SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Directed by Jonathan Demme
Based on the novel
by Thomas Harris

Demme's version of "The Silence of the Lambs" was a landmark film in bringing the psychological thriller to a new level. Not only was it the first of its genre to win a Best Picture Academy Award, but it brought the 'serial killer' flick to a new artistic peak with its intellectual approach transcending the tired "slice-and-dice" market of the 80's. Its Beauty and the Beast overtones enabled its stars to garner awards with performances previously thought impossible within the genre.

The Book

Thomas Harris' novel follows the exploits of Clarice Starling, a rookie FBI agent sent to research an incarcerated serial killer as part of a study aimed at solving similar cases being pursued by the Bureau. Clarice's study reveals that her subject, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, is an acquaintance of the mysterious Buffalo Bill, a notorious serial killer at large. Lecter manipulates the FBI and the prison officials in making good his escape, though providing Clarice with clues which lead to Buffalo Bill's eventual demise. It is the cerebral relationship between Clarice and Lecter, along with the power of Lecter's character, that gives the story its breathtaking dynamism.

The Movie

Anthony Hopkins won an Academy Award (Best Actor)along with co-star Jodie Foster (Best Actress) by bringing the Clarice/Lecter relationship alive on the screen. Demme's work garnered the Best Picture Award as well, disproving the critics' claim that such a movie would never sweep the most prestigious of movie honors as it did. An interesting sidenote was the defeat of Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, whose own sociopathic role as Max Cady was equally worthy of top kudos. The bottom line was the magnitude of the greater evil, in which Harris' evil incarnate overshadowed that of author John D. MacDonald's Cape Fear predator. If Max Cady had been driven by demons, Dr. Hannibal Lecter could have been one of them. Or, perhaps, worked well as Max's psychiatrist?

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