We’re all voyeurs as film watchers – observing from theaters, mobile devices, or our own bedrooms – wherever we are, we represent an essential aspect of film as the viewer. Though we’re oftentimes on the outside, it’s up to the directors and cinematographers to loop us in through the camerawork, set, and emotion from the actors.
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In a video essay by Steven Benedict, he explores director Jonathan Demme and cinematographer Tak Fujimoto‘s approach to the 1991 sensation “The Silence of the Lambs,” and how the film’s point of view is established through meticulous camera movement – it’s visualization before verbalization. The film, based on Thomas Harris‘s novel, became an instant classic thanks to compelling performances from Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter and Jodie Foster as Clarice Starling, portraying cunning, psychological terror through their mere physicality.
‘Lambs’ is a detective story full of looking and watching (there’s that voyeurism again) so it’s only fitting that Demme makes Clarice a point of view character; she’s the epicenter of morality for the viewer at home. When any male character communicates with her, instead of talking to Clarice they look directly into the camera, breaking down the fourth wall and ascertaining the role of men as voyeurs themselves (particularly when it comes to engaging with women). In this case, however, Clarice isn’t victimized or looked at objectively, she is the subject, so that we as the audience can empathize with her.
As for Lecter, Benedict describes him as a “black hole.” The vast emptiness in his glare only provokes fear, cementing terror into the audience practically without any violence at all (note that there’s no blood in the film until nearly 70 minutes in).
Whether you’ve seen ‘Lambs’ recently or want to be terrorized again, after watching Benedict’s essay try the film on for size and see what unforgettable glares you notice. [via No Film School]
