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showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsThe Silence of the Lambs (1991) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos (see all 8) |
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Thomas Harris (novel)
Ted Tally (screenplay)
Release Date:
14 February 1991 (USA) more
Tagline:
Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Brilliant. Cunning. Psychotic. In his mind lies the clue to a ruthless killer. - Clarice Starling, FBI. Brilliant. Vulnerable. Alone. She must trust him to stop the killer. more
Plot:
A young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
Won 5 Oscars. Another 39 wins & 27 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(161 articles)
Roger Corman: Scorsese, Stallone, Sayles, and other A-listers talk about the B-movie king
(From EW.com - PopWatch. 13 November 2009, 12:48 PM, PST)
Afm Debuts First Photos and Synopses from 6 Upcoming Movies Including Manolete, Mona Lisa, Small Town Saturday Night and The Long Good Friday
(From Collider.com. 12 November 2009, 8:18 PM, PST)
User Comments:
A truly remarkable film more (666 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Jodie Foster | ... | Clarice Starling | |
| Anthony Hopkins | ... | Dr. Hannibal Lecter | |
| Scott Glenn | ... | Jack Crawford | |
| Anthony Heald | ... | Dr. Frederick Chilton | |
| Ted Levine | ... | Jame 'Buffalo Bill' Gumb | |
| Frankie Faison | ... | Barney Matthews | |
| Kasi Lemmons | ... | Ardelia Mapp | |
| Brooke Smith | ... | Catherine Martin | |
| Paul Lazar | ... | Pilcher | |
| Dan Butler | ... | Roden | |
| Lawrence T. Wrentz | ... | Agent Burroughs | |
| Don Brockett | ... | Friendly Psychopath in Cell | |
| Frank Seals Jr. | ... | Brooding Psychopath in Cell | |
| Stuart Rudin | ... | Miggs | |
| Maria Skorobogatov | ... | Young Clarice Starling (as Masha Skorobogatov) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
118 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Denmark:15 | Italy:VM14 | USA:R (certificate #30301) | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (tv rating) | South Korea:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 (director's cut) (video rating) | Finland:K-16 (cut video version) | New Zealand:R16 | Poland:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2009) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA (video rating) (special edition) | Australia:M (re-rating) | Australia:R (original rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:15 (original rating) | Ireland:18 (re-rating) | Israel:18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (cut) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Singapore:PG (video rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | Singapore:R(A) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Both Scott Glenn (Jack Crawford) and Ted Levine (Jame Gumb) have played astronaut Alan Shepard: Glenn in the film The Right Stuff (1983) and Levine in the miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" (1998). more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The killer looks right into the headlights of Catherine Martin's car with his night-vision goggles on when she drives into the parking area and is not blinded. In fact, goggles at the timeframe of this movie might have been permanently damaged. Newer goggles do have automatic protection mechanisms. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
FBI instructor:
Starling! Starling! Crawford wants to see you in his office.
Clarice Starling:
Thank you, sir.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "After You've Gone: Silence of the Clams (#1.2)" (2007) more
Soundtrack:
Lanmò Nan Zile A more
FAQ
A Note Regarding SpoilersWhat is the building that Lecter escapes from?
What happens to Dr. Frederick Chilton?
more
more (666 total)
Message Boards
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STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits
Rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is assigned to get into the mind of notorious incarcerated serial killer Dr Hannibal 'the Cannibal' Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to get his evaluation on the elusive Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who's been abducting and killing young women. When a prominent senator's daughter is kidnapped, it becomes a race against time to find her before she is killed and all the while Lecter is playing mind-games with Starling as well as any help he can provide...
The first of Thomas Harris's Hannibal novels to be adapted for the screen, only to be followed some years later with some very lacklustre (but inevitable!) follow-ups, despite it's age this remains one of the most effective chillers of modern times. Despite the mainstream appeal of the film, the grainy lighting and laid-back budget give it an art-house feel that sets it apart from other such films that were as successful. The film manages some effectively disturbing scenes that make it a not altogether pleasant viewing experience.
Performances wise, in a very early role, a young Foster shows her promise for future roles, with a gripping portrayal of naivety and vulnerability here that is very compelling and convincing, even though there are some plausibility problems with someone as junior as her being assigned to do something like that. Hopkins too is brilliant as Lecter, playing a dangerous man behind bars who's ability to get inside your head and see the things you don't want him to see makes him no less dangerous, if not more so, than if he was on the outside. He's certainly received the most acclaim for his role over the years, but in my humble opinion, he's actually over-shadowed (though only slightly!) by Ted Levine as Buffalo Bill, a truly extraordinary psychopath with an unsettling sexuality disorder that is probably one of the nastiest things ever to be seen in such a mainstream film. As supporting FBI agent Crawford, Scott Glenn is impressive but sort of just faded into DTV land after this film.
It's easily one of the most popular films ever made, so it's likely a lot of you are familiar with it already, but with reviews on the so-inferior follow-up films Red Dragon and Hannibal, I thought it only right that I'd finally give this first film a mention. Truly remarkable. *****