Day Sixty-Three: Silence of the Lambs

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Starring:
-Anthony Hopkins
-Jodie Foster
-Ted Levine

Directed by: Jonathan Demme

Screenplay Credits: Ted Tally

MPAA Rating: R


“It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.”

If that doesn’t make your skin crawl, you must be weirdly inhuman.

This was my first time watching SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. I’m not sure how I avoided it all these years; it just never came up. I haven’t been hiding from it, though, and finding it in the five dollar bin at Wal-Mart couple with the sequel, HANNIBAL, reinforced my belief that 2010 is the year of trying new things.

I cuddled up in my bed with a bottle of water and a bowl of celery sticks (don’t judge me, they make a very satisfying crunch) and tried to prepare myself for whatever freaky crap this movie was going to throw at me.

It really wasn’t that bad. Hannibal the Cannibal is a brilliant but deadly doctor who has been locked away for several years. FBI trainee Claries Starling interests him, and he agrees to talk with her about the world’s latest serial madman “Buffalo Bill.” Starling has reason to believe that Lector knows the bad guy’s true identity. Claries figures it out and shoots him to death. Hannibal eats some people and breaks free.

The story you know; that’s not what I’m interesting in reporting. What interesting me is the little tidbit that BLEW MY MIND about this movie.

I don’t normally pay close attention to actor names in the beginning credits. I’d rather be thinking “Hey, it’s Agent Starling!” instead of “Hey, Jodie Foster has such a mannish voice!” So I ignored the name “Ted Levine” but believe you me, I know who that is.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to put it together though. Every time Buffalo Bill came on the screen, I actually averted my eyes. That is how creepy looking I found him. It wasn’t until the movie was approaching its final climactic scenes that I realized, “This guy sounds just like Captain Leland Stottlemeyer on MONK.”

And then I gasped the world’s hardest gasp and shook my head in disbelief for the duration of the film. It’s him! It really is him!

Now I’m almost desperate to watch an episode of MONK so I care stare at him (his creepy face and pasty serial killer body obscured by a tasteful suit and bushy mustache) and murmur “goodbye hoooooorseeeeeees” quietly to myself until my mother shuts off the television and tells me I’m adopted.

The movie? Not as freaky (or as good) as I thought it would be. Hannibal Lecotr is DEFINITELY a compelling character though. Sir Anthony gives a perfect, bone-chilling portrayal. I like Hannibal so well that I actually wanted him to go free, despite the fact that the mere thought of cannibalism makes me want to heave and gag my guts up. This is excellent writing, and superb delivery. I feel confident enough in my belief to say that Hannibal the Cannibal is one of the most interesting characters the screen may ever know.

And he has excellent taste in wine.


FINAL GRADE: B

Off in search of Miss Mofet,

M.