The Silence of the Lambs (1991) | Presenting Hitchcock Podcast

Gooooood evening. In this month’s episode of Presenting Hitchcock, Cory and Aaron have tailored the suspense as they discuss The Silence of the Lambs.

Written by: Ted Tally

Based on the book by Thomas Harris

Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith, Kasi Lemmons, Charles Napier, and Frankie Faison

Directed by: Jonathan Demme

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Hitchcock comparisons:

• Psycho
  • The most direct thematic link is the real-life serial killer Ed Gein, who served as the blueprint for both Norman Bates and Buffalo Bill.
  • Both antagonists present as females in the film but are expressly not transvestites or transexual.
  • The main female character’s names are both avian, Marion Crane and Clarice Starling. Birds were used by Hitchcock to signify a predatory nature or impending doom. 
  • The moth also echoes Norman’s taxidermied birds. 
  • Demme uses extreme close-ups where actors look directly into the lens, mirroring Hitchcock’s technique of forcing the audience into a character’s intimate or uncomfortable perspective. 
  • Both climaxes follow a female protagonist into a confined basement/cellar.

The movie is based on the 1988 novel by Thomas Harris. It was the second film to feature the character Hannibal Lecter; the first, Manhunter (1986), directed by Michael Mann, was based on the first novel in the Lecter series, Red Dragon (1981). 

Prior to the release of the Silence of the Lambs novel, Orion Pictures partnered with Gene Hackman to adapt it for film. With Hackman set to direct and star as either Jack Crawford or Hannibal Lecter, negotiations were made to split the $500,000 cost of rights between Hackman and the studio. The producers also had to acquire the rights to the Lecter character, which were owned by Manhunter producer Dino De Laurentiis. Owing to the financial failure of Manhunter, De Laurentiis lent the rights to Orion for free.

Jodie Foster was interested in playing FBI agent Clarice Starling immediately after reading the novel. However, even though she had just won an Academy Award for Best Actress at the 61st Academy Awards for her performance in The Accused (1988), Demme was not initially convinced that she was right for the role. Demme’s first choice for the role of Starling was Michelle Pfeiffer, with whom he had just collaborated on Married to the Mob (1988). She turned it down, as did Meg Ryan, and the studio thought Laura Dern wasn’t a bankable star. Molly Ringwald auditioned but was considered too young.

Sean Connery turned down the role of Lecter, and when he turned it down it went to Anthony Hopkins based on his performance in The Elephant Man (1980). Other actors considered for the role included Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi and Daniel Day-Lewis. Forest Whitaker has stated that he also auditioned for the role.

The idea to use glass in Lecter’s Baltimore cell, as opposed to traditional bars, came from production designer Kristi Zea. The idea came about because director Jonathan Demme was unhappy shooting the Lecter scenes through bars, as he felt they negated the sense of intimacy between Lecter and Starling, which he was trying to achieve. In Thomas Harris’ novel, Lecter’s cell did have bars, but also a nylon net just behind them.

At the 64th Academy Awards, it became the third—and most recent—film to win the “Big Five” categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The Random Draw for Next Picture:

Next up, we’ll be discussing Rebecca (1997)

Feedback:

Follow the show on Facebook or BlueSky @PresentingHitchcock

Subscribe to Presenting Hitchcock