see the TMNT movie but it was sold out. They took us to see this movie instead.
that sequence where Chilton and Clarice go to Lecter's cell was like a rollercoaster ride. I remember watching it the first time. You know we're on the way to finally meet him and it's like, "here we go!" the pace of the acting and the camera and the movement are all relentless. Rapidly going deeper, darker into this...hospital? Chilling! Brilliant.
Apparently that walking scene involved 3 different buildings altogether, while the cell block set was constructed for the film.
Ending it on Hannibal Lecter's, _"yeah…"_ was a good editing choice. Nicely timed too. I haven't seen anybody else do that.
Also, that thumbnail is smoldering.
The reason I think Anthony Hopkins's Hannibal Lecter is the most terrifying movie villain of all time is that in spite of knowing that he's evil personified, you still feel some kind of close relationship with him, as if he might spare you if you follow his rules or he "likes" you, and what's ultimately disturbing about him is that we WANT that relationship with him because he seems so intelligent, well-mannered and interesting. We're willing to jeopardize our own safety to see if we can earn his trust and company, when the fact is that he's such a malevolent manipulator that any interest he shows in someone is ultimately a ruse to get them to do what he wants. If he doesn't want anything from you, he'd just as soon have you for dinner.
The charisma and magnetism he has over the audience in spite of being such a savage and inhuman monster is a profound reach into the psyche of man. We feel willing to overlook the atrocities committed by a creature that behaves like the Devil himself, "reptilian" as he's aptly described in the video, just because his mask of humanity (that of a cultured and distinguished gentleman) is interesting for us to examine. Hopkins does a perfect job of playing a body that talks, sees and moves, but which is uninhabited by anything resembling a soul or person. He's more of a manifestation than a human being, and while that would be unnerving enough on its own, it's the fact that we feel some perverse affection for him; an affection that we trick ourselves into believing is reciprocal, but it's not. Like the actual Devil, he tricks us into coming to him in trust and confidence, and then we trick ourselves into believing that he likes us or favors us when he has nothing but disgust and enmity towards us, but nonetheless we fall for the lies we tell ourselves, that some part of him must be "good", and that ironically enhances how evil he is because he can make other people "excuse" his evil.
👏👏👏
Hopkins' performance in this is absolutely incredible.
No idea how he gives the impression that every physical movement is deliberate - as you said - not 'natural', but he nails it.
Every minute gesture and detail is just... eery
He dances right on the edge of absudity but never crosses it.A brilliant performance.
This movie is also a perfect example of how to make a book into a screenplay.
I'd love to know what Hepburn's reaction to Hopkins partly basing Hannibal's voice off her was.
I think she would've been flattered. The woman was a legend. An absolute gem.
It's not surprising she had an impact on him. In his first feature film, Hopkins played Hepburn's son. (The Lion in Winter)
@@AliasAerius I adore the Lion in Winter! An under appreciated classic.
Just the voice. The way he spoke. He didn’t use Hepburn as a muse to understand Hannibal’s motivation or anything.
@@shannonpincombe8485: She was still alive (and not yet suffering from dementia either) when this film came out. But she was very private, so I doubt that she ever said anything about this, if she even knew.
This came out when I was 17, it changed me and my movie viewing experience forever.
I was 20 and SAME.
Excellent video as usual Danny. I hope you can get another video together in tribute for Lynch, I’m sure many of us would appreciate that. RIP to a visionary.
I love to read, and loved Red Dragon and Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. So when they put this to film, I was worried like every other screen adaptation. It was going to fail miserably, But l I ended up seeing it three times in the theatre.
So powerful.
Yeah i don't get the hate for "Red Dragon", i thought it was pretty good. Maybe people dislike it, because "Silence Of The Lambs" was so good, that nothing could really compare, so disappointment is predetermined.
I read all novels about Hannibal and only enjoyed “Silence of the Lambs”. “Red Dragon” was okay, but the other book (or books, I don’t even remember!) was borderline trash. It seems, that over time, Thomas Harris became more and more misanthropic, while completely falling in love with Lector (making him basically Gary Stu). I couldn’t stand that :)
MAHUNTER by Michael Mann entered the chat.
My personal favourite as they had to change the name due to kung fu movies being popular at the time.
@@alexeikotov7769Unfathomably L take.
"Silence" was almost a masterpiece, but "Hannibal" is extremely good in its own right .
Harris is far from a misanthrope.
you know, in these current times of the girl boss, the strong flawless and often OP female character whose only journey is to get everyone to realize she was fabulous all along-revisiting Clarisse is the perfect antidote-flawed, vulnerable, but resourceful, intelligent, and courageous, and not so amazingly, we care about her so much more than these modern characters. just spectacular character writing and acting.
Yes the combination of the writing and the acting is just great.
Agreed. As a woman, I am tired of these "strong independent women" whose competence is not shown through their intelligence, capacities or abilities to overcome their own flaws, but by making men around them incompetent or simply "below" them. Clarisse was a fantastic protagonist because she was a regular good but not OP FBI agent. She doesn't outsmarts Lecter, she holds her own faced with him, but still is affected. The whole movie is a masterpiece
"strong female character" should mean strongly written female character
Margie from Fargo also comes to mind. Miss Brisbee from Secret of Nimh. Ripley from Alien. So many different ways to show femininity, humanity, vulnerability, caring, and strength of character.
@@-biki-I love Ms Brisbee. She spends the whole movie doing nothing particularly amazing, except constantly and unshakingly facing her fears and terrifying situations because she needs to save her family. God I love that movie.
That's what annoys me so much about series and shows like Brooklyn99. The dialogs are so forced, the characters so out of touch with our reality, it should be a feel good series but made me actually more depressed.
The parallels between Hopkin's Lecter and Keaton's Beetlejuice are striking. Both introduced in exposition thru a warning, the first appearance of both on film in a character defining demeanor, both characters contained in their prison, yet in control of the audience's attention throughout the film and both only on screen for less than 17 minutes. That's good acting.
@@thegray5730 whoah I didn’t even think about it like that 😳
🙄
It's worth noting Fredric March won the Best Actor Oscar for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931). That was the first time a Horror film received accolades like that. It's a great film and performance too, I recommend it if you haven't seen it.
Were going to remake it with Russell Crowe but they shelved it because they decided (for some dumb reason) that remaking The Mummy with Tom Cruise less than 20 years after successful and beloved Brendan Fraser movies was the priority. It flopped so bad they shelved all this IP that Universal owned.
Fantastic film......
I love this channel. Thanks Danny. Keep up the excellent work!
I always considered Silence of the Lambs to be a thriller and not a horror movie. But maybe those to genres are siblings and the distinction is a bit murky.
I’ve always thought of it as a psychological thriller mystery with horror elements.
Almost like an extended Xfiles episode.
same, 'horror' doesnt feel like the right category imo
wrong turn is a thriller. silence of the lambs is a horror. buffalo bill is thriller. hannibal lecter is horror.
thriller is watching and hearing a tiger kill multiple other animals while you're on a three-day hike through the jungle. horror is being told there is a tiger in the jungle before that same hike, finding half-eaten gazelles and dogs and whatnot along the way, seeing those big pawprints, and hearing the leaves rustling at night.
thriller is you, coming into your empty home, until you hear something in the basement, so you go down there. the light goes out in the middle of the room, and suddenly something clawy snaps out and grabs your hand with a death grip, snarling, and you feel the air move as it stands up to tower above you, saliva dripping from its maw with that _tip, tip, tip_ sound of the drops hitting the floor.
horror is coming home, but something is wrong. you look at your things, and realize they aren't yours: that old tape recorder you've had since you were nine is a perfect modern replica, it's just scratched in the same places, and your bottle of dish soap is half-empty like you left it, yes, but the lid doesn't get stuck quite like it should and the grease spots on it are missing or moved. your wife is at a friends house, your son is at his part-time job, but neither pick up the phone when you ring them-which is perfectly reasonable, they're both busy grown-ups. so you lay down the phone and you just stare at it, thinking: am I going crazy? is this real? should I just man up? should I leave until someone comes back? then you hear it. a cluttering in the basement. maybe a cat, or maybe a burglar, so you grab whatever's good an heavy and open the door. you go down there, you look around, and you don't find anyone, not even a stray cat. you go to leave, chuckling nervously, but you freeze in the middle of the brightly lit room. someone just touched your _hand-_ something cold has _just_ tapped your upper arm, the sensation _burns_ in your brain. you can feel them breathing down your neck, each breath hitching and hacking out of their body. you can't move a muscle, can't even draw a breath--until you can. you snap out of it-it's your home and you have to defend it, for god's sake, who the hell do they think they are?--you jump to turn around, but there's _no one there._ the basement is well-lit, and warm, and quiet, and _empty._ and you are alone in your home.
It can be both because it's definitely horror.
Clarice is the archetype of strong female character all recent atempts failed miserably to emulate.
I don't really think they're trying to emulate her tbh.
The most common failings could be compared, though.
Vulnerable does not mean weak and needing to be rescued.
She is brilliant but not always sure of her decisions to the point of not thinking them through. (A lot of female protagonists are Leroy Jenkins-ing into bad plans to prove independence.)
Mistakes or errors can be made that put the character in harms way but these errors don't require the sudden loss of IQ. Logic can still lead in the wrong direction.
"Romance" (if you want to call it that) can be subtle. Seduction comes from the Latin Seducere - to lead away from. There is an inherent danger in it that need not be sexualized unless you want to write it that way.
And demonstrate the intelligence of the protagonist, don't just have other characters mention it while said protagonist makes illogical decisions and makes the reader throw the book across the room and give up on humanity.
There's more. I'm sure.
man, when we saw Anthony in such relative great shape acting like such a perfectly intelligent psycho(the skin mask!), walking out of that theater we were shook, as one says these days.
back when I felt like the oscars meant something.
They were always giving the Oscars to the same stuff they do today too.
@squamish4244 heh, that's not accurate. New qualifications have been applied to make eligibility.
@@marcblanchet678 Look at the awards winners back then and now. It was all dramas and biopics, always the same stuff except when sci fi, fantasy or horror is so good that they have to do it.
@@squamish4244 so, "always the same stuff" except " this this and this." So not always the same stuff, + the new best picture rules.
@@marcblanchet678 No, what I said is the way it's always been. Look at the most of the winners from back then and most of the winners now. No change.
It's crazy to think that Ted Levine played Buffalo Bill, when I think about him as either SGT Tanner as Brian Oconnor's "handler" in Fast and the Furious, or Leland from Monk. He's not in a ton of movies or shows but you go back and look at his role as Bill in this movie, he did such an amazing job, and this was on the flip side of Hopkin's brilliant acting job.
Been loving the reuploads and watching them all. Thank you for helping me branch out on different movies. Also thank you for helping me to potentially understand the WHY of certain movies I have really enjoyed.
I can't believe how poorly this film series went downhill. Hannibal and Hannibal rising or horrible. You never ever explain evil.
The NBC show was better than any of the sequel or spinoff movies, but still, nothing has come close to this masterpiece
You ought to add 2002's Red Dragon to that list. Who'd ever go back to see that flick a second time? Not anywhere near as great as 'Silence', but 1984's 'Manhunter' was pretty good in its own right. Brian Cox was the devilish original Dr. Lecktor. Great casting all around in that movie.
@copperkettlepot I was 11 in 2002. I remember people making fun of the brain eating scene. Fans and first time viewers.
How many genres have such a definitive GOAT, the way that thrillers have Silence of the Lambs? Gangster movies have the Godfather. Fantasy has the Lotr trilogy. Other than those it's hard to think of such genre defining films. My heart wants to say The Matrix is that for scifi, but Alien, Star Wars, and Terminator are competitive too.
Definitely.They say ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ - sometimes it is.
I'm gonna be pedantic af and point out that star wars is not scifi but agree with your actual point, it's interesting the way some movies have completely changed the genre they are in
@ I’ve heard mixed things. I consider it space fantasy or sci fantasy personally, but the influence it has had on science fiction aesthetics and storytelling in general is without question. Some people claim sci fi is purely aesthetically distinct from fantasy, but I tend think that the types of stories told in each respective genre are also distinct.
Genre defining sci-fi will be 2001 a space Odyssey. Cause had 2001 not been made, none of the sci-fi would have existed. It's in a way not only genre defining but also pioneering.
This is fast becoming one of my favourite UA-cam channels, thank you!
I remember staying up until 1 in the morning as a child because one of our two channels showed new movies every night at that time for some reason. I had just discovered what I thought of at the time as "adult" films, having watched Goodfellas the week before. The following week was Silence Of The Lambs. Sounded weird, but so did Goodfellas to my child brain. I was blown away. I could not understand how something could be so enthralling when it was mostly people talking. I just remember thinking, okay, I think I love movies now.
God damn this book is SO GOOD. If anyone enjoys this movie, do yourself a favor and buy the book or even the audiobook. I've read it 3 times and watched the movie about a dozen times, and it still doesn't get old.
Thanks for the recommendation 🙏
Fully agreed and a lot of what is highlighted in the video comes directly from the book itself.
I’m definitely going to check this out, thanks!
yepp I recently finished the book and it was so good!
I was quite obsessed with this film when it came out. I skipped classes at my university to see it at the cinema - 7 times! I love every shot, every nuance, the actors are amazing. And it's quite calm, unhurried, so confident, it needs neither flash nor bang to make its point. Howard Shore's subliminal score is the icing on the cake. Deeply unsettling, and it hasn't lost any of its impact.
Great essay, by the way.
I watched this movie for the first time last October, but this video makes me want to watch it again so I can appreciate it even more
Brilliant synopsis. I remember watching this decades ago and feeling at times scarred but more in that constant experience of not quite knowing what is to come. An intelligent horror and also has the ability to make us think of our own experiences and motivations. How those events and drives have shaped us and our lives. It's definitely a favourite of mine.
As a sidenote - Some of the objections that Starling experiences still occur, but the framing has changed.
Jodie is absolutely gorgeous.
Find the video of her being interviewed in French. She speaks it so lovely, and it adds to her allure.
Dude. This is an amazing analysis. Blew my mind. Subscribed. PS…could watch hours of you breaking down SOTL. It’s a masterpiece.
Well done. Could have listened longer.
Great presentation of a nice analysis.
A+ film
banger... One of your best so far, imo.
You must have been happy with that "uphill climb" shot. It made me laugh anyway.
One of the greatest films, co-starring two of the greatest actors!
2:06 is the dead meat song intro right?
I’m always astounded with the deep complexity of analysis that you give❤
Such a great video, it took me a minute to remember I already saw it! Looks immaculate - excellent work Danny!
Hopkins wrote one of the most beautiful Waltz piece in recent times as well. It’s called “The Waltz Goes On”. That just proves he is such a talented human being
Profoundly well crafted deconstruction of a profoundly well crafted exercise in visual story telling. Stellar work Mr. Boyd.
You do such a great job breaking these things down. Keep up the great work and I will continue watching and enjoying
A masterclass documentary on a masterclass film. Thank you.
It was a masterpiece! I came back into the states to visit when this came out. I went to see it, went back with my mom, again with my dad and a fourth time when my husband came stateside.
It is my second favorite movie if all time
One of my most favorite movies. While I'm not very familiar with other works by the director, writer, cinematographer, editor, etc., this has to be a masterpiece for each of them.
I also enjoy the rest of the visual media in the Lecter franchise in their own ways (yes, even the prequel "Hannibal Rising"), but this one is special.
I love the little "yeah" from hannibal lecter that you added into the conclusion.
It's a long time since I've seen the movie and have probably lost some of the context and nuances of the performance. I did listen to the audiobook a little over a year ago and it helped fit some things together. Books and movies are different mediums and both can be enjoyed. Your breakdowns are amazing. Calmly delivered with a very clean presentation.
Oooh I loved watching this, my first time I have come across your page, thank you x
Best part about this movie is my personal experience with it,
I had just gotten my wisdom teeth removed and after being asleep for an entire day my mom amd sister leave to go shopping, leaving me amd my dad at home. I dont know what compelled him to agree with me on this but we were looking for a movie to watch, and me (having never heard of this movie as youve said before) pointed This one out when it came onscreen. He put it on and i watched the whole thing completely stonefaced, no effect. I love scary movies, I'm extremely empathetic, and i was fully lucid by that point, post anesthesia- i have no doubt if i watched it again itd have the intended effect but i always will think thats kinda funny
The gun shaking almost out of Starling’s hands was a great piece of authenticity by Foster.
It's like he reaches into my brain and pulls out (,and puts words to,) why I love these films. I genuinely can not wait to see this guy tackle my favorite films of all time (LotR, The Thing, Blade Runner, and Alien.)
Pretty sure he’s already done a vid on The Thing, but I could be mistaken
The other great thing is how this movie characterizes Hannibal. He's not big and scary like other movie monsters. He's calm, collected, and polite. Monsters, like Hannibal, convince you they're friendly. There aren't many people like the yelling psyche patients, but there are a lot of Hannibals. And that's more horrifying than any jump scare.
Agh I missed the day one upload I love your video essays man 🎉
It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again!
It's worth noting that Miggs won the Best Aim Oscar.
I still watch this movie like it's the first time. It's such a masterpiece. I always laugh because I went to watch it at the movies 4 times, but the funny thing about it all is that I was 14! This movie was the first "grown up" movie I watched and it was mesmerizing. Still my favorite of all time. Thank you for this analysis. It's amazing the details that you miss, even when you have seen it hundreds of times, like the tropes and the looks at the camera. I never noticed!
I read the book before watching the film and read that Thomas Harris was a war reporter overseas, and it TOTALLY shows. The brutality / psychological elements of his works show his command of medical reporting / injury / human nature. One of my favorite films.
Whole heartedly agree with your closing statement! That's what we need more of in film today, is brilliant people telling stories the way they want. That's where we get all the greatest films!
Really enjoyed this video. Love this movie but I never acknowledged the use of POV throughout.
Thank you for such a great examination of one of my favorite movies!
I'm not a big film guy and I love this movie. It's one I can watch over and over again. Something about it just grabs you and keeps you engaged.
Hello Danny, I believe the video description neglects to mention the song that begins playing at 3:27 which is The Road Less Travelled by Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen.
As always, love your work
I am 75 years old. I was never an active child but a couch potato watching hours and hours of tv. Living in New York we had the three major networks, Abc, Nbc, Cbs. They had the programmed programs........music, comedy, variety......etc. There were minor channels.....that had no programs so showed old movies. As a couch potato I saw thousands and thousands of movies. I rate silence of the lambs as one of the greatest movies I have a very seen. The direction, camera work, script, music is perfect. I love how the director cuts from one shot to the next. Of course the acting performances are great. I watched the VHS copy of this great film.......I almost wore it out. Some of my other best pictures.......a guy named Joe a WW2 movie and Steven Spielberg's remake... Always....the best years of their lives....30 seconds over Tokyo another WW2 flick .......Patton with George c Scott......it's a wonderful life with Jimmy Stewart...2001 a space Odyssey.....King Kong the original 1930s movie with Fay Ray.....Titanic with Leonardo DiCaprio.... Frankenstein the 1930s original with Boris Karloff . ...
You might not see this, but the first two minutes of this video is exactly why i follow you. I am _really_ good at media analysis. Annoyingly so. And yet not once have I made the connection between Starling running through the woods and a subversion of horror tropes.
So many film channels never tell me anything that i couldnt have figured out by just watching the film. Im glad youre smarter than me.
Wow, impressive. What a powerful review you did. Your cuts, your script, your delivery. It's a great movie. I happened to read the book "Silence of the Lambs" some years before after I read Tomas Harris's "Red Dragon." I've subscribed to your channel. Your review is that good.
You know, it's funny... every genre somebody might think to slot this into, with whatever justification, is a genre that really should perform better.
While I personally wouldn't class it as horror, I'll run with that as my example: it's inherently high drama. It's not hard at all to imagine horror driven by a strong script, complex characters and nuanced performances. It's just... most horror isn't made with that in mind. For every Alien or The Thing, there's a dozen friday the thirteenths. (Probably literally, by this point...)
It's a genre that /absolutely/ lends itself to everything that should do well in terms of awards and critical acclaim in most of the major categories.
(That said, good as this movie was, and it was stellar... I wouldn't mind the Oscars flamed out entirely. It's too big and too up it's own ass, at least for the major awards. How often have we seen fantastic movies get overlooked because, essentially, the Academy folks just didn't bother to actually watch them?)
Wow Danny, amazing essay. Thanks
The best moment of the movie is when the butterfly lands on the threading reels, and Clarice starts to lift her eyes to gaze at Bill.
Having No idea of a connection, I had seen Manhunter prior and read the first two books.
Went in blind to Silence.
That moment, stand up , yet hold it together in the theater ... PRICELESS
This was Jodi Foster at the ultimate of her most interesting character. She was at the height of her beauty, and this was easily her most intense character portrayal ever.
Whaaaat????
great vid danny boyd thank you for posting it
"The more you explain him, the less he is" immediately brought Rob Zombie's Halloween to my mind...
The lack of recognition that actor Ted Levine gets whenever this movie gets praised has long bothered me. He should have been up for best supporting actor.
Seriously. Buffalo Bill is by far the scariest.
Its very true the terror fades away when you explain why it is so terrorific.
A brilliant film, top tier writing, masterful acting and an excellent analysis
Alongside the Rear Window, this film is one of the most powerful examples of "gaze theory" that Laura Mulvey argued in her seminal article.
TSOTL was also the first movie to be readily available on video before it won Best Picture. I remember when I was about 6 or 7 my sister made me watch it. I loved the movie ever since. Although there may have been parts I didn't completely understand because I was so young.
im having a heavy dejavu its sickening. then i was relieved it was a reupload
The scene in the basement, in the dark, is one of the most tense scenes ever. You really feel fear, because Clarice is terrified, and in such a human way. We know that this is the way WE would react in her situation. She's not screaming for help like the Final Girl because she has a job to do. But she's still scared as hell. Anyway, I think it's one of the best portrayals of fear and use of tension in any movie.
I like how his prison uniform fits so well, almost as if it was tailored to him.
Very much enjoyed this and your videos - but just to add the screenwriter was Ted Tally,. I noted that credit for the film often goes to the director "(re tropes) Jonathan Demme put them in there for a reason...." when they likely were in the script written by Tally. Not a criticism but I feel that screenwriters contribution is often overlooked in favour of the directors.
UPDATE: Oh, I see you mentioned Ted Tally later in the video!
great editing, great everything else
Though I've never seen this movie, I've heard of it and seen some clips. I'd probably be terrified during the bloodier scenes, but perhaps the psychological ones would be more appealing.
I particularly loved how to pointed out the "camera eyes". That was a novel idea to me.
One of my absolute favourite films - rewatched it so many times
People just don't understand that Buffalo Bill is the real terrifying one, not Hannibal.
Jodie Foster pulled out a performance in this movie she was never really able to match again. I would say Anthony Hopkins never lived up to his performance in this movie, too, but I don't think that is true. While it is his most memorable roles, I think Anthony remarkably gives similarly stunning performances in a LOT of the movies he is in. But Jonathan Demme certainly worked his magic to make everyone turn in the best of their craft. Really well-rounded movie.
Remains of the Day I think was his greatest performance.
@@alfredthegreat9543for me The Father, that was remarkable.
It’s not performance that has kept Foster from having another silence of the lambs, it’s the scripts she receives. She acts her ass of in everything she’s in, but she just hasn’t received another script like this unlike Hopkins.
Most recent thing i saw by Hopkins was 'Westworld'. While the tv show went downhill after a few seasons, Hopkins was brilliant as ever.
Fun Fact: there is a love for the horror genre as evidenced by brief onscreen references in the cast as well. Demme's mentor, the late Roger Corman, is director of the FBI, and as this was shot in Pittsburgh, George A. Romero - who himself redefined the genre with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD - has a brief cameo as an FBI agent in the last scene where Hannibal & Clarice are together. Also, producer Ron Bozman - who shared Best Picture honors for LAMBS - had previously been production manager on THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, which borrowed loose inspiration from the "Wisconsin Ghoul" Ed Gein for Leatherface just as both the novel and film of LAMBS did for the character of Buffalo Bill.
I can’t believe people had the gall to compare “Longlegs” - an incoherent mess with a weak-a** protagonist - to this masterpiece.
Honestly when Parasite won the ocscars as well they had such an uphill climb. Horror/thrillers are such an underrated and under appreciated Oscar’s category that needs to exist. I feel like so many great and phenomenal stories, writing, and acting and cinematography are soooo undervalued. The Oscar’s ‘rating’ really is just popularity one at this point and not about the creative art.
Still one of my favourite movies all of time. Seen it over 900 times....and it still scares the hell outta me
Wake up babe, Old(New) CinemaStix just dropped!!
The fava beans monologue was my stage time to get into my thespian troupe. 😊❤