The Silence of the Lambs
US (1991): Mystery/Thriller
Based on Thomas Harris's novel, this terrifying film by Jonathan Demme really only contains a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, virtually entombed in a subterranean prison for the criminally insane. At the behest of the FBI, agent-in-training Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) approaches Lecter, requesting his insights into the identity and methods of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). In exchange, Lecter demands the right to penetrate Starling's most painful memories, creating a bizarre but palpable intimacy that liberates them both under separate but equally horrific circumstances. Demme, a filmmaker with a uniquely populist vision, also spent his early years making pulp for Roger Corman, and he hasn't forgotten the significance of tone, atmosphere, and the unsettling nature of a crudely effective close-up. Much of the film, in fact, consists of actors staring straight into the camera (usually from Clarice's point of view), making every bridge between one set of eyes to another seem terribly dangerous. (Tom Keogh, Amazon.com)
7 nominations, 5 Awards
· Best Picture of the Year 1991: Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt & Ron Bozman - Producers (Strong Heart/Demme, Orion)
· Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role 1991: Anthony Hopkins
· Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role 1991: Jodie Foster
· Best Achievement in Directing 1991: Jonathan Demme
· Best Achievement in Writing - Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published 1991: Ted Tally
· Achievement in Film Editing 1991: Craig McKay
· Achievement in Sound 1991: Tom Fleischman, Christopher Newman