Study of Silence of the Lambs

 Silence of the Lambs

Genre

Silence of the Lamb falls in many genres — serial killer, thriller, psychological, horror — but it is hard to put it into only one genre. The film has many themes such as binary opposites and transformation, most knowingly represented by the moth which changes form a larvae to a cocoon to finally a winged creature. 

Narrative

how the action unfolds, ‘who knows what, when’

the "who"s

• Amateur cop
• Highly intelligent killer
• Old and experienced cop

the "what"s

• uncovering the whereabouts and identity of a killer
• saving the vitim from a terrible fate
• amateur cop gaining recognition for their hard work, dedication, intelligence etc and learning new things along the way

Themes

Binary opposites

• Good vs Evil

• Hero vs Villain

• Intelligent vs Unintelligent 

• Calm vs Frantic 

   

The Moth

The moth that Buffalo Bill uses is called the Death’s Head Hawk-Moth, named after the skull-shaped spot on the moth’s back. After killing his victims, he stuffs its cocoon down their throat, mocking the screams of his victims as they die. The cocoon is also a symbol of transformation — the final goal of Buffalo Bill’s killing’s is to make a skin suit that he will wear to transform into a woman — this is his transformation. 

Film language

• Low key lighting

This film brings horror to reality: instead of the supernatural serial killers such as in Friday 13th, Psycho and Halloween 78, Silence of the Lambs made the serial killer a real person with human reasons. Hannibal Lecter in this film is portrayed as evil but with a rather entertaining personality, which manipulates people in both the story and before the screen like him just a little more. Going back to the “real” serial killers, the audience will subconsciously become more paranoid because of the realisation that these types of threats do in fact exist.

Mise-en-scene

• Mental institution
• Buffalo Bill’s house

Buffalo Bill’s basement

In the final act, we learn the sheer size of the killer’s basement through Clarice Starling. The anticipation of Buffalo Bill ambushing Clarice puts the audience on the edge of their seats. The basement could be most likely described as a Labyrinth, where someone could easily get lost. It also looks ancient and run-down which fits in the criteria for a typical scene in a horror/slasher film, inciting more anxiety into the audience. His Well is also marked with the bloodstains and the fingernails of his previous victims, which is a spine-chilling detail in the set.

Iconography

• Character growth and development
• Police working department
• Apprentice police and experienced agent
• Hideout of the serial killer
• Weapons e.g. guns, knifes, makeshift tools

Plot and Story

• Hannibal kills people and is put in prison
• Buffalo Bill kills about 5 victims
• The plot of the film takes place when Clarice is jogging in the woods

As for the Todorov narrative theory, the story is too complicated to fit into a set scheme of: Equilibrium, Disruption, Realisation, Action and New Equilibrium. There are two leading plot lines — the prolonged escaped of Hannibal Lecter and finding Buffalo Bill — but the narrative structure can be put into many characters in this film.