Jodie Foster, in an interview, described how Hopkins threw in the accent barb unscripted. She was a young actress in awe of Hopkins(who never spoke to her during filming) trying to get her part right and particularly sensitive to the accent she was trying to deliver. His comment about her accent cut her and made, she maintains, her subsequent delivery and facial expression much better.
I think it sounds a bit like he was running out of breath right there at the end. Of course, if he were, then it just means he had *two* great improvisations in this scene.
The soundtrack after he calls Clarice a rube is very underrated. It gives off an aura of despair; as Lecter picks apart Clarice's West Virginian roots, the music offers a bleak and depressing summation of Clarice's ancestors who were trapped in poverty and how she came from essentially nothing, in a cruel effort to make her feel worthless. Truly genius.
That's incredible. Went back and listened twice. The kind of effect where you dont notice it consciously but it makes the entire scene. That was extremely well done.
This whole soundtrack is underrated especially the part where he escapes is so engrossing with the music alone. Also Lector is a hypocrite too lol, he’s a reufugee from Eastern Europe who’s family probably wasn’t anything. She’s right he doesn’t hold that 🪞 up to himself lol.
I like how HE HIMSELF adopts an Appalachian accent. Especially since IRL Hopkins is from the United Kingdom. Reminds me of John Cleese in "A Fish Called Wanda" when he said, "I guess you'd have to say They. Whooped. Your. Hides. Real. Good!"
Perfect acting by Anthony Hopkins! The voice, the eyes and just about everything else about him is so intense and believable. Just like a real sociopath, not like some other actors who portray these kind of characters as utterly crazy, overly aggresive or goofy. He portrays the character as a real person with just a little bit of a scary edge. He's right up there with Anthony Perkins' Norman Bates and Christian Bales' Patrick Bateman. He really deserved the oscar (unlike some other actors!).
In less than a minute of interaction he was able to catch up with basically everything about her, and at no moment she ever mentioned anything about her past and who she is. Now, THIS is scary.
As so many comments below say, the acting is excellent! But I have to give some props to the incredible music score underneath all of this. It's the ominous and chilling underscore to his every word and pause that cuts through to the very core of her identity. A fitting first scene introduction to the Lunatic Legend himself Hannibal the Cannibal.
@@jmnny85 As Jodie said herself, it was this scene where she felt way out of her comfort zone, Hopkins got a natural reaction out of her with this improvisation.
He didn’t coz he got all wrong as her father was a police officer! That’s why she answered back to him and he stopped . But Anthony acting mimicking her accent was improved and that’s why she blushes because that caught her off guard 😉
A brilliant script made even better by Hopkin's under-stated performance as he leads us towards the F B...I. A master class. One watch it again and again.
Interesting bit: all of these scenes were shot individually. Hopkins did all his without Foster present and Foster shot her scenes without Hopkins present.
+Stormy Weather The Silence of the Lambs is considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant by the U.S. Library of Congress and was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry in 2011. Wikipedia
Look I wasn't dissing Anthony Hopkins, I ADORE him in Silence of the Lambs. He's been one of my favorite actors my entire life. I was simply making a comparison to two villainous roles that both garnered Oscars. By saying that Heath Ledger's Joker was like the Hannibal of today, I was simply referring to the fact that they both gave incredible performances of murderers who were extremely smart as well as dangerous.
If you compare this to the later films, there's something different here. Hopkins is younger and more physically threatening, but even in his acting...there's an edge, a sort of viciousness to the way he says his lines that isn't in the later Hannibal movies. He says "poor white trash" with that mock accent, you can feel the genuine hatred inside him. Wow.
This was the second movie I had seen with Hopkins in it. The first was the Mask of Zorro. I was surprised how he went from a broken caring father, to a down right insane yet incredibly intelligent Doctor. Almost the same shock I had when I found out Glen Close voiced Kala from Disney's Tarzan, and Cruella De Vil.
I have to disagree with that bit you said about how Hannibal's author is the only one who can understand him. True, Harris may have created Dr. Lecter, but Anthony Hopkins is the one who made Lecter who he is. He was the one who suggested the greased back hair, the form-fitting clothes, and even how he mocked Starling's accent was improvised. I think Hopkins knows Hannibal the best.
In the books it says Lecters IQ is not measurable by any means known to man,I always think of that when I watch this cause he totally dismantles Clarice with his insight in about 30 seconds of meeting her.
check out "Inside the Actors Studio" .. the interview with Jodie Foster ... when he made fun of that accent she adopted for the movie .. "all the blood drained from my face" ... it's what brought me here .. that must have been one Powerful moment for them ...
Anthony Hopkins is the only one who could have played the part of Hannibal Lecter can't wait to see the new movie he is going to be in, Wolfman (or something like that).
Few performances I've seen have given me chills like this one, as it takes something...special, I don't know. Something particular. Others would be: Heath Ledger as The Joker. Kathy Bates in "Misery" Edward Norton in "Primal Fear" Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jake Gyllenhal in "Donnie Darko" Jennifer Carpenter in "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" Most of the actors in "The Departed" Ashton Kutcher in "The Butterfly Effect" And as I said, this one, which is perhaps takes the cake
The Silence of the Lambs is considered "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant by the U.S. Library of Congress and was selected to be preserved in the National Film Registry in 2011. Wikipedia
@ProRanting They did actually make the book "Red Dragon" in the early 80's called Manhunter, and it has a few phenomenal songs by Red7 and Shriekback too....
"How quickly" beauty wise, as a preadolescent. Showing her how well he knows her without knowing but just by observing. To intimidate and embarrass her about the things she must have gone through. Not bad things to be precise but definitely things that he maybe sees about her that must have bothered her by not having much of a choice. In order to find her in her most intimate place. Tipical first awkward encounters in a womans life, with men, with sexuality.etc.
Jodie Foster looked pissed off during this scene because she didn't know Hopkins was going to put on the accent and thought he was doing it to make fun of her.
Could you think of anyone else playing that role besides Sir Anthony Hopkins? It’s unthinkable right? Well he beat out the following actors. Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Sean Connery and believe it or not even Morgan Freeman!
Actually no, I really can't imagine this role being played by someone else. Even the TV show, that actor did a fine job - but it doesn't even remotely touch the intelligence and sheer sinister nature Hopkins brought to the screen.
@ProRanting, Ridley Scott is actually a great director and I liked Hannibal. It was well directed, written, acted and shot. It was better than Red Dragon. but not by much. Scott directed classics like Matchstick Men, Gladiator, Blade Runner and one of my all time favorites, Thelma & Louise. However, I hated Black Hawk Down. So yeah, you wrong by a long shot.
@gwa56. your right. you should watch the original to red dragon called man hunter. it was made in the 80s with the first appearence of Hanibal Lector except it was played by Brian Cox whos a very good actor in his own right although just can't compare to Anthony Hopkins in this role.
