Helen Yurek
Period 2
11 February 2012
The Silence of the Lambs Review
A good horror movie is suspenseful, intelligent, and realistic. A good movie has an excellent cast, plot, and receives awards. Both sets of criteria are met by The Silence of the Lambs. This film is anything but the cliché scary movie where things pop out at and give the viewer a brief heart attack before they are forgotten. This film is one that gets inside one’s brain and messes one up for life. The Silence of the Lambs is a physiological thriller that combines agonizing suspense, a dreadfully realistic and unpredictable plot, and an excellent selection of actors. Meeting and exceeding all of the criteria for a good horror film, The Silence of the Lambs is the best horror movie ever produced.
The Silence of the Lambs is a film about a young FBI student in training named Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) who is sent to interview a captured and highly isolated serial killer and renowned physiatrist, Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lector (Anthony Hopkins). Her purpose is to get information on another serial killer, known as “Buffalo Bill”, that only Dr. Lector knows. However, Dr. Lector is unwilling to reveal what he knows about Bill, a gruesome killer and self-declared transsexual who removes the skin of his victims in order to create the suit of a woman’s body, unless Starling reveals personal information about her past. Before going in to meet Lector, Starling was warned by numerous guards and physiatrists at the facility not to tell him anything personal, not to approach the glass, and not to accept anything he gives her. Throughout the movie she breaks all of these rules and leaves the viewer on the edge of their seat, waiting to see what the consequences will be.
Of course, even the best plot would be nothing without a decent cast to act it out. However, this movie goes above and beyond by gathering superb actors with excellent chemistry. Anthony Hopkins’ chilling portrayal of his character is nearly too convincing; his terrifying exchanges with Jodie Foster are the focus of the film. The conversations between the two main characters are easily able to raise the viewers pulse threefold due to their disturbing nature and intensity. Another review by Vincent Canby for The New York Times stated, “Miss Foster and Mr. Hopkins are so good, in fact, that Clarice and Hannibal sometimes seem more important than the mechanics of ‘The Silence of the Lambs’…”(Canby). Hopkins’ acting was so remarkable that he won an Oscar for his role of Dr. Lector, even though his total screen time was a little less than seventeen minutes (IMBd).
The movie itself accomplished an even greater achievement: winning all five major Academy Awards, also known as “The Big Five”. The Silence of the Lambs received Oscars for Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay one year after the movie was released (IMBd). Only three movies have ever achieved winning “The Big Five” in history. These movies are the classics, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and It Happened One Night (“List of the Big Five Academy Award Winners and Nominees”). It is not outlandish to argue that The Silence of the Lambs is the best horror film ever produced. Five Oscars back up that statement more than any words ever could.
This movie is easily the most terrifying and intriguing thing produced. It is gruesome without being gory; it is frightening without being vulgar; it is incredibly repulsive and at the same time attractive. It is hard to explain a movie such as this one; that is precisely why it is a must-see for all. No one could capture the brilliance behind this horror in words, it is something one has to experience for themselves.
Sources:
Canby, Vincent. "The Silence of the Lambs Movie Review." New York Times Movies. New York TImes, 14 Feb. 1991. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9D0CE0DB123EF937A25751C0A967958260>.
Various Authors. "List of Big Five Academy Award Winners and Nominees." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 6 Feb. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Big_Five_Academy_Award_winners_and_nominees>.
"The Silence of the Lambs IMBd Review." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). IMDb, 19 Feb. 1999. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102926/reviews>.
"The Silence of the Lambs." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Wikepedia. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silence_of_the_Lambs_(film)>.
Image: Google Images.
I really liked this evaluation! I thought that you did a really good job describing the overall tone of the movie, which is really difficult to do in a psychological thriller. Your claim is clear and controversial and the organization of the evaluation was great. I liked how you mentioned the criteria in very beginning of the essay. There was an evident use of ethos when you mentioned all the awards and Oscars the movie received. You did a wonderful job of stating your criteria and providing evidence to back it up, as well. I loved the way you presented your opinion, such as when you said, "This film is one that gets inside one’s brain and messes one up for life." Lastly, I thought that the visual really showed how creepy and thrilling the movie really is. Overall, I loved it!:)
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the better written ones on the blog! Well done. You did an excellent job of using ethos and logos like the film's Oscar wins to back up the opinion statements such as "This movie is easily the most terrifying and intriguing thing produced." There was good structure to the argument and you had a good level of sophistication in it. On a side note, don't watch the sequels; they are terrible.
ReplyDeleteThis review was really well written! I like how you described all the criteria for a good horror, movie, then went on to talk about how TSotL surpassed all of it. You did a good job of explaining why it wasn't just another cliche scary movie, and backed it up well by explaining the "Big Five." The summary goes into just enough detail without giving anything away. In fact, the only thing I wish you had done differently was include a quote or two from the movie. But otherwise, excellent job :)
ReplyDeleteThis review was very well written, appealing using ethos. By saying that Hopkins recived an Oscar for his role which lasted less than 17 minutes, it shows using quantitative data that the acting was considered to be the best of its kind. She did an excellent job describing the movie, and providing her own opinions of it as well. Although the summary was not as detailed as others', it is very successful in that it does not ruin the story line, and rather intrigues me to watch the movie myself.
ReplyDeleteI also like how much her criteria of a "good" movie differed from that of everyone else, because it had a different genre. Although I myself might not call this a "good" movie since I would be extremely terrified, it was a good example of what different people see in a good movie.
I like this review and believe that it was very well written. Without even seeing the movie, I know that it is supenseful and exciting. You give a clear definition of what a good, horror movie is, then follow it with a description of how this movie is even better. By looking into how the actors played their roles and then the overall appeal of what the movie did, how it won awards, you cover several basis where the excellence of the movie may be questioned. This use of ethos, the Oscar awards, gives credibility and support that other people also believe that this movie is really good. Overall, this was a really great evaluation and the picture at the end creates intrigue about the movie, which may cause people who haven't seen the movie to watch it.
ReplyDelete