The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1990
Running Times:  
Format: Technicolor
Ratio:
Sound:

(Full Credits)

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Strong Heart/Demme Productions/Orion
Executive Producer: Gary Goetzman
Producers: Edward Saxon, Kenneth Utt, Ron Bozman

SCRIPT
Script: Ted Tally
Novel: Thomas Harris

DIRECTION
Director: Jonathan Demme

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Tak Fujimoto

EDITING AND POST PRODUCTION
Editor: Craig McKay

MUSIC
Music: Howard Shore

SOUND
Sound Designer: Skip Lievsay
Production Sound Mixer: Christopher Newman

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Allen Weisinger
Hair: Alan D'Angerio
Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood

SPECIAL MAKE UP
Special Make Up Effects: Carl Fullerton, Neal Martz

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Dwight Benjamin-Creel

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Kristi Zea
Art Director: Tim Galvin

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinator: John Robotham
Stuntmen: Walt Robles, George Wilbur, Mike Cassidy

CASTING
Casting: Howard Feuer

CAST
Jodie Foster (Clarice Starling)
Anthony Hopkins (Dr Hannibal Lector)
Scott Glenn (Jack Crawford)
Ted Levine (Jame Gumb)
Anthony Heald (Dr Frederick Chilton)
Brooke Smith (Catherine Martin)
Diane Baker (Senator Ruth Martin)
Kasi Lemmons (Ardelia Mapp)
Charles Napier (Lt Boyle)
Tracey Walter (Lamar)
Roger Corman (FBI Director Hayden Burke)
Ron Vawter (Paul Krendler)
Danny Darst (Sgt Tate)
Frankie Faison (Barney)
Paul Lazar (Pilcher)
Dan Butler (Roden)
Chris Isaak (SWAT commander)

FBI agent Clarice Starling consults caged psychopath Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lector as part of the Bureau's operation against serial killer Buffalo Bill. A strange relationship develops between Lector and Starling as she begins to close in on the killer. Lector meanwhile has plans of his own...

Well made but over-rated and not a patch on Manhunter (1986). The multiple Oscar wins seemed to dupe many into believing that it was better than it actually is - in truth it's a competent serial killer movie and nothing more than that. Jodie Foster is very good as troubled agent Starling but Hopkins is so over the top as the pantomime bad guy Lector that one wonders why he wasn't caught sooner - anyone behaving like this in public would have been suspect a long time ago. Bring back Brian Cox's quietly malevolent subtlety.

UK
Rating: 18

1992
Academy Awards
Best Film
Best Direction
Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins)
Best Actress (Jodie Foster)
Best Adapted Screenplay

British Academy of Film and Television Arts
Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins)
Best Actress (Jodie Foster)

The most frightening film ever made

SEQUEL TO
Manhunter (1986)

SEQUEL
Hannibal (2001)

PREQUELS
Hannibal Rising (2006)
Red Dragon (2002)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
The Celluloid Closet (1995)

SEE ALSO
Hannibal Lickter (NO DATE)

MAGAZINES

Fantasynopsis 4 pp.52-53 (UK)
review

Variety 11 February 1991 (USA)
review

NEWSPAPERS

New Musical Express 1 June 1991 p.28
illustrated review

BOOKS

The BFI Companion to Crime pp.305-306
review

International Film Guide 1993 pp.10, 11
note

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

serial killers, fbi, psychology, profiling, transsexuals, flaying, politicians

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009