An Appreciation – The Silence of the Lambs

If Lecter is memorable for his sophistication, then Buffalo Bill is memorable for being anything but. Here is truly one of the most disturbing villains I’ve seen in the movies, a twisted and insane individual who is less a human being and more like a living gothic statue. It makes me wonder just how far Ted Levine went in researching and preparing for his role, because he so incredibly convincing as Bill. From the tattered blond hair and the almost scarecrow-like way he moves his body to that odd, deep way of talking, everything about his performance is very startling. Watch during the scene when Bill, realizing that he has been caught, raises his arms in the air and allows his business cards to fall from his hands with a smile on his face, or the part when Bill mocks Catherine’s cries for help while tugging at his own shirt. Just thinking about these moments makes me feel rattled all over again. The house that Bill lives in is a façade, on the outside appearing normal but revealing layers of a deeply crazed person the further you go down toward the basement. Once you get to the well and his sewing room, the world has become a fantasyland of horrible dreams, a hellish place where Bill acts out his most insane wishes. I don’t think there’s a person out there who can listen to the song “Goodbye Horses” without feeling completely creeped out by what Buffalo Bill did while it was playing.

Before Jonathan Demme took this project, he was known mostly for being a comedy director. However, he was able to get pitch-perfect tone and style when making this movie. One of the best decisions he made here was the constant use of the close-up. It’s been said that the most fascinating thing to film is the human face, and this film took that idea and ran with it. There is a close-up in nearly every scene, but not just that—often times the close-up would have the actor looking directly into the camera, thus, when projected, appearing as if they are staring right at the audience. The movie is very much about observation; Lecter looking at Clarice, Clarice looking at Lecter and attempting to look into the mind of Buffalo Bill, and Buffalo Bill looking at his victims. When Demme, with the help of cinematographer Tak Fujimoto, places the camera directly in front of the actor, it gives the sense that the actor is looking right at the heart of the person watching the film. We almost feel the need to back ourselves away from the screen a bit with how tight the close-up is, as if the characters are breaking through it toward us.

I’d like to think that Hitchcock would have enjoyed the technical aspects of the movie, because much of it was made in the style that he founded. The suspense in the film was very well done; it was established early and executed brilliantly. Hitchcock always believed that it was better for the audience to know where the danger was coming from, instead of being subjected to a jump scare. This is seen constantly throughout the movie, such as in the way that Lecter’s actions are described to Clarice, or in Clarice seeing the articles about Buffalo Bill’s latest victims. The set up allows the danger to build in our minds, so that when we finally do encounter these monsters, we become anxious, because we know what they’ve done and what they may possibly do. There are constant instances where we hear breathing and panting on the soundtrack, adding to our levels of anxiety. This all builds to the final climactic scene of the movie, where all the foundation that was made pays off in a very dramatic sequence. The suspense starts off almost immediately, when we realize that the SWAT team ended up going to the wrong house, leaving Clarice all by herself with Buffalo Bill. Knowing that she is a student and not an official FBI agent elevates our fear that she may be ill-prepared for this moment. The way she slowly moves around Bill’s basement, once again with loud breathing on the soundtrack, with the camera watching from her viewpoint as she creeps her way through each door and around each corner, keeps us riveted to see what she finds and where Buffalo Bill may be hiding. And then, finally, in the moment when Bill turns the lights off, we suddenly switch to his viewpoint, the night vision goggles watching as Clarice stumbles her way in the darkness, creating suspense that we can almost no longer bear. Is this audience manipulation to achieve a certain effect? Absolutely, but done at the highest level possible.

The Silence of the Lambs works in so many different aspects that it almost is hard to classify it in one subgenre. It works as a horror movie, but also as a police procedural, a suspenseful thriller, and as a character study of a woman trying to solve a case and rid the personal demons that haunt her. The direction, writing, and acting are the very best that you would find in a film like this, deserving all the acclaim and stature they have received over the years. Even today, the film still has its effect on audiences; I can still walk around and hear people quote from it. Perhaps its sequels and prequels have dissipated its aura a bit (although Michael Mann’s Manhunter from 1986 has merits of its own), as they tend to focus more on being disturbing than actually suspenseful or frightening, not achieving the quality that this movie has. This is one of those films that seems to come once a decade or so, where everything fell into place to create something that becomes a part of movie legend.

Pages: 1 2

About

Allen is a moviegoer based out of Seattle, Washington. His hobbies include dancing, playing the guitar, and, of course, watching movies.

You can reach Allen via email or Twitter

View all posts by this author