Regular Price $29.99

Starring: Jodie Foster,  Anthony Hopkins,  Scott Glenn,  Anthony Heald,  Ted Levine, 
Directed By: Jonathan Demme, 
Rated: R (Restricted)
Release Date: 1991-02-14
Studio: Image Entertainment
Format: AC-3,  Closed-captioned,  Color,  Dolby,  DVD-Video,  Letterboxed,  Widescreen,  NTSC, 

Editorial Reviews and DVD Information about The Silence of the Lambs

Description
As Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter, Anthony Hopkins is the archetypical antihero--cultured, quick-witted, uncontainable--a portrait of the sharpest human faculties gone diabolically wrong. His performance marked him as a major star in America, and the movie swept the 1991 Academy Awards--Best Picture, Director (Jonathan Demme), Actor (Hopkins), Actress (Foster), and Screenplay Adaptation (Ted Tally, from the novel by Thomas Harris).

Amazon.com essential video
Based on Thomas Harris's novel, this terrifying film by Jonathan Demme really only contains a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, virtually entombed in a subterranean prison for the criminally insane. At the behest of the FBI, agent-in-training Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) approaches Lecter, requesting his insights into the identity and methods of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). In exchange, Lecter demands the right to penetrate Starling's most painful memories, creating a bizarre but palpable intimacy that liberates them both under separate but equally horrific circumstances. Demme, a filmmaker with a uniquely populist vision (Melvin and Howard, Something Wild), also spent his early years making pulp for Roger Corman (Caged Heat), and he hasn't forgotten the significance of tone, atmosphere, and the unsettling nature of a crudely effective close-up. Much of the film, in fact, consists of actors staring straight into the camera (usually from Clarice's point of view), making every bridge between one set of eyes to another seem terribly dangerous. --Tom Keogh

Amazon.com essential video
Based on Thomas Harris's novel, this terrifying film by Jonathan Demme really only contains a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, virtually entombed in a subterranean prison for the criminally insane. At the behest of the FBI, agent-in-training Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) approaches Lecter, requesting his insights into the identity and methods of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). In exchange, Lecter demands the right to penetrate Starling's most painful memories, creating a bizarre but palpable intimacy that liberates them both under separate but equally horrific circumstances. Demme, a filmmaker with a uniquely populist vision (Melvin and Howard, Something Wild), also spent his early years making pulp for Roger Corman (Caged Heat), and he hasn't forgotten the significance of tone, atmosphere, and the unsettling nature of a crudely effective close-up. Much of the film, in fact, consists of actors staring straight into the camera (usually from Clarice's point of view), making every bridge between one set of eyes to another seem terribly dangerous. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews for The Silence of the Lambs

Silence of the Lambs
I purchased the Criterion Edition for one reason only, that being the commentary provided by the director, writers and actors in the movie, which for some strange unfathomable reason, is not on any other edition.

It was worth the wait to purchase and view this DVD, it being denied the full 5-star rating because it does NOT include a sub-title track so that one can listen to the commentary and follow the dialogue on-screen. This is a personal foible of mine, but may not be relevant to other purchasers.

Otherwise a superlative product, which I recommend highly to anybody.The Silence of the Lambs

it puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again
Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-winning performance has made Hannibal Lecter one of the 3 most famous horror character icons born during The Age of Cinema. The other 2 of course (in no particular order) are Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates and Robert Englund as Freddie Krueger. Of course, I excluded characters invented before movies were invented, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, etc. But, Hopkins' portrayal of the brilliant shrink who has a taste for cannibalism is nothing short of exquisite. Just a casual conversation with Lecter sends a chill up your spine. Someone else portrayed the character in an earlier movie, but no one noticed. Hopkins perfected the role and made it his own. Jodie Foster also won an Oscar for her role as Clarice Starling, the FBI trainee who is sent to question Dr. Lecter in his underground cell in a mental institution for the criminally insane. She wants Lecter to help profile and maybe identify a serial killer who has been skinning young girls after killing them. The killer known as Buffalo Bill is also admirably portrayed by Ted Levine. (my title for this review is one of Buffalo Bill's famous lines from this film) There is not a lot of blood, violence or gross stuff shown in this flick. There's a little, but not much. This isn't supposed to be a slasher flick, but rather a psychological thriller that gets its bone-chilling effectiveness from the script, the actors and the suspense which is beautifully created by the patient director, Jonathan Demme. Effects such as close-up conversations with Lecter speaking right to the camera (as if the audience has Clarice's close-up view while speaking to him) helps with the spooky atmosphere of the film. I was never a huge Jodie F. fan, but she definitely deserved her Oscar in this film for her role as, the bravely-trying-to-hide-her-fear-and-do-her-job, smart and professional in the grim face of danger Clarice. Supurb script, acting and directing make for a suspenseful, spooky psychological thriller without much blood or grotesque imagery...again there is a little, but not too much. I'll admit I like blood and carnage and slasher flicks. But, I can greatly admire a film that can be spooky without going that route...especially a movie that is as finely crafted as this one. This movie is excellent at maintaining the spooky mood while building tension and suspense. It keeps you rivoted. Believe me, if you miss this movie, you'll eat your heart out. Or if you DON'T eat your heart out, maybe someone else will!The Silence of the Lambs

Good Movie
Silence of the Lambs is one of my favorite movies. Amazon .com had it sent to me in a timely fashion and good working orderThe Silence of the Lambs

Great Movie. But not in the league of "SE7EN"
Great job by Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal) and Jodie Foster (Clarice). It wasn't scary or as yucky as people told me. I'm still one of the believers that "SE7EN" is a much superior movie. This was on O.K. movie. Intense, yes. But not that shocking. I don't understand what the talk has been about, all these years. I wasn't that impressed. Maybe I was trying too hard to compare Hopkins to Kevin Spacey. But then again, Hopkins has more space to develop in this movie than Spacey did. But Kevin Spacey didn't need it. There I go again - comparing. Oooooops!The Silence of the Lambs

Excellent!
This movie is my all-time-favorite! Great actors, director, performances, and screenplay! Oh, and you should try to locate the "motif", and how the protagonist relates to the victim of the film.The Silence of the Lambs

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