64th Academy Awards · 1992
The Silence of the Lambs
Directed by Jonathan Demme
“To enter the mind of a killer she must challenge the mind of a madman.”
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The story
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
What critics & audiences say
Tomatometer95%Fresh#26 of 98 winnersIMDb8.61.8M votes#6 of 98 winners
Metacritic86/ 100#40 of 93 winners
TMDB8.3/ 10
Famous lines
A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.
I do wish we could chat longer, but … I'm having an old friend for dinner. Bye.
It rubs the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.
Well, Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?
Quid pro quo. I tell you things, you tell me things. Not about this case, though, about yourself.
You fly back to school now, little Starling. Fly, fly, fly. Fly, fly, fly.
Memory, Agent Starling, is what I have instead of a view.
Put the fucking lotion in the basket!
First principles, Clarice: simplicity. Read Marcus Aurelius: "Of each particular thing, ask: What is it in itself? What is its nature?
Clarice Starling: Most serial killers keep some sort of trophies from their victims.
Hannibal Lecter: I didn't.
Clarice Starling: No. No, you ate yours.
Quotes via Wikiquote
Fun facts
- When his agent said a script called The Silence of the Lambs was on its way, Anthony Hopkins asked, "Is it a children's story?" After reading the first 10 pages he called back: "This is the best part I've ever read."Wikipedia · Casting
- Gene Hackman was originally set to direct and possibly star as Lecter or Crawford, but withdrew because his children wanted him to stop making violent films.Wikipedia · Development
- Anthony Hopkins drew on the HAL 9000 computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey and the vocal patterns of Truman Capote to create Hannibal Lecter.Wikipedia · Casting
- Michelle Pfeiffer was Jonathan Demme's first choice for Clarice Starling but turned it down, saying she "got nervous about the subject matter"; Meg Ryan also passed before Jodie Foster won the role through sheer passion for it.Wikipedia · Casting
- Sean Connery turned down Hannibal Lecter before Anthony Hopkins was offered it, and Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman and Daniel Day-Lewis were among others considered.Wikipedia · Casting
- It is the only horror film ever to win Best Picture, and the third and most recent film to sweep the "Big Five" Oscars for Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Adapted Screenplay.Wikipedia · Lead
- Lecter's iconic mask was made by Ed Cubberly of Frenchtown, New Jersey, who had made masks for NHL goalkeepers.Wikipedia · Casting
- Because Manhunter had flopped, its producer Dino De Laurentiis lent Orion the rights to the Hannibal Lecter character for free.Wikipedia · Development
- In a rare act of cooperation at the time, the FBI allowed filming at its Quantico academy, and some FBI staff members even acted in bit parts.Wikipedia · Filming
- The AFI named Anthony Hopkins's Hannibal Lecter the number one film villain of all time, while Jodie Foster's Clarice Starling ranked sixth among film heroes.Wikipedia · Accolades