The Silence of the Lambs

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Summary: "I thought it was a children's book, a bedtime story..."
Review: ...says Anthony Hopkins, speaking of the first time his agent mentioned "Silence of the Lambs" to him as a potential project. This comment comes in "Inside the Labyrinth," a documentary about the film that is one of the many nifty extras on this DVD. I almost fell out of my chair laughing at the answering machine message from Hopkins as Lecter ("...please leave a message. I insist. The last person who failed to do so, I ate his liver..."). There are plenty of teasers and trailers for the movie for people who like that sort of thing, as I do. You can spend all afternoon with this DVD, enjoying the complete "Lambs experience."

The movie itself? As sommeone on the crew said, it spans several genres...detective story, fairy tale, morality play, psychological thriller, horror movie. It excels at each of them in a way that no other film had done before, and few have done since. I can still remember seeing this in the theater when it was originally released, clutching the friend next to me and screaming my fool head off as Jame Gumb stalked Clarice with his green night goggles. So many things about the movie stay with you, and make it worth seeing again and again.

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Summary: WHAT?!!!!
Review: The people who liked this film are sick, because all it is, is just GORE GORE GORE!!!! So if you want mindless gore, this movie delivers it. This movie is not scary, it's just random gore! That is all that Hollywood can give us is just stupid and boring gore flicks like this. It [stinks] and don't borther seeing or even laying eyes on the cover, it is that stupid. Doesn't even diserve the star I gave it, and it is lucky to get that!

Rating:
Summary: It's okay
Review: This movie wasn't scary, but it was a godd movie so I'll just give it 3 stars, because that is all that it deserves.

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Summary: An Excellent and Haunting Film
Review: "The Silence of the Lambs" is a classic psychological thriller that is haunting, eerie, and intelligent. It really makes you think. Anthony Hopkins is superb! He relishes in playing his memorable crazy yet softspoken British villain. Jodie Foster is brilliant as Agent Starling, and the rest of the cast is marvelous too. I especially enjoyed the scenes with Hannibal and Claric Starling. There is a chemistry between Hopkins and Foster, and they are perfect together on screen. I liked the scene where Hannibal escapes. It's violent, it's gory, and it's startling. The whole film has this essence of evil and gloom that makes it all the more memorable. Wonderful and well written!

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Summary: Demonstrates what the art of filmmaking can achieve.
Review: This is the quintessential 'serial killer' film that other moviemaker's have been tirelessly attempting to emulate without success.

After viewing it again for the third or fourth time, there are aspects of the film that became prominent - subtle techniques in direction and photography, which has made the film a masterpiece. For example, take a close look at the camera's constant change in perspective: we are able to see the story from each character's point of view, adding to the film's many layers of meaning. From the start, we are introduced to Starling - a vulnerable and intelligent female fighting to compete in a male dominated environment. This, of course, creates an instant empathy for the character, and sets us up for the first terrifying meeting with Hannibal Lecter. We are also permitted to view the world from Hannibal's perspective, looking through the glass cage of his cell at the vulnerable, Clarice. We are also permitted to see the world through the eye's of Buffalo Bill - as he plays-out his fantasies of becoming a beautiful woman in front of the mirror in his home. These techniques in cinematography are meant to hook our attention and submerge our minds into its world. And it works beautifully.

The other significant ingredient in the film that contributed to its massive appeal, both critically and at the box office, was Anthony Hopkins portrayal of Hannibal Lecter. I've always been intrigued about Hannibal Lecter's appeal for so many people. What is it about this character that fascinates? He's educated, artistic, has good taste in the finer things in life - wine, music, and literature and exudes a feeling that he is one of those individuals that really knows how to live, and live well. The man has class. However he's also a monster, a killer who enjoys eating his victims. The appeal, I believe, is in the contradiction: we don't associate 'class' with calculated slaughter - it just doesn't make sense. Hopkins's interpretation of this literary character, too, is right on the mark. Hopkins has brought this disturbing character to life with such realism that we can't imagine anyone else as Hannibal Lecter. And any other actor attempting this role in the future would be doomed to failure.

This film won a score of Oscars, including best picture, directer, best actor and best actress. Jodie Foster has always been a pleasure to watch in her many performances over the years. Her performance as Special Agent Starling deserved the Oscar and all the critical acclaim she received.

~Silence of the Lambs~ has to be one of the great films of the twentieth century. I believe it out ranks its sequel and the prequel, (though these films are also well done) because everything from the screenplay to the soundtrack is first rate. This DVD should be owned and viewed at least once a year to demonstrate what the art of filmmaking can achieve. Brilliant.

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Summary: Not as Scary as some would have you believe
Review: I'm sorry, but Hannible isn't that scary. He's not nearly as dangerous as Michael Myers or Leatherface. Those guys were WAY more mest up than he was. Don't get me wrong this is a scary movie, but it is OVERATED. Actually even slasher films like Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween, Psycho (1960), Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th (part 1), The Boogeyman, and Suspiria are 100 TIMES AS SCARY! So yes this is a scary film, but it's not as scary as some would have you believe. If you want the scariest movie ever, check out The Exorcist (The Version You've Never Seen), it is THE SCARIEST MOVIE EVER MADE!

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Summary: WONDERFUL. I LOVED IT.
Review: Silence of the Lambs was a terrific thriller. Jodie Foster was excellent as a police officer who seeks a cannibal's help to catch a gruesome serial killer. Dr. Hannibal Lecture (Hopkins) is very realistic as the cannibalistic psycho who helps Foster catch a serial killer named Buffalo Bill. Ofcourse, this movie isn't necessarily for the weak-stomached, but is definetly worth a look. The plot is realistic, the suspense is unpredictable, and the climax is chilling. I love it. This movie deserved the Best Picture oscar, and thank god it got it. Hannibal was a rather lackluster sequel to this film, but still sort of cool. Check out this movie and you'll like it.

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Summary: Two Very Scarey Killers........One Killer DVD!
Review: This review refers to the Special Edition(Widescreen) 2001 MGM release of Silence of the Lambs.......
Want to be scared out of your wits??This film will do that for you! Want to see it on an outstanding DVD. This one is top quality!
This film was probably the scariest ever to win the Best Picture(1991) Oscar. I don't think it was the most violent though, that honor most certainly goes to Braveheart. But Silence is just not a good scarey story.It's much more than that. It's an excellent film in all respects. Expert Direction by Jonathan Demme(recieving Best Director) and Cinematography by Tak Fujimoto really is what set this film apart from the others. The stars, Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster(also both oscar winners for their performances), Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Brook Smith, and Anthony Heald, all were expert in their craft at making these characters either scare us or empathize with them.

For those who by chance have not seen it, here's a little taste of what were treated to. Clarice Starling is an agent in training with the F.B.I. She is bright,pretty and has a way of knowing how to handle people. She is sent out on an "errand" of sorts. To interview a serial killer, known as "Hannibal the Cannibal". He was an esteemed brillant psychiatrist and seems to be able to look into peoples souls. He may be able to help in supplying information to help catch another very demented serial killer nicknamed "Buffalo Bill" because of his desire to skin his victims.

Hannibal takes a shine to Agt. Starling and will help her, but he wants something from her. For his own demented reasons, he wants to hear the details of her life, and as they exchange information, she is then forced to deal with the memories that have plagued her throughout her life. He provides her with clues to who the killer on the loose might be and she goes after him , providing us with some very tense,hide your eyes, nail biting situations.Does she have the will to take on this psychopath as well as her own demons? And don't forget about Hannibal, the story wouldn't be complete, without showing us what atrocities he's capable of.

This dark psychological thriller will stay with you for a long time. It has an effect that really makes you think about it for quite a while. This film was released in Feb of 1991 and still was well remebered at Oscar Nomination time. That's not something you see to often.

Altough not the more expensive editon,I was not only thrilled by this film, but also with this top quality transfer to the MGM DVD. The picture in the anamorphic widescreen presentation(There is another edition in full screen if you prefer) was beautiful. Colors and clarity excellent,even in the darker scenes. The 5.1 Surround sound is terrific. You can hear everything. I even heard what "Multilple Miggs" in the cell next to Hannibal's was saying, and I never heard that on my tape(that wore out). The Music by Howard Shore sounds great and is always there but unobtrusive to the intenseness of the story. There are some really great "extras". There are documentaries including one with lots of commentary by the stars and all the crew,lots of deleted scenes,photo gallery, trailers, and more. It can be watched in French or Spanish and there are also subtitles for those who may need them.

This is a great addition to your DVD collection and for the price you can't go wrong.

So "have a friend for dinner" and enjoy this together....Laurie

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Summary: Quid Pro Quo Clarice Yes Or No
Review: I saw, "Red Dragon", this past weekend and decided I needed to revisit the first hours that Anthony Hopkins brought Hannibal the Cannibal to the screen. "The Silence of the Lambs", was when one of the most brilliant and evil characters was introduced to viewers, the same viewers that in the USA, at least, have ranked amongst the scariest villains of all time.

Four films have been made from three books and all have their moments of terror including, "Manhunter", that was not part of the three films that featured Anthony Hopkins together with a talented cast beginning with Jodie Foster, through the most recent film with Edward Norton and a host of other talented performers.

I watched the film to confirm that my memory was correct, and happily I had not romanticized the experience of the film as memory is often wont to do. Lecter is by far his most evil in this first film, and Hopkins is entirely credible as this imagined monster by author Thomas Harris. Sir Anthony always minimizes what seem to be extraordinary performances by stating he learns his lines, hits the mark, and accepts his check. From many others this would be construed as the falsest of modesty, but with Sir Anthony he genuinely appears to not agree with the fuss that is made about his performances or those of others in films.

This is really the most intimate of the films with Lecter prying in to Clarice's mind, and Jodie Foster really appears terrified of Lecter even though she of all people knows it's just a movie. Unfortunately this DVD included no interviews with the players, but my guess would be they were nearly as intimidated by Lecter as many of those in the theatres were. Truly, Hopkins seems to have found some spot within him that he brought out to produce a credible and horrifying image of one extremely diseased mind.

It really is worth going back to this first film for another look, but I would suggest waiting a bit. I would hope that when, "Red Dragon", is released on DVD, the studio will produce a much higher quality digital transfer of "Lambs", and go back and interview the key players from all three films. The trilogy would be welcome, the quality improvement is desperately needed in this first installment, and an insight in to the making of the films would be welcomed by fans.

Rating:
Summary: The best so far...
Review: Silence of the Lambs, based on the book by Thomas Harris, is one of the best spine-tingling thirllers of all time. I've read all the books by Harris--RED DRAGON, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and HANNIBAL. The movie follows closley with the book as Clarice Starling--a fresh and eager FBI agent in the making--is chosen to interview Dr. Lecter in order to extract information regarding Buffalo Bill. The scenes between Starling (JODIE FOSTER) and Hannibal (HOPKINS) are pure magic. There's a reason this movie won a plethora of Academy Awards. The acting is superb and the dialouge and action sequences are excellent. Foster plays a wonderful character and her growth throughout the movie is amazing--from a tedious and reluctant FBI trainee to a fierce and vigorous tracker of a killer. It is quite a shame that she turned down the role for the movie HANNIBAL--Foster did not like the way Starling's character was portrayed at the end of the book--I won't spoil it for you but Starling and Hannibal have somewhat of a romantic trist at the end of HANNIBAL. Obviously if you've seen Hannibal then you are aware of the movie ending that is far different from the book ending.

With the recent release of RED DRAGON a boxset will be forthcoming. If you haven't seen this movie you're missing one of the best films of all time. It is one DVD that you need to have in your collection. Hopkins and Foster are brilliant in this film and it is destined to become a classic--up there with Psycho and Citizen Kane.