The Silence of the Lambs - An Analysis

[Andrew Ratto]

One thing to keep in mind about The Silence of the Lambs is the fact that the story is dominated by two characters: a female who feels at disadvantage because of her gender, and a male who wants to become a female. It isn't just the story of a murderer and his murders, and I'm astounded that it's commonly dismissed as a typical slasher film. It's very deep, and almost every scene in the film offers psychological insight into one of its characters. Clarice is a woman in a male-dominated society, scarred by the death of her father, who hopes her saving Buffalo Bill's latest victim will compensate for a lamb she failed to save from being slaughtered when she was a child, hence the title. As Hannibal Lector observes:

HANNIBAL
Do you think if you saved Catherine, you could make them stop? Do you think, if Catherine lives, you won't wake up in the dark, ever again to the screaming of the lambs?

Consider the scenes that exemplify male domination and then the ones that portray Agent Starling's strength -- whether it be physical or mental. Take, for example, two very similar shots in which Clarice is overwhelmed by the symbolic male presence in an area.

00:04:14 - Clarice steps onto an elevator already occupied by several tall men, all wearing red shirts, talking amongst themselves. She is very short in comparison, wears a grey shirt and talks to none of them. There are no women present in this shot. [ shot ]

00:39:27 - Agent Jack Crawford suggests to the Sheriff that they discuss the case in another room, in lieu of Agent Starling being a woman. They do so, and the camera cuts to Agent Starling standing at the center of a circle formed by tall men, all wearing police uniforms. Clarice wears an overcoat and a scarf, and talks to none of them. There are no women present in this shot. The door then closes behind Crawford and the camera scans the officers from Starling's POV, all gazing directly at her -- and then cuts to an uncomfortable Clarice. [ shot ]

There are also scenes that take a more direct approach to this theme. As Clarice and another female student jog and quiz each other on what could be assumed as the material for an upcoming exam, a crowd of male students pass them and then turn to check them out. When Clarice meets Dr. Chilton for the first time he begins shamelessly hitting on her, but she refuses, and for the rest of the film puts down his polite facade, perhaps seeing no point in being nice.

Now consider the scenes that oppose this theme. In many cases, the opening shot of a film is used to display the theme or portray something vital to the film's message. The opening scene in The Silence of the Lambs is Clarice, jogging and sweating, making her way through an obstacle course as the opening credits roll. This is no coincidence. This is a specific directorial choice. Also consider that in the film's conclusion, it turns out Jack Crawford and his men are at the wrong location, and Clarice is the one to collar Bill. Alone.

And what makes Buffalo Bill so much more intriguing than most serial killers put to film is that he's worlds more complex. Meticulous research was conducted and Buffalo Bill became a combination of numerous real-life serial killers. Ed Gein, for instance, used to wear the skins of his victims and parade himself in front of mirrors, a trait Bill so memorably mimics. The basement of Gary Michael Heidnick was the inspiration for Bill's dungeonesque cellar, where Catherine is held. In an early scene, Bill lures Catherine to his truck by pretending to be unable to lift a couch into it and wearing a phony cast. This is a trick pulled from the book of Ted Bundy.

As told to Clarice and the viewer by Dr. Lecter, he is not a transsexual, but he wants to be because he dislikes himself for one reason or another -- most likely connected to a childhood incident. The field of psychology cannot stress enough how important childhood is in the development of a human being, and both Clarice and Bill's childhood memories are what motivates them in their respective adulthoods. Later in the story it is revealed that Buffalo Bill's first victim is a girl he knew, and that he kills because he is making the suit of a woman which he can wear to fulfill his urge to become a female.

The film also gives us a look at the interesting field of profiling, demonstrated by Clarice in a discussion with Agent Crawford in a car. Note, also, that Clarice sits in the back while Jack and a male driver are seated up front. From the little information known about Buffalo Bill, Clarice is able to identify that he's: a white male, who owns his own home or apartment, is in his 30's or 40's and has real physical strength combined with an older man's self-control. And it turns out she's dead on. In addition, she doesn't just pull this out of the air, she provides thorough reasoning for each of her observations. This is just a personal intrigue of mine that I'm sure others found equally compelling.

The Silence of the Lambs offers intricate insight into the mentality of both a serial killer and his pursuer. What separates it from formulaic crime movies? It doesn't just present a murderer, his murders and reveal him in the last 15 minutes of the film and give his half-hearted "motive". Watch the History Channel and try to catch shows about serial killers and you'll find the same information -- profiling, childhood memories, secret lives, etc. That's why it was awarded Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It's a study of people and society, and is applicable to real-life. This is why movies like Schindler's List, Amadeus, Million Dollar Baby, and American Beauty win the Oscar every year. With the exception of some -- I still think Good Will Hunting, Taxi Driver, and GoodFellas should have won Best Picture in their respective years. But I'm sure someone can cook up an opposing argument.

If you think this is overanalysis, watch the film again -- the themes and insights I describe are very prominent and will become obvious if you keep an eye out for them. Keep in mind that the director, with each scene and each shot, shows what he wants to show and that there are few coincidences in filmmaking.

Thanks for reading.

[bigred760]

I totally agree with your insight into one of the greatest movies ever made, except for one thing. I think you're missing the Hannibal Lecter angle to the movie. He's the "middle man" between the pursuer and the serial killer. He's a serial killer himself while helping the pursuer catch another.

What's your take on that?

[XvoorheesX]

One thing to keep in mind about The Silence of the Lambs is the fact that the story is dominated by two characters: a female who feels at disadvantage because of her gender, and a male who wants to become a female. It isn't just the story of a murderer and his murders, and I'm astounded that it's commonly dismissed as a typical slasher film.

I think this is the best movie of the 90's, and although not everyone would agree with that, I don't know a single person who would call it a typical slasher film. Typical slasher films don't win every major oscar.

[Wordslinger]

Very interesting analysis, and I completely agree with it. I need to see the movie again, because it's been quite a while since I've seen it, though I remember all the things you mentioned.

I find it strange that you skipped Hannibal Lector entirely in the analysis however. He, being the only male in the movie that recognizes Starling's abilities and respects her as a woman as well, I thought was very interesting. If I remember right, he preyed only on males as well, and never killed a female, while Buffalo Bill killed only females.

[Andrew Ratto]

Originally posted by bigred760
I totally agree with your insight into one of the greatest movies ever made, except for one thing. I think you're missing the Hannibal Lecter angle to the movie. He's the "middle man" between the pursuer and the serial killer. He's a serial killer himself while helping the pursuer catch another.

What's your take on that?

I was up the entire night so if I decide to come back and write some more about Lecter (who is undoubtedly an important character who should be discussed) it won't be until several hours from now. The truth is, when I wrote this I was in a rush to finish it and did knowing there was still ground to be tread on.

Originally posted by XvoorheesX
I think this is the best movie of the 90's, and although not everyone would agree with that, I don't know a single person who would call it a typical slasher film. Typical slasher films don't win every major oscar.

This is actually a modified version of a more fleshed out post I made on another board -- in which the comparison was made between this and Seven. The verdict was heavily sided with Seven so that remark is really aimed towards the people who were bashing Lambs in that thread.

[Hannibal21]

I've watched the film a couple of times and have noticed the scenes involving Clarice that you were talking about in your post, and I agree with every word of your analysis. I should probably look into Buffalo Bill a bit more as well as some into about the serial killers that inspired him though. But overall, I really enjoyed reading your assessment of the two characters and the subtler details & scenes you pointed out.

But, yeah, I was also a bit surprised that Hannibal Lecter I find wasn't mentioned in your analysis. He's definitely one of the most interesting of all villains. In fact, sometimes I'd be tempted to say that I don't really think of him as a villain in this film, as he is the really the one that aids Clarice throughout the story to help her find Buffalo Bill, and like Wordslinger said, the only one in the film who recognized her strengths, we root for him at the end, even as he's killing people. Would love to hear your thoughts on that, Andrew.

Originally posted by Wordslinger
If I remember right, he preyed only on males as well, and never killed a female, while Buffalo Bill killed only females.

Although he did attack a female nurse, if I remember correctly (it wasn't shown in TSOTL, I'm pretty sure it was in the movie HANNIBAL).

[mcquade]

great analysis...i beleive that hannibal plays a neutral party in the film, he plays the part of the psychiatrist whom are supposed to be neutral and just observers, now granted he's homicidal, but still he is neutral

[Andrew Ratto]

Originally posted by Hannibal21
Although he did attack a female nurse, if I remember correctly (it wasn't shown in TSOTL, I'm pretty sure it was in the movie HANNIBAL).

That's correct, and his pulse never broke 85, even when he ate her tongue.

[ChemicalRomance]

Nice read Andy.

::feels smarter::

[Andrew Ratto]

This is the last bump.

[ChemicalRomance]

One thing worth mentioning is this movie along with the original Texas Chainsaw are the two movies to success work the "show none, but scare a ton" method, even though I believe Silence uses it much more effectively.

I love this method. Think in Silence when Clarice is being shown the picture of the nurse by Chilton and Chilton is explaining in great detail what Hannibal had done to the nurse. The dialogue is delievered in a chilling tone and the angle we get of the shot with a red light shining down, creating a panicked and scared mood. The shot is upwards, from behind the polaroid while Clarice looks at it in horror, and Chilton explains the events between the nurse and Lecter. This is a beautiful shot, and the theory of not showing but leader the viewer interpret how terrible this Hannibal can be is overwhelming and has you instantly hooked into who is Hannibal and what makes him do this.

BRILLIANT shot. BRILLIANT "show none, think violence is worse" strategy execution.

[Misanthrope]

Interesting ideas. Many similar themes can also be found in Red Dragon ( and manhunter ) too, only handed differently.