Foster and Hopkins didn’t meet until it was time to shoot their scenes together. This was done deliberately, to make the tension between the characters as real as possible. It worked wonders, if you ask me
Love the scene where Chilton shows Clarice the photo of the nurse, they don't have to show you anything cause your imagination can conjure something more horrific than anything the filmmaker can show you. Fantastic writing great reaction keep it up!!!
This film did the "Oscar sweep", (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Screenplay) in 1991, and it deserved every one of those trophies. Films this good only come along once in a lifetime, sometimes....
Christopher Lloyd did the same thing when he played Dr. Emmett Brown in "Back to the Future" - of course then it was for comedic effect. :) He also did it in a noticeably unsettling manner as Judge Doom in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"...
Hey Jen, For the majority of his time on screen, Lecter is either in a cell or in restraints, but it always feels like he is in absolute control of the situation and the people he is interacting with. One of my favorite things about this movie. It gives it such as suspense level as opposed to a horror feel. We can't see what Hannibal can do, because he's imprisoned, we just know it.
I am a big movie fan and at 70, I have seen quite a few. I consider the "Silence of the Lambs" exchange to be one of the finest pieces of acting I have viewed in that time. Guess what? You are rapidly becoming one of my favorite reactors. Thanks for another great one.
I can't believe this film is over 30 years old. I remember the first time I saw it. I've been enthralled by Anthony Hopkins ever since. Enjoy the rest of the films in the series!!!
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 I agree with your assessment of Ed Norton. I can't detach him from Fight Club. As for Hannibal, the whole movie played like a bad "B" movie. I don't know what happened between the original and the sequels but something was definitely lost... either bad writing, directing, acting, etc. They should have at least tried to replicate the look, feel, and cadence of the original. The original was slow, brooding, and deliberate. I also loved how the actors had moments where they looked directly into the lens of the camera when they read their lines. It basically put the viewer directly INTO the movie as a participant as opposed to an observer. I've never seen any filmmaker do this before or since.
Great reaction. And yeah, your impression of Lecter is a common one: One of fascination, intrigue and an uncomfortable attraction toward his charisma, charm and intelligence, leaving you feeling uneasy with yourself and conflicted about why you feel so drawn to such a psychopathic serial killer.
Among the many accolades this film rightfully received, a lot of people are impressed (myself included) that Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar for best actor with just 16 min of screen time in a 118 min movie, which is 14% of the total run time. There is only 1 actor who won the award with less screen time - David Niven is shown for 15 minutes 38 seconds in Separate Tables from 1958. This movie is shorter though, so Niven is on screen for a larger percentage of the total run time.
I saw this movie the first week it came out and we all cheered at the end when Hannibal indicated he was having a friend for dinner and then the camera pans over to Dr. Chilton! Also Jen, you have to bring your dad on as a guest some time. He seems to have excellent taste in movies! Thanks for another great reaction.
My favorite trivia I heard in one of the making of specials, during the scene that Jodie explains the lambs, a crew member dropped something loudly during the take, Jodie never broke stride just pausing for a moment and kept going which is the take used. The director was obviously originally pissed and said something to the effect that take would win her the Oscar, then upon seeing the take back, the pause actually helped and used it.
Lecter says, "our little Billy wasn't born a killer...he was made one.." then Bill says to katherine "you don't know what pain is!" so many little gems that after you watch it a few times you can see more of the picture. This man was most likely tortured and possibly sexually abused as a child. He has so much anger and confusion. The acting by everyone is amazing
The quid pro quo between Clarice and Hannibal was so well done! Hannibal was a fascinating character, so learned and refined (quoting Marcus Aurelius, a character in Gladiator!), and even though we heard his crimes described, we only saw his savagery first hand when he attacked the two police. Clarice was lucky to survive after she let him inside her head!
Great reaction! 👍🏿 This film is one of the greatest horror movies ever made. It's great psychological horror. I know that some of you in the comments are giving me the 🙄🙄 eyes. But, people forget how this film shocked people. It was all over the news, and I remember this as a kid. My parents wouldn't let me or my younger brother watch this movie. Since the 1960s, only 5 horror films shocked people so much that the Mainstream Media covered it: Psycho (1960), Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), and The Silence of The Lambs (1991). Oh how soon we forget the past. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
And yes. I know about Cannibal Holocaust, The Human Centipede, Scream, A Serbian Film, The Nightingale, and the 2013 Evil Dead remake. But, these movies weren't universally covered by the MSM. Not even close to the 5 horror film classics mentioned above. Now Poltergeist (1982) was covered by the news. But, this was due to the deaths of the actresses in that horror film in real life. 🎥 Very tragic.
This story was partially inspired by the time the FBI asked Ted Bundy to create a profile about the green river killer and when they finally caught him they realized that Bundys profile was pretty spot on, the part where Bill faked having a broken arm and struggles with the furniture is what Bundy would do to get a woman to help him and then he would hit her over the head and push her into his car. I recently found out that the actors who played Buffalo Bill and Catherine actually dated during the filming of the movie. Everyone freaks when she gets near the glass but it was probably thick plexiglass that wouldn’t shatter.
You TOTALLY pulled me in by your fixed attention to your screen. Well done! I really appreciate when female characters are written who stand on their OWN strength and intellect; that does not come at the expense of diminishing the strength and intellect of other characters. Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor are prime examples. Clarice Starling is such a character.
Fab reaction to a classic! ♥ 30:44 Notice the dog looks like a lamb. Clarice was compelled by her psyche to pursue Bill down in the cellar, if she waited for back up then Catherine may have been killed. She had to save that lamb. The Hannibal films are all worth seeing at least once. After the films, if you enjoyed them, I would very highly recommend the tv series 'Hannibal' (2013 - 2015). In this we start the series by seeing Hannibal as a practicing and very successful psychiatrist, the public and authorities not yet aware he is the active serial killer who has been dubbed The Chesapeake Ripper. Mads Mikkelson plays Hannibal perfectly.
Hannibal gave Clarice an important clue when she found the head. Did you notice that the head was staged next to fully clothed female mannequin, sans head?
28:48 "Girl, _call_ somebody." Well, first, the FBI knows where she is. But second, local law enforcement _also_ knows where she is. She knows all this, so she probably figures backup is on the way.
Ed Harris, William Friedkin, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Brian Cox, Louis Gossett Jr, Forrest Whitaker, Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Marlon Brando, and Daniel Day Lewis were considered for the role of Hannibal.
I agree that Starling and Lecter together were riveting, but you wanna hear the kicker? Jodie Foster never spoke to Anthony Hopkins during the shooting of the movie. She admitted to being scared of him from the table reading sessions.
Beautiful reaction, to one of my all time favorite movies. Containing two of my very favorite characters. The lengths Starling went to in this movie to save that victim, cannot be explained as just a rookie's urge to prove herself. She didn't just go the extra mile. She went the extra light year. And she shows is courage is not the absence of fear. It is persevere in the face of fear. A lot of fear. And Lecter carried himself with such nobility. (Yes, he was literally born to a noble family, in the Baltic region.) They could wrap him up in a straight jacket, strap him to a dolly. Didn't matter. He still commanded everyone's respect. And controlled everything around him. Like a puppet master. Unshakable confidence.
Great reaction, Jen! It really got you several times, especially when Hannibal pulled the face off in the ambulance. This movie survives multiple watches. Thanks for this one.
This one does hold up to repeated viewings. (Even if you have to cover your eyes.) The scene in the basement is possibly the most riveted I have ever been in a theater. I love how there is no scene wasted - it just barrels ahead. Great reaction to a great movie, I could feel the goosebumps. One commenter here suggested 'It Happened One Night' as a comedic old-timey cleanser. Given your gentle nature, I heartily agree.
18:45 Oh, and Jen, one more thing - love the glasses. :-P Gotta give props to both Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster. They shot only three or four scenes together, which means that their conversations were almost all the two of them acting to or in front of the camera, after which these were edited together. Brooke Smith (Catherine Martin) once asked Ted Levine (Buffalo Bill) what he did to prepare for his role. Ted said that all he needed to do was drink a lot of coffee. Here's to hoping Ted Levine doesn't have a large basement complex under his house IRL. Great reaction!
As a testament to how successful this movie was, The Silence of the Lambs won the top five Oscars at the Academy Awards that year: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture.
Glad you watched it.! It's one of my favorite movies....because of the acting.!!! NOT because of the subject matter.!?! As a matter of fact I cry every time they're together in the open jail scene when she's desperately telling about the Lambs.!! The acting is SO GOOD..!!! And it's just the two of them talking.!?! Amazing.!!! The other two movies are good too..."Hannibal" (with Julianne Moore taking over as "Clarice" & she does an admirable job.) "Red Dragon" with Edward Norton, Philip Seymore Hoffman & Ralph Fiennes . I liked the TV series...good actors...but it might be too gory for you.??!! Thx.! Great Reaction.!!
You need to see the rest of em' now. Hannibal Rising - the story of how Lecter came to be. The Red Dragon - About the Agent who finally got Hannibal . Then there's 2 tv series - 1. Clarise - About what she did after catching Bill. 2. Hannibal - About his rein of terror and at one point before he was found out to be a serial killer he actually worked for the FBI as a consultant.
You might be the best reactor I've seen. Quite a lot seem to treat the films as puzzles they want to solve so they're too busy trying to out-guess it rather than go where the film leads you. You don't do that, you let the film lead you. Awesome reaction 👍
Hey Jen. That was fun the more out of your comfort zone the better it is. I don't think I've ever heard more oh my gods in a reaction ever that I watch a lot of reactions. Like most of your actions yours never disappoints. I don't know if you've seen The sixth Sense, you need to put that on your list cuz that'll be fun. That's always you're awesome ❤️💚☘️🇺🇦
One asset that the director was trying to convey was the way Claire felt the male gaze. Watch it and see how most of the men look at her through out the film and you'll notice it.
Great reaction, Jen! Buffalo Bill was a combination of 3 actual serial killers: Ted Bundy (faked an arm injury to lure girls into his car), Ed Gein (who made a woman suit out of his women victims) and Gary Heidnik (kept his victims hostage in a well/basement in his home, where he tortured and eventually murdered them). There has never been a genius serial killer like Hannibal Lecter, but there have been a lot of cannibal serial killers: Fritz Haarmann, Georg Grossmann, Joachim Kroll, and of course, Jeffrey Dahmer - and the list could go on. Before you freak out as to why I know this stuff - I was a criminal defense attorney for years, and studied a lot of true crime and criminal psychology. Take care!
Just a clarification on Ed Gein. Gein only ever admitted to killing 2 women, though he was suspected of a few more but they were never confirmed. The vast majority of his "collection" came from corpses he exhumed from the local graveyards. The closest to a skin suit, was something resembling a corset made from the skin (from shoulder to waist) of a single female corpse and a pair of leggings. He used the skins of these corpses for various other things though, like lampshades, a waste basket, seat covers, a few "face" masks, and the infamous nipple belt.The story of the skin suit (and the association of this to his mother), as far as I know, did not come from Gein himself, but seemingly was later attributed to him by true crime biographers and reporters. And as for there never being a genius serial killer like Lector... that we know of ;)
While Ted Levine is a terrifying bad guy, he is such a great actor and creates a great good guy in the TV series MONK as well (he plays Captain Stottlemeyer) Love this movie though.
I had only seen Silence of the Lambs once, so when I watched Monk, Ted Levine _was_ Captain Stottlemeyer. Then I saw a clip from Lambs again: "Wait, WHAT?!?" 🙈😝
I recommend checking out the prequel 'Red Dragon.' It isn't a masterpiece like 'The Silence of the Lambs,' but it's still an excellent film in its own right, and it's great to see Anthony Hopkins chewing the scenery with another incredible performance as Hannibal Lector.
Jen as a kid i know you were scared that; Silence of the Lambs" was about Murder and Bugs. Ahhhh, heads up Jen. "Silence of the LAmbs" is about Murder and bugs, and kidnapping and screwing with your mind. So, you were founded to fear this movie back in your childhood. Hey, if you could survive, "Seven" you can survive anything. See you on the other side.
Nice premiere & reactions to this film, Jen!🎬👏🏽I felt the same way you did after first watching this. I wasn't sure I would want to watch it again. I waited a few years, but I eventually watched it again. Anthony Hopkins is mesmerizing as Hannibal. He goes from a highly educated professional to a brutal killer in an instant. I'll be visiting Tara's site this weekend to watch her reactions. Take care.
If you find him fascinating, then after you've finished watching the HL movies, may I humbly recommend the series _'Hannibal'_ at some point? 😊 Brilliant reactions, as always; your face when Hannibal took off Pembury’s face, in the ambulance, was just *gold!* 😄💛✨
greetings from Germany...great reaction.....the lady who plays "Catherine" is Brooke Smith. The TV show you mentioned must be "Crossing Jordan". She plays "Dr.Kate Switzer". I love this serie. One of the best crime tv show, together with "CSI. New York" with Detective Mac Taylor, alias Lieutenant Dan.......have a peaceful day and stay safe, my dear
Hopkins is definitely a top tier actor. Well deserved of the MVP. I would say the “Hannibal” series, “Westworld” series and “Legends of the Fall” with Brad Pitt are my favorite Hopkins roles, but there are so many other good ones. Did you know he wrote a waltz when he was 19 years old? Crazy talented. It was entitled “And The Waltz Goes On.” There are videos on RU-vid of him hearing it for the first time 50 years after he wrote it. You should check it out. His reaction and the piece itself is amazing. I think you’ll like it. Looking forward to your next. 😉
watching this reaction was the first time it occurred to me that Lecter's inappropriate winking remark to the Senator about her suit might have been a reference (that only he got, but he loves making those) to his knowledge of what Buffalo Bill's magnum opus was intended to be
I had to laugh at you giving Hannibal MVP and even noting you did it despite so little screen time. I laugh because it so closely mimics the Oscars. Anthony Hopkins won best actor for this role despite only having 24 minutes 52 seconds on screen. The second shortest screen time to win.
19:07 - I've seen this film countless times, but what you said there was really interesting and I never considered it before. It calls back to the "scared at first, then exhilarated" line. At first, the audience is grossed and creeped out... but at the film goes on, you're just invested in where Clarice's investigation leads.
You know, there really _was_ once someone called Buffalo Bill. His given name was William Frederick Cody. He was an American soldier, bison hunter and showman, born in Scott County, Iowa on February 26, 1846. He died in Denver, Colorado, on January 10, 1917. His grave is a major Colorado tourist attraction.
Hey Jen, Martha Stewart was dating Sir Anthony Hopkins at the time the movie came out. His performance was so chilling, that Martha left him soon after seeing the movie. She thought if he had that in him as an actor that must be buried somewhere in him as a person. She couldn't see him as anything other than Hannibal. And expected him to eat her liver at any time going forward.
Thank you for the movie review. One of my favorites. This movie is in a category of its own in my opinion. One of the movies that will be a top classic until Humanity destroys itself.
Your reaction to this movie was awesome. 😱 This was one of the beet suspense/thrillers of all time. Anthony Hopkins won an Oscar for this role. He was incredible and super creepy. Keep up the great reactions Jen. 😊
This was based on the second book in a trilogy - the first was made into an earlier movie called "Manhunter" directed by Michael Mann. Frequent film villain Brian Cox (Colonel Stryker in the X-Men movies) was the first actor to play Lector, but while excellent, Mann's style of direction was VERY different than Johnathan Demme's (who was clearly inspired by the ultra-creepy serial killer interactions from The Exorcist III, released a year earlier than Silence), and Anthony Hopkins' performance threw a shot of adrenaline into his career (he'd been around since A Bridge Too Far - a star-studded war movie from 1977 in which he held his own amongst the likes of Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Robert Redford, James Caan, and Edward Fox - and had been highly acclaimed for his performance in The Elephant Man, directed by David Lynch in 1980, but this one made him a household name). Manhunter was remade later with Hopkins reprising the role in a prequel film called Red Dragon (the title of the first novel). It was actually the 3rd time Hopkins played the character - there was a direct sequel to this one called "Hannibal", directed by Ridley Scott, but the third novel was NOT as good as the first two - the writer put it out too soon under tremendous pressure from the publishing company and fans - and Jodie Foster refused to return to the role because of the way Starling was treated in the book. The third film is a bit better than the novel actually, but it still prompted fans to push for a remake of Manhunter in more of the Johnathan Demme style, and so they made that "prequel" as the last sequel to star Hopkins (and it's actually pretty good, although weird seeing Hannibal visibly older in the prequel, and being so close to Manhunter in so many ways). But wow, I hope that wasn't as confusing as it sounded. Anyway, check out Manhunter, Red Dragon, and Hannibal if you like these kinds of serial killer thrillers. Modern "procedural" crime shows like True Detective, Criminal Minds: Special Victims Unit (and especially C.S.I., which starred William Petersen, star of Manhunter) owe their existence to the success of Silence of the Lambs, as do other serial killer films like Copycat, Just Cause, Seven, Switchback, Kiss the Girls, Double Jeopardy, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo quadrilogy. Even the popular 90's paranormal series The X-Files took a LOT of its tone from this film, and Gillian Anderson (who played Scully) was literally instructed to emulate Starling, while David Duchovny (who played Mulder) patterened his character (somewhat) on Will Graham, the protagonist of the first novel. In essence, "Silence" changed movie and TV detective stories from the more two-fisted, Dirty Harry style action movies or romantic couples investigating cases on TV, to deep, dark, deadly serious "procedurals" that were based in part on real life. So many serial killer series and documentaries are out now STILL cashing in on the audience's fascination with the subject that one would think two out of four people might be serial killers, lol (its actually thought to be more like 2,000 - 4,000 total in the U.S.). Top serial killer professions btw: Truck Driver, Police Officer, Military Personnel, Forestry Workers, Hotel Porters, and Warehouse Managers. Just a little trivia "food" for thought, but hope someone finds it interesting (or helpful), and thanks for another great reaction/review!!!
Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader those two are pretty much always ranked at the top of every "Greatest Movie Villains of All Time" lists. It took me 20 years to finally get around to watching this movie, just a couple of years ago. I knew it would probably be great since I've never heard otherwise, and it is. Yes, Lecter is an evil genius and scary as hell, but when I watched it for the first time, it was Buffalo Bill who I found scarier. Something about the scene where he mocks the girl's pained screaming that disturbed me. That and, of course, his uh... dance number. It hard to believe that's the same actor who played the police captain on the show Monk.
Psychological thrillers like this are so much more intense and frightening than monster horror films. They remind us that the only real monsters are human.
Anthony Hopkins was asked by the director why he chose to be standing in the center of his cell. For the scene of him meeting Clarice. When the director asked him why he was doing that, Hopkins said “I’m waiting to greet her.” How do you know she’s coming, Hopkins said “I can smell her.” Now that is next level messing with your mind. DAmn. What a master in studying personalities. EVen corrupted on a pysiological level.
Well done for getting through this Jen you sure were on edge and tense throughout and no wonder Anthony Hopkins portrayal of hannabal is scary good but so terrifying 😱 another movie he is great in is fracture, I really think you're enjoy it . I really do enjoy the lamb story Clarice has with hannabal it's a simple scene but so well acted . I had fun not so sure you did Jen but you sure looked cosy all wrapped glad you got to watch this as disturbing as it is it's a great movie so cheers Jen for suffering for our pleasure you're the best 💙
Did I see a wee smile at the end when you found out who Hannibal was having for dinner? :D Anthony Hopkins was in a bunch of movies ofc; may I suggest 'The Remains of the day', a drama with Emma Thompson adapted from the Booker Prize-winning 1989 novel by Kazuo Ishiguro, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2017.
Another movie in which Anthony Hopkins plays a creepily disturbed individual, is "Magic" (1978). It features Hopkins, Ann-Margret (Streetcar Named Desire, Grumpy Old Men), and Burgess Meredith (Rocky, "The Penguin" on TV's Batman show).
Your edit at the scene when he's talking to Senator Martin up to Lecter's line of "Love your suit." was great. My parents and I always thought that line was amusing.
16:32 Iconic Line. "It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again." 22:37 Now do you see why they had all those rules in the other facility. Anthony Hopkins is a Grade A Actor.
Great reaction, but I can't believe you thought Lecter was gonna grab Clarice's arm and bite it... I think it was pretty clear by then that he was rather fond of Clarice.
Interesting fact--the scene where Buffalo Bill hunts Clarice in the dark with night vision goggles--it was broad daylight. They could see each other plainly, but both of them are such talented actors they really *sell* the idea that it's pitch black and she can't see a thing while he stalks her. Everyone in the movie is great, of course, and I like Hannibal just as much as most people do. I just find that one fact interesting as it isn't as often talked about, but really speaks to the actors' skill and how they worked together to sell the scene.
Ooo, I was wondering if this was on your list... and what a way to follow up Bill & Ted! Silence of the Lambs is such a remarkable film; one of the few movies to win the "top 5" at the Oscars - best film, best director, best actor, best actress and best screenplay (adapted, in this case), and it deserves each and every award it got! Anthony Hopkins is mesmerising and Jodie Foster matches his performance in such an understated yet powerful way. I'm really glad you liked it, in spite of the subject matter. Great films drag us in, no matter what they're about, and this one stays in our minds long after the credits roll. One thing in particular that I love about it is how almost every character looks straight down the barrel of the lens when they're taking to Clarice, which puts us directly inside her world experience. It's about as close to being subjected to the Male Gaze as most men get, and makes everything feel that much more uncomfortable and personal. Another film that won the top 5 Oscars that I might recommend (of you haven't already seen it) is "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." It's not really the same genre as Lambs, but it's a wonderfully acted and absorbing movie, and challenging too.
