27 'The Silence Of The Lambs' Facts All Horror Movie Buffs Will Love

Whenever we think of psychological thrillers, one of the movies that perhaps comes to our mind is 'The Silence Of The Lambs'.

'The Silence Of The Lambs' has Jodie Foster as the lead actress and Anthony Hopkins as the lead actor. Jodie is an FBI agent who tries to track down a serial killer named Buffalo Bill who has killed numerous women. On the other hand, Hannibal Lecter who was a cannibalistic serial killer is being interrogated by Clarice in connection with the case.

The movie further escalates towards some incredible revelation from Clarice in exchange for information about the serial killer. Through one such encounter between Clarice and Hannibal, it was evident the reason behind the title of the movie. The movie was a massive hit and received some major awards including the Oscars. One can call this movie a spine-chilling experience of sheer excellence which is a must-watch.

To know more about 'The Silence of the Lambs' movie proceed to read.

Facts About The Cast And Filming

'The Silence Of The Lambs' movie is considered a classic and there are various reasons for it. On watching this movie you can comprehend the intensity and the depth of the actors and the excellent direction by the director. Be it the casting of the characters, screenplay, cinematography, or symbolism everything seems to be beyond perfection. Thus, more intriguing facts about the cast and filming are as follows:

Although we think that Anthony Hopkins is irreplaceable in this movie because no one could justify this role better than him, the production approached Sean Connery first for this role.

After reading the script it was rejected by Sean Connery because it was quite 'revolting' according to him.

However not only Sean Connery but other actors were shortlisted too for this role and this list comprises some impeccable actors including Daniel Day-Lewis, Derek Jacobi, and Jack Nicholson.

Jodie Foster who plays the role of the detective in the movie wanted to purchase the film rights.

This movie is a landmark in cinemas, and the massive popularity of this movie pushed it towards a sequel, however, the sequel was not well received and Jodie Foster was not a part of any other 'The Silence Of The Lambs' franchise.

After watching 'The Silence Of The Lambs' one can realize that the screen time of Anthony Hopinks was very short, almost 23 minutes. However, Anothony Hopinks got a nomination for the best actor at the Oscars.

Nevertheless, not only Best Actor, this film was nominated for and won five major Academy Awards including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The scenes between Clarice and Dr. Hannibal Lecter are the most crucial part of this film, but they have shared only four scenes together.

Characters In 'The Silence Of The Lambs'

A crucial part of a film is its characters, as it depends on them how they carry themselves throughout the movie. A movie might have the best screenplay or the best director however if the characters played by actors lack zeal, it certainly becomes impossible for the film to perform well at the box office. Nevertheless, in 'The Silence Of The Lambs', this was not even an issue. The characters are picked and played by actors who made us think nobody can play this role better than they do. Each primary character in this movie be it Hannibal Lecter, Detective Clarice, or Buffalo Bill everyone went through method acting to justify their roles in the film. So more about the characters in the film is as follows.

'The Silence Of The Lambs' is an adaptation of the novel written by Thomas Harris. This novel is a work of fiction, however, the characters of serial killers in this movie are inspired by various real-life serial killers including Gary Heidnik, Edmund Kemper, Ed Gein, and Ted Bundy.

Ted Levine who played the character of Buffalo Bill can be seen dancing in one of the scenes. This scene was completely improvised by him as it was not there in the script.

To play the character of Buffalo Bill, Ted Levine did an elaborate study on the most famous serial killers of America to play the character better.

This movie was largely criticized by the LGBT community as they were offended by the particular tucks scene to which the director responded that Buffalo Bill was not gay.

Jodie Foster operated with a real agent named Mary Ann to prepare her for this role.

Little Known Facts About The Movie

It is quite hard to comprehend the amount of work that goes behind the scenes while making a film. Therefore, there are various such facts about 'The Silence Of The Lambs' that are perhaps known by few. For example, 'The Silence Of The Lambs' was released on Valentine's Day and its 30th anniversary was celebrated in 2021. Also, before Jodie Foster was offered the role of Clarice Starling it was Michelle Pfeiffer. However, Michelle backed out as the character was too dark and Jodie got the role. More Little known facts are as follows:

 'The Silence Of The Lambs' inspired the FBI to recruit more female agents.

The Perspex cell was incorporated as the director thought that prison bars could spoil the mood of scenes.

The actress was actually shocked when she met Hannibal Lecter in the first scene.

The mocking of the accent scene by Hannibal Lecter was entirely improvised by Hopkins.

The movie has framed the movie from the perspective of Clarice.

During Clarice's monologue, a sound can be heard, it happened as one of the crew dropped a wench on the floor accidentally. However, it did not stop Jodie Foster as she did not break her character and the shot continued.

Most parts of the movie were filmed around the region of Pittsburgh.

The skull that is displayed on the moth which features on the official poster of the movie is taken from a work of Salvador Dali.

Although 'The Silence Of The Lambs' is deemed as the first movie, it was not the first novel that was published in the series, as 'Red Dragon' is the first book.

The moth cocoon that can be seen in the movie was in reality, candy.

Did you know?

If you love this film then you might know plenty of facts, but did you know these intriguing facts about this movie?

Before the release of 'The Silence Of The Lambs,' there was another movie based on Hannibal Lecter called 'Manhunter' that was released in 1986 starring Brian Cox. This movie was a certified flop.

Silence of the Lamb is perhaps the only horror movie that won Best Picture at the Oscars.

This movie grossed approximately $270 million worldwide.

This movie although a blockbuster was not favored by the American critic and journalist Eugene Kal Siskel as he gave it a thumbs down.

While researching for the role of Jack Crawford, Scott Glenn broke down.

FAQs

What is the famous line in 'The Silence Of The Lambs'?

The most famous line in 'The Silence Of The Lambs' is when Hannibal Lecter says, 'I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti,'

What was the first 'The Silence Of The Lambs'?

The first 'Silence Of The Lambs' movie was released in 1991, starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins and directed by Jonathan Demme. This famous movie was the greatest hit of its time. So its sequel Hannibal was released in 2001, starring Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore directed by Ridley Scott.

Who directed 'The Silence of the Lambs'?

'The Silence of the Lambs' is directed by Jonathan Demme who also directed other movies like Philadelphia.

What comes after 'The Silence of the Lambs'?

Ten years after the release of 'The Silence of the Lambs' another film was released on February 9, 2001, called 'Hannibal.'

Who played Catherine Martin in 'The Silence of the Lambs'?

The role of Catherine Martin was played by Brooke Smith. Catherine was the daughter of a Senator and the last victim of the serial killer Jame Gumb or Buffalo Bill. However, Catherine was rescued and saved by Clarice Starling in the end.

Who was in 'The Silence Of The Lambs'?

The Silence of the Lamb has some phenomenal actors, such as Anthony Hopkins who played the role of Hannibal Lecter, Detective Clarice Starling played by Jodie Foster, Buffalo Bill played by Ted Levine. Besides the primary characters, there was Brooke Smith who played Catherine Martin, Jack Crawford played by Scott Glenn, Fredrick Chilton played by Anthony Heald, and more.