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@@TheGrinningViking None of my audience are children. Most of my audience are 20-30 and they are well within their rights to make their own judgements on the content they consume Moreover, I'm a strong advocate for proper parenting and supervision - games should not be able to have access to childrens' parents' credit cards at the click of a button
@@MertKayKay You aren't allowed to make a RU-vid account if you are under 18 according to the TOS. Very few teenagers or preteens get their parents to make an account for them. They just put in an age that is old enough. Enough of your audience is kids without enough experiencd to inoculate themselves against deliberately addictive skinner box tactics that it's a good deal for Raid.
@@TheGrinningViking I'm not responsible for any number of people who break TOS to watch content they're not supposed to be watching :) These people also may or may not exist, and the existence of some kind of Schrodinger's demographic is no bearing for moral discussion. Half my audience could be made of pudding. Who knows? I can't prove they're not.
I feel baffled that someone can watch this movie where in the opening scene, Clarice steps into an elevator full of men and they're all ogling her... And come out the other end saying there's no statements on gender or sexuality.
I recently read the book, and its pretty much the main theme, without ever being addressed directly, what starling has to deal with constantly, solely because she's a woman
Most of the men in the elevator scene don't even look at Clarice. And the ones that do are not looking at her boobs or ass. I think the scene was trying to portray that everyone else was male and she was the only woman there. But we shouldn't just assume that the men were ogling her just because they were in an elevator with her.
You can write about situations where a female character is oggled at without making a statement. It's hard to tell if it is a statement as you say, or just a thing that happened and has no relation to the themes that the writer wanted to address in the book, but just a situation where the main character is shown to be different from her companions. That would make the situation personal and relating to the main characters and her motivations whatnot. And not a symbolic statement about women all over. I don't know what it is, but I think you can watch that scene and come out the other end saying what you wrote.
Actor Ted Levine did a lot of research for the role of Buffalo Bill and met with a lot of trans people at bars and nightclubs. He ultimately came to the conclusion that his character was neither trans nor gay, and was a homophobic misogynist. Unfortunately like you said a lot of his characterization is missing in the film and Levine feels awful about how his portrayal of the character has hurt people, which I don't think is his fault if the backstory is on the cutting room floor.
A lot of people who claim the “trans woman” identity are homophobic misogynists. This has been going on since the phenomenon has been studied. I wish this was a conversation we could have in a respectful and mature manner but it’s not happening yet.
@@sarahb8147 taking a look at your subscriptions and seeing numerous channels discussing "transgender indoctrination" and "gender ideology," something tells me you don't actually care at all about respectful, mature conversation and instead just want to take the opportunity to punch down at a group that people with your beliefs actively victimize. nice job trying to feign civility though ♥
@@scrambledmeg the vast majority of the channels and creators I subscribe to are unquestioningly trans-positive. I do subscribe to some alternative viewpoints as well because some questionable behavior I’ve long observed, particularly online, by people claiming the identity of trans women, is concerning to me. I don’t understand why the trans community is not also concerned about these people who do not seem to belong in the category of “trans” yet are claiming to represent the trans community. I’m a white woman; when I see a white woman being (for example) racist, I call that out and denounce her. I don’t see that happening in the trans community. You can be as unsympathetic to my diverse subscribed channels as you want. Those channels are only able to survive and thrive because of the constant LOUD misbehavior of some of these people claiming the trans identity. Those people are behaving like terrorists and giving dangerous levels of bad press to actual trans people. I’m not getting the vibe you really want to discuss this, and the comments section of this video probably isn’t the place, anyway. But we’re getting to the point where someone is going to have to address the bad actors latching onto and trying to take over the trans community. When a similar phenomenon happened back in the 70s with NAMBLA trying to latch on to the gay rights movement, gay people excised and denounced them in no uncertain terms. If they’d made a different decision, gay marriage might not be accepted today like it is-as a same-sex-attracted person myself, that’s a sobering and disturbing thought. The entire gay community should not have the responsibility of getting rid of bad actors in order to have basic human rights, but that’s the system we live in and their decision to put an end to NAMBLA’s leeching was crucial to their acceptance into society. I hope the trans community does the same thing and gets the predators and autogynephiles claiming and defiling their name out of their movement. Because right now you have average Joes who see these loud voices claiming trans identities on Twitter and reddit and you know what they think? “Hey, that reminds me of Buffalo Bill.” We should want the director’s intent to be preserved-he understood that trans women are NOT like Buffalo Bill and he never intended Bill to be a representation of the trans community. We shouldn’t have real-life people ACTING like Buffalo Bill creating bad press for the trans community, either.
I took a "Film in Literature" class and I learned a huge facet of horror/thriller films in general relates to femininity: themes of Puritanism, like virginity and the original sin, and the "evil" of femininity and how it contrasts to the idea of the righteous male protagonist being two primary examples. Think "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist," respectively. You could say that "Alien" is the antithesis of those.
Horror as a genre should be seen as being critical of the notion of toxic masculinity and misogyny, but unfortunately a large portion it is sold to promote the opposite of these ideas (see: slasher films) because it sells better to a mainstream audience. That said, there are many great pro-femininity horror films as well, it's just that they don't seem to have the same commercial success.
The Exorcist did focus on the idea that women talking about sex is something that the devil would want. I often think that some people are too quick to accuse movies of gender bias, but there is some truth in some of it, at least in the old movies.
@Chandller Burse No, of course not. I think that it is okay for women to talk about sex in the appropriate situation. Plus, I don't believe in the Devil so I don't think women are actually affected by him.
@chandllerburse737 That's my reading too. If anything, Rosemary's Baby is at least somewhat, if not thoroughly, anti-male, especially considering how we see Rosemary CONSTANTLY oppressed by all the men and many of the women in her life who relentlessly reinforce the patriarchal order; on this view Satanism doesn't represent a liberation from old-world sexual servitude, but a grotesque mirror image of it. The movie confronts the horrifying thought that there's no escaping the despair of female slavery. Seems fairly subversive to me (which is remarkable considering the director's well-documented feelings about women).
I wouldn't say that womanhood is subtext in the film - it's, like, THE text. It's the crux of it all, from start to finish, top to bottom, womanhood and femininity are key throughout. I mean, they set it up at the very beginning, in the elevator. That sets the tone straight away. Love this movie. And you, too, Mert - sorry for not commenting for a while, I've been busy with school and am now catching up on your backlog of quality stuffs. I love how your channel has grown! I hope you're proud of yourself - you're doing a good damn job, friend.
The primary thing that makes me so upset whenever the defense that "the writer/director of the movie didn't intend for Bill to be trans" is genuinely used, is that the main list of trans characters in film on Wikipedia has Bill listed as a historical trans character. (no matter how many times I've sent editorial notes recommending that it's a bad addition, along with many other characters on the list but that's another rant) there comes a point that if the general public sees something as representative of a public group, even if the author didn't intend it, that there is consequences. That list is formed from popular public feed back, so the majority of voices are in favor of bill being trans representing. Even with wikipedias natural biases and personal interference, it's remained the same for decades in that decision. The films depiction of a people group has had an impact on the major cultural view of those people, as art is designed to do. An impact that has hurt and is still greatly hurting a lot of lives. This single film is if course not responsible for the entire anti trans movement or politics, but what it has done is created a concept for many to latch onto about what living as trans is like, one many at least subconsciously hold for things they don't understand, and this reinforces that. That being trauma and disgust being defining to being trans. There's a belief a lot of people, both those with Ill intent and good intent, that being trans is defined by one's self hate, body disgust, and trauma. I see it a lot when non trans people start defending trans rights by only pointing to things like suicide rates and self harm, and by those attacking trans people by again pointing to suicide rates and self harm, now claiming "being transed caused this." This I feel ties into the idea that by being trans there is something broken or wrong with you, that it needs to be fixed or taken out of you. This idea is so prelevent in main culture that even many trans people, formerly myself included, believe this about themselves, and that they're wrong and need to be made right in the world. I genuinely hate this belief. The way it defines all trans people by their unhappiness, struggles and death. This applies to even more than trans people infact, as also an immigrant I'm constantly reminding that the way people in my new country view life in my home is entirely based on it's violence, suffering, and pain. (especially ones they cause via colonialism but still frame as "our problems" again another rant) and I will say, it's good to acknowledge the problems, and it's good to fix those problems. But people are not problems, people are living humans and should never be described as a thing. I hate the general depiction of trans, immigrant, honestly most of not all suppressed people because it's the most dehumanizing shit I've ever seen. People, and especially writers and general workers in media want to use entire groups of people as props or dressing, taking people and turning them into things. And again I get it, it's practically impossible to show the fullness of a human being in just character, the common job of writers is honestly turning people into things. But what I do wish and know people can do is stop saying these things are representation, stop saying it's "a look into the trans condition" or whatever they're putting on reviews. And this isn't meant to just apply to writers, as said they can't control the audience much, but more over this is dedicated to the public view. The way the major public is willing to accept a depiction as an all encompassing reality for the incredibly complicated state of being human is both as old as stories, and still terrifying. I'm glad to see more people leave that way of thinking, but still not enough are willing to even accept the reality of it's existence. To try bringing this back to the original topic, the main pain I have with the view of Bill as trans, is they're a character with no joy, love, or acknowledging of self. (There's probably better words to describe this but English is not native to me please be patient) At least to me and those I've talked to, one of the primary aspects of being trans is self acceptance and love. Again this is left out of the narrative many make about being trans, but it's a genuine aspect of our lives. We are painfully aware of our bodies, and we build on ourselves to both better our own body, and our love for that body. There's a lot of self care and healing one has to make as trans, you have to relearn your relationship with how you live, how you view yourself. This is where I think so many people miss it, because when they hear the concept of someone changing their body because it doesn't fit or (don't know the word that best fits but the idea of not being proper or correct to the setting it's in, like a ground bird being forced into a tree) there's this idea that it must be from self hate, or loathing. That they want to mask over and hide their body, that they want it hurt or destroyed. So the audience with this view of trans people then projects it onto a character like Bill. Bill takes the skin of others and uses it to hide their own, in that state they experience "joy." Except by the way the scene is done not at all. The scenes are done to provoke disgust, discomfort and hate, and nothing is truly about Bill, but the concept. The concept bill is designed to be, and as a result the audience then takes as describing the concept of being trans. And it's not even close to the experience of trans joy, the point of transition is so that in your own body, your own skin, you feel joy, love, self care etc. There is never a need or point to taking that of someone else because you are you, and it's been about loving that, and bettering that. Transition is an experience of self love, also said you come to accept yourself and better yourself, because ultimately you're developing and growing, changing during the process because that is life, and you have to accept that. And unfortunately those looking in won't accept an idea that goes against their narrative of what it's really like, even in the face of what trans people are experiencing. Also side note just want to make clear this is attacking/targeting no one, not the writer's or directors, and definitely not you or your video. It's purely my own reaction to the film, and I generally like to assume the best intentions on the behalf of the creators. The primary goal was to acknowledge how many non trans people have these incorrect ideas that shape their view of trans folks, and how films like tsotl, even accidentally, support these beliefs both openly and subtly. There's a real push right now across multiple countries but especially the north and west to silence/destroy trans folks and communities so I do thank anyone creating content that stands to talk about trans folks in a respectful and humanizing way, and against those causing harm. It does go a long way to help more people at least acknowledge what's happening. Again thank you for this piece , and take care
The fact is that some male trans identifying people (trans women) are, indeed, like buffalo bill. Famously chris chan even did the goodbye horses dance. Before he raped his mother. Theres many more autogynephiles who would like to wear our skin too. Just because it makes you all look bad doesnt mean its not true.
@@sometimesawful it's just that people like you who don't even know anything about us like to lie and exaggerate how much it actually happens. (Also, I'm not going to bother replying to you, because the tin foil hat is enough of an indicator). (Also, if you actually cared to properly research anything, you'd realise that autogynophilia doesn't exist).
@@sometimesawful you've proven my point, you've taken media against the words of the creators and used it to hurt a people group. And no, with all the trans people I've worked with and that have worked with me none of them would "want to wear your skin." That's not a thing people want to do. And that's not an idea you'd have ever had if it wasn't for the movie unfortunately. Media isn't reality,but you sure let it control what you view reality as
@@jamwrightiam so you won't address autogynephilia. You can pretend there's no scary men out there who claim to be women but it's just the way it is. In reality. I know you realize it harms how you're accepted but you need to take that up with the chris chans, the harvey marcelins, the karen whites. Im not disagreeing with the creators of this movie or the actor, the character of buffalo bill was not accepted as a transsexual by therapists. Back then, though, you had to meet certain requirements. Now you only have to declare your womanhood and it's immediately accepted as gospel. So its a safety issue for women.
I’d be super curious to hear your opinion on Psycho! The exploration of female sexuality, independence, and also the exploitation of DID and Norman’s experience with his mother. This video was excellent
Buffalo Bill, as a nonbinary person, weirds me out a lot. I wouldn’t be upset to see a transgender character that just so happened to be a killer, but their motives being tied to their gender identity, their stereotypical manner, and the fact that they’re the ONLY trans character deeply disappoints me.
Yeah, but it's a general rule of thumb that if you include an villain that is of a certain identity, you should probably include an additional character of that identity that is good to show that that identity isn't bad.
@@mechinate theres around 1.2 Million non binary ppl in the US alone Literally one non transphobic character who brings the slightest nuance to this transphobic garbage fire would have been enough
It’s honestly rare to hear a cis British woman talking about silence of the lambs in a way that ISN’T transphobic. This analysis absolutely rocks ❤️❤️ instant subscriber gained 😘
@@emma_luce_0623 cis is merely a relevant adjective to the conversation at hand. if we are having a conversation about hair color i will specify virgin vs chemically processed, blonde vs brunette, or natural vs fashion color.
I really appreciated this video, especially the amount of nuance you introduced the main theme with along with the transgender topic. I was really worried at the start of this video, but I am so glad that even as an ally you recognize the problem with the character and how it was represented. I was especially impressed that you pointed out how harmful these representations can be because people then use them as examples to paint transgenders as dangerous people. A lot of allies I know are often too quick to shrug it off as "just fictional"/"just one's interpretation" (as you excellently put it) or take a work's word for it when they attempt to brush over all the bad implications. So overall, this was just really well done, and it felt like you really knew your stuff throughout the video. As a writer, I was also glad you mentioned on difficult this can be at times (I'm learning to loosen up about this in some areas and do my best to help other writers realize "you can't win them all"), but that we can still hold ourselves to some standards concerning serious topics and need to consider how things come across. If one's showcase supports the viewpoint of bigots, then it isn't a good representation and could be potentially dangerous, and again, I am so glad you pointed this out. Just 10/10 dealing with this topic. The movie's treatment of it personally makes me so uncomfortable as someone who is transgender myself that this film has sat on my movie blacklist for ages, and I don't plan to remove it anytime soon despite the interesting themes. So I'm glad I was able to hear about them still through your video and in such a well-explained and compassionate manner. Your takes on horror games are so refreshing, and it seems your takes on horror movies are much the same. We have a similar taste in horror and how we prefer these things to be written, so it was nice to hear you discuss this film, and if you ever want to discuss more horror movies in the future, I'll be looking forward to it!
I read the book before I watched the movie and I think that's why I never looked at Buffalo Bill as anything more than a guy who was a complete psychopath, who had a twisted fantasy of somehow ascending from his real life into someone else completely once he put on the skin suit....book went into a lot of detail about how he was absolutely not transsexual. I wish the movie could've got that point across in a more clear concise way.
This is such a great in depth analysis of the film, it is one of my favorite films of all time and every time I watch it, I discover something different about it. This is true horror, the kind of horror where the villains are real and capable of real life evil acts. I think that Harris's books really changed the thinking about psychological horror, how scary the mind can truly be when it is not on your side.
Horror has so many forms. It can be scary, it can be fascinating, it can be disturbing, it can be confusing and at times... beautiful. This is what makes horror so great imo
Am personally from West Virginia and I can genuinely say that because of the way people from my state are viewed, it's often almost an automatic reaction to suppress my accent when speaking to those from out of state. It's not uncommon for people from elsewhere to treat us as outright unintelligent or "just acting smart to impress people" just because of an accent, even a mild one. It's even worse if you happen to be from a region of the state with a much heavier accent, to the point where even other West Virginians make jabs at those from other regions based on the prominence of their accents.
LOVED your break down. I actually didn't see this movie until college of all times cuz I was always a bit afraid of how gory it supposedly was. Ended up reading the book then watching the movie in a really interesting media literacy kind of class I was in. It was fascinating to see what subtle differences there are from the book to the movie and then even further to the NBC show (which i LOVE btw XD) and while I like the movie very much, I always got caught on how different Hopkins' performance was to the way Lecter is in the book and from there how Mikkelsen's performance brought it back. But anyway back on subject XD while it would have been nice personally to see Clarice end up alone at the end, I do really appreciate that they at least had her hook up with the guy who actually treated her like a person as opposed to the object like the rest of the men in the film. He was also the most straight forward in his advances, he was honest in how he felt and didn't try to use any dirty tricks to get at her. It's something I didn't fully notice until you pointed how how he just straight up asked her out. It also says a lot about how we're conditioned to just deal with men treating us as sub-human that we can completely miss it when one does because we're just not used to it.
To be fair, I think our society tends to have a negative view of men who try to manipulate women. They are rarely ever presented positively in movies or talked about positively. Women manipulating men is more likely to be treated with a laugh because it is "gender flipped". I think part of the problem is that society expects men to ask out women on first dates. If women asked men out half the time A) I think women would find that it isn't as easy as they think and B) you'd probably find that women would act just as bad as men do now.
@@greywolf7577 Except it's only the most extreme, most violent acts of manipulation that society really frowns upon. Men are still encouraged to push back against a No. Men are still encouraged to be the SOLE moneymaker, leaving their partner entirely dependent on them so they cannot leave easily. Men are encouraged to channel pretty much any feeling into rage and violence... The list goes on and on and on. Yes men don't get taken seriously as victims as part of the idea that women are 'weaker' therefore it's either shameful for a man to be a victim or he's secretly into it as far as society goes. It's all still patriarchy. And no, women would not immediately all act like that. That's the same damn argument that was used by the people who wanted to keep being allowed to own other humans as slaves... "Well if we give them equal rights they'll treat us the way we abused them for centuries" is not a valid nor legitimate argument...it's fear mongering. The truth is if we were treated equally (and as such felt SAFE to ask men out, which we don't cuz we have NO idea which one is fine and which one will kill us) then overall EVERYONE would get better treatment cuz there wouldn't be a passed along, violently (yes i do mean actual violence) enforced sense of superiority from one group towards another...
@@StonedHunter Your comment reminded me of the Meme where a girl posted about how she told a boy no and he then ignored her and she wanted to know why he didn't try harder to get her to date him. I agree that there are some men who don't take no for an answer, but there are also some women who play hard to get and purposefully give mixed signals. Hopefully we get fewer of both of those types of people. If a man makes less money than his wife, many people in society, including often the wife herself, sees him as lazy or under achieving, whereas women aren't generally seen as under achieving if they make less than their husbands. Even at the beginning of relationships, I think you'd still find today that women are much less likely to date someone who makes less money than her, whereas men are much more willing to date women that make less money than him. Being a stay at home wife can be limiting, but given that she can get half of the family bank account and properties and sometimes alimony, it doesn't trap women as much as people might think. I disagree that men are encouraged to channel pretty much any feeling into rage and violence. If a man hits a woman, he is seen as an abuser. If a woman hits a man, people often ask what he did to deserve it. I've seen videos where a male and female actor will pretend to abuse each other in the street. When the man is physically pushing around the woman, other people rush in to stop it. When the woman is physically pushing around the man, people either ignore it or smirk at it. It is very rare to see a movie where a good male character hits a woman. It is far more common to see a movie where a woman slaps a man and it is presented as justified. Asking a man out is no more dangerous to a woman than a man asking a woman out is to a woman. I think people just see it as strange for a woman to ask out a man and so they treat it as dangerous when in reality it would probably be safer for women than the current set up because they'd get more choice in who they want to date. I do think there is a lot of sexism that teaches that women would never do some of the bad things that men do because women are seen as more pure than men are.
I'm so pumped for this video! This movie has always held a special spot in my heart! It without a doubt help drive me to study psychology! I can't wait to hear your perspective and insight on the very heavy and still impact full topics it covers! PS. Stay amazing 👏 💚
For context on the comment: I am an author and I have nonbinary family members, so I do understand all sides of the argument. I think that Buffalo Bill was an unfortunate biproduct of people hating trans folks. See, the movie is about the dynamics between men and women and how that impacts women. But Buffalo Bill does not fit into either category. I believe their purpose was to transcend the gender identities to prove that evil can exist in any form and grey area. I also suspect that one of the people working on the movie, maybe producer or such, strong armed the author into including more explicit dialogue surrounding Bill so it was less ambiguous
I know what you mean! The dialogue around Bill is a lot less naturally sewn into the script than anything else. When Clarice blurts out that "transsexuals are very passive" for example, it was a very heavy-handed way of inserting that dialogue. There are a few lines from Hannibal too that seem especially plastered in
It kinda sucks to imagine how maybe Bill and Clarice could have discovered they shared a sort of mutual misunderstanding in their lives had they met some years before the first book. This was one powerhouse of a movie and the actors/director were so goddamn on point that the tension on a first watch felt almost real. Bill was great being an even worse asshole in Shutter Island (Ted something, I forget the actors name but he's great) where he casually asks Leo what might happen if he went to bite his eye out of his head. Maybe the actor writes his own lines and people just put some of that into movies. Great vid! I damn near forgot about that uneasy microscope the movie put on the men/Clarice relations in the workplace! That shit is so uncomfortable it's painful.
LOVE Silence of the Lambs! And the other books (but not movies). Related to your sponsor bit though: I missed an online test one weekend in college because I was reading “The Passage,” and the professor did, in fact, understand, because she recommended the book. 😂
FUNFACT, buffalo bill actor is the same dude who plays Leland Stottlemeyer in one of the best shows ever made called Monk. I recommend that show and he’s a good actor.
How is a transgender caricature when it's stated multiple times in the movie that no, Billy is not trans. Lecter is insane, but he is a GOOD psychology expert and he is very adamant about it: Buffalo Bill is noy transgender. He is many things but not trans.
Yeah the idea he's an unreliable source of info is off to me, crawford and starling explicitly seek him out so as to get a psychological profile of BB. He read starling like a book immediately upon meeting her in that first meeting (the whole "youre from west virginia, you try to hide your accent, all you wanted growing up was to get as far away from there as you can") and sees her desire to save people and work in the FBI as a by-product and result of her PTSD over her father's death and her inability to save the lambs. That first meeting where he says all that stuff about her west virginia roots, she says "you see a lot doctor" and is clearly troubled by his dredging up of that buried stuff. So everything we see in the movie points to him knowing people extremely well and the things he's saying being accurate.
Horror is cultural commentary, with the villains often manifesting cultural fears and tensions. So yeah. It’s about women, and even if it wasn’t originally intended to be (which it probably was), it is now, given our societal context. Thanks for the video essay!
Another great video! Hannibals house is on Charles Street here in Baltimore, about 5 minutes away from where I grew up. The crazy thing is, I've been around that area so much that I don't even think about it anymore.
You really deserves more subscribers. Really interesting video. It's nice that you talk about something else than videos games (even though a love them), it opens doors of subjets and I'm here for it.
I always loved this movie, but that was always more for the classy, yet vulgar deteurogonist, Dr. Lecter. Always found his character completely fascinating. To show cannibalism in such a classy way was also definitely new, and also made me fascinated with the ethics of it (in my country, consensual cannibalism is actually legal, which I found very interesting). Thanks for your perspective on one of my favourite movies :D
You know that screensaver everyone watches to see when it hits the corner of the screen? Same feeling when it comes to the reflection of ??? lining up just right to make it look like you have glowing green eyes
My dad is a regular type blue collar dude and this theme didn't at all go over his head lol. We've watched this movie together many times over the years. One time during that scene with the music box, he said with some awe, "only a woman would think to look there"
Thank you for making this video. I had a hard time watching this movie because of the representation of Buffalo Bill, and it frustrated me to see that people defend this because ?? Clarice has that throwaway line about trans people being "docile" or whatever in a movie with no other queer characters, and so therefore it's okay?? It's nice to hear a nuanced perspective with trans people in mind, so thank you!
Awesome review, I have never considered the points that you brought up here. Also, I never thought that Bill was trans, but instead I had always thought that it was an excuse that he used to justify what he did, to himself.
The movie says that he isn't trans, but I think the real answer was that he was trans, but also a psychopath. The movie was just saying that most trans people are peaceful, but if someone was a psychopath, that could counteract the peaceful nature of trans people.
Don’t you think that’s why Crawford picks Clarice for the “errand” of interviewing Lecter? Because Chiltern is more likely to grant access to a hot young FBI student he deludely assumes might sleep with him? I don’t know if Crawford is infantilising Clarice per se: in a way what she’s sent to do *is* an errand, at least as far as she can know without giving the game away. There’s an amusing irony in that Chiltern says that Crawford sent Clarice as a kind of honey trap, which says everything about Chiltern and why he falls into it. Also, you say that Lecter helps Clarice after Miggs is disrespectful to her possibly as an act of affection because Miggs has probably been disrespectful many times and Lecter doesn’t go around killing everyone who is disrespectful. Only Lecter does kill Miggs: he convinces him to swallow his own tongue and choke to death. And killing people who are disrespectful is Lecter’s main schtick. In the book he calls them ‘free range rude’.
It Was quite interesting, thanks! In my opinion, Billy wasn't trans, because He saw becoming a woman as a solution to all his pshychological Problems. But It doesn't seem to me like his problems were, for example, dysphoria or other things wich tell as that person may be trans. Rather that He was a traumatized, violent person, who was looking for a way to cure his trauma and locked himself to a "surely I'll feel better when I'll become a woman"-solution. He killed not only women But also one of Lecters patients, If I remember it correctly, and this person was trans (or a drag queen, it wasn't specified). That's a very interesting moment in my opinion. Billy just wanted to take something He saw as his only cure and what was his by right. It's kinda Hard for me to deliver my thoughts since english isn't my native But I hope you'll be able to understand what i'm trying to say 🙃
So many good ideas, so much technical and thematic brilliance - from both the novel and film - but it utterly lets itself down with probably the most enduring transmisogynistic caricature in history. I knew that I was trans since I was about... eleven or twelve, maybe? I read this book (and saw the film) at about thirteen or fourteen, and it profoundly sickened me. No. Of course I interpreted Billy as trans - because I'm trans - but *I'm* not a monster, surely? *I'm* not a freak. I don't hurt and reduce women to totems. And I'm sure not a "man in a dress". But it made me... ashamed nontheless. When I was a young teenager, there was no positive media representation or support for me at all. So I... buried it away. I didn't want to be seen like that. I didn't want any *slight* resemblance to this monstrous character, that now I understand to be a harmful caricature, but sure didn't at the time. It was trans representation to a repressed, closeted trans woman, and it had a real impact. Nowadays the specter of a badly-written villain still hangs over the trans community, being the affirmation and darling of the terf groups who want to hurt us - because of one guy's ignorant fiction based off of discredited Blanchard theories. It's profoundly gross. It still hurts. A mess, really. Excellent video, and thank you for articulating these frustrations.
As a vg nerd im not very good at picking apart movies. I can’t say I knew the true text of this movie but I actually love the movie more now. Great video
If you're interested in Bill's point of view and the psychological tests he took while trying to get approved for surgery, you should read the book, which goes much more in depth. I personally think the insistence that he's not trans was a deliberate attempt by Harris to prevent his readers from viewing actual trans people as dangerous. Because, based on the 1980s definition of transsexual, Bill is not trans. And the book goes out of its way to assert that his violence and deep hatred of women are what disqualify him from it. It was pretty damn progressive for the time. In a story about misogyny, Bill represents the logical extreme: obsession and desire for the female form, but violent hatred for the person who has it.
Only my 2nd MKK video since hopping on after seeing the 1st I was recommended just a few days ago, the 13R? series part 1 analysis. RU-vid what took you so long? Are all MKK videos certified bangers? About SotL I always thought it was interesting how the Black characters were. I wish we'd seen more of Kasie Lemmons, I kinda wanted to follow her character more. Also Barney (?I think his name is??) , the Black orderly/asylum guard seemed to be the only person who didn't have that "I'm sexualizing you" vibe towards Clarice, & it was a great choice, esp considering how old the films & iffy the gender/trans stuff holds up.
Oh my gosh I LOVE Barney! One thing I noticed was the different ways Chilton treated black employees depending on his current situation 🤔 but I couldn't quite figure out how to work it in! And also thanks for watching Pica! 😍🥰 It means so much that you like my videos
@@MertKayKay No, thank YOU --- this is great analysis + I'm legit excited to dip into your backcatalogue plus see where you go next. Also I love video games analyses so lots of MKK to look forward to. Chilton, yes! Oooh, I wish I'd noticed that more, I remember him being patronizing + threatening to Barney but I totally was so absorbed in Barney's interactions with the patient-inmates + Clarice I didn't give it attention otherwise that I should have. If I see it again I'll watch more for his interactions. Geez Jonathan Demme (RIP my dude) + whoever cast the film did a great job with talented actors. Esp Chilton, it's not a glamorous big role you can chew on as an actor, yet he was playing this intensely loathsome character in a committed way; that takes guts for an actor. lol I'm sure it's coincidence but it'd be hilarious + weirdly deep if Rory's private school was a Demme/character/SotL reference on Gilmore Girls (the original GG, which is problematic enough, lol so...Year Of? We don't know her. We don't know Year.). Barney's actor did such strong subtle work, too. I am not sure how he managed to radiate this solid aura of "positive safe masculinity" so much on screen. Somewhat sleight of hand maybe, bc of the juxtaposition with the other men in the film. But I think a lot was in the acting. It's notable to me that Hannibal seemed to...not treat him better, exactly, but I got the impression if he escaped + it wasn't essential to his plan to end Barney, Hannibal would leave him alone. Which means a lot coming from Hannibal. I believe he's the only person in the film Clarice gets unsolicited support from, too, if I remember right. Not patronizingly protective, but reassurance he has her back but also gives her the space + respect to just let her do her job while he does his. He's so clearly an emotionally intelligent character, as well as smart-intelligent. I can totally see why the portrayal of Barney couldn't quite fit into your essay main thru-line, bc even if you added a few lines pointing out his exceptional presence in the film, you'd prob keep seeing the necessity of completing that area of narrative as thoroughly a your main points, & bc the movie's so rich with ideas + details, that would've accidentally weakened both parts by not doing them justice &/or added another hour to properly weave in. I mentioned this in my 13R? comment but I noticed right away you're strong at organizational/structure or info. You have good instincts. But hey, if you feel like giving YT Shorts a try --- & I understand it's not just "short" but its brevity makes it a totally different format; so it's like learning to do this all over again in a different way, tho you said you do 5min reviews as well as deep analysis so you may already have this nailed...lol sorry all those caveats just to say I'd ABSOLUTELY watch you do a Short of a tight few mins of "things about Barney I need to talk about I couldn't fit in". OMG apologies MKK yikes apparently I wrote an accidental essay. No need to reply, just commenting on your thought-provoking comment. lol + SO COOL to know another Barney Fan is out there lol no one ever knew who I was talking about bc they had too much Hannibal + Clarice on the brain. #BarneyGoals4evr
I've never seen the film, and didn't realize just how much of it was in memetic, cultural osmosis (particularly the 'lotion on the skin'). It only really came up on my radar recently because hateful people were citing it, and that's a shame because it seems quite well-written in most respects. Much more than a vehicle for the very stereotypes it tries to backpedal away from. Your analysis here was excellent. I particularly appreciate the amount of homework you did on Billy's influences, and the unquestioned cis-heterosexuality they had in common. Your years of preparation are evident there, and in most aspects of this video c: I love UX as a way to find the pulse of the author-viewer relationship! People lately speak as if 'death of the author' is just a wrench you can beat against every single problem -- misinformation, dirty money, damaging business practices, etc. But it's more nuanced than that. Relatedly, I 400% agree when you say that stories stay alive _through discussion!_ My biggest, 'non-problematic' pet peeve lately is stories relentlessly expositing Correct Answers to their own lore, thinking that saying, 'Find out next time, on Dragon Ball Z!!!' will keep their story alive when it does just the opposite! So many stories could be massively improved by cutting -all- the exposition and letting viewers _wonder and speculate!_ There's so much grade-A surreal fantasy (in modern anime particularly!), that's utterly spoiled by dropping unnecessarily convoluted Correct Answers at our feet. Glad you do what you do! And I'm glad I found the brain cells to watch it today :P
This is a fascinating message to read because I always feel like I want stories to have clear answers and intentions behind them so that I can decide whether I want to accept their themes / answers / intentions or reject them. When a story keeps lore / endings / answers intentionally ambiguous it mostly just leaves me feeling like the writer didn't actually HAVE a message they want to convey so they foist the work of creating meaning onto the reader, which mostly just leaves me rolling my eyes and dismissing the story from memory- a kind of "if you don't want to do the work, what reason do I have to do it for you?" approach, if that makes sense. Hearing someone with a completely opposite perspective to that is interesting, if only for the realization how the "other side" perceives stories I reject but they like.
@@goranisacson2502 It can definitely be used as a cop-out, such as, ‘Did the character kill the bad guy? You decide!’ But if it’s something like, ‘The monster chases you by appearing in mirrors,’ rather than the characters saying that out loud, I’d rather have the opportunity to go, ‘Hey, did you notice there’s always a mirror in the shot when the monster shows up? What if those things are connected? Did we just solve the monster? O:’ YMMV tho, even then
@MertKayKay We used to shout this exact thing at a teacher with an epic meathead in the same vein as 'the mole' bit from Austin Powers. Until one time when I got carried away and the rest of the lads had already shut up. I picked a lot of litter that week... Thanks for reminding me how monumentally ruh-tarded I was in school. Also the cool videos, guess they're alright too.
The first time I watched this film was as a teenager and I didn't understand it for shit. Clarice seemed like she was a tough girl in control of the situation, all the subtext went over my head, I didn't even remember how insanely long and tense the basement scene was. Watched it again yesterday, now in my 30s, as a woman working in a male dominated field (IT) and hooooly hell. The elevator scene, the cops just looking at Clarice in that gross way, the itchy discomfort of dr. Chilton's "never seen such an attractive FBI agent" comment. Clarice being very obviously a rookie, dealing with way more than she should have to between facing Lecter and Buffalo Bill all alone, and being weakened rather than supported by men around her. I FELT this film. Jodie Foster was perfectly cast as Clarice BTW - she's a physically small lady, so she seems fragile and most male characters look down on her literally, but at the same time she's tough and no-nonsense. She deals with all the bullshit, even though she shouldn't have to. Two cents to add, Crawford mentions that she grilled him on some subject as a student, so clearly he remembers SOME of her academic ability - and I guess being inquisitive and willing to debate a professor might be why he picked her for questioning Lecter? Also he warns her "not to let Lecter get into her head," which she rather obviously fails to do, given the state she's in after his phone call in the end.
I do say, when I originally clicked on this video I was anxious that there'd be some TERF stuff in it, but it was actually more calming to find that -- no, there wasn't, none of it at all. I've never watched Silence of the Lambs as of right now, but I do remember that my mom always had it on her bookshelf with the cover facing towards the front. The moth over the woman's lips always scared me shitless as a kid. I had asked her what it was about once and she just said that it was a horror book with death. I never even realized that Buffalo Bill came from SOTL, so whenever I heard people bring Billie up I just assumed they were, get this, from Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Yes, I confused Leatherface with Billie.
(2) Hannibal gave the men the wrong info because he wants Starling to win this case. no one else. she’s his project and in a way, in love with her. love at first sight. 10:32
Will you please please please make an analysis of persona by ingmar bergman its a very female movie and also i still don't understand it although i relate to it for some reason and its one of my all time favs
@@MertKayKay its a masterpiece you'll definitely like the psychological aspect of it but its a highly artistic movie so if that's not your thing then idk if you'll like it
Absolutely loved this movie, and not going to lie the way the actor portrayed Buffalo Bill was kind of funny for example when Clarice first introduced herself to him his reaction…was just hilarious to me 💀, but I’m not sure if It was intended to show that “they are not all there” or there’s something weird about their head like not taking the gravity of the situation seriously. Also I’d like to mention I think you already have in the video at some point of the movie either when Clarice was talking to Jack or Dr. Hannibal but she briefly mentions that transgender people are not connected to committing crimes such as buffalo Bill’s and something about the group being not meek but something along the lines of incapable of harming others in such a manner.
I think Anthony Hopkins mentioned that he wanted to look like a snake! How they're all still and creepy. So that's why he's always wide eyed and weird 🤣 I think he did so well but yes you are right, it was very funny!
Maybe its me reading too much into it but I always felt that Jack wanted Clarice because she was honest but naive. Definitely smart but not willing to sacrifice her ideals. When questioning her grades I thought that was a test, to see if she was willing to stand up for herself even when it makes her seem weaker. Hannibal was intelligent but hubris, he would've likely ignored a seasoned agent, and judging from the guy agents they would've tried much harder to prove themselves. With Hannibal mentally crewing them out for daring to challenge him. Maybe its just me but Clarice hit that middle ground. Smart enough to get the job done but innocence enough that Hannibal would take the bait as he loves toying with people. Something a behavioral expert would do and Jack is showcased to push limits to get results.
I think this is a really good explanation: Clarice would be like a dark horse, humble and easily underestimated. It's a shame that Clarice was kind of sacrificed in that way (sacrificial lamb) - her innocence being something he'll chew up and spit out - but definitely
I also think it's pretty overt for a 90s/00s movie that Cl is gay. which might also be why she was chosen. she's surrounded by young men but hasn't married anyone or been labled as getting an mrs degree. so the choice might be based on the fact that Hannibal is also pretty gay coded. She's also a woman with a lot of experience with working in the male world, and the gendered parts of the case would really point someone like jack to ask, "what is the point of murdering a women if not sex?" and a woman in a male field would have a unique take. i never thought jack had any intrest in Cl sexually. what's interesting to me is that her "roommate" was never contacted or involved as another woman in the FBI. (raising the question of if her race would be a hinderance in jack's mind.) edit: i also think there's some trans allegories being made between bill and Cl. she wants to be like the men in her life. do male things. work in a male job. Bill presents as a man but works in a feminine job, sewing. wants to be like the women in their life. Cl has jack. bill has lecter.
Interesting...I took Clarice's commitment to truthfulness as the opposite of naivety. A lot of women with experience in career tracks that have "power + responsibility" aspects/roles, esp traditionally male-dominated fields, who are on the threshold of going from junior to middle/senior roles, get the paradoxical feeling of "being puppeteered" by mentors or people in leadership roles, without knowing why or having access to the goals + thinking behind these higher-ups' decisions, & the women I've discussed this stuff with struggle with even putting a finger on exactly why they feel puppeteered, & doubt themselves, & doubt their perceptions. It's a really intangible feeling with extremely concrete effects that fuels Imposter Syndrome & makes it significantly more challenging while adding unnecessary emotional/psychological labour when integrating women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, & working class people into organizations, disciplines, & roles that were traditionally withheld from these groups.
I liked her. While the star og themovie is lector. And it might be because she was ignored and overlooked but competent and an outsider. But i though she waschosen because interesting enough to maybe get his interest but strong too. Crawfoedmust have seen her as prettycompetent even notbeing the best person. Even with ulrätirior motives. I thought she was done well. Amd in that movie hanibalis anawful god so , she gets what she wants, but is also earning " gods" respect. And crawford. Has seen will, going , warning isnt disrespecful here. I thoughtinteresting, she is strong but vunerable and dealing with forces she cant control, but manage. Ok the hanibal being the star really and the buffalo bill, i think good balance. Like she was doing a loosing game above her paygrade and did ok?! Not a woman here but isnt that anotbad commentary what shit women can deal regarding expectations . And its a horror movie?! I think she works as strong but tragic human character that doesnt loose really,
@@hannahep5148 I've heard some people say the way she's talking to her roommate, they way she looks at her (they look at each other) makes it clear she's gay. I'm not sure that's supposed to be part of the movie though, that might just be Jodie Foster.
When other RU-vid essayists talk about this movie they seem to portray Hannibal in a positive light. Sure, he's a monster that unalives people for trivial reasons, butchers them like livestock and eats them, but at least, he doesn't objectify Clarice's body like all the other men in the film do; he actually seems to respect her and see her as a qualified agent first and a woman second. I am in that camp. But I've never considered your take: Lecter is just as bad as the other men; even if he isn't exactly like them, he still plays with her mind like it's his toy. A mental objectification. He plays with her memories and trauma for his own amusement. I've seen this movie 20+ times and I never thought about this. Thanks for this video. Because of how charming and interesting he is, I often forget that Hannibal Lecter is the villain.
Thank you! For my first few viewings I 100% had the same opinion as you: he talks to her like an equal, he doesn't objectify her, he doesn't want sex. But the more I watched the more I asked "Why did Crawford 'sacrifice' Clarice to her? Is that why he picked her? What does Lecter get out of this?" and I started to think maybe Lecter isn't the sweet pea he seemed
I think people like Lector because he can control people even when he's in a cell. And he's even more dangerous once he inevitably uses his intelligence to get out.
I find objectifying a person's mind, their feelings and emotions can be far more sadistic and terrifying. Be it a crude manipulator, or an inmate who's bored and has found his prey in an aspiring FBI Agent, it's quite the scary thing to witness in these instances. It's why I think, in many ways, Hannibal is the worst of them all. He's kind of like the "unthinkable" and "unpredictable" - something Clarice would have never been prepared for, and possibly as a result, made her feel things no sleezy creep had before. Perhaps, in that sense, leaving her feeling the most vulnerable she ever had. You could also argue though, given the outcome by the end of the movie, that Lecter's interactions with Clarice strengthened her moving forwards with her career.
It's more obvious in the movie Hannibal. He gets her shoes, a dress with a plunging neckline. He makes the guy who was harassing her eat his own brain, but because he "was messing with his woman". He forces a kiss on her after she says she'll never acknowledge his love for her. And it excites him.
Incredible video! As someone from West Virginia, I think her being considered "white trash" really amplified your point. From personal experience people see women from West Virginia (especially ones with heavy accents) as uneducated hilljacks, and that would create a further degree of seperation. When my mother moved to california she actually had to unlearn her West Virginia accent because everyone said she sounded like clarice and that it made her sound unintelligent, which was especially a big deal since she worked in communications, often with men.
The dumb hillbilly stereotype is male in 90% of media, culture and personal stereotypes of people. I doubt that people see southern women being as more stupid than southern men.
about 31 minutes in and the themes of workplace advances is prevalent through not only this but the 2001 movie just titled Hannibal too. Clarice is metaphorically stripped down by a Justice Department official for a raid gone wrong that was out of her control. Wouldn’t you know it she rejected him prior. Thinking about it in the context of Silence definitely makes the film more disturbing as a whole and i’m ashamed to say I didn’t pick up on it
I read the original comic that the term "Bechdel Test" was coined in, it was just a satirical comment on the fact the bar was so incredibly low for including women as characters in movies, especially at the time. Not that a movie needed to pass it to be good or that a movie that passed it was good. The character jokes that she's hasn't seen a movie in 6 years since she started holding them to that standard.
It’s not illegal to eat people in Canada. I found out about this through a news article about dude who lost his leg in a car-accident. He requested his leg back, and he and his buddies cooked it in a BBQ as a bit of a meme. The meme got better when an increasing number of cops kept showing up and could not find a single legal reason to be there.
i am not morally against it, just wanted to add as far as i know consuming human flesh can lead to illnesses like kuru which is similar to kreutzfeld-jakobs-disease or BSE. so snack on your own risk i guess 😅
In my head I wanted Clarise to have made all of the stuff she told Lector up and she was a genuine high functioning psychopath herself. And Lector never suspected a thing
That’s a beautiful headcanon that seems to be ruined only by the flashbacks and private tears! Interestingly, Harris’s writing style is very in the moment and matter of fact, and Clarice as a character is written to be constantly on the go and getting shit done, therefore highly emotional scenes (the lamb recount, the basement chase) are written from a more detached perspective. The entirety of that conversation between Hannibal and Clarice is written as a continuous exchange of dialogue with no pause to reflect. It also ends abruptly once all the information has been given. We don’t get to see Clarice’s emotional response and there’s only two instances I can think of where she does get emotional, and they’re both representative of anger due to being upset, and they’re both not to do with her, but due to the victims around her being disrespected
that would actually be a pretty cool twist. if it was implied the reason she was chosen to deal with lector was because her psychological profile was similar to his.
Stupid idea, also Lecter is supposed to be a genius in this particular field (human psyche) , so to make Clarice manipulate Lecter, would diminish his importance and brilliance, dismantling the movie premise in its own core. That being said you are entitled to your own theories, but maybe put more thought into it to see how it would affect the story. Also, the interesting thing in the relationship between Lecter x Clarice is how they are different, your theory would break this too.
With way the film was shot and the dialogue included in the script it just shocks me people were like "nah, this doesn't have to do with the male perception of women at all!!". I recently watched it for the first time and immediately picked up on it's themes. They are part of what makes the movie so unsettling.
You’re absolutely correct that the book has overt references to the male gaze and how this ostracizes Clarice. She explicitly resents the men around her and thinks often on how her gender impacts her moving around the world/her career/interactions with those around her.
I only watched this movie for the first time a few months back but I still think about it a lot, and when you mentioned that it's probably not a coincidence that Precious looks so much like a lamb, I gotta admit, that made my jaw drop a bit. That's a really interesting observation that I hadn't even considered.
I really like when you analyze horror games- your points about mental health are both empathetic and nuanced and you know what makes great horror. Very cool to see you doing a video essay on a movie like this. Excited to watch this!
The danger in assuming that a certain type of person doesn't exist is that we're shocked and surprised when that type of person turns out to exist. Hannibal Lecter was assumed to be so outlandishly evil that he couldn't exist in real life. Then we got Jeffrey Dahmer.
@@falconeshield Silence of the Lambs was released in 1991 -- the same year that Dahmer was arrested. It is a sequel to Manhunter, which was released in 1986 and was our first cinematic introduction to Hannibal Lecter, played at the time by Brian Cox. Manhunter was based on a book written by Thomas Harris called The Red Dragon, published in 1981, and would be remade into a movie of the same title in 2002. So yes, the character of Hannibal Lecter predates the capture of Jeffrey Dahmer.
Similarly, people love to tout out the statistics about trans perpetrators (that they usually aren't) as proof that a story including a crossdressing or transgender perpetrator can't be worthwhile to tell. I don't know anything about Silence of the Lambs, I have no real opinion on its portrayal one way or another, but as a victim of a trans woman, it gets so painful to hear over and over that we can't and don't and won't exist.
Came here to say the exact same thing. 49:05 - "I just don't think people like Billy exist in real life" is an extremely naive take. I'm sure NOBODY thinks that someone as sick as Ed Gein exists until they're confronted with the evidence. 'nOBODY would be tHAT depraved' as a dismissal when you're dealing with the topic of literal serial killers is big dumb.
Yes. The director really did a fantastic job, it would have been easy for him to focus on Dr. Lector, who actually gets very little screen time. He does such a good job showing the daily female experience, that happens throughout a life. She's not the iconic character from this film, but it is fully her story. My favorite film when I need to process multiple traumatic things at once.
Sorry for a super-massive comment but I wanted to fill in some of the book stuff For starters, in the book, Crawford picking Clarice is down to her academic and work experience. "You have a lot of forensics, but no law-enforcement background" “What you do have is a double major in psychology and criminology, and how many summers working in a mental health center" “Your counselor’s license, is it. current?” "I found out in time to qualify as a Forensic Fellow. Then I could work in the lab until the Academy had an opening.” All of those quotes come in the conversation before Crawford mentions Lecter. Harris is clearly setting her up as qualified; a licensed counsellor would be better qualified to handle Lecter than a raw trainee and someone with a lot of forensics experience is a natural choice to take with you to examine a body. When Crawford goes off to speak with the sheriff alone because the sheriff resents the FBI taking over his case. Crawford uses Clarice as the excuse, not thinking what example that'll set to the police. And when he brings it up in the car, he dismisses it as a ploy and Clarice acknowledges that but points out to him that the police didn't know that and will follow his example of how to treat her. And when Clarice clears the dissecting room, she specifically wishes Crawford was there to use his authority but he's outside. So, she calls on a memory of her mother and other female forms of authority, which the narration describes as "a prototype of courage more apt and powerful than any Marine parachute jump". I love Clarice's response to Chilton in the book: “That’s perfectly fine with me. You might have suggested that in my office. I could have sent an orderly with you and saved the time.” “I could have suggested it there if you’d briefed me there.” The film's version of that conversation about the farm with the lambs really bugs me. For starters, Clarice's mum outlived her dad and might even still be alive at the time of the book. Clarice got sent away because there were too many mouths too feed on her mum's low wages and Clarice was the oldest. For another thing, Lecter never suggests her 'uncle' raped her. He asks “How did you like your mother’s cousin’s husband?” and Clarice answers "We were different.", then there's a back and forth that swiftly leads them onto the animals and, specifically, Clarice's horse, Hannah, who is the one she escaped with, not some random lamb. The screaming of the lambs only alerted Clarice to the danger. The one she wanted to rescue was Hannah. And Lecter is very disappointed to learn that Hannah lived out a happy life at Clarice's orphanage. You mention how the film isn't so lazy as to make her trauma about rape but Harris is doing something even more complicated. Clarice succeeded in saving the animal she was most attached to but is still haunted by the majority she couldn't save. I'm not going to opine on Jame Gumb's gender identity but, in the book, we get multiple scenes of them watching film of who they believe to be their mother and the way they speak to Precious about her is both covetous and uncomfortably sexual.
Silence of the lambs is one of the movies that is closest to the source material I've ever seen! One of my favorite film facts is the reason there are so many shots where people are staring at the camera is to make everyone feel like Clarence and it is impactful I don't know how anyone thinks that Silence of the Lambs isn't about being a woman in a hostile male dominated field is wild
Great video as always 😎 Side note; the actual Buffalo Bill house is now available as a themed AirBnB. Complete with cellar. Which plays Goodbye Horses. Good Lord.
I had the opportunity to buy that house years ago, only I had no idea where I'd be able to work in such an out of the way area so I passed on it. I texted my cousin about it at the time, saying: "I'd love to dance around with my dick tucked in to Goodbye Horses in there." my cousin wrote back: "Dude, I always suspected that's what you do ALL the time no matter where you live" hahahahaha
I'm sure how I feel about Bella being left out of the movie. On one hand, we learn a lot about Crawford through her brief storyline (she is very ill and Crawford is now her caretaker). The scene where he reminisces about their relationship was so sweet and made me cry. I really felt for him in the book. But on the other hand, it's not a huge part of the story and doesn't have anything to do with anyone but Crawford, so I can understand why it was cut.
It's in the show, which is really good (the first 2 or 3 seasons, at least), so... yeah, I think omitting details like that is kind of a bummer, but you have to be so ruthless when making a movie. It was, IMO, the right choice.
I kind of enjoyed Lecter's mocking of Crawford in the book, where he sent him a quote from a John Donne sonnet- only Lecter would use an obscure Renaissance poem to threaten someone LOL
Yay, glad you got a version of the video accepted by RU-vid! I love this movie. I think I actually screamed when we see the cutouts taped on the dress & it all came together in my mind. (so yeah, for me possible the biggest jump scare ever was a dress). Another data point for you - they named him Buffalo Bill because "he skins his humps" though later we hear that there is no rape. So the authorities were just assuming that that was what he would want from a woman.
I distinctly remember when I watched this movie, alone in my bedroom around 6pm so the room wouldn't be too dark, and the thing I remember most clearly is how nauseous the movie made me feel. At the time I just figured it was the fact that I'm not used to thriller films but now I honestly think how silence of the lambs reflects my own experiences with womanhood and male dominated fields amplified the intensity for me. Incredible. Also a great video!
Hell yes. I hope you keep making movie-based video essays, especially on older, classic films such as Silence of the Lambs. Not only is it insightful but it also helps get these films back into the public consciousness. But of course, keep doing what you do. 💪
Thank you Not Bigfoot! :D I really enjoyed this and I'd be super excited to have inspiration strike again. Also if you see Bigfoot around, tell him to give me my copy of Crash Team Racing back
I think another interesting aspect of the movie is the focus on the state senator's daughter having to be kidnapped in order for investigation unit to prioritize looking for buffalo bill. Might be looking too into it but interesting to think about.
your nuanced and respectful takes on horror are always a joy to watch, especially as a queer person who's struggled with mental health issues. I love horror games and horror media, and I've noticed that a lot of the online communities surrounding them can be less than respectful, so I genuinely love that you put the effort into researching and being respectful with these. Love your videos!
Remember kids, film is pretty much never about nothing. Even if the filmmaker meant nothing, their personal biases and opinions bleed through. And make no mistake, this is an extremely meaningful movie.
There are also different reactions between different cultures, both within a national or ethnic culture as well as one to do with other sorts of cultural variations. Many who are used to analyzing film concepts will get meaning either from what was intended or what was shown if they differ from respective biases.
In the books hannibal absolutely kills people because they were rude, miggs was killed for the act of being rude. Also in the books clarice ends up marrying lector. I totally missed precious being a lamb allegory!!
I would have NEVER thought of the film this way so THANK YOU for this video. Also love how bluntly the bug guy says “yes” when Clarice asks if he’s flirting
The section on author intent reminded me of how appalled the writer was at how some people were idolising Hannibal Lector, and this affected how he wrote the sequel. Also, I'd love to see your take on the game Rule of Rose, I think there's alot of potential to discuss gender and power dynamics in it and I've liked what you've had to say about it here.
I actually have so many notes on Rule of Rose ready! There's loads about the politics of growing up as a young woman in that video that I enjoy. Tons of imagery. All the characters (to me) are like facets of one psyche. I love that the school is so weirdly isolated beyond all geographic reaches as well. Ah, we'll get there :D
@@MertKayKay I think the proper medical name is Hibristophilia? Not sure if people who have that would be into fictional killers as well as real ones, though.
Please keep pushing your feminism into everything. Every movie does have things they're trying to say. It's not a secret thing, it's usually pretty blatant to anyone who wants to look for it, but still worth analyzing. I honestly pity people who think subtext ruins a movie. How boring their lives must be to never think about anything they witness. I am not new to this reading of Silence of the Lambs. But I'm still glad you did it. I enjoy hearing your takes on these topics even if they're takes I've heard or had myself before.
I do think people have to be careful not to twist a movie's meaning in order to fit their view. I'm not necessarily saying that people have to take the same opinion that the author has about a work. But the interpretation should at least fit with the facts of the movie. I think there are Feminist themes in Silence of the Lambs, with Clarice being the only female agent in her group. But not every movie with women in it has Feminist themes, even though I'm sure you can find someone trying to make a Feminist interpretation of every movie.
I think this is one of those movies where the message and themes are not hammered in and poorly written, and I actually got them- because I'm not always the sharpest tool in the shed 😅 I think this movie does a great job SHOWING you Clarice's struggle in a male-dominated workplace, and not just telling you like any other film would. Even as a man, I understood her plight and empathize with her. Otherwise, this is a great movie, and this is a great video, Mert 😁
I've not actually watched this movie before, but I might have to now 👀 I'm curious, have you watched Revolutionary Girl Utena? It's kind of the same vein theme wise; with a focus on the patriarchy, oppression of minorites (mainly women and queer people), and growing up. It's pretty good, if a little absurd at times (even more so than a typical anime). Though I'd definitely recommend looking up a content warning list first, cause the show deals with some heavy subjects pretty explicitly (this coming from someone who already knew the show was dark, and was still surprised by some of the subject matter).
This was a fascinating watch, and you clearly tried hard to address Bill, namely the issues with the film’s portrayal of their gender identity, in as respectful and nuanced way possible. As a non-binary person, I really appreciate that. I also appreciated the amount of research you did and attention you payed to others’ perspectives on Bill’s gender identity, on the relative sexism/transphobia of the film, etc. The responses to the survey you did a while ago (that I was happy to be able to participate in!) were clearly something you took into account when writing the script for this, and, just, idk. It’s good. Despite the difficult subject matter it made me feel affirmed and respected as a person who falls under the trans “umbrella” of identities, and that was pretty cool to see from a cis person.
I think the idea of casual depravity is something very prevalent in SotL. Lector is casually cruel, cold, and is not to be trusted, even in spite of his "competence" as a psychologist and fellow murderer. He views the entire world of living people as meat for his own appreciation and consumption. Even at his most "empathetic" toward Clarice, he never actually "likes" her for more than the small amusement she continues to bring him, because she's just a stimulant for his pleasure. The true horror of Lector is the illusion of competence, composure, and apathy he tries to push onto others to create terror and power for himself. I think about how unhinged it is to casually murder your deranged cell-mate for slighting someone you met for only a brief moment, but it all contributed to Lector building this narrative around himself that simply isn't true. I think Buffalo Bill is suppose to parallel this in many ways while interacting with characters like Lector indirectly. Like Lector, Bill casually uses women to accomplish nothing more than a personal agenda, and Lector can't help but prick at Bill from afar by sticking a woman on him that believe's he could only ever *want* to be a woman. He profiled Bill that way so Clarice would look down on him, which I think just serves to highlights Lector's competence as a manipulator again. I watched a video once analyzing the cinematography of Lector and Clarice's first conversation and how the camera angle changes to subliminally suggest how the power dynamic changes between the two of them. Very captivating stuff, no doubt an extremely well-done film.
From the title alone, I've been agreeing with you 💯% for at *least* 10 years now. In my opinion, the feminine (feminist?) perspective of this film encompass most of the re-watch value and what makes this movie a Classsic ™️ Thank you for your service 🙏🏾
Wait, Silence of the Lambs has FeMiNiSt themes!? Next you're gunna say that Fury Road is actually a feminist coded film?! Some people really try their hardest to ignore anything they don't like lmao
Lindsay Ellis did a great video on trans representation in cinema, detailing the 50s-70s deranged killer to the 90s-2000s decade long puke joke. I can’t actually think of any truly positive examples, maybe Pricilla queen of the desert, if only for the greatest screen insult of all time; “Why don’t you light your tampon and blow your box apart, it’s the only bang you’ll ever get”
Wow I love this video so much! especially as an author myself I do like the concrete discussion on writer’s intention and the cultural impact regardless
About the Bechdel test... People forget that the term originated at the punchline to a "D*kes to Watch Out For" comic by Alison Bechdel. The "Bechdel test" came about when someone (Anita Sarkeesian I think?) took and ran with. I always found it kinda funny that a quippy one liner from a comic in 1985 became an IRL barometer for evaluating media representation in the 2010s.
"White trash" is considered more offensive now than it used to be. Idk some poor white people call themselves this as a joke or to reclaim it, but the problem is the racist implication as well as it being a classist term. (It means poor and classless - less dignified than normally expected of white people, is the implication.) West Virginia was originally economically centered on coal mining. Now many of the mining towns are ghost towns, and it's among the poorest states. Just some more US cultural background. Idk I like when foreign people tell me details about their countries. :3
I think how a lot of people see Hannibal really tells us how low the bar is for men. "Yeah, he's a cannibal who tortures people... but he treats Clarice kinda okay, so he's awesome." *The bar is so low, it's a tavern in Hades.*
44:12 "Billy embodies the negative stereotypes of trans people-big hulking heavy-jawed men with deep scary voices who throw on a dress simply to do harm to cisgendered women-and feeds back into those stereotypes in turn. It's simply a bad representation." Oof, yeah, when you put it that way, it feels pretty obvious now. I haven't seen this film in quite a long time, and I didn't watch it with the same understanding of gender I have today, so I don't think I really engaged with the implications very much at the time. I think you hit the nail on the head. Not to say that trans women need to pass or be especially feminine to be valid, but I agree, the character is in many ways a stereotype made into a serial killer. Not a great look. By the way, thanks for including closed captions in your videos. I appreciate the extra work you put in to presumably converting your scripts into captions. 51:38 Also thanks for doing the work of making the internet less infuriating to use lol. I agree with your metaphor regarding the communication of author intent as well, I've never thought of it that way.
Aww thank you Daimyo! I appreciate that you always give me these meaty comments to read. No worries on the closed captions either, they're very relaxing to do (except when I go off script and I have to manually retype what I said!)
@@MertKayKay Thanks, I'm glad to hear you appreciate them, because I enjoy writing them. Your content is very engaging, and in my opinion, encourages analysis from a new perspective. So I love to contribute whatever I can to the discussion. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day.
In the book it’s stated that Clarice did want to work explicitly under Crawford as she admired his intelligence and Crawford picked her for her naivety because he thought it would appeal to Lecter and get him to help with the case
I've only read the book and not watched the film, but it never once crossed my mind that BIlly was a transsexual. I can see why people can choose to come to that conclusion, but Harris included elements to distant people from that conclusion: The statement that trans people are rarely violent, the inclusion of Billy's backstory eluding to sexism/misogyny and the fact Billy "failed the trans test". To me, this all impled that Billy was not a misunderstood transwoman, but a violent, misogynyistic man that veiwed women as subhuman, so much to the point that wanted to wear them as clothes. His female skin-suit was derived from hatred and trauma, not gender dyphoria. This book is clearly fixated on how women are treated, and this is highlighted within Billy's treatment as women as no more than a costume. I think this parallel is also made when Lecter escapes by stealing the face of a police officer - he does this for his own selfish reasons too. Perhaps the film shows a different perspective, but to me, Billy was always a violent misogynist and nothing more. I think if people choose to take the perspective that Billy was a mistreated transwoman forced to murder women to satisfy his gender dysphoria, then that ironically plays into the book's theme of men's goals and wants being prioritised over women's suffering.
