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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Based on Thomas Harris's novel, this terrifying film by Jonathan Demme really only contains a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, virtually entombed in a subterranean prison for the criminally insane. At the behest of the FBI, agent-in-training Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) approaches Lecter, requesting his insights into the identity and methods of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). In exchange, Lecter demands the right to penetrate Starling's most painful memories, creating a bizarre but palpable intimacy that liberates them both under separate but equally horrific circumstances. Demme, a filmmaker with a uniquely populist vision (Melvin and Howard, Something Wild), also spent his early years making pulp for Roger Corman (Caged Heat), and he hasn't forgotten the significance of tone, atmosphere, and the unsettling nature of a crudely effective close-up. Much of the film, in fact, consists of actors staring straight into the camera (usually from Clarice's point of view), making every bridge between one set of eyes to another seem terribly dangerous. --Tom Keogh
Description of The Silence of the Lambs:
Based on Thomas Harris's novel, this terrifying film by Jonathan Demme really only contains a couple of genuinely shocking moments (one involving an autopsy, the other a prison break). The rest of the film is a splatter-free visual and psychological descent into the hell of madness, redeemed astonishingly by an unlikely connection between a monster and a haunted young woman. Anthony Hopkins is extraordinary as the cannibalistic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, virtually entombed in a subterranean prison for the criminally insane. At the behest of the FBI, agent-in-training Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) approaches Lecter, requesting his insights into the identity and methods of a serial killer named Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine). In exchange, Lecter demands the right to penetrate Starling's most painful memories, creating a bizarre but palpable intimacy that liberates them both under separate but equally horrific circumstances. Demme, a filmmaker with a uniquely populist vision (Melvin and Howard, Something Wild), also spent his early years making pulp for Roger Corman (Caged Heat), and he hasn't forgotten the significance of tone, atmosphere, and the unsettling nature of a crudely effective close-up. Much of the film, in fact, consists of actors staring straight into the camera (usually from Clarice's point of view), making every bridge between one set of eyes to another seem terribly dangerous. --Tom Keogh
The Silence of the Lambs Reviews:
Not a good Blu-ray transfer comparing to the Criterion DVD 
2009-11-17 - This is one of my all time favorite movies. This is a five star movie and my two star rating applies only to the Blu-ray transfer. I have the Criterion Collection Edition of this movie. In comparing the Blu-ray edition and the Criterion DVD edition, I found the Blu-ray edition to have a less appealing color palette. It is somewhat bluish, less saturated, and sometimes looks magenta. The Criterion edition has an overall warmer tone. The movie itself also does not seem to benefit all that much from the higher resolution transfer either. I don't know if it's the definition of the film or if the transfer wasn't well done. You are not going to see the kind of sharpness you see on more recent Blu-ray transfers such as The Dark Knight or Revolutionary Road.
Excellent film, though if you have the DVD already it is probably not worth it to get the Blu-ray version.
old...but still great. 
2009-11-16 - I bought this movie expecting an Ok mistery Thriller...and that is what I got at the beggining but then it turned very good since the first time you see Buffalo Bill.My favorite scene is Hannibal's escape it is gory and exciting he is so clever I think he is the cleverest slasher movie villan off all time he can read your mind.Buffalo Bill is nutts...and I got a very high tolerance for nutts.The main villan is not Hannibal it is Buffalo Bill he is more bad than Hannibal...he has no reason Hannibal is traumatized.Between this 2 villans there is a hero it is the detective the female detective.It is a true classic of Horror cinema the first movie to give Anthony Hopkins his famous role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter The Cannibal.
The movie itself is good so why bother
2009-11-16 - I'm pretty sure that the quality of the blueray version is good but with this kind of quality picture the blueray comes at second base
Avoid it
2009-11-14 - I guess I must be watching a different one then everyone else. I;m glad it was only
9.99. I think the colors are poor. In real black scenes, the black has red
dots in it. The origonal looks better to me. SAve your 9.99
A Reason to Upgrade to Blu-Ray
2009-11-11 - The Silence of The Lambs is an extremely well written and realized film. I bought the 2 disc collector's edition and I was not disappointed by the film transfer or the extras which are extremely in-depth and interesting.
The Blu-Ray is a disappointment because all the extras that were on the 2 disc collector's edition are NOT ported over as I've read in other reviews. There is a 3 part interview solely with Demme and Foster which is not on the Blu-Ray.
A major reason to upgrade is picture quality AND the behind the scenes featurettes, and commentaries that most studios are actually taking time and care to produce. There was nothing wrong with the collector's edition transfer.
Had I known before hand, and I do read and take note as to whether or not the Blu disc contains the same extras as the CE (hence my not bothering to purchase the Blu-Rays of classics like The Thing, and The Usual Suspects) I would not have made the purchase.
I'm sure that at some point in the near future complete versions of existing bare-bones Blu-Rays will appear with the collector's edition extras.
Studios should take care and note that DVD picture quality is now extremely cost effective, and acceptable. Blu is better but not at the c-o-s-t of the featurettes and commentaries.
