A Milestone to Feast Upon: The 30th Anniversary of The Silence of the Lambs

Based on a best-selling 1988 novel by author Thomas Harris, The Silence of the Lambs, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month, was actually part of four books that began with Red Dragon, continued with Hannibal and the prequel Hannibal Rising.

The story of The Silence of the Lambs centers on Clarice Starling (played by Jodie Foster), a young, vulnerable FBI agent, who is on the trail of “Buffalo Bill” (Ted Levine), a serial killer who repulsively skins his victims.

Mentoring with veteran agent Jack Crawford (Scott Glenn), Clarice is directed to visit with Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who had known “Bill” through one of his former patients. Lecter, once a prominent psychiatrist, is now in a maximum-security prison for his own dangerous crimes as s serial killer, in which he ate his victims, giving him the name, “Hannibal the Cannibal.”

Through the course of The Silence of the Lambs, as Clarice gets closer to catching “Bill,” she and Hannibal get closer as well, forming a distinctive relationship. When the two first met and a nervous Starling talks with the eerily still Lecter standing behind his glassed-in cell, the back-and-forth between the two characters, with Hannibal like a predator who feels sorry for his pray, is utterly compelling no matter how many times you may have seen it.

It’s just one example in The Silence of the Lambs of the talent of the film’s late, great director, Johnathan Demme, whose eclectic career also included such films as Melvin and Howard (1980), Married to the Mob (1988) and Philadelphia (1993).

Demme is able to slowly rachet the tension up throughout the film, culminating in a scene in which Clarice confronts “Buffalo Bill” in his home, which is squirm-inducing in its uncomfortability.

The scene also showcases Foster’s very low-key performance, in which she quietly demonstrates the character’s resolve and strength, as well as her vulnerability. In her own, subtle way, Foster keeps up with Hopkins’ showcase performance.



The Silence of the Lambs opened on Valentine’s Day (What better what to say I love you?) of 1991. The film was a tremendous hit, generating $14 million dollars in its opening weekend and going on to be the fifth highest grossing film of the year.

At Academy Awards time, in spring of 1992, The Silence of the Lambs won Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Picture. Only two other films, 1934’s It Happened One Night and 1975’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, have ever accomplished this.

In 2001, there was a string of adaptations of Harris’ other books. There was the sequel Hannibal in 2001, the prequel Red Dragon (2002) and then Hannibal Rising in 2007, which explored Lecter’s younger years. The character was even the subject of an NBC TV series Hannibal, which ran for two seasons, starting in 2013.

The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal have also made a tremendous impact beyond the film, with Hannibal emerging as a much-parodied and referenced film character for a number of years after. The character has even been voted the number one film villain by the American Film Institute and one of the 100 Greatest Film Characters of All Time by Entertainment Weekly.

Thirty years later, the character and film leave quite the legacy, as audiences are still…”eating up”… The Silence of the Lambs. Anyone for a nice Chianti and some fava beans?