Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Film
Review: The Silence of the Lambs" is really a mesh of stories that all end up working together to achieve a goal of greatness. One is the story of a serial killer who is kidnapping women and eluding authorities. One is the story of an FBI trainee who only wants to make it to FBI status. One, and perhaps the most chilling and complex of the three, is the story of a highly intellectual man with a taste for human flesh, kept hidden from the world until it becomes evident that he may have a way of helping the trainee discover the whereabouts of the killer. Adapted from the novel by Thomas Harris, the film is a cauldron of mixed emotions that the audience will feel in every chilling moment. Jonathan Demme has created a masterpiece of the mind as well as a chilling thriller to jangle the nerves until the final, climactic ending. When FBI trainee Clarice Starling is called upon to question Hannibal Lector, she readily accepts the mission in hopes of impressing her superiors. When she arrives at the asylum where he is held, the head of the facility heavily warns her about Lector's crimes: killing people and eating the flesh of his victims. When she comes face-to-face with Hannibal, she learns that he is more than a monster: he is an intellectual machine with a flair for large words and turning colorful phrases. He ultimately lends clues to Clarice in exchange for information about the case, and soon for information about her personal life, hoping to dive into the depths of her mind. Clarice hesitates, but gives him what he wants in order to get closer to solving the crime before the next victim is killed. This film is such a masterpiece in terms of horror and suspense. This is not one of the average run-of-the-mill scare machines that comes along almost every year. This movie is so much more complex, so complex that it can be frightening. Among some of the factors that will have you feeling chills are the way in Clarice regails the experiences of her childhood to Hannibal, which is so depressing and emotional that you feel for her. She appears so broken that it looks as if she is reliving the entire experience, while at the same time keeping the one goal in mind to find the serial killer at large. The most frightening of all is the way in which Hannibal is portrayed. Perhaps one of the most unique villians in all of Hollywood, the best part of his character is that the movie and novel do not play him out as a lunatic, but instead as a highly intelligent psychologist whose only crime is that of cannibalism. In the end, it's not so much the actions of his past that are frightening as much as the ability he has to get into Clarice's mind and dredge up horrifying memories from her past, all the while focusing his eyes only on her eyes, seemingly peering inside her very soul. The outside story is filled with mounting suspense as the FBI closes in on the killer named Buffalo Bill, who skins his victims of their flesh in order to achieve something more chilling. Hannibal is able to offer information to the authorities as to the background of the man who they suspect is the killer, and the way in which he offers his information is quite suspenseful. It becomes evident that Clarice is going to be the one who finds the killer because of her relationship and communication with Lector. We find that he has a deep emotional attachment to her because of what she tells him about her past, and you'll find that to be one of the most intense realizations of the movie. The two leads both won Academy Awards for their performances in this picture, and it's quite easy to see why. Jodie Foster is remarkable and stunning as Clarice Starling, who is innocent in the beginning and becomes swept up in emotional trauma and stress as she allows Lector to question her about her past. Her performance here is intense and true. Anthony Hopkins is masterful as Hannibal Lector, and his performance here is the entire centerpiece for the suspense of the film. Hopkins plays every aspect of Lector's persona to perfection, a great achievement in his acting career. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture, "The Silence of the Lambs" is a complex and stunning tale that dives deep into the minds of its characters and goes straight to the mind of its audiences. Expectations are sure to be met, for the movie has everything you could want: intelligence, thrills, chills, scares, action, emotion, and complexity. You'll find yourself waking up in the middle of the night, seeing the eyes of Hannibal Lector looking straight at you... "Oh, Hello Clarise..."
Rating:
Summary: Praise for the Lambs
Review: My second favorite movie of all times and the best movie made since Gone With the Wind. Silence of the Lambs is one of the three movies I have seen in my life that I give five stars to. An excellent movie in all aspecks! It desrved all the Oscars and then some of what it got. Though the sequel was horrible, this movie is still unharmed by it. I would recommend this movie to anyone, a great achievement that has been to me one of the greatest films ever made.
Rating:
Summary: Scarry
Review: This is the only movie I've ever seen that has actually scared me. The whole mood and tone of the film is just creepy. And the setting they got Hannibal Lecter in perfectly draws you into his insane world. Watch this one in the dark if you can.
Rating:
Summary: Of course!
Review: Sometimes Hollywood will release a truly frighting movie. That even people who don't usually watch should go see. One of the finest examples of that is The Silence of the Lambs. Flawlessly transferd to flim from the great, bestselling book.
I was an instent fan of Jodie Foster, Anothey Hopkins, and John Demme's work after watch this flim the first time of many.
Remade from the 80's movie "Manhunter" which I did not enjoy at all even though everybody ealse did.
Rating: 
Summary: Sick.
Review: When your blind friend, God rest his soul, advises you not to see a movie, listen to him! I sure wish I had. This movie did not give me as many night mares as Knight Moves did, but it lacked a good plot. There are cannibals in this world, but I do not see how following a psycho killer who also eats his victims is entertainment. In my opinion, there is nothing redeeming about this movie. My advice is to avoid it at all cost.
Rating:
Summary: The most original movie of its genre!
Review: There are really no words to describe this movie, other than magnificent! I thought Jodie Foster did a great job playing Clarice Starling, and the film wouldn't be complete without one of the greatest actors of all time, Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter. I've always been a fan of action/horror films of this kind that involve solving cases and almost real-life police work. You would be doing yourself a personal favor by owning this.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacks the commentary of the Criterion version
Review: Otherwise the same DVD. The movie is solid, but slow in repeat viewings. This is not a movie that stands up over the years. The final sequence is overdone and predictable. Too much. Still, gotta love the film and it's superior sequal. How can you turn Hannbal down? Jodie should have been a trouper and held in for the sequal. The 5.1 surround is lacking in depth and charge. Shame. This quiet movie needed some sound and fury.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific thriller
Review: Every so often there is a movie that really makes you sit up and take notice, something that restores your faith in the entire genre. 'Silence Of The Lambs' is just one of those movies, earning cult status and getting numerous awards. It's an undeniably tense thriller that follows Clarice Starling (Foster) as she trails a serial killer nicknamed 'Buffalo Bill', who has kidnapped a senator's daughter and murdered several before her. When all leads seem to have dried up she turns to Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lectre (Hopkins), a dangerous serial killer and psychologist who Buffalo Bill has been writing to for help. However, he'll only give Clarice information if she'll talk about herself, her career and her upbringing. It's not so much the story that is groundbreaking here rather than the way in which it mounts up tension so precisely. Whilst there are admitedly several violent scenes here it will be the meetings between Clarice and Hannibal that will really make your hair stand on end. Foster and Hopkins give the performances of their career as a young officer eager to impress and an eloquent killer respectively. There are no characters that fail to make an impression and this is perhaps the movie's strongest point in that all its characters have become so instantly recognisable in movie lore. With its gritty and compelling photography, 'Silence Of The Lambs' is very different to both its prequel 'Manhunter' and the much glossier 'Hannibal'. It is often regarded as one of the best thriller/horror movies ever made, and rightly so. Not only is it scary but it's also gripping and intelligent. It is a memorable movie that impresses on every level.
Rating:
Summary: DVDelicious with some fava beans and a nice Chianti
Review: This review will only talk about the features included on this DVD. My review of the movie proper was posted January 29, 2001. --- The commentary track, a joint effort by five voices, is this edition's centrepiece. Each voice offers a different, and vital, perspective on the film. Jodie Foster appears calculating and determined, in both the notion that Clarice Starling fits in with her career goals of playing new-heroines, and in getting Clarice just right. Her opening description of why she campaigned hard for the role, because it fit in nicely with mythical male hero roles, shines a new light on Clarice. Foster is erudite and didactic, giving varied enough details to satisfy those with an interest in the minutiae of the actor's choices and those with an interest in how a character fits into a story, like a piece of a puzzle. Jonathan Demme is probably the most interesting to listen to. As a director, he'd have his hands in the most pots, so that only naturally follows suit. But Demme comes across as not only a learned and experienced director, but also as a fan. He candidly admits that with this project he had no interest in forcing his own views and themes on the story, because the source material was so appealing to him and so fully formed, that he might just ruin it if he tried. He has a lot of fun pointing out odd and fun casting choices (his quick commendation of Ted Tally's 1-second cameo is priceless; see also his joy at seeing Charles Napier, Roger Corman, and George Romero on screen), poking fun at cinematographer Tak Fujimoto's obsession for detail, and wondering if the subtle clues he's inserted were missed by the audience. He's a treat to listen to. Anthony Hopkins comes across as quite a sad and lonely man, but one who's content to be sad and lonely. Apparently the genesis of how he'd play Hannibal Lecter came during one of his many cross-country solo road trips. His insights into how he created this character are astounding. Would you have thought to model Dr. Lecter on HAL 9000? Tony does. He also points out whose idea it was to have Lecter standing in the middle of the cell the first time we (and Clarice) see him, why he's looking away when Clarice tells the story of her childhood, and why he wore clinical white in his final scenes. Hopkins relishes being known as Hannibal Lecter; his affection for the character comes across nicely here. Screenwriter Ted Tally appears quite sour on the whole experience. He never comes out and says so, but you get the impression that he meant "Silence" to be a different movie altogether. Tally, a tortured artists / playwright by trade, may be disappointed by its genre-busting success. Still, his insights on how the screenplay is structured, how he and Demme worked together, and how the book and movie differ are invaluable. John Douglas, the G-man on whom Scott Glenn's character is based, gives wonderful insight into how the FBI's Behavioral Science unit works. At times, though, he can't help himself, offering up some pro-death penalty propaganda (he was preaching to the choir with me; others who may have a more liberal bent on this issue may take offence). But he's just doing his job, which is to rid the civilized world of serial killers. The rest of the package is substandard. The deleted scenes are only interesting in that they show how Demme and his editor could spot a turkey when they saw one. None of the scenes would have added anything to the film (then why are they included here? Are they anything more than a curiosity?), and some are just uncomfortable to watch, full of cliches and clunky acting. The storyboards included are mildly amusing, showing how each sequence developed, from a germ of a thought through conception. The FBI crime classification manual and the Voices of Death sections had a lot of potential, none of it realized. The former, compiled by John Douglas, is a dry enunciation of the way his unit does business, including some anecdotal examples. The latter, from a book called "Serial Slaughter" gives voice to actual serial killers. They speak on the subjects of life, sex, murder, and death. Well, they don't speak, really. The problem with these two sections is that they consist of just page after page of dry text. If I wanted to read, I'd get a book. I don't want to read my DVDs. Maybe some stylized graphics or sound effects would have helped, or, better yet, include dramatic readings done by the cast and crew. Otherwise, these features were a snore. For the lucid and luxurious audio commentary alone this DVD is worth the price. The rest of the features proved mildly disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Hannibble Cannibble
Review: How do you say? While the talent and technical movie mastery is truly awe inspiring. And it is, there is no question, either for the classic, Silence, or for the sort of abandoned foster parent Hannibal, none the less I continue--the sentence grows too long. One has to wonder just what is expected from the great unrehearsed movie watching audience of clearly no-talent, out of pocket wastral trash, however it may heap up in some public opinion whipped by the thermals of the sidewalk classism intimidation from the cuffs of strongmen who're hired to defend such statements as these,( money talks and can have its opinion--or else!--),of the glorious manifestations of the immaculate industries of deception. Again, I wander.... The interest seems to be to poll the natient incubus of the humps and saw grass, the prarie scrub and kangaroo rats, for whatever they have to add. And so, I will add this: While it is little for me to offer complaint on the whole affair, for such beckoning reason would surely entice the profilers of such as a Clarice...is that how you spell her name?.. to launch an all out state tactic of insertion into my humble domecile, I realize that even offering my opinion of the movie, or its jaded half baked sequel, renders me an open taget of state sanctioned cross hairs, long hairs and social theorists to doubt my very belonging to an average political consensus who're properly too dumb to care or notice. I feel I must bare my movie heart before a raptorous audience of awareness untoward, that not only have I commented on the movie, gone carelessly beyond trip wires of internet sleuths and wacko detectives, I have literally become--in the movie! It is exhilerating..sorry, no dictionary ready at the hand, and no spelling checker at Amazon. It's a spelling jungle out here...who cares! I think that whoever said, "Pearls before swine." Must've known or had premonition of the works of this Harris dude, and the difficult Hollywood struggle to drag one little pearl to the lucrative sell-out this manglement became. I think that most importantly in the genre...is that how you say it?...of what this movie facination, this epoch with these crap pictures about our crap societie's darker predispositions will speak to is a fairly blunt and bold statement made so deliberately and loudly it simply was refused its prominence in the climate of male dominated, gore, austerity it cried out from. And that is the statement of that Clarice Starling, that she could turn down the loot based on principles. You'll never, ever see that hound dog town of Hollywood, recognize such an event when it happens. You won't read about it that way, you won't think about it therefore, because you will never read about it, because you may, may just never think for yourself. What history happens, what statements get made, that go unnoticed, just because we're too used to being led around by our television and newspaper noses, sold and therefore told what to feel or reason. Let me re-educate you: Someone couldn't be bought! And that is too scandelous to even, even merit attention of consciousness among such unconsciousness. Isn't that sad. I offer this, this last statement as the only and true horror that is real, all around and pervasive, through every vine of communications and commercial media about you. Hannible lives in that cannibalism of your receptive and passive consciousness tuned into the media, and can gorge an hors de vors out of your skull, you will historically miss, if you let him. Eat this Hannibble! Bon Appetit!
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