She's a woman in a traditionally male role, as director Roger Corman (who has a small role in the movie) noted in the film's Making Of documentary, Inside the Labyrinth. Clarice is very competent and she is very human."įoster was right that the role of Clarice Starling was a huge leap away from how women were usually portrayed in thrillers and action movies at the time – with one of the most obvious differences being how she is dressed.Ĭinemagoers were used to seeing Sigourney Weaver battle an alien while wearing only a vest and pants, Debra Winger's federal investigator dressing in a strappy gown in 1987's Black Widow, or Theresa Russell running after bad guys sporting an impractical low-cut top in 1990's Impulse.Ĭlarice, in her oversized green coat, trousers and sensible brown lace-ups – "Your good bag and your cheap shoes" – is a far cry from those glamorous heroines, but there's much more to her than what she wears. "This was not a woman running around in her underwear with a machine gun. "The thing that I really love about Clarice Starling is that this may be one of the first times that I have seen a female hero that is not a female-steroid version of Arnold Schwarzenegger," Foster explained in an interview with Empire back in 1991. How so? It changed serial killer movies forever by making the intelligent, well-mannered Lecter more than just a slasher-film monster, and for being a groundbreaking feminist thriller that paved the way for a more honest portrayal of female cops and agents on screen.Įverything from The X-Files and Homeland to Sicario, Zodiac and Mindhunter owe director Jonathan Demme's film (and Ted Tally's script) a huge debt. The movie is still only one of three ever to win the "Big Five" Oscars (actor, actress, director, film and screenplay – adapted from Thomas Harris's novel) and remains a huge influence on filmmakers and audiences alike. Of course, a film with such a startling look and iconic performances has been parodied numerous times, from Billy Crystal's entrance at the Academy Awards in 1992 to Chris Griffin acting out Buffalo Bill's dance in Family Guy and, best of all, the spoof off-Broadway musical Silence! (with a chorus of actors dressed as lambs and a NSFW duet between Bill and captive Catherine, called 'Put the F**king Lotion in the Basket').īut three decades on (and jokes aside), it's just as powerful as it was when it arrived. Watch The Silence of the Lambs on Prime Video
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