Last week marked the 30th anniversary of the release of The Silence of the Lambs. One of the greatest films ever made, and one of only three films to ever win the big five at the Oscars (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay), it also remains the only horror film to ever win Best Picture. It is an impeccable film – there is not a single wasted scene in its 2 hour and 18 minute runtime – and certainly belongs on the very short list of perfect films.
There are many layers and a rich subtext to the film, not to mention some of the most memorable characters in the history of cinema. But at its heart, The Silence of the Lambs is a story about a relationship between two people, FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) and imprisoned cannibalistic serial murderer Dr. Hannibal Lecter. It is much more than a gimmick, then, that the film was released on Valentine’s Day in 1991. The film itself is a perfect blend of the psychologically and the physically thrilling, with all the elements needed for a romance (in the sort of perverse sense of humor that is so fitting for this film).
Director Jonathan Demme himself has admitted as much, saying: “I saw the relationship between Hannibal and Clarice as something of a perverse sort of love story. There’s a muted sexual undertone to their relationship. She excites him. He’s not used to meeting somebody with such a pure spirit, and somebody so smart and concerned. His life is filled by boredom, and she’s the most satisfying thing that’s happened to him since he’s been locked up.”
The aforementioned sexual undertones throughout the film are pretty self-evident (and have even been parodied as a rom-com trailer). As an attractive female in a man’s world, Clarice is established early on as an object of desire. She is constantly hit on while she is trying to do her job, turning heads while she is jogging at Quantico and fending off scientist’s advances at the forensics lab. There is one shot of her in an elevator, surrounded by the other FBI trainees (all men) that tells you everything you need to know.
Hannibal himself is handsome, well-groomed, eloquent, and charming, on top of his otherworldly intellect. He is a serial killer version of Sherlock Holmes, who is so perceptive that he reveals unexpected details about Clarice. He can deduce things about her past and familiarizes himself with her in an even more sensual way, sniffing her to smell out the type of skin cream and perfume she wears. If you think about it, other than sex, what is more intimate and physical than eating another person? (I guess maybe wearing someone else’s skin).
The film is structured around each of the four meetings between Clarice and Hannibal. Though there is sexual tension right off the bat, these can be viewed almost as a series of “dates” where they get to know each other better and better. In the first meeting, in addition to smelling her, there is a sense of intimacy, as he beckons her to come closer and closer. The famous slurping sound he makes underlnes his carnal desire, and he is outraged (for the only time in the entire film) when Miggs flings his semen at her.
In the second interview, Hannibal talks about Clarice and her FBI boss Crawford in a crude and almost jealous way. It’s also starting from this second meeting that Hannibal starts calling her “Clarice” – notably, almost everyone else calls her by her last name “Starling.” This creates a special sense of intimacy, and that’s how we remember her name from then on. In the third interview, he gets her to volunteer personal information about herself. Finally, the fourth and last time they meet in person, there is no glass barrier between them. In fact when he says goodbye, his finger brushes against hers. This isn’t just the first time they have physical contact – it’s also the only time in the entire movie when he touches someone else in a non-violent way.
For her part, Clarice opens herself up to Hannibal more than anyone else. Yes, he deduces some of the information about her on his own, and trades for other parts in a quid pro quo, but ultimately she chooses to reveal some of her deepest secrets to him. She is vulnerable to him in a way that you would only be with someone you’re very close to. In the end, Clarice admits that she is seeking peace – the silence of the lambs – and Hannibal is the only one that can give that to her. It might seem odd to stan for Clarice and Hannibal or even think of them as a movie couple (certainly not a healthy one), but it’s worth acknowledging the simmering and thrilling sense of romance that makes this mysterious crime film so unique.
