Based on the best-selling novel by Thomas Harris, “Silence of the Lambs” is a disturbing and chilling thriller. The film which won five Academy Awards, is highlighted by the superb performances of Jodie Foster as FBI cadet Clarice Starling and Anthony Hopkins as the psychotic criminal, once brilliant psychiatrist, Dr. Hannibal “the Cannibal” Lecter. Starling’s job is to tap Lector’s mind in order to find the serial killer known as “Buffalo Bill”, a killer who skins his victims. Lector uses his macabre knowledge to entice Clarice into intricate but chilling mindgames. The film’s focal point is not so much the catching of the killer, but the relationship between Starling and Lector. The audience is manipulated so that Lecter is simultaneously repellent and charismatic, thus contributing to the tension and unease of the film.
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Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
305960
Language
English
Audience classification
MA
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Academy awards (Motion pictures)
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers → Crime films
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers → Detective and mystery films
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers → Suspense
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers → Thrillers
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Serial murderers
Feature films → Feature films - United States
Literature → American literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)